“enargeia, n. (εναργεια) ETYM: from the Greek word argos, meaning “bright”
a. the graphic portrayal of living an experience
b. the stylistic effect in which appeal is made to the senses in such a way that the listener will be turned into an eyewitness; mimesis
b. bright unbearable reality

”Homer’s greatness is in his telling out of the embedded vivid, the core of life made explicit.””

— Nicolson, Why Homer Matters

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 (6)

The Road, large group discussion

Over the long weekend, in addition to working on your The Road revision, make sure you have this edition of the Iliad, translated by Stanley Lombardo. I'd like you to read

1. the following parts of Sheila Murnaghan's introduction to the Iliad: "The Iliad and the Trojan Legend" (xix-xxi), "Heroic Society" (xxi-xxv), "The Homeric Gods" (xxv-xxix), and "The Poetic Tradition" (liv-lviii).

2. this webpage, outlining the heroic code.

3. this short conclusion from Adam Nicolson's book, Why Homer Matters.

4. Iliad. Book1, lines 1-8.

tuesday, september 6 (1)

Homer (whoever she was); Introduction to epic; Judgment of Paris; "Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships?"; RAGE! (Achilles', not mine)

By tomorrow, first print, read, and annotate these selections from Seneca's "On Anger". This is the first in a series of readings about ANGER, one of our ideas to trace as we read Homer's poem. As you read Seneca, think about what makes you angry. How do you deal with it? What is this emotion's function? Why, according to Seneca, should we avoid it?

Then move to Book I of the poem, lines 1-317. I'd like to start seeing more active note-taking. In your notes, write about one/a few/all of the following (I'll be checking from time to time):

(1) According to the first 8 lines, what will this poem be about?

(2) What accusations do Achilles and Agamemnon level at each other? Do you think these charges are just?

(3) Who do you think is in the right in this quarrel? Who do the Achaeans think is in the right? Why? Why do you think Achilles and Agamemnon fail to take Nestor’s advice?

(4) What kind of people do you think Agamemnon and Achilles are?

(5) In what senses is Agamemnon more powerful than Achilles?

(6) What do you think the heroes in the Iliad are fighting for? Do the heroes seem to like fighting? What do the gods seem to care about? How are their concerns like / unlike the heroes' concern for honor and glory?

wednesday, september 7 (2)

Seneca, "On Anger"; the beginning of the Iliad

Tonight I'd like you to print, read, and annotate Chapter 31 of Book II of Montaigne's essays, "Of Anger", the second in our series of readings about ANGER. How does Montaigne respond to Seneca?

thursday, september 8 (3)

Montaigne's "Of Anger"; We'll also continue discussing Book I of the poem

Tonight, in addition to printing, reading, and annotating the third installment of our series of readings about ANGER, St. Thomas Aquinas' "Of the Effects of Anger" in Summa Theologica, I'd like you to finish Book I of the poem, thinking about and taking notes on the following:

(1) Name some similarities between Zeus and Achilles (and Zeus and Agamemnon).

(2) How do you react to the way women (mortal and immortal) portrayed in Book 1?

(3) How do you know who has the most honor? Why do you think Zeus honors Thetis' request? What do you think of Zeus' response to her?

(4) In what ways do you think the men's and gods' quarrels are like / unlike? Why do you think these quarrels have different outcomes?

friday, september 9 (4)

Aquinas, Summa Theologica; Iliad, Book I

To conclude our four part series of readings about ANGER, read "Can we have compassion for the angry?, an article published in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

monday, september 12 (5)

Iliad, Book I; Anger readings

Remember that tomorrow there is a vocabulary quiz, units 1-2.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (6)

Vocabulary Quiz, Units 1-2; Iliad, Book 1, heroic values

Originally launched on the Atlantic.com A Film by Tom Mason and Sarah Klein Executive Produced by Ken Burns In this rare appearance as a documentary subject, George Saunders reveals the pitfalls of bad storytelling and explains the openness and generosity required to breath life into great characters.

wednesday, SEPTEMBER 14 (1)

DEGEN: Writing to Show. Degen begins by asking, "What are the pictures and images writers see, hear, smell, touch, and taste?" He says that writers might think of themselves as photographers, conjuring up images to convey meaning. We'll begin by comparing a photograph with a paragraph about that photograph, attempting to paint as clear of a picture, only with words. Why is one more successful than the other? How does a writer do the same thing as a photographer? We'll brainstorm. Then we'll move to watching a short video with George Saunders, focusing in on the way he relies on the revision process to take him in new directions. Look carefully at the evolution of the sentence about Frank. How does the sentence evolve? What happens to it? What questions does Saunders ask himself and think all writers should ask themselves? What are the characteristics of writing that shows?

Tonight I'd like you to read in your Degen text from page 34 to the top of page 37, stopping just before SAMPLE WRITING TO SHOW EXERCISES. Locate your copy of The Road; you'll need it for tomorrow night's homework.

thursDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 (2)

DEGEN: Writing to show

Today we'll compare several telling and showing sentences from novelist and former Rice professor Justin Cronin. SECTIONS 2 and (maybe) 6: While I am gone, read this article on showing and telling. Then print this document and complete for tomorrow. You'll compare pairs of sentences, one which tells and one which shows. What is each showing sentence doing differently from its telling counterpart? Be ready to discuss at the beginning of class tomorrow. I'll collect for a quiz grade. All sections should go back to their copy of The Road tonight and come to class with two examples of sentences that show and two examples of sentences that tell. Be prepared to share in case you are called upon.

friday, SEPTEMBER 16 (3)

Mixing Latinate and Anglo-Saxon words is a delightful sensation, like mixing smooth and crunchy.

Today we'll look at your examples of showing and telling sentences from The Road as well as some samples from the Degen text. Here's mine.

For Friday, September 23 you'll do a little writing for me, beginning to put these 'writing to show' skills into action. Turn to page 42 in the Degen text and complete Writing to Show Assignment #1, SUBSTITUTING ANGER FOR FEAR. Otherwise follow the task and bullet points carefully. You'll submit a hard copy on Friday by 3:30 PM and an electronic copy to turnitin.com. This will be a 50-point quiz grade.

For Monday, read lines 1-300 of Book 2 of the Iliad. Everyone is responsible for coming to class with one discussion question. Messrs. Clause, Rice, Weathington, and Dupuis, we'll begin with your question in your respective class. Quiz Monday? You better believe it.

Note that there will be a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday, units 1-4. Yikes.