First essay topic: Proper host and guest behavior (xenia) is a major theme in the Odyssey. Compare Odysseus and his men as “guests” of the “host,” Cyclops, with the suitors as “guests” of the “host” Odysseus. Explain what this comparison says about our evaluation of Odysseus’ character and the moral outlook of the epic.
Second Essay Topics: Please choose one of the following four essay topics and write a 4-5 page (1000-1250 word) essays on it.
1. Discuss the conflict between Pentheus and Dionysus in the Bacchae and consider the implications for the relationship between gods and man.
2. Compare and contrast the characters of Creon and Pentheus.
3. Is Heraclitus simply a lover of paradox and confusion or is he consistent at some deeper level?
4. What are the most important features of the realm of the Forms that Plato is trying to indicate by his analogies of the sun, line and cave?
Essay Expectations
Please write a 4-5 page (1000-1250 word) paper on this topic. The essay must have a beginning in which you articulate your thesis, i.e., point you intend to prove. The body of the paper will contain the proof. The proof will be organized into parts of your choosing, but you must cite evidence from the text either simply by referring to it by book and line number, e.g., xiii.97, or by quoting it (in which case you must also give book and line numbers). In such a short paper, quotation should be kept to a minimum.
I have always found it difficult to start writing a paper. But I discovered many years ago a technique that I still use to this day. First, of course, you have to have read the work carefully and you have to make frequent reference back to it. But then I just start writing and I don’t care what comes out at first. I do not try to write a “paper” with an organized argument. It starts like a journal entry: “Wilson wants me to write some stupid paper about the Odyssey, about the relationship between Circe and the Sirens. Hmm, well, I suppose they’re both female characters. Neither of them seems monstrous like Scylla or Charybdis. There’s only one Circe and several Sirens. Odysseus stops and takes advice and sleeps with Circe, but he doesn’t stop for the Sirens. In fact, that make me think: where doesn’t Odysseus stop? Well, there’s the Siren, as I just said, but also Scylla and Charybdis….” The trick here is not to stop writing. Usually I find it easier to write longhand, but I’m of the older generation. What I find is that ideas come from writing in this way, since the act of writing allows me to focus and concentrate my mind. I allow myself to change direction, change thesis, anything so that I can discover something about the text. This is the creative phase of the operation, and I find it easier to keep it separate from the expositional phase.
When I think I’ve got something interesting, and really can’t say anything more that is new about it, I select the interesting material, throw out all the garbage (and most of what I have written is garbage), and use this as my first draft. I organize the material, elaborate the argument, make sure all my evidence is in place, improve the style, correct spelling and other technical matters. Finally I read it aloud to myself to listen to how it sounds, whether the style is clumsy or elegant.
These are a few of the most common technical problems I find in undergraduate papers. Please proofread your papers carefully.
1. Do not use contracted forms in formal academic prose.
For example, avoid "don't", "can't", "isn't". Use instead "do not", "cannot" or "can not", "is not".
2. Avoid colloquialisms and street talk. Academic prose at its best is clear, elegant and formal. "Hell, it made me laugh, and I wrote this paper", "Parmenides is real cool" are inappropriate.
3. Learn to respect the apostrophe of possession:
the books of my brother: my brother's books
the books of my brothers: my brothers' books
the thunderbolt of Zeus: Zeus' thunderbolt
4. Check spelling. Spell-check programs on computers are not one hundred percent reliable. When in doubt, check your dictionary.
5. When quoting texts, on the first occasion you cite the text, give the full bibliographic reference in a footnote (e.g., Aeschylus, Agamemnon, trans. R. Lattimore, University of Chicago Press, line 234.). Thereafter cite line numbers in the body of your essay.
For Iliad: cite book and line numbers (XXIV. 345)
For Herodotos and Thucydides: cite book and section number (I.22)
For Plato: cite book and section number (VI. 511e)
For dramatists: cite line number (456)
6. Write in complete sentences. Consider the following error:
"The story of the Iliad tell us of Achilles as the Greeks' foremost warrior. One who backs down to nobody." The second "sentence" is not a sentence.
Grading Criteria
These are the criteria for grading the papers
Content (35 points)
Writer states clear, argumentative thesis
All paragraphs have well developed topic sentences
Writer provides adequate supporting evidence
Writer includes primary data in every body paragraph.
Analysis is focused on thesis
Every body paragraph concludes with analysis of data that has been addressed in the paragraph
Writer uses appropriate sources and correctly cites them.
Organization (20 points)
Paper has introduction, body and conclusion, and is presented in a logical order.
Paper does not have any off topic digression.
Writer provides adequate signposts and transitions for leading reader through text.
Overall organization.
Voice/Tone/Structure (10 points)
Professional and appropriate language is maintained throughout the paper.
Language is compelling and engaging.
Structure/Style/Grammar/Mechanics (20 points)
Sentences are well phrases, varied, and flow smoothly from one to another
Word choice is clear, coherent, and mature.
Grammar use (verb endings, subject-verb agreement, plural forms, run-on sentences, spelling, etc.) is correct.
Mechanics (punctuation, capitals, quotations, etc.) are handled correctly.
Overall Quality of Paper (15 points)
Paper shows a good understanding of the topic and defense of the thesis.
Paper demonstrates extensive critical thinking in its analysis. Writer proves thesis.