Dear Incoming Students, Welcome to the Classical Education track at Bishop Machebeuf High School! I am looking forward to an exciting and unique year with you. This Summer we will be reading Homer s The Iliad, a nearly 3,000 year old epic story. Below I will introduce you to the story of The Iliad, give you a little bit of information and a few additional resources to help you get the most out of the reading, and then detail your summer assignment. I will list several books (The Iliad is divided into 24 books, essentially the same as chapters) below that you must read with close attention, and be prepared to discuss in class on the first day of school. However, since The Iliad is rather long, and summer can sometimes be rather short, you will choose how much of The Iliad that you read beyond these books. I greatly encourage you to try to read as much of this amazing story as you can. This is the oldest story in Western Literature and has captured and inspired people for millennia. If you choose to tackle the whole Iliad this summer you will join a noble and ancient society! I will be available nearly all Summer by email and I really hope to receive your questions and thoughts as you read. Please do not hesitate to email me. 1 This can be a difficult text but I am here to talk with, offer assistance, and help make sense of the reading. You can do this, I can help! This will be a wonderful year and I am really looking forward to reading and discussing with you. Sincerely, Mr. Lynch 1 tlynch@machebeuf.org
A Note on Our Book We will be reading the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition version of The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles. Students must have this edition of the book. Familiarize yourselves with the numerous aides in the book. It is chalk full of maps (pgs. 68-74), character tables (pg. 617), explanatory notes (pg. 621), and glossaries of names and places (starting on page 639). A story about a battle doesn t make sense if you don t know the geography or who the people are that are fighting: USE THESE AIDES! The Iliad - The Story Before Our Story The Iliad is a story within a larger series of stories. It begins in the middle of a 10 year war between an association of Greek peoples (often also called the Achaeans, Danaans, or Argives ) and the people of the city of Troy (the Trojans). The main characters on the Trojan side are: the elderly Trojan King Priam, his sons Hector and Paris, Helen, Hector s wife Andromache, and Aeneas (the future king of the Trojans who Virgil s Aeneid will follow). There are many important Greek characters but of special significance are Agamemnon, King of the Greeks, his brother and King of Sparta Menelaus, Achilles the god-like warrior, Patroclus (Achilles s best friend), Odysseus the warrior leader of Ithaca (and main character of The Odyssey), and Ajax the Greater. The cause of this war stems from a really awkward beauty contest. While gods and mortals are partying down at the marriage feast of Peleus and Thetis (the parents of Achilles), a golden apple appears. It is inscribed to the fairest (to the most beautiful), and the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all claim the apple as their own. The goddesses call on Zeus to resolve their three-way claim but he knows that choosing between them would cause him all sorts of trouble. Instead, he volunteers the mortal Paris (King Priam s son) to do the choosing. Each of the goddesses offers Paris a different bribe to choose her. Hera offers to make Paris a king over a huge kingdom, Athena offers him the ability to become an unsurpassed warrior, and Aphrodite offers him the love of the most beautiful woman alive: Helen. Paris chose the love of Helen and awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite. There was only one small issue: Helen was already married to the powerful Greek Menelaus, brother to the most powerful King in Greece, Agamemnon. A promise from a goddess does not go unfulfilled, however, so Helen was whisked away from Menelaus and given to Paris. This is the crime that sparks the Trojan war. Menelaus and his brother, with the goddess Hera especially behind them, rallied a coalition of Greeks to sail to Troy and recapture Helen. The Iliad begins when the Greeks are in their tenth year of fighting and in the midst of their siege on Troy While in Trojan lands, the Greeks raided the surrounding area. It was during one of these raids, and right at the beginning of Book 1, that Agamemnon abducts the
daughter of the Priest Chryses. Chryses called upon Apollo to take revenge for him and Apollo begins to destroy the Achaean army with plague. In order to end the plague, Achilles leads the Greeks in the demand that Agamemnon return the stolen girl and thus appease Apollo. Agamemnon agrees, but only with the rash demand that Achilles give to him Briseus, Achilles favorite slave girl. This, in turn, enrages Achilles and he withdraws his men from the war, leaving Agamemnon to fight the Trojans without the best Greek warrior. The Iliad centers primarily around the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon. A Note on Names Names in The Iliad are confusing. Often major groups go by several names (Greeks, Achaeans, Danaans, Argives, for example) and people are referred to by name (Achilles), something from their lineage (Peleus son), or even defining traits (Athena is frequently referred to by her pale eyes ). Whenever you are in doubt, check the book s pronouncing glossary that starts on page 639 or do a quick google search to see exactly who is being referred to. A Note on Gods His prayer went up and Phoebus Apollo heard him. Down he strode from Olympus peaks, storming at heart with his bow and hooded quiver slung across his shoulders. 2 The gods we encounter in Greek Myth are incredibly different from our Lord, the Triune God of our Catholic Faith. Where our God is all-powerful, all-knowing, eternally merciful; the Greek deities can be tricked, lied to, bound up and held against their will, forced into doing things, surprised, and more. The Greeks believed that the period of time depicted in The Iliad was a golden age where man-like gods came down from their home on Mt. Olympus and meddled in the affairs of heroic and god-like men (the gods are even reported to have children with mortals!) It is crucial to The Iliad s story that gods have these limitations. Zeus is the most powerful god but he still goes back and forth, at times supporting the Greeks and other times supporting the Trojans, he is even deceived and tricked by both Hera and Poseidon. The gods disguise themselves like common people, take the form of animals, disappear at will. The gods are not a source of stability and unerring faith, they are volatile and enraged at the slightest offense. This leads to much of the conflict in Greek Myth. Additional Resources: Character map Character list Good over all guide to the story 2 The Iliad, 79.
Assignment: There are four major components to your Summer assignment: A completed god chart (attached below) - Due at the time of our meeting Completion of the mandatory reading (Books given below) - Due by first day of class The completion of 3 short essay questions - One response should be brought to our meeting, the other two will be collected on the first day of class. A meeting with me at some point over the Summer at BMHS - Contact me by July 7th to set a date. God Chart: Read the attached section of Edith Hamilton s Mythology and fill in the attached table with information found in the reading concerning the Greek gods. You may include additional information from your own research online or in other sources. Mandatory Reading: These books of The Iliad are mandatory reading for all students. Students should be prepared on the first day of class to discuss the major events and characters found in these books. An in-class essay focused on these selections will be given and thus, note-taking or annotated reading is highly recommended. Annotated reading is when the reader underlines passages that are important or powerful to them, write notes in the margin, or any other helpful writing in the book that helps the reader understand the text. I would recommend writing one sentence summaries of major scenes, underlining confusing names and writing notes to help you keep track of who is called what (i.e. when you see Peleus son, you can write a note that this is Achilles, to keep from becoming confused.) Mandatory Books: Book 1 - The Rage of Achilles Book 6 - Hector Returns to Troy Book 9 - The Embassy to Achilles Book 16 - Patroclus Fights and Dies Book 17 - Menelaus Finest Hour Book 19 - The Champion Arms for Battle Book 22 - The Death of Hector Book 24 - Achilles and Priam Short Essay Questions: Students must choose 3 out of the 6 short essay questions to answer. Answers should be between 250 and 500 words. Good answers will articulate clear and concise theses, use evidence gathered from the text, and have minimal spelling and usage errors. Question #1 - Book 1 - The Cruelty of Agamemnon Write an essay in which you explore the possible motives for the cruelty of Agamemnon in the opening of The Iliad. What reasons could he have for refusing to
return Chryses s daughter? Why would he insist that he have to receive repayment when he does eventually give her back? Why would he feel threatened by Achilles? Your essay should take into account Agamemnon s status in society and the possible expectations of someone like him. Question #2 - Book 6 Is Hector heroic in choosing to leave Andromache and his son, Scamandrius and return to battle? Why or why not? Think of your own understanding of what a hero would do: who he would prioritize, why he would choose to fight, when (or if) he would ever flee. Question #3 - Book 9 How have the characters of Agamemnon and Achilles changed in Book 9 since their interaction in Book 1? Does Agamemnon still seem as cruel or Achilles as noble? Your answer should focus on Book 9 and Agamemnon s offer of peace to Achilles. Question #4 - Book 19 Write an essay in which you reflect on the friendship that you see between Achilles and Patroclus. Is this the same kind of friendship that you see evidenced in your life? Why or why not? Question #5 - Book 22 Is the wrath that Achilles treats Hector with a good or an evil thing? How does Achilles s actions change the way that you sympathize with either side? Does Achilles show Hector any respect? Does Hector deserve Achilles s respect? Question #6 - Book 24 We have seen Achilles go from enraged, to spiteful, to violently vindictive over the course of the story. How does Achilles s interaction with Priam change him as a character and allow him to be seen in a way that is different from his previous depictions? Think of Achilles s personality when offended by Agamemnon, or at the death of Patroclus, or the killing of Hector. Meeting with Me: Students need to meet with me over the summer to discuss questions that they have with the text and share one short essay response. This meeting will be helpful in determining where students are at in relation to reading difficult texts, how they are handling essay writing, and for me to offer assistance and encouragement. Please email me to schedule a meeting before July 7th. I will be available on Skype for those who cannot meet in person due to extenuating circumstances.
Parents Spouse (if applicable) Children (if applicable) Area of Governance Symbol/Anim al Favorite City Something They do in The Iliad (if applicable, including page number) Zeus (Jupiter) Hera (Juno) Poseidon (Neptune) Hades (Pluto) Athena (Minerva) Apollo Artemis (Diana) Aphrodite (Venus) Hermes (Mercury) Ares (Mars) Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber) Hestia (Vesta)