Lecture Terms and Questions

September 7, 2000

[No terms]

1. In book 9 of the Iliad, the "Embassy," how do the three speeches--of Odysseus, Phoinix, and Aias--compare with one another? What rhetorical strategies does each hero use to persuade Achilles? How does each speech match, or not match, the particular hero's character and relation to Achilles?
2. Book 9.307-429 contain what is by general consent the most powerful and extraordinary speech in Homer. Discuss Achilles' speech here, paying special attention to what it tells us about his character, his self-knowledge (or lack thereof), and to the effects it has on the rest of the Iliad's plot.
3. Beginning with 18.316-23, and going on to choose two other similes of your choice, discuss in detail how similes in the Iliad both connect with the narrative, and implicitly go beyond it to address the deeper messages of this poem.

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