Eurolit Homework 9/7/18

Read Iliad Book I and up to page 53 in Book II

Eurolit Notes 9/7

Crete rules Europa (Europe) until Athens becomes powerful enough to defeat it. 

Athens has a port (Piraeus) that is sheltered from storms which is extremely beneficial, as the Mediterranean is subject to storms. Thus, Athens has a flourishing trade. It becomes more powerful than Knossos (Crete) and eventually vies against Persia in the 4th century B.C.E. 

“The Judgement of Paris” is the mythological basis of the Trojan War.

The Three Fates are the children of “black-winged night”, or Chaos. They are symbolic of humankind’s attempt to understand that there are things that are outside of our control. Only the Fates control fate. 

Homeric Pattern: characters follow a specific pattern of behavior 

Homer thinks that the number one motivator for humans is fear of death.

What we do to overcome death is to achieve fame.

Therefore, we strive for excellence. 

Arete - strive for excellence

Atë - to exceed the bounds meant for you by the universe (hubris - excessive pride)

Nemesis - the character goes too far and faces nemesis (to give what is due)

Paradox - a seeming contradiction that is nonetheless true

For example, what happens to us is predetermined, however, we have the freedom to choose how we deal with or respond to our fate.

Another paradox is that we have this freedom, but we don’t want the responsibility that comes with it (the responsibility for our own happiness, i.e. freedom vs. happiness).

There is a glossary of characters at the back of your books.

Honors 9 Homework 9/7

Know the nuts and bolts of "Daedalus"

College Bowl on Monday!!!

Homework:

Study lecture notes

Know nuts and bolts of Gods of Olympus (quiz on Friday)

Honors 9 Notes 9/6/18 - The Gods of Olympus

Polytheism is the belief in many gods.

The suffix -ology means theory, science, or study of. 

Cosmology is the study of the cosmos. The cosmos is the universe. 

The opposite of cosmos is Chaos.

How did the cosmology begin?

Chaos over darkness.

Chaos is described as silent, dark, and cold. 

Love and the fates are born out of darkness.

The Gods of Olympus are also called the Olympian Pantheon.

Pantheon means “family of gods”.

The gods were created by humans in the form of man (anthropomorphic).

Olympian gods live on Mount Olympus. 

The first god is Uranus (Father Sky) and the first goddess is Gaia (Mother Earth). 

Uranus and Gaia have three series of children:

1. 100-handed, 50-headed giants
2. Cyclops (meaning wheel eye)
3. Titans

Chronos is Father Time. 

Chronology is the study of time.

Chronos overcomes his father, Uranus. Later, Zeus overcomes his father, Chronos. 

Symbols are abstract constructs. Gods are anthropomorphic projections for Greeks to look inside themselves. They are an early form of psychology and philosophy.

Early Greek literature was not written down until around the 3rd century B.C.E.

A rhapsode is a professional storyteller. 

The Greek myths were originally told orally (in song).

Rhapsodes were always male and usually performed before a male audience.

Thus, the stories of the Greek gods are from a patriarchal tradition. 

Patriarchy means government or rule by men.

Prometheus is a traitor. He is a Titan who steals fire from the gods and gives it to humans.

An archetype is the first of its kind. Zeus is the archetypal politician.

Fire is a symbol of knowledge, intelligence, thinking, reasoning, intellect, or ability to question.

Why does Zeus punish Prometheus for providing fire to humans?

The possession of fire gives man the power to overcome the gods. 

Why does the possession of fire give man the power to overcome the gods? 

The gods are anthropomorphic projections of humankind.

Fire is a symbol of knowledge, reason, or intellect. 

People are distinct from animals because we are self-surpassing.

We are able to surpass ourselves because we are self-aware. 

Thus, humans are able to overcome the gods (projections of themselves) as a result of acquiring fire (knowledge/reason/intellect). 

Gnothi seaton - know thyself

Meden agan - stick to the middle (nothing to excess)

Myth has 5 purposes:

1. to explain the world geographically.
2. to explain the world scientifically.
3. to explain the world historically.
4. for entertainment.
5. to teach ethics.

A demi-god is half man, half god. 

Homework: 

Bring student ID

Study lecture notes

Know nuts and bolts of Gods of Olympus (quiz on Friday)


EuroLit Notes 9/6/18

Man has roamed Earth for a million years but only in last 8,000 no longer nomadic — WHY SO LONG?  Glaciers!!

The Neolithic Revolution - when man ceased to be nomadic and started growing food and raising animals.

Everything Egypt gives posterity they stole by conquering another civilization. However, Egypt does give us a model of stability, as it lasted over 3,000 years. However, they were a backward-looking civilization that enjoyed its golden age at the beginning. 

The Sumerians were conquered by the Egyptians. They gave us writing, mathematics, astronomy, the first written law, and literature (The Epic of Gilgamesh). 

From the Hebrews came monotheism.

From the Persians, Zoroastrianism. It is the beginning of the concept that the deeds of this life influence the next. This figures into existentialism later. 

(Paradoxically, if we question everything, there is one thing we cannot question: our minds. “I think, therefore, I am.”)

Every society and civilization has a flood myth. Many anthropologists and geologists think it happened - might be tied to glaciation and the recession of the glaciers at the end of the ice age.

The opposite of cosmos is Chaos, which is described as silent, dark, and cold. Chaos ruled over darkness.

The cosmology of the Ancient Greeks started in Chaos. Out of the darkness was born Love and the Fates (Clotho spun the “thread” of human fate, Lachesis measured it, and Atropos cut the thread, thus determining the individual's moment of death).

The Greeks created the gods anthropomorphically (not just in the image of man but in our emotions and motivations as well). They are projections of human beings and are an early form of psychology. This allowed people to look inside themselves, and know themselves. 

The oldest literary work in the Western tradition is The Iliad. It is built on the shoulders of Gilgamesh which was written on 26 clay tablets. Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk. He takes first night rights, which does not gain him favor with his people. Despite this, he strives to be the best he could be (arrete). The Epic of Gilgamesh has a Homeric pattern. Gilgamesh has too much pride (hubris), so the people pray to Marduk, who sends Enkidu (a demi-god) to Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu get into a fight which lasts for two days, results in a draw, and they become friends. They decide that they can come close to immortality by attaining fame. They cut down the Cedars of Lebanon in order to provoke the gods, who decide to humble Gilgamesh. Marduk sends a sickness to kill Enkidu, which saddens Gilgamesh and reminds him of his own mortality. Eventually, Gilgamesh learns the secret of immortality - the plant of everlasting youth. The plant is eventually stolen by a snake. Gilgamesh decides to return home and built a wall around his city rather than search for the plant again. Thus, we learn that a person gains true immortality through fame and glory, rather than a long and unremarkable life. 

There is a paradox in Greek literature in that most things are predetermined, nonetheless, people have the freedom to deal with those things the way we choose. Thus, people are responsible for their situation because of how they deal with what fate gives them.  

Prometheus is a traitor. He is a Titan who steals fire from the gods and gives it to humans.

Fire is a symbol of knowledge, intelligence, thinking, reasoning, intellect, or ability to question.

Why does Zeus punish Prometheus for providing fire to humans?

The possession of fire gives man the power to overcome the gods, and surpass them. This is all anthropomorphic projection of what it means to be human. We are self-surpassing - what were were yesterday we can surpass tomorrow. How do we do that? By knowing ourselves (gnothi seaton). By knowing ourselves we can change ourselves. 

Homework for Honors 9 English 9/5/18

Read "Gods of Olympus Handout" & know the nuts and bolts


Homework for EuroLit

Read Handouts:
"What Is Humanism"
""Pre-History..."
"The Heritage of Greek Civilization"
"The Gods of Olympus"