Monthly Archives: September 2015

The poet that makes his audience see everything so clearly—even to the flies that gather about a milk-pail—does not shrink from showing the hideous sights on a battlefield. But he never lingers over them. We who take our Homer from … Continue reading →

Foreshadowing or guessing ahead is a literary device by which an author hints what is to come. It is used to avoid disappointment. It is also sometimes used to arouse the reader … foreshadowing only hints at a possible outcome within the … Continue reading →

Describe the picture, using both broad strokes and microscopic observations. No detail is too trivial. Evoke the image with your words, as though illustrating it for someone who is blind. 

Write about this epic simile. In particular, what can you glean about Agamemnon? Think of lightning: Hera’s rich hair streams In the sky when her husband builds storms– Heavy rain, or unspeakable hail, or snow That sifts down over cultivated land, Or … Continue reading →

Please read “The Robots are Winning!” and write a one-page paper that addresses Mendelsohn’s question: How do we distinguish between the maker and the made, between the human and the machine, once the creature, the machine, is endowed with consciousness—a mind … Continue reading →

Each of these prompts asks you to dig into the story and make meaning from the passage or situation. Why is Homer singing about this scene in particular? How can you relate it to what you’ve read so far? Don’t … Continue reading →

Buffalo in Bloom by David Goodrich

Prometheus (1737) by Nicolas-Sébastien Adam

From Wikipedia: In Greek mythology, the Moirai (Ancient Greek: Μοῖραι, “apportioners”, Latinized as Moerae)—often known in English as the Fates—were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Their number became fixed at three: Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter) and Atropos (unturnable). They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, … Continue reading →

Our class policy: You will receive a full two points for your free-write if you arrive on time, one point if you arrive late but still hand in a response at the end of the writing time, and a zero if … Continue reading →