1) In response to the Bettany Hughes documentary Helen of Troy, write a short essay that summarizes Hughes’ argument and evidence, giving at least one example each of the places she visits, the people she interviews, and the positions they take on the issues. Always make clear whom you’re describing by their area of expertise or interest. Also, you must identify and briefly explain at least three specific books (major sections, of which you’ll read 24 in the Iliad and the Odyssey each), narrative scenes, or poetic passages from the epic that are referenced by Hughes or her interview subjects. In the separate module folder (4.12), review Butler’s translation of the Iliad to identify such elements of Homer’s poetry.
2) You may instead write your essay on the lengthy 2011 interview/lecture on Helen with a theater-bound Hughes. Specifically, discuss at least three of the major points she makes, anecdotes she recounts, and/or conclusions she reaches. For example, what do we learn from her about riding chariots at Troy or Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War? There are plenty more topics to consider, and the interview’s quite entertaining. Again, you must identify and briefly explain at least three specific books, passages, and scenes from the Iliad mentioned by Hughes or her interview subjects.
Format: 3 pages (1000 word count), 1” margins, double-spaced, 10/12 pt. type. On a cover page or in the top left-hand corner, be sure to put your name, my name, our class, and the date. Use an effective structure that carefully guides your reader from one idea to the next, and edit thoroughly so that sentences are readable and appropriate for an academic audience.
Labeling and file protocol: Files must be in a PC-friendly format; those submitted through the portal in a different format or without the proper file name will not be accepted and the student will receive a zero for the assignment. The names of files submitted must be saved as NAME.ASSIGNMENT NUMBER (i.e., Sam Jones.Essay 2). This is the name of the file on your computer, NOT the title you might give the essay itself. Students may submit papers as .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .doc or .docx files; on any word-processing program, use the dropdown menu under “Save As” to find these options. Or simply paste text directly into the text field. Either way, if I can’t open it, I can’t grade it, so no Google docs, Pages, Mac-only format, etc.
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