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Due Date: Monday, 6 December 2010
When preparing to write your essay, you will probably begin by creating a detailed list of similarities and differences; however, your final essay should not be comprised of a disjointed series of observations. Ultimately, you will need to focus on a particular aspect of the epic tradition—perhaps one part of the cycle, such as the Cypria or the Fall of Troy, or the character of Odysseus, or the relationship between Agamemnon and Achilles, or the treatment of women. Once you have narrowed your focus, you can concentrate more effectively on the details specifically relevant to your chosen topic. Finally, you will need to arrive at and present a thesis. As in the case of your previous essay, a thesis will enable you to further limit and concentrate your argument. The end result should be an essay characterised by depth of analysis and insight, rather than breadth of observation. On the website of Archaeology Magazine there is a brief review of the movie Troy, Trojan Wars: On the Big and Little Screen, which might be helpful in stimulating your own comparative analysis. A DVD version of Troy is on reserve in Hornbake Library's Non-print Media Center for individual and small-group viewing. Since only one copy of the movie is available at Hornbake Library, I ask that you make an effort to arrange viewings together with other class members. If you plan your group-viewing in advance, you may be able to reserve a room in the Non-print Media Center. (You would probably find the use of the rooms preferable, since they all have higher quality audio-visual equipment and make the wearing of headsets unnecessary.) Two weeks before this essay is due you will be required to present your thesis, along with at least two supporting arguments (including textual citations), in a brief synopsis of 100-200 words. This will be presented on the online Discussion Board, on or before Monday, November 22, for the consideration and response of your classmates. You will also be required to respond critically, expressing reasoned agreement or disagreement, to two of your classmates' theses and argument synopses. Both of these responses must be posted on or before Monday, November 29. Your participation in this forum is equivalent to participation in a rough draft workshop, and failure to participate will lower your final essay grade up to one full letter (e.g., from an A to a B). Presentations of theses and argument synopses, as well as critical responses, should be posted within the forum "Troy" (a sub-forum of "Comparative Essay"), which is accessible only by password. The password will be provided to you during class. |
This assignment provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the epic tradition of Troy by comparing and contrasting that tradition—as it has been made known to you through the classical texts we have read—with the popular movie Troy, based on the screenplay by David Benioff, directed by Wolfgang Peterson, and released by Warner Brothers in 2004. Peterson dubbed the production of this film "The Iliad Project," but as the final film version goes beyond the limitations of Homer's poem, the movie was ultimately called "Troy"—a reference, perhaps, to the epic tradition of which Homer's Iliad is the most ancient and significant surviving part.