Larkin is My Hero

Required Blog Post #1

Hello. Welcome to the blog.

Please read the Blog Etiquette section above. Familiarize yourself with everything offered. Then, poke around the different blog posts. Read some comments by current and previous Gonzaga students. After you think of something complimentary to say, leave a comment on THIS POST by clicking on the No Comments link below.

This post is due by the start of your class on Monday. Please only use your first name and last initial, and include a valid e-mail address. Remember, grammar and spelling count.

Good luck.

Required Post #4: Ornamental Epithets

Howdy.

One aspect of The Iliad that Virgil clearly implemented in his text is the use of ornamental epithets. One way in which he changes this is by giving the Achaeans derogatory names instead of honorable ones. He calls Diomedes “godless” instead of Homer’s “godlike,” and he calls Ulysses the “mastermind of crime” instead of the “great tactician.”

Think back to The Iliad. What other ornamental epithets might be change? What would Virgil’s name be for the “Achaean bulwark” Ajax, the “matchless runner” Achilles, or the “lord of men” Agamemnon? How would he spin these epithets to favor the Trojans?

Please turn this post in by Friday at the start of your class.

Required Post #3

Based on today’s class discussion, it seems that people have opinionated viewpoints on the Achilles/Hector debate.

In 250-words, discuss who should be regarded as the better man, Achilles or Hector. Of course, you should use at least one quote to support your claim.

This post is due by the start of your class period tomorrow.

Best of luck,

Mr. Larkin

Required Post #2 Classic Literature 2010

In a well-written 250-word response, describe how one particular element of books 1-10 of The Iliad relates to something in your life. You should pick one scene or line from the text (and yes, you need at least one quote), explain what is happening, and relate it to something from your life. In short, what can you learn from the events of The Iliad?

Be specific. Be creative.

This post is due by the beginning of your class period on Thursday, September 9th.

Seniors,

Welcome to the “Larkin is My Hero” Blog. I’m glad you could make it. While you are here, please complete all three of the following before start of your class on Thursday, September 2nd:

1. Click on the Blog Etiquette tab above and read the rules for this site.
2. Peruse some of the former posts by clicking on one of the links in the Cloud Tag to the right.
3. Mention something you liked about the blog in the Comment Section below on this post. To do this, click on ‘Comments’ link below and then fill in your response under Leave a Reply.

Thanks for stopping by. Please don’t forget to read Book Three of The Iliad, which is about the duel between Paris and Menelaus.

- Mr. Larkin

Required Post # 4

Read through the comments your classmates left for the previous post, Archetypes in Beowulf, Cu Chulaind, and Life. What did you find interesting? What did they point out that you missed? Respond in paragraph form by the beginning of your class on Friday, March 5th. Answers should be 100-200 words in length.

Required Post #3

After perusing your archetypes handout, choose one of the more interesting patterns and show how it appears in Beowulf, the Cu Chulaind stories, and in a movie, TV show, book, video game, etc of your choice. Because this post is worth 20 points and should be 300-500 words, you should choose something that you can explore in depth. Do not choose the Magic Weapon, the Father-Son conflict, or anything else that is too simple and obvious.

Again this post is worth 20 points, and is due by the start of your class on Friday.  Please consider why you lost points on previous posts (if you did), and keep yourself from making the same errors. I suggest typing this in a Word document and copying and pasting it over.

Best of luck.

Also, just for fun, here is the YouTube video of the GAA members starting a flash mob in Farragut Square the other week. Do you see any similarities with the riastharthae?

Required Post #2

You need to write four lines of poetry, 30-40 words in length, that display the concept of Alliterative Verse as seen in Beowulf. The more complex the repetition is, the better your grade will be. Feel free to get creative, but remember the rules of the website.

This post is due by the start of your class on Friday.

Good luck.

Required Blog Post #1

Hello. Welcome to the blog.

Please read the Blog Etiquette section above. Familiarize yourself with everything offered. Then, poke around the different blog posts. Read some comments by current and previous Gonzaga students. After you think of something complimentary to say, leave a comment on THIS POST by clicking on the No Comments link below.

This post is due by the start of your class on Monday. Please only use your first name and last initial, and include a valid e-mail address. Remember, grammar and spelling count.

Good luck.

Required Post #4

Find two or three appropriate sentences from an online website (such as an article on ESPN.com or a report from the Washington Post, or a review of a new CD), and translate it from “English” to “Shakespearian language.” Make sure you change the words “therefore” to “thus,” “in it” to “in ‘t”,  “over to o’ er,” etc. Feel free to add “my lord” and change the sentence structure as well.  Please include the original sentence in your response, and write where you found it.

This response is due by 5:00 PM on Thursday, December 3rd. Remember, use your first name and last initial, a real e-mail address, and to use proper grammar in your response.