Write a paper of 2-3 pages (c. 600-900 words) in which you discuss the interpretation of a passage in the Odyssey. More specifically, you should do the following:

The length of the passage may vary considerably depending on the sort of question or problem you consider. For example, if you ask about a character’s reasons for some action, Homer’s description of that action is probably the passage you have in mind, and it may occupy quite a few lines of the poem (that may be scattered over several pages). On the other hand, if you are interested in some aspect of Homer’s language—a particular simile, for example—a line or two may be all you discuss.

The detail in which you describe the passage may also vary—with the length of the passage, of course, but also with the kind of question or problem you consider. You will need to describe the aspects of the passage that are relevant to your question or problem, so some details may be important and others irrelevant. Quotation can be a part of your description, but this is a short paper, so you shouldn’t quote very much, and any quotations should be short. In any case, make your references to passages specific. Give the book and line numbers, and also cite the translation you are using. (I don’t require any specific form for such citations, but you should identify the translator and provide enough information—e.g., publisher and date of publication—for a reader to determine the specific edition you are using.)

You should present the question or problem you discuss in a way that makes it clear why someone (you for example) would ask about the passage or find it problematic. In some cases, this may be clear without much effort on your part, but you should always ask yourself whether a reader will understand where you are coming from. You should give reasons for the answer or solution you suggest, but don’t worry about proving that this way of understanding the passage is the last word on the subject. Concentrate on making your suggestion clear, but remember that part of making it clear is helping your reader see why you are suggesting it.

Monday 9/14 is a lecture day, so I won’t meet you in class. I encourage you to turn in the paper electronically as an e-mail attachment, but I will also accept hard copy (which you can give to me at the lecture, drop off at my office, Center 200H, or leave in my box in Center 207). If you want a specific time for the deadline, you can count it as the end of the day—i.e., by midnight.