Please do a close reading of one of the following passages and write an essay of about 1000 words (4 double-spaced pages) in which you analyze:
       (a) the intrinsic significance and artistry of the passage, and
       (b) how it functions in relation to its surroundings (the scene or book of the Iliad in which it appears),
            and to the poem as a whole.
Be sure to comment on any important parallels between your chosen passage and other passages in the epic, and bear in mind the definitions of dramatic, symbolic, and structural significance offered in the Web notes for September 17 ("Iliad Wrap-Up"). Your essay should begin by briefly characterizing the content of the passage in order to orient the reader, but try to introduce any plot summary in such a way that its relevance to your argument is swiftly revealed (you may need to go back and rewrite your introductory paragraph once you have put the finishing touches on your argument).

Passages:

1.       II: 211-277 ("Now the rest…words of revilement.")

2.       II: 455-483 ("As obliterating fire…among the fighters.")

3.       IV: 473-489 ("There Telamonian Aias…illustrious/Aias killed.")

4.       XIII: 18-38 ("So presently…for their lord gone.")

5.       XVIII: 490-540 ("On it he wrought…who had fallen.")

Remember,

· Give your essay a title that describes your work (i.e., not "The Iliad").
· Number your pages after page one, and staple them together.
· Proofread and spellcheck.
· Documentation: for a paper this short, you should be focusing on your own ideas, not consulting any secondary materials. However, if you do make use of a reference work (such as one of the resources listed on the website), be sure to document any information you use from that work in a footnote (use the MLA format in Bedford). For your quotations from the Iliad itself, provide book-line citations using in-text parenthetical documentation, e.g.: ( XI: 499).

· Be sure to look over your Self-Help Sheet once before writing and again before proof-reading. That way, your essay will in the best possible shape when you submit it.