Reading Assignment & Journal Question for "Agamemnon"

Hello everyone, 

For Wednesday, read pages 1-33 of "Agamemnon," which is the first play of Aeschylus' Oresteia Trilogy. 

Be sure to finish reading the first play by class-time Friday. There will be a quiz.

Reading journal question for Wednesday: What are your impressions of the queen, Clytemnestra? How does she react to the return of her husband, the king, Agamemnon? Why?

More info about the house of Atreus 

"The Murder of Agamemnon" by Guerin

 

Animated Version of Plato's Allegory

Here's a very retro animated clip (in a minimalist sort of way) on Plato's Allegory. If nothing else, it walks you through the particulars of the story...

Thanks David!

Assignment for Wednesday, February 8th

Hello All,


Read Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" (handout) and answer the following reading journal question:

Reading Journal Question #3: In what way might Plato's allegory relate to key aspects of modern society such as education, religion, perhaps even consumerism?

Assignment for Monday

Hello everyone,


For Monday, be sure to read the handout: "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned"  by Dave Eggers

Reading journal question #2: What is Steven's attitude toward human society and why? What is the significance of the narrator being a dog?

Regarding the reading journal, be sure to write one full page, but feel free to write more if you are so inclined

Rhetorical Appeals

In Friday's class we covered rhetorical appeals. Here are the basics:


Aristotle was the first to discuss the way rhetoric is a part of ALL speech, and in doing so, he identified three types or modes of rhetorical appeal:


Pathos Appeal-  Appeal to the emotions of an audience


Example- "Terrorists can and will take advantage of a society based on personal freedoms."


Ethos Appeal- Appeal to shared assumptions between speaker/writer and audience in order to establish credibility with an audience


Example- "We all know what it is like to go through a bad relationship, but I'm here to tell you that you really can find your soul-mate."


Logos Appeal- Appeal to logic; offering logical proofs


Example- "Only 14% of the U.S. populace supports gun control; therefore, no gun legislation is needed in the U.S."


Remember, speech can contain more than one type of appeal simultaneously, and sometimes all three.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.)

Apparently, Aristotle also invented the "comb-over"