April 8, 100-word response due at the time of class: Iliad 7-12

Write a 100-word minimum response to the following prompt based on the reading for today. Your answer may be informal and exploratory, but should be grounded in the text itself.  In addition to answering the prompt, you are welcome to use this space to briefly record your reactions, thoughts, and/or questions about the content of the reading. The deadline for submitting this response is 11:30 on the day of class

Prompt: One of the distinctive features of Homeric epic is the many extended similes that punctuate the narrative, usually in the format “as when… so….” Choose one extended simile from Books 7-12 and briefly analyze it: What is explicitly being compared to what? Are there any implicit comparisons being made? Do the details of the image fit the narrative context, or do they seem to develop independently from it? Does the simile effectively convey something about what’s happening in the narrative? There are certain categories of imagery that appear again and again in Homeric similes, so you might note if your simile belongs to one of these, or if it seems fairly unique.

Note: you do not have to answer all of the questions about- choose the ones that appeal to you, or focus on other features of the simile if you wish.