Caleb's Myth-Folklore Assignments

      A magnifying glass for reading tiny stories ( Wikimedia Commons )      Well, that was certainly interesting. I don't know how I feel about it quite yet. On one hand, it is really fascinating to have an entire story crammed into such a small space. On the other, I want to know more! I just want to read some of these stories as fully fleshed out things. My imagination is fun and all, but I want more from some of these authors.     Also, this has made me even more conscious of my word count. (Even if it doesn't seem like it here.) I am studying film and television production here at OU with a focus on screenwriting. One of the biggest lessons to learn in screenwriting is the importance of brevity. There is no room for purple prose on a script page because every word is meant to translate to something on screen. You don't write, "He ran as fast as he could out of the door, smacking his shoulder on the frame of the doorway on the w...

    The section of the Iliad that most stood out to me today was The Slaying of Hector. Contrary to my favorite part of part A, this section is full of action and suspense. Who is going to survive? How will they manage to kill their opponent? Which god will intervene next? It was great fun to read. Plot      The plot for this sections is fairly simple. The Greeks are winning the battle thanks to Achilles reentering the field. The Trojans are retreating into the city. The Greeks would have won the battle at this time if it were not for some divine intervention on Apollo's part. In order to give the Trojans time to escape, Apollo instills great courage into Agenor and gives him a spear. Agenor stands his ground at the gate and spears Achilles when he approaches but the spear just bounces off Achilles' armor. Achilles charges Agenor. Apollo lifts Agenor to safety and then takes his form. Apollo, now Agenor, leads Achilles on a chase long enough to get the Trojans t...

      I read section A of The Iliad for the first reading assignment this week. The portion of this first half of The Iliad that stood out to me was The Quarrel. I like the smaller scope of this section. Rather than use a large battle with action and fight sequences, this section of the story tells its tale in two simple locations primarily through dialogue. It is a tense and dramatic scene of a subordinate rising up against and abandoning his commander. It sets up the coming battle so well and really makes you hate Agamemnon.      Plot     The Greeks take the city of Chryse and divide the spoils among themselves. Agamemnon was given a girl named Chryseis, the daughter of the priest of Apollo for the city. Because, you know, women are objects that you can just take and give to each other. Anyways, the priest comes to Agamemnon with a bunch of gold to buy his daughter back. Agamemnon, ever the dick that he is, tells the priest to go away and don't ...