Introduction to Dante's Inferno!

Dear Humanities Kids,

Students were introduced to the "The Inferno" by Dante Aglieri, a 12th century poet. Each student was given a copy of "The Inferno" to use in the creation of their underworld assignment.

The Underworld"....according to Dante......

If you missed class today, you were introduced to a new assignment entitled "Creating your own Underworld."Your Underworld will be due on Thursday, Jan. 6th. I will go into details regarding the requirements soon.

For your underworld assignment, I am asking you to consider your value system, and then devise punishments, just as Dante has done in his "Inferno."  He developed his concepts for the punishments based upon the ancient Greeks' punishments for the sinners in Tartarus. I have included some images below of Dante's Inferno

This image depicts those that committed suicide. Dante felt that because they had not valued their human form while living, they would therefore be turned to trees.

The following example was submitted several years ago by a previous student.

He placed those that COMPLAIN at the top of his Inferno. I have included this example for you to follow. Notice that you must indicate the sin, why you consider it to be a sin, a suitable/ punishment, and then why the punishment is symbolic of the crime. Just as the Greeks devised suitable punishments for their criminals, your punishments need to be symbolic as well. Your punishments are not to be sadistic, and you can not punish the sin with the sin.

You will have seven paragraphs, each one pertaining to a different sin. 

Wesley's Well of Woes

Circle 1: Complainers/Pessimists: The individuals at the top of my “well of woes” are those that never seem to be happy. They moan and complain about tasks that are part of life, and simply must be completed. They also enjoy starting arguments, purely to witness a flight. Due to this, they remind me of the Greek god Ares. They are cowards, just as Ares, who have no concept of self-respect. They not only disrespect themselves, but those that are around them. I have included them in my “well,” because I feel they “infect” their “sin” upon other people without considering anyone but themselves. I also find that they waste so much time complaining, rather than using their time in a constructive manner.

PUNISHMENT: These sinners will be required to make lemonade for eternity. This will not only be a boring task, but a painful one as well, because they will have paper cuts over their finger tips. This punishment fits the crime. These sinners were unable to find anything positive about their existence; consequently, they will be required to take lemons, which are sour and bitter, as they chose to be while alive, into lemonade, which is sweet and refreshing. The paper cuts are symbolic of the many times they moaned or were negative about living, now while they make lemonade, they will be reminded of their sour and painful attitudes.

HOMEWORK:
1. Please read Canto I pgs. 67-71
                      Canto II pgs. 89-93
                      Canto III pgs. 109-113
2. Create a list of your sins and symbolic punishments to accompany them.

3. Don't forget that CER #2 is due on FRIDAY!

Let me know if you any questions!

Cheers,

Crampton

Don't forget your "Interesting Paper" due on Monday!

Dear Humanities Kids,

We had an assembly today, so our class time was shortened. This is what we were able to accomplish:

1. I reminded everyone about their "Interesting Paper" that is due on Monday. I am happy to help you obtain information, using my texts, during Flex on Friday, December 10th. Just stop by and let me know your interests and I can easily help you located information. Remember that ONE source must come from a book, and the other sources may come from the Internet.

2. We continued discussing the Romanesque time period, and then moved on to Gothic. Please make sure you obtain this information from someone in class. We completed both time periods.

3. DON'T MISS MONDAY, as I will begin to explain your "hell assignment!"  It is based off of a piece of literature that was written during the Gothic time period. I am sure you will find it a relevant and enlightening piece of literary work.

4. We also watched a clip from a film entitled "Cathedrals."

HOMEWORK:
1. CER #2 is due on FRIDAY!
2. Please don't forget that your "Interesting Essay" is due on MONDAY!

Cheers,
Crampton

OVID and VIRGIL

Dear Humanities Kids,

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. Journal #10 "All Roads Lead to Rome"
The above quote is a metaphor. Tell what you think it means! What have you found interesting about the information shared with you concerning Roman culture. In addition, refer to your notations for today, and tell me what you found interesting from each section ("Constantine," "Fall of Rome," and "Pompeii"). I can't wait to hear from you.

2. We continued with our discussion concerning the architectural structure known as a "basilica."

3. We then reviewed three pieces of Roman literature;
       a. "Pygmalion" by Ovid
       b. "Edict of Milan" issued by Constantine
       c. "Cupid and Psyche" by Ovid  (we did not complete reading this in class, so it was assigned as homework)

HOMEWORK:
1. "Ithaca Personalized" is due on Friday.
2. "Quest" regarding Rome will occur on Friday.
3. Complete reading "Cupid and Psyche" for Friday
4. CER #2 is due on Friday, Dec. 17th

INFORMATION about QUEST:
1. Questions 1-10 are short answer question concerning the following topics:
              a. Coliseum
              b. Pantheon
              c. Verism
              d. Ovid and Virgil
              e. Edict of Milan/Constantine
              f. Frescoes
              g. Pompeii
2. Questions 11-20 pertain to the difference between Greek and Roman concepts concerning support systems, columns, artistic subjects, trademark forms, and preferred structure.
3. Questions 21-32 pertain to images you will see concerning Roman architecture, art, and myths.
4.  Questions 33-34 pertain to Rome's decline and Byzantium.

I hope this helps! This is the best I can do with my time constraints.

Cheers,
Crampton

Welcome back, Humanities Kids!

Dear Humanities Students,
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving break! If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. Continued with our introduction to Rome. We started with discussing The Pantheon (all the gods).
2. We completed our handout regarding Roman sculpture, painting, and mosaics
3. We also reviewed Constantine's significance.

HOMEWORK:
1. Remember that your "Ithaca Personalized" is due on Friday.
2. QUIZ covering Rome will occur on Friday.
3. Please annotate/notate the information given to you today regarding Constantine, the end of the Roman Empire, and Pompeii for Wed. Please include 7-10 annotations/notations/page/using all your colors.

Welcome to Rome!

Dear Humanities Kids,

If you missed class today, we completed the following:

1. Introduction to ancient Rome. Each student received a handout that correlated to the PowerPoint used in class to discuss ancient Rome.

2. We will continue with the introduction on Monday, November 29th!

REMINDER for UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Don't forget that your "Personalized Ithaca" is due on Thursday, December 2nd!
2. Don't forget that your second CER is due on Friday, Dec. 17th

ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING!

Preparation is the Key to Success!

Dear Humanities Kids,

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. You were introduced to a new assignment entitled "Ithaca Personalized." In essence, I am asking you to consider what you desire most. What is your "Ithaca?" In order for you to fully understand your assignment, it is necessary for you to see some previous examples. The assignment is due on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. Please visit with me if you missed class.

2. We watched a clip from The Odyssey involving Odysseus' trickery concerning the death of the suitors.

3. We then went to the library where we answered one of the questions associated with your Odysseus Quiz. I posted the questions last time on the blog. Review them so you have some schema concerning the question you might "pull from the hat."

DO NOT MISS CLASS ON MONDAY, as we begin with the ROMAN EMPIRE!
Cheers,
Crampton

Odysseus returns home after 20 years!

Dear Humanities Students,

I hope you valued The Iliad and The Odyssey. They respresent a strong command of language and story-telling on Homer's part, especially since the epics focus on different themes and plotlines.

If you  missed class today, we completed the following:

1. We reviewed the information introduced last time concerning The Odyssey. We watched two video clips associated with the sirens and another set of monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. I have included an image of the sirens above, and an image of Scylla and Chaybdis is located below.

2. We completed the storyboard regarding The Odyssey.

HOMEWORK:

1. You will have a quiz covering The Odyssey on Thursday. The best way to prepare for the quiz is to read pages 211-229 in your book, and to review the quiz questions below.  

2. Remember to annotate/notate the two Odyssey excerpts that I gave to you last time in class. They are due on Thursday, and you will find them helpful for your quiz.

QUESTIONS FOR QUIZ:

For your quiz on Thursday, you will "pull from the hat" and select one of the following questions concerning The Odyssey. May I make a suggestion? Review each question and develop a solid concept concerning your response. Locate examples from your book to support your points.If you do this for each one, you will do well on the quiz. Your response needs to be written using ACADEMIC VOICE (no first or second person, no passive verbs, and no contractions)

1. The concept concerning "power of cunning over strength" is a valid theme in The Odyssey. Discuss this thematic view, and the role it plays in the epic poem. Support your points with three textual examples.

2. Discuss the thematic approach concerning "identify" in The Odyssey. An explanation regarding the positive and negative effects of maintaining anonymity in contrast to identifying oneself must be part of your response. Identify three examples from your textbook or annotated texts to support your points.

3. Trace Homer's thematic approach to "appearance vs. reality" in The Odyssey. Discuss the importance of this theme to events within the epic poem. Include three examples from your book and/or annotated texts to support your response.

4. Discuss the literary element of irony in The Odyssey. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has knowledge that characters within the story do not. Identify three examples of dramatic irony within the epic poem. An explanation as to why irony heightens the reader's interest in The Odyssey is compulsory.

5. The customs concerning "guest and host" were highly respected in ancient Greek culture. Homer clearly valued these customs, and he recognized the role of the gods if the customs were not followed. Support Homer's view by explaining and indicating three examples from your textbook and/or annotated sources.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!