WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTHMargaret Atwood (1939)- A Canadian novelist, poet, essayist, and teacher. She is an author of over 50 works. Her works include:
Blind Assassin, Cat's Eye, The Handmaid's Tale, and
The Testaments (The critically praised sequel to
The Handmaid's Tale). In 2016 ,Atwood published her first graphic novel. Ms. Atwood's works challenge readers to think about politics, gender, and language in their own lives through the dynamic worlds she creates.
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Class agenda for Tuesday, March 16th
1. Quick write- Loyalty and Antigone
2. Greek Chorus notes:
Greek Chorus Structure:
Greek choruses often express the fears and hopes of the ordinary citizens, while often also voicing judgment of the characters.
- Prologue: A monologue or dialogue preceding the entry of the chorus, which presents the tragedy's topic.
- Parode/Parados (Entrance Ode): The entry chant of the chorus, often in an anapestic (short-short-long) marching rhythm (four feet per line). Generally, they remain on stage throughout the remainder of the play. Although they wear masks, their dancing is expressive, as conveyed by the hands, arms and body. Typically the parode and other choral odes involve the following parts, repeated in order several times:
Episode: There are several episodes (typically 3-5) in which one or two actors interact with the chorus. They are, at least in part, sung or chanted. Speeches and dialogue are typically iambic hexameter: six iambs (short-long) per line, but rhythmic anapests are also common. In lyric passages the meters are treated flexibly. Each episode is terminated by a stasimon:
Stasimon (Stationary Song): A choral ode in which the chorus may comment on or react to the preceding episode.
- Strophê (Turn): A stanza in which the chorus moves in one direction (toward the altar). Expresses a complete thought. Travels East to West.
- Antistrophê (Counter-Turn): The following stanza, in which it moves in the opposite direction. The antistrophe is in the same meter as the strophe. Another complete thought. Chorus travels West to East.
- Epode (After-Song): The epode is in a different, but related, meter to the strophe and antistrophe, and is chanted by the chorus standing still. The epode is often omitted, so there may be a series of strophe-antistrophe pairs without intervening epodes
5. Exode/ Exodos (Exit Ode): The exit song of the chorus after the last episode
Homework for Thursday:
1. Complete a close read of the Parados in Antigone. Consider how it responds to the prologue/first episode. Highly literary/figurative writing in contrast to episodes.
Use the following questions to help guide your examination and analysis of the Parados... you will need to be able to do this independently.
1. What roles do the Gods play in the Parados/Stasimon?
2. In what ways is it responding to what has just happened in the previous episode?
3. How are the needs of the chorus members/citizens different from the characters in the episode?
4. What figurative language is being used and how? Metaphor? Similes? Personification?
5. What is the Parados/Stasimon's major theme and/or argument?
6. What other literary elements do you see and how are they being used?
7. Structure: Can you determine the strophe? antistrophe? epode? Remember the concept
of the sonnet? The quatrains/sestets/couplets? They derive from the Greek Chorus.
Not only does the structure get fragmented, you will see the meaning shift.
2. Submit initial post for grammar focus discussion.
