Homework, Tuesday, October 20

Seniors - Read Chapters 8-9, tracking character development as you read, or continuing comparative work. You should have at least five pieces of evidence chosen and three analyzed. If you do not have an area of focus that you are interested in, track how Patroclus is changing.

Other things to pay attention to: 

• Change in setting
• Chiron as a father figure: how does he compare to Peleus and Patroclus's father? 
• Power dynamics between Achilles and Patroclus
• Surgery and healing 

AP Language and Composition
1. Process your in-class analysis of the Icarus and Daedalus allusion. I revised the process, so please consult the questions and examples below.
2. Read chapter 2

Task: Use the examples and questions below to interpret the effect of the extended allusion to the myth of Icarus and Daedalus and other meaningful comparisons in a text.

To analyze an allusion or analogy (or any kind of meaningful comparison):

1. What specific references does the author make to the myth? Paraphrase or summarize.

For example, “Bechdel introduces the myth through the definition of ‘Icarian games,’ a type of acrobatics in which performers use each other’s bodies for balance.”

2. What is the reference compared or contrasted to? (Images, actions, conflict, characters etc)

        For example, “The reference is made against the backdrop of images that portray Alison playing ‘airplane’ with her father. Although she was physically uncomfortable, Bechdel remembers the experience fondly, focusing on the balance she felt when she “soared above him” and the brief moments of contact with her father that it fostered.  In the background, the rug appears like a maze, a possible allusion to the myth of Icarus.

3. Interpretation - Consider the comparison. How does this juxtaposition:

• Convey an unspoken aspect of the relationship, conflict, or situation

• Reveal something important about a character or characters
• Amplify, clarify, or shift the tone

For Example, “The allusion to the ‘Icarian games’ of the circus build on the title’s reference to the “fun house” and suggests that Bechdel has a wide range of knowledge. The reference to acrobats implies that Bechdel and her father are also performers of some kind and that their discomfort is secondary to a balanced display.