COACHES CLINIC
INDIANA ACADEMIC SUPER BOWL 2015
ENGLISH ROUND
Virgil’s Aeneid: Books I – VI
Why only the first six books of this epic?
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Reading the entire poem could have led to this reading alone for the competition.
Many teachers shared that students find the first six books more interesting than the final six.
The parallels to the Odyssey are clearest in these books.
What is an epic poem?
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Epics are long poems written in a grand style.
They encompass sweeping settings and themes.
The poet makes ample use of epic similes in addition to more familiar poetic devices.
Virgil’s Aeneid is a prime example of the epic form.
Do students need to know anything about epic poetry in general?
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The traditional epic form possesses six observable characteristics, all of which can be found in
Virgil’s Aeneid.
 The protagonist is a figure of heroic stature, of national or international importance, and of
great historical or legendary significance.
 The setting is vast in scope, covering great nations, the world, or even the universe.
 The action consists of deeds requiring great valor or superhuman strength.
 Supernatural forces gods, angels, and demons take interest in the action and intervene in
it.
 The style is of sustained elevation and grand simplicity (in content, not necessarily in form or
diction).
 The epic poet recounts the deeds of the hero objectively.
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The epic conventions, devices that are incorporated into the style and the story in almost every
epic since Homer's, include the following.
 The poet opens by invoking the Muse in Greek and Roman epics it is usually Calliope
(though she may not be called by name) to inspire and instruct him.
 In the invocation he states the theme.
 The narrative opens in medias res "in the middle of things" giving the necessary exposition
 Cataloguing – long, detailed lists of events, descriptions, persons, conditions, and so forth –
is employed.
 The main character makes extended, formal speeches.
 The epithet – a stock word or phrase almost inseparably associated with a character,
circumstance, condition, or idea – is used frequently.
 The plot always includes a descent into the underworld.
Do students have to know anything about Virgil?
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Students needs not know the biography of Virgil, but it may be helpful to read the single page of
biography at the front of the paperback edition. No questions will be asked about that
biography.
Do students need to know anything about the language of poetry?
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Devices of sound
 Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter
 Free verse: unrhymed lines without regular rhythm
 End rhyme: rhyme occurring at the ends of verse lines; most common rhyme form
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Internal rhyme: rhyme contained within a line of verse
Assonance: repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line
Consonance: repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line
Alliteration: the repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in words
within a line
 Onomatopoeia: the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning
 Euphony: the use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious
effect
 Cacophony: the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; opposite of
euphony
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Devices of sense
 Metaphor: a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substitution
 Simile: a direct comparison of two unlike objects, using like or as
 Conceit: an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect (It owes
its roots to elaborate analogies in Petrarch.)
 Personification: a figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities
 Apostrophe: an address to a person or personified object not present
 Metonymy: the substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named,
in place of the name itself
 Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea
 Hyperbole: gross exaggeration for effect: overstatement
 Irony: the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning
 Verbal: meaning one thing and saying another
 Dramatic: two levels of meaning - what the speaker says and what he/she means, and
what the speaker says and the author means
 Situational: when the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended
effect; when something unexpected occurs
 Symbolism: the use of one object to suggest another, hidden object or idea
 Imagery: the use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description
 Paradox: a statement which appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basis of truth
 Oxymoron: contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect
 Understatement: diction in which the literal sense of what is said falls detectably short of
(or “under”) the magnitude of what is being talked about.
 Allusion: a reference to an outside fact, event, or other source
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Aspects of Poetry
 Tone: the author's attitude toward his/her audience and subject (You must interpret
form, rhyme, connotation, figurative language, and the like since you cannot hear vocal
inflection.)
 Theme: the author's major idea or meaning (What is the dominant purpose behind
writing the poem? How does the poet achieve this purpose?)
 Dramatic situation: the circumstances of the speaker (Who is the speaker? To whom is
he speaking? What are the circumstances? Does this situation contribute to the total
meaning and impact of the poem?)
Do students need to know characters?
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Students should have a command of the characteristics and contributions of the major players.
 Aeneas
 Anchises (Iulus)
 Ascanius
 Creusa
 Sinon
 Dido
 Palinurus
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Students should have a command of the characteristics and contributions of the gods and
goddesses.
 Juno
 Jupiter
 Venus
 Cupid
 Neptune
 Mercury
 Vulcan
 Minerva
 Apollo
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Students should have a command of the roles played by the Greek characters who appear in the
Trojan War scenes and in the Underworld.
 Ulysses
 Achilles
 Hector
 Andromache
 Helen
 Priam
 Pyrrhus
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Finally, it is worth noting that the Mandelbaum Aeneid has a full and easy to reference glossary
of characters at the end of the book that includes a pronunciation guide.
Do students need to know the plot?
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Understanding the plot means understanding the interactions of characters, motivations, and
sequence of events.
No questions will be asked that require a student to identify the book of the epic in which a plot
event occurs.
Though students definitely need to read the first six books of the epic, as a coaching strategy
reviewing the plot and characters on a site such as Spark Notes is not an altogether bad idea.
Will there be quotations on the questions?
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Quotation do appear in many of the questions.
They require students to identify or interpret elements of epic form, poetic devices, tone, and
the like.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Books I – VI
Why are only selected myths covered?
Note that this work is also an epic poem.
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Refer to all the information covered under Virgil’s Aeneid.
Do students need to know anything about Ovid?
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Ovid was born in 43 BC and died in 18 AD.
Metamorphoses was popular among most of the upper class though Augustus officially banned
it.
Do students need to know the characters?
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As with the Aeneid, students need to know the characteristics and the contributions to the story
of the principal characters in each story
 Book I
 Lycaon
 Deucalion
 Pyrrha
 Apollo
 Daphne
 Peneus
 Jove (Jupiter)
 Io
 Juno
 Mercury
 Argus
 Pan
 Syrinx
 Book II
 Phaëthon
 Phoebus (Apollo)
 Clymene
 The Heliades
 Book V
 Calliope
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Ceres
Proserpina
Dis
Cyane
Stellio
Arethusa
Ascalaphus
 Book VI
 Tereus
 Procne
 Philomela
 Itys
 Book X
 Orpheus
 Eurydice
 Book XV
 Julius Caesar
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In an epic such as Metamorphoses, it is also extremely important to know the characteristics
and contributions to the story of the gods and goddesses.
Like Mandelbaum’s translation of Virgil’s Aeneid, Charles Martin’s translation of Ovid’s
Metamorphoses includes a very helpful glossary of characters in the back.
Do students need to know the plot?
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Understanding the plot means understanding the interactions of characters, motivations, and
sequence of events.
Though students definitely need to read the assigned stories, as a coaching strategy reviewing
the plot and characters on a site such as Spark Notes is not an altogether bad idea.
Will there be quotations on the questions?
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Quotation do appear in many of the questions.
They require students to identify or interpret elements of epic form, poetic devices, tone, and
the like.
Etymology
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Students need to be aware of all unfamiliar vocabulary they encounter in the assigned reading.
 Keep a running notebook or electronic document of unfamiliar words as they are
encountered.
 Note the page and line of each recorded word for easy reference.
 At the end of a scene, story, or book, consult a dictionary to learn the definition(s),
pronunciation(s), and usage (if given) of the word.
 Note the etymology and check the affix and root/base charts to see if the word is a
derivative.
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Create a derivative list for each root/base in the included chart.
 Students can begin by generating a list of words they believe fit the base and the meaning(s)
given for it.
 Caution students to check their lists against the etymology provided in the dictionary.
 Practice word analysis by applying this process:
 Write the word.
 Directly below the word, write the prefix (if one exists) + the base + the suffix (if one
exists) as shown below.
 Directly below that line, write the meaning of the prefix (if you used one) + the meaning
of the base + the meaning of the suffix (if you used one) as shown below.
 Directly below that line write an etymological meaning that uses the meanings (from
line 3) of the various word parts (from line 2). You may have to supply words or change
the part of speech of the meanings to make a comprehensible etymological meaning.
Write the etymological definition on fourth line as show below.
 Have a student look up the word in the dictionary to retrieve a current meaning. Write
that on the fifth line as shown below. Compare the etymological and current meanings
and discuss the connections in meaning and thinking between the two.
EXAMPLE
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Selected Word
inscription
Word Parts
in + script + ion
Meanings of Parts
in, into, against + to write + act of, state of, result of
Etymological Definition
result of writing in (a book)
Current Definition
a short signed message in a book
Words used in questions for the competition will come from Virgil’s Aeneid, Ovid’s
Metamorphoses, and other sources.