CSH Rhetoric Class-Y2-At-Home Literature Study Suggestions
Quarter 2
Week 7
 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: In Quarter 1, you
created a flashcard for metaphor. This literary device is one that will be
focused on in Quarter 2. Homer was one of the first and possibly greatest
users of metaphor. In addition to your basic card that has the definition of
metaphor, create a second (or third) that is devoted to Homeric metaphor.
As you read throughout the entire quarter, list examples of metaphor from
The Illiad. Also, The Illiad begins with an “apostrophe.” Create a flashcard for
this literary device as well.
 Additional Literature: Begin reading The Aeneid. How is this poem a
continuation of the Greek epic tradition? What similar device is Virgil using
that echoes Homer?
 Word Study: Define syntax. Why is syntax important? How does poetical
syntax help or hinder one’s understanding of poetry? What is your opinion
of Homer’s syntax?
 The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Exordium”: For the
final essay for this quarter, you will write a persuasive essay on the historical
significance of The Illiad. In “Exordium,” the writer prepares the audience for
the argument to come and attempts to put them into a favorable frame of
mind and to feel as if they are connected to the argument that is about to be
explained. This usually happens in the introduction. To help prepare for the
persuasive essay, read The 3rd Phillipic by Demosthenes. Take some time to
outline the speech. How does he utilize exordium?
 Grammar: Review adjectives and define them in your grammar notebook.
Where are they placed in diagramming? Diagram some simple sentences
that contain adjectives in both the subject and the predicate of the sentence.
Week 8
 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create cards for
poetic foot, spondee, and dactylic hexameter. Find examples from both The
Illiad and The Aeneid.
 Additional Literature: Complete your reading of The Aeneid. Discuss how
these works relate to each other and their significance as representations of a
cultural literature. Why is the use of the dactylic hexameter significant in this
work? How are the two works connected in the minds of the reader? Why
would this connection be important to the people of Rome?
 Word Study: What is a phoneme? What is a morpheme? What does an
understanding of these terms tell us about language acquisition?
 The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Narratio”: As you
continue to prepare for your persuasive essay, outline the Defense of Socrates
speech. Where is Socrates’ “narratio”? How is it used to connect the
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“exordium” to the “partitio”? Create your own “narratio.” It may only be 2-3
sentences in your opening paragraph, but it will lay out the nature of the case
about to be presented.
Grammar: Review and define articles. Where do they get placed in
diagramming? Show examples in your grammar notebook.
Week 9
 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for
synecdoche. Are there examples in The Illiad or The Aeneid?
 Additional Literature: The epic is the greatest poetic form in literature.
Additionally, the epic sets the groundwork for the heroic journey which has
been and still is used when ever we have a story that uses a quest motif.
Students and their families should begin to look into the writings of Joseph
Campbell at this point, particularly A Hero with a Thousand Faces. This
groundbreaking text lays out clearly the framework for the “monomyth.”
Consider these questions: What are the 8 essential parts of a myth?
Compare the ancient hero’s journey to a modern literature or film hero’s
journey. How are they similar? What qualities do all heroes possess
regardless of the time or culture in which they exist? How does a hero’s
journey reflect our own personal journey?
 Word Study: Define “semantics.” How is this term related to connotation
and denotation? Why is the understanding of semantics important to writing
and to the rhetorical framework in particular?
 The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Partitio”: Continuing
with the creation of the persuasive essay, this week emphasizes the creation
of the thesis statement. Take this time to create an outline of your essay and
write your thesis statement. Take time to read Patrick Henry’s “Give me
Liberty or Give me Death” speech. How is this speech structured according
to the rules of rhetoric?
 Grammar: Review adverbs and define them in your notebook. Place them
appropriately in diagramming. Compose some simple sentences that contain
both adjectives and adverbs and diagram them.
Week 10
 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for
the literary device “motif.” One motif in The Illiad is armor. How is this motif
used? What are two other motifs in this epic? Discuss their significance with
your family or your classmates.
 Additional Literature: One of the main themes that emerges in The Illiad is
the glory of war. Discuss this theme and how it is illustrated in The Illiad
with your family. Also read the essay On War by James Boswell.
http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/boswellonwar.htm
What is Boswell’s feeling about war? Why was war so central in Greek
culture?
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Word Study: Define “pragmatics” as it applies to linguistics. What is its
significance?
The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Confirmatio”: This
week you will work on drafting the body of your persuasive essay. An appeal
to logos is usually emphasized in this part of the essay. Now is the time to
make certain that you aren’t committing logical fallacies. There are many
sources out there that will help determine if you have a logical fallacy in your
argument. The Purdue OWL has a simple handout for some of the most
common: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/3/ and
another one from a high school AP class here
http://www.mrgunnar.net/ap.cfm?subpage=348991
Watch the news and try to spot the logical fallacies used by politicians. Make
it a game and see who can spot and refute the logical fallacy first.
Grammar: Review and define prepositions. What other part of speech job
do they hold? Place them correctly using diagramming.
Week 11
 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for
symbol. What symbols are important in The Illiad?
 Additional Literature: Another theme in The Illiad is the impermanence of
human life and its tangible creations. With the exception of the gods, every
character in the epic is facing his or her immortality and Homer is stressing
that Troy will fall and the structures the Greeks have built will go soon after.
With this theme in mind read the brief ode by Horace called “Carpe Diem”
and H. W. Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life.” If structures don’t remain, what
does according to Homer, Horace, and Longfellow? As Catholics, how should
we be demonstrating carpe diem?
 Word Study: Define “root word.” Using amas, campus, and dona
demonstrate how these Latin derived roots are used in Modern English.
 The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Refutatio”: As the
quarter draws to a close, your persuasive essay should be nearly finished. In
the “refutatio” the speaker addresses the counterarguments that might be
made by the opposition and breaks them down using evidence, logic, or
discrepancies. In class, you examined how Socrates utilized this technique.
For practice, think of something of which you would like to convince your
parents. List all of their arguments against your proposition as you can. Now
offer your counter arguments. Identify which are evidence, logic, or
discrepancies. Are there any logical fallacies? Apply this same strategy to
your essay.
 Grammar: Review conjunctions. Where are they placed in diagramming?
Write some complex sentences that utilize all seven parts of speech (and
some phrases) that we have looked at over the last 11 weeks. Diagram these
for practice.
Week 12
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Literary Devices and Figurative Language Flashcards: Create a card for
foreshadowing. How does Homer use this literary device? How does it help
demonstrate the themes we have discussed?
Additional Literature: At its heart, the main theme of The Illiad is rage or
strife. Homer states this plainly in the open lines of the epic. Another classic
epic is Beowulf. Read Beowulf, the greatest epic written in Old English, the
language of the Anglo-Saxons. Compare the theme of rage and strife. Also,
examine how the concept of the epic hero is replicated. If possible, at least
look at a selection of Beowulf written in the original Old English. Seeing Old
English will be important for our word study as we examine Middle English
in our 4th Quarter study of Chaucer.
Word Study: Define “polysemy.” How is this different from synonyms?
The Five Canons and Classic Oratorical Structure “Peroratio”: As per
your quarter final project, complete your persuasive essay. Make sure you
utilize the rhetorical strategy of “peroratio” in your conclusion. Remember,
this usually entails an appeal to pathos in an effort to make the audience take
action. Take time to proofread your final draft.
Grammar: Review and define interjections. Place them correctly in
diagramming.