homer oral or written tradidio essays

homer oral or written tradidio essays It is possible, on the other hand, that some lesser use of the new technique of writing was the determining factor in the ability to compose such long and complex poems out of pre-existing and much shorter oral songs. Many critics do not accept this however. The huge gap in quality as well as quantity being the main factor. In essence, the poems belong to an oral culture, whether or not their monumental form owes something to the main poet's ability to compose with the help of writing. These poems were to some extent transcribed orally too; these were works that continued to be knows, erratically and incompletely perhaps "by heart". Once they were produced, the poems had a stifling effect on their simpler, more typically oral predecessors. The memory of earlier songs and poems were all but obliterated. Among those that contributed to this were the Iliad and the Odyssey. If this was so, then their appearance before the translation from an age of literacy to one of partial literacy seems less strange. The polis, or city-state, emerged as the main focus of loyalties that had earlier been directed toward persons and families, toward feudal archetypes that still reflected some of the glow of the heroic world of Homer (Kirk 3). Emphasis on the oral nature of the Iliad and the Odyssey must be present for the understanding of the poems as poetry, as works of literature in the broader sense, and as vast and erratic forces in the cultural history of the ancient world. Any man never spoke the language of Homer. It is an artifical, poetical construction of phraseology and vocabulary that originated at different dates over a period of at least 200 and perhaps as much as 500 years (Kirk 4). Some parts of it are highly conventional and consist of fixed or formiluar phrases. Precisely how far the formular system extended, and where it merges with the symbolic and repetitive aspect of all language remains a question; but the need for literate ...

10 Common Mistakes You Make on Tests

10 Common Mistakes You Make on Tests 1. Leaving an Answer Blank There is nothing wrong with skipping over a tough question to give yourself some extra time to think it overjust as long as you remember to go back to the question later. The danger is forgetting to go back to every question you’ve skipped. A blank answer is always a wrong answer! Solution: Each time you skip a question, put a check mark beside it. 2. Answering a Question Twice You’d be surprised how many times students choose two answers in multiple choice. This makes both answers wrong! Solution: Review your work and make sure each true/false and multiple choice question only has one answer circled! 3. Transferring Answers Incorrectly From Scratch Paper The most frustrating mistake for math students is having an answer correct on the scratch paper, but transferring it wrong to the test! Solution: Double check any work you transfer from a scratch sheet. 4. Circling the Wrong Multiple Choice Answer This is a costly mistake, but one that is very easy to make. You look over all the multiple choice answers and pick the one that is correct, but you circle the letter next to the correct answer- the one that doesn’t match your answer! Solution: Make sure the letter/answer you indicate is the one you really mean to select. 5. Studying the Wrong Chapter Whenever you have a test coming up, make sure that you understand which chapters or lectures the test will cover. There are times when a teacher will test you on a specific chapter that is never discussed in class. On the other hand, the teacher’s lectures may cover three chapters, and the test may cover only one of those chapters. When that happens, you can end up studying material that won’t appear on your exam. Solution: Always ask the teacher what chapters and lectures will be covered on a test. 6. Ignoring the Clock One of the most common errors students commit when taking an essay test is failing to manage time. This is how you end up in a panic with 5 minutes to go and 5 unanswered questions staring back at you. Solution: Always take the first few moments of an exam to assess the situation when it comes to essay questions and answers. Give yourself a time schedule and stick to it. Give yourself a set amount of time to outline and answer each essay question and stick to your plan! 7. Not Following Directions If the teacher says â€Å"compare† and you â€Å"define,† you are going to lose points on your answer. There are certain directional words that you should understand and follow when you take a test. Solution: Know the following directional words: Define: Provide a definition.Explain: Provide an answer that gives a complete overview or clear description of the problem and solution for a particular question.Analyze: Take apart a concept or a process, and explain it step by step.Contrast: Show differences.Compare: Show likenesses and differences.Diagram: Explain and draw a chart or other visual to illustrate your points.Outline: Provide an explanation with headings and subheadings. 8. Thinking Too Much It’s easy to over-think a question and begin to doubt yourself. If you tend to second-guess yourself, you will inevitably change a right answer to a wrong answer. Solution: If you are a thinker who tends to over-think, and you get a strong hunch when you first read an answer, go with it. Limit your thinking time if you know you tend to doubt your first instincts. 9. Technological Breakdown If your pen runs out of ink and you can’t complete an exam, your blank answers are just as wrong as they would have been for any other reason. Running out of ink or breaking your pencil lead halfway through a test sometimes means leaving half your exam blank. And that leads to an F. Solution: Always bring extra supplies to an exam. 10. Not putting Your Name on the Test There are times when failing to put your name on a test will result in a failing grade. This can happen when the test administrator doesn’t know the students, or when the teacher/administrator won’t see students again after the test is over (like at the end of a school year). In these special situations (or even if you have a very stern teacher) a test that doesn’t have a name attached to it will be tossed out. Solution: Always write your name on a test before you get started!

Chinese Popular Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinese Popular Culture - Term Paper Example Included in pop culture are comic books, cheap newspapers such as tabloids, radio soap operas, crass television game shows, paperback novels, and shallow reality shows. The Chinese have a distinct pop culture characterized by the mix of ideas, social practices, lifestyle trends, and other mass-appeal attractions. Pop culture can sometimes gain legitimacy in normal society to become acceptable. Chinese pop culture is a thread that binds the masses of Chinese society to give them a unified sense of identity. Discussion The Chinese civilization is the world's oldest continuously existing civilization dating back five thousand years ago. As such, it has undergone several changes over this long period; popular tastes varied tremendously as years went by. However, there are a few things which make the Chinese civilization unique, among which are its cultural practices rooted in Confucian ethics, a deep respect for elders and filial obedience, and a single language based on a writing system that made it possible to have a unified Chinese identity. The one person who made all this possible was Emperor Shihuangdi (259-210 BCE) who built the now world-famous Great Wall of China, created the world's first civil service bureaucracy, the first centralized government administration, introduced coinage, unified all of China, mandated the use of only one language based on a uniform set of characters in the Chinese writing system, and still fascinates the world today with his vast terra-cotta army in his giant burial compound with some 8,000+ life-sized warriors, 400 horses, and 100 chariots to serve as â€Å"spirit army† in the afterlife, truly an enduring legacy of his dynastic rule to last â€Å"10,000 generations,† but sadly, this empire collapsed within four years after his death. Despite his short-lived empire, the various reforms he introduced survived until this day. Even in modern times, his achievements still define the Chinese cultural heritage in terms of what it means to be Chinese, an identity that endures because of universal standards in Chinese laws, written language, weights, measures, and protocols adopted by all succeeding dynasties (Muller 2) and which the present Communist rulers of China are using to help restore the Chinese pride in themselves, after two centuries being under foreign colonial powers. Emperor Qin Shihuangdi set the tone of what was pop culture with the adoption of a comprehensive set of laws, known in Chinese history as legalism, which mandated all things that can be done and cannot be done (Guo 23); although its implementation period was brief, from 221-206 BCE only, it played a key role in shaping traditional pop culture. It was a basis for government control of the whole of China in subsequent years, and continues even today. Legalism has a lingering influence because it determined the laws of the land; people of the lower classes knew what was allowed and not allowed. It was supplanted by other ide ologies and religions such as Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Legalism was the main popular cultural ideology in ancient China, designed to exert control over the peasants; China was once primarily an agricultural economy and legalism governed all aspects of social life. Emperor Qin Shih