The assignments and course materials below represent Core Books' pedagogical approach for incorporating these texts into curricula. They are meant to create points of access and to engage students in a meaningful discussion of the works' humanistic themes. These assignments are also meant to align with the course objectives in which the texts are used; they all work to strengthen students' reading and writing skills.
Non-fiction
- Education
- Justice
- Freedom
- The Good Citizen
- Primary Text
Excerpts of Book VI and VII - Audio Book
- Summary
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
- TED Ed Video on the cave
- Education Summary
- Discussion Forums
- Reading Quiz
- Short Answer Exercises for Books V-VII
- Create Your Own Cave: Writing Summaries and Allegories
- Platonic Dialogue Exercise
- Plato Writing/Discussion Activities
- Informal Assignments
- Formal Essay Questions
- Education
- Justice
- Conformity
- Freedom
- Virtue or Goodness
- Marriage/Friendship
- Reason
- Beauty
- Primary Text
- Anne Melorr
- Historical Context:
(Lit Charts is becoming a widely used source for students. Teaching students how to
handle these type of internet sources could be useful.) - Wollstonecraft vis a vis Judy Chicago
- Informal Assignments
- Close Reading/Discussion Questions (Chapter 2)
- Wollstonecraft Group Work
- Formal Essay Questions
- Revolution/Radicalism vs. Conformity
- Freedom
- Justice
- Citizenship
- Rights
- Primary Sources: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
- Constitution: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
- Bill of Rights, Amendments 1-10: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript
- **Especially Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
- Amendments 11-26:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27 - **Especially Amendments 13, 14, 15, 16, 19
- Locke’s Second Treatise vs. Declaration: Here
- Columbia University: https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/american-revolution-and-founding-texts
- Blackboard Discussion Questions
- Writing and Discussion Activities
- Analyzing the Declaration of Independence & Brainstorming Research Topics
- Informal Assignments on Douglass & Madison
- Resources for Discussion of Federalist Paper #10
- Essay Assignments
- Justice
- Equality
- Slavery
- Founding Documents
- Rhetorical Persuasion
- Primary Text: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Douglass%20Full%20Text.pdf
- James Earl Jones Reading the text: https://www.democracynow.org/2020/7/3/what_to_the_slave_is_4th
- Discussion Board Questions
- Connections to other texts
- Informal Writing
- Reading Questions
- Writing: Responding to Douglass
- Douglass: Deciphering Meaning
- Douglass Essay Preparation
- Education Narrative Writing
- Essay Assignments
Consciousness
- Reflective Writing Exercises
- Short Questions for Discussion & Writing
- Formal Essay Prompts
- Much of Machiavelli’s discussion of The Prince is dedicated to teaching politicians how to gain and retain power. What is power? Give your own, 1-sentence definition of the term. Who or what has power over your life? Who or what do you have power over?
- One of the most famous quotations from the text is the question, “whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse” (pg. 54)?
- Before reading Machiavelli’s answer, make your own argument for whether it is better to be loved or feared? Is it better to be loved in some cases and feared in others?
- After reading the text summarize Machiavelli’s answer to this question.
Re-read Machiavelli’s extended metaphor of the fox and lion (pgs. 55-58, 63-65). Describe in your own words the behaviors of a “fox” and those of a “lion.” Why does Machiavelli believe that a good leader needs to embody the characteristics of both these animals?
Machiavelli’s advice is primarily aimed at political leaders, but does he show any interest in promoting the common good (i.e. is he interested in helping common people as well as their “Princes” or does his advice only further the interests of the ruling class)? Choose a position and then select two passages from the text that defend your decision.
In chapter XXI Machiavelli addresses how princes can “win honor.” He advises: “nothing brings a prince more prestige than great campaigns and striking demonstrations of his personal abilities” (71). As an example, Machiavelli cites Ferdinand of Spain saying that the prince’s actions, “have always kept his subjects in a state of suspense and wonder” (72). Modern political leaders, celebrities, or popular figures often follow Machiavelli’s advice of making “striking demonstrations of his personal abilities.” Find an example in of a modern public figure who you feel makes “striking demonstrations.” Cite a specific example of the individual’s “demonstrations” as recounted by the media, then explain how you feel the individual’s actions align with Machiavelli’s thinking. How do these public actions build the individual’s reputation? What is the importance of “reputation” today and in the time of Machiavelli?
Machiavelli states, “Prudence consists in being able to assess the nature of a particular threat and in accepting the lesser evil” (73). What does he mean by this statement? You may want to follow the steps below as you analyze Machiavelli’s meaning:
- Define “prudence” (you can look up the definition if you do not already know it).
- Paraphrase the quotation (restate the meaning in your own words).
- Briefly describe the context of this quotation–what is Machiavelli’s larger argument in the chapter?
Summarize Machiavelli’s viewpoints on friendship as stated on pages 72-73. Is what Machiavelli describes “true” friendship, or opportunism? Defend your reasoning.
In chapters XXII and XXIII Machiavelli discusses the types of people with whom a prince should surround himself. Using the text of these two chapters, write a “help wanted” add from a prince seeking an advisor. Include the qualities the advisor should have, and those which he/she must not. Include a sentence or two about how the prince will treat his new counselor according to the recommendations given by Machiavelli.
Paraphrase the following quotations and then give a 2-3 sentence description of how the quotations fit into the larger argument of the chapter from which each is drawn.
XV: “The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.” (50)
XVI: “You hurt yourself only when you give away what is your own.” (53)
XVII: “Men sooner forget the death of their fathers than the loss of their patrimony.” (55)
XVIII: “Those who simply act like lions are stupid.” (57)
XIV: “One of the most powerful safeguards a prince can have against conspiracies is to avoid being hated by the populace.” (59)
XX: “When he has the chance an able prince should cunningly foster some opposition to himself so that by overcoming it he can enhance his own stature.” (69)
XXI: “He has always planned and completed great projects, which have always kept his subjects in a state of suspense and wonder.” (72)
XXII: “The first opinion that is formed of a ruler’s intelligence is based on the quality of the men he has around him.” (74)
XXIII: “All the same, he should be a constant questioner, and he must listen patiently to the truth regarding what he has inquired about.” (76)
XXIV: “The only sound, sure, and enduring methods of defense are those based on your own actions and prowess.” (78)
XXV: “She shows her potency where there is no well-regulated power to resist her, and her impetus is felt where she knows there are no embankments and dykes built to restrain her.” (79)
XXVI: “I believe that so many things conspire to favor a new prince, that I cannot imagine there ever was a more suitable time than the present.” (82)
Identify the speaker and context of the following quotes.
“They told me he was here in this country, / your father, I mean. But no. The gods are impeding his passage. / For no death on the land has befallen the great Odysseus, / but somewhere, alive on the wide sea, he is held captive, / on a sea-washed island, and savage men have him in their keeping, / rough men, who will somehow keep him back, though he is unwilling.” (32)
“They seized the beam of olive, sharp at the end, and leaned on it / into the eye, while I from above leaning my weight on it / twirled it, like a man with a brace-and-bit who bores into / a ship timber, and his men from underneath, grasping / the strap on either side whirl it, and it bites resolutely deeper. / So seizing the fire-point-hardened timber we twirled it / in his eye, and the blood boiled around the hot point, so that / the blast and scorch of the burning ball singed all his eyebrows / and eyelids, and the fire made the roots of his eye crackle.”(147)
“and the souls / of the perished dead gathered to the place, up out of Erebos, / brides, and young unmarried men, and long-suffering elders, / virgins, tender and with the sorrows of young hearts upon them, / and many fighting men killed in battle, stabbed with brazen / spears, still carrying their bloody armor upon them. / These came swarming around my pit from every direction / with inhuman clamor, and green fear took hold of me.” (169)
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Fiction
- SEARCH FOR IDENTITY—a QUEST
- Blindness (the misinterpretation of self and others due to selfishness) and sight
- The relationship between individual success and responsibility to community: success vs. “selling out”
- Masculinity and manhood. The novel is dedicated to “Daddy” and if you look at the Foreword, you will see that although Toni Morrison usually writes about women’s lives, she was inspired to write this novel after her father died—she wanted to reflect on the lives of African-American men
- Freedom from bondage—symbolic images of flying/flight as escape, freedom, and transcendence (rising above) and a return to the ancestral homeland of Africa
- Going back to go forward: finding your roots (ancestry) to find yourself. Gaining flight by digging into roots (routes via roots)
- Significance of NAMING to identity: “Dead” family; “Milkman”; “Pilate;” “Not Doctor Street”
- Informal Writing/
Pre-Reading Questions - Chapter Reading Guide
- Group Projects
- Formal Essay Assignments
- Research Assignments
- Connections to Antigone
- Natural Law Vs. Civil Law
- Divine Authority Vs. Political Power
- Civil Disobedience
- Ritual Purifications
- Duties Towards The Dead
- Text: Dudley Fitts And Robert Fitzgerald Translation
- Antigone In Ferguson, By Theatre Of War On Youtube
- Contexts, Columbia College
- Pre-reading exercises
- Reading Guide
- Close Reading Discussion Questions
- Intertextuality: Antigone in Ferguson and Matters of Justice
- Informal Writing
- Group Projects
- Formal Essay topics
Food and drink seem to define culture in the Odyssey, to the point that eating food from another culture can literally turn you into them, and cause you to forget about your homeland. What practices do you engage in that make you feel connected to your cultural home? What aspects of modern life do you think define a culture?
Odysseus is described as a “man of many ways,” implying he is both a skilled leader and a cunning, even deceitful person. Do you think lying can be used for good? When is deceit a strength, and when is it a flaw?
The Odyssey is a Greek “homecoming story,” a genre of epic poetry which assumes the journey back from war is as difficult as the war itself. In the course of his journey, for example, Odysseus must learn to tone down his own warlike character he gained during the war. What challenges have you faced returning to “normal” after a trying experience? Are there any parallels between Odysseus’ experience and your own?
How would you re-tell the Odyssey in your own words, highlighting the dramatic parts and main themes? Re-tell the story of the Cyclops in your own words, recording your tale in an audio recording, on Snapchat, or in some other form of social media. Imagine you are telling it to your peers.
Odysseus chooses to return home, rather than stay with Calypso and become immortal. Why might he do this? First, compare human life with those of the gods in the Greek worldview. Then, venture an argument about why Odysseus might find human life preferable.
Hospitality is a recurring theme in the Odyssey, and violations of hospitality provide a key motivating conflict for the poem. Write a “Rules of Hospitality” handbook outlining the expectations for both hosts and guests in the Odyssey, and the significance and penalties of breaking them.
What makes someone “heroic” in the Odyssey? Compare Odysseus and Telemachus in this regard, by picking 3 places in the poem where each character acts heroic in some way, and highlight the character traits they display.
In small groups, analyze the questions assigned to your group. Select specific passages to read out loud to the class and elaborate on the connotations of the passage.
- What kind of father-son relationships are denoted and connoted throughout the epic? How are father-son relationships connected to identity, according to Homer?
- In Book IX, the “man of many ways” may be criticism. Is it? Analyze some examples where Homer implies that Odysseus is flawed.
- What does eating symbolize in Greek culture? Choose two or three examples to quote and to explain to the class.
- What are the characteristics of a hero? Quote two or three examples to prove your answer to the definition of a hero.
- Odysseus encounters a number of hospitable lands where he could potentially make a decent home. Name these and why does he ultimately reject them as new homes?
- Besides the cannibalism of some of the islands where Odysseus lands, why does he consider these places inhospitable. Look especially at his description of Lamos, the island inhabited by Laestrygonians.
- Is the killing of the handmaidens in Book XXII necessary? Why or why not?
- Is Odysseus’s killing of the suitors just? Why or why not?
- Is it just that Odysseus blame the gods for his long journey? Why or why not?
- Examine two or three instances where Odysseus might be to blame for his own suffering.
Write a sequel to the Odyssey. What does Odysseus do once he returns home, and does he stay there? How do the personality traits, virtues and vices of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus play out at home, and how do the gods respond to the situation?
Write a dialogue between Penelope and Iocasta from Oedipus Rex, in which the two compare their experiences. What did each think of the motivations and actions of the characters around them, and what strategies did each use to navigate the situations in which they found themselves?
Reconstruct the story arc of the Odyssey in a Facebook discussion thread between the poem’s major characters, including Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, the Suitors, Athena, the Cyclops, and so on. See an example here
Homer portrays Odysseus’s homecoming as a set of trials and tribulations to be overcome. And yet what is more important may be Odysseus’s reaction, behavior, and actions in response to the numerous obstacles in his way. What do his actions or behaviors reveal about his character and his identity? Choosing 3 or 4 obstacles or events from your assigned chapters, discuss how they connote the total sum of the heroic man. (Is he a hero? In what ways yes, and no?)
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Identify the speaker and context of the following quotes.
“They told me he was here in this country, / your father, I mean. But no. The gods are impeding his passage. / For no death on the land has befallen the great Odysseus, / but somewhere, alive on the wide sea, he is held captive, / on a sea-washed island, and savage men have him in their keeping, / rough men, who will somehow keep him back, though he is unwilling.” (32)
“They seized the beam of olive, sharp at the end, and leaned on it / into the eye, while I from above leaning my weight on it / twirled it, like a man with a brace-and-bit who bores into / a ship timber, and his men from underneath, grasping / the strap on either side whirl it, and it bites resolutely deeper. / So seizing the fire-point-hardened timber we twirled it / in his eye, and the blood boiled around the hot point, so that / the blast and scorch of the burning ball singed all his eyebrows / and eyelids, and the fire made the roots of his eye crackle.”(147)
“and the souls / of the perished dead gathered to the place, up out of Erebos, / brides, and young unmarried men, and long-suffering elders, / virgins, tender and with the sorrows of young hearts upon them, / and many fighting men killed in battle, stabbed with brazen / spears, still carrying their bloody armor upon them. / These came swarming around my pit from every direction / with inhuman clamor, and green fear took hold of me.” (169)
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One major debate in Dante’s period was whether people who lived outside Christendom, or in a time before Christ, were still condemned to hell as nonbelievers. Do you think it is fair to hold someone accountable to a rule they are unaware of? If you were present during these debates, what would you argue?
Visions of the afterlife often imply some sort of commentary on the current world. Pick a religious tradition you know something about. How does its vision of the afterlife imply judgements about what’s “right” and “wrong” in the present world?
One reason the Inferno is fascinating is the intricacy and creativity of its punishments. Why are we seduced by reading about grotesque things? Is the appeal of Inferno similar to that of horror movies like Saw?
For Dante, sin isn’t simply a matter of good-versus-evil. Instead, he thinks one sins when one strays from a “golden mean” between two principles, doing more of one than the other in an unbalanced way. (For example, in Canto 5 the Lustful are not just those who desired, but those who let their desire overpower their reason.) What kind of ethics do you have? Are there absolute goods and absolute evils in the world? Or are most things good in moderation, but bad in excess? Or some combination?
One thing that makes the Inferno remarkable is that Dante is incorporating figures from all world religions in his narrative, and not always in a condemnatory fashion. This in turn reflects the growing awareness in Dante’s time of the diversity of cultures and beliefs around the globe. Do you think religions are mutually exclusive, or complementary? Do they imply that one is right and the others wrong, or do they complement each other in some way?
Dante puts many present-day figures from his own time in hell, as implicit condemnation of their sinful acts. Why does Dante critique these figures through an elaborate poem about hell, rather than simply writing a public essay denouncing them? How is his critique of present-day figures made stronger or more compelling by casting it in the narrative of the Inferno?
Sometimes Dante’s hell reads like an issue of People magazine, with guest appearances by great historical figures. Why do some figures wish to be remembered by people on Earth, while others wish to be forgotten? What does this difference imply about the relative severity of their sins?
In Canto 13, Suicides and Squanderers are transformed into trees and torn apart by dogs. What do these sins consist of, what punishments are meted out to them, and how are these punishments designed to fit the character of the “crime”?
Do a 2-column comparison chart between the portrayal of Beatrice in Cantos 1 and 2, and that of Penelope in the Odyssey. Are they active or passive figures? What roles do they play in moving the story along? Highlight any other similarities or differences that jump out at you.
Pick one type of sin, and design a circle of hell for it using Dante’s system of “counter-penalties,” in which the punishment fits the crime. How will the system of punishments work in your circle of hell, and who will you put there?
Pick one of the following Cantos—5, 13, 15, 26 or 33—and conduct a close reading of it. How does your canto offer an implicit commentary on the contemporary world? Analyze how the sins defined and punishments designed, what sort of historical, non-Western, or political figures are included, and how Dante incorporates these into his narrative.
There have been many great pictorial representations of Dante’s Inferno. Take a look at some of the works on Digital Dante, and then design your own system of hells with 9 circles. Now write a ##-page accompanying essay, outlining the organization of your inferno, the sins you focused on, the ways punishments fit these crimes, and what historical or contemporary figures you would put in each.
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