Exam #1 Study Guide Part A: Short Answer/Quote Identifications You must choose five of the quotations given on the exam and identify the speaker and work the quote is from, plus write a few sentences explaining the significance of the quote to the work as a whole. Review the past readings to prepare. Here are some important quotes from the works we have read and example responses to study: Example Responses 1. “I pitied mortals, and myself was judged / unworthy of pity. Instead I’m disciplined / without mercy, a sight to win Zeus infamy. Work: “Prometheus Bound” Speaker: Prometheus Significance: This quote contrasts the qualities of a good leader and a tyrant. Prometheus himself represents a good leader — he displays the quality of mercy, or empathy towards the mortals. This quality is essential in a good leader. Zeus, however, represents a tyrant. He is described as someone “without mercy.” Furthermore, Prometheus asserts that his punishment is nothing more than “a sight to win Zeus infamy.” With the combination of these two descriptions, we can assert that Zeus is a leader who is merciless and selfish — in other words, a tyrant. 2. “Some will say that democracy is neither intelligent nor fair and that the wealthy are best able to rule. But I answer first that the demos is the name of the whole people, while oligarchy names only a part. Second, though the rich are indeed the best guardians of the city’s money, the best councilors are the intelligent, and the best judges of what they hear are the many.” Work: “Thucydides” Speaker: Athenagoras Significance: Here Athenagoras defends democracy against claims that government works best when the few wealthy are in control. This one quote embodies the broader disagreements between advocates and dissidents of democracy. On one hand, many !UGS 303!!people argue that the masses are too ignorant and unskilled to rule. We need experts in power if we want to make intelligent decisions. Athenagoras’ reply to this standpoint represents the feelings of the democrats as a whole: it is just for the city to belong to its people, the demos. In a good government, everyone’s voice is able to be heard. 3. “You’ve seen trees tossed by a torrent in a flash flood: If they bend, they’re saved, and every twig survives, But if they stiffen up, they’re washed out from the roots.” Work: “Antigone” Speaker: Haemon Significance: Here Haemon speaks to his father, Creon, about being too unyielding when it comes to the law. He urges him to be more flexible and have mercy on Antigone, such as trees that bend under pressure and survive. This quote also foreshadows Creon’s tragic fate. He will refuse to budge, and become like the stubborn tree that is “washed out by the roots.” 4. “But the pleasure of the moment and whatever contributed to that were set up as standards of nobility and usefulness. No one was held back in awe either by fear of the gods or by the laws of men…” Work: “Thucydides” Speaker: Thucydides Significance: Here Thucydides describes the state of human virtue during the plague in Athens. Fear of death caused the people to disobey the laws of both gods and men, causing chaos and disorder in a formerly great democracy. 5. “Wisdom? It’s not wise to lift our thoughts too high; we are human, and our time is short. A man who aims at greatness will not live to own what he has now.” Work: “Bacchae” Speaker: Chorus Significance: The chorus directs this quote at Pentheus for being disrespectful to Dionysus. It illuminates the dangers of hubris, or pride. It is not wise for a mere!mortal to aspire to greatness; we must instead recognize our limitations and focus on what we have now. !Part B: Essay The exam will contain two of these five essay prompts. You must answer one. In order to be fully ready for the exam, then, you should prepare four of them. Here are the prompts and some helpful information from the lectures/readings that you can use when preparing your answers. 1. How could Pericles be the architect for both democracy at home and a tyrannical empire abroad? •Pericles - famous Athenian war general and orator •Called for the building of the Parthenon •Helped Athens become an empire •Allowed more people to participate in democracy by giving pay for jury duty •Famous for his funeral oration •Emphasizes the cause that the people died for: democracy. •States that Athens sets an example for all of Greece. •Because of Pericles, Athens grew in power and Sparta felt threatened, leading to the Peloponnesian war. •Pericles had very aggressive foreign policies which he used to obtain money and goods from foreign states. 2. In view of the failure of the Sicilian Expedition, what changes would you make in Athenian governance to make Athens more effective in war? •Because Athens was a democracy, the people voted to go to war, against the advice of people like Nicias. •The people were motivated by greed and ambition. •They were also swayed by Alcibiades, who argued that the war would be easy. •The Athenians did not send enough troops or ships for the mission to succeed at first. Nicias wrote back, telling the people to either send double the!amount of ships and soldiers or bring the troops back home. Athens mustered up everything she had left and sent more troops and ships. •After his failure in the war, Nicias was afraid to tell the Athenians for fear that he would be punished. •Think about how things might have gone better in a monarchy, or any other form of government. 3. Do the advantages of the Athenian system of representation outweigh the disadvantages? Be specific. •Athenian system of representation: •The lottery system •Assemblies including parrhesia: right of every man to speak •Officeholders chosen by lot each year (not compulsory) •Jury members chosen randomly the day of the trial to avoid bribery •Think about the balance between everyone’s voices being heard and making sure government is knowledgeable and efficient 4. To what extent is Creon a tyrant in the Antigone? Cite particular things he says or does. •Things Creon says/does: •Refuses to listen to the advice of his son, Haemon •Refuses to listen to the prophet, Tiresias •Decides to execute Antigone despite the will of his people •Is guilty of hubris •Think about the qualities of a tyrant and how many/to what extent Creon possesses these. 5. Prometheus suffers