Questions
In the second part of the midterm, you will have a total of an hour and 25 minutes to respond to two of the following essay prompts.
Your essay should have a clear organization with a short introductory paragraph that provides an outline of what you will say and then logical body paragraphs that demonstrate both a knowledge of the facts in question and an ability to analyze these facts and draw relevant conclusions from them.
Be sure to mention specific details from the historical events and figures, art works and/or works of literature we have studied.
1. The transition from forager to civilized agricultural societies has been one of the main themes of this class. Identify the principal differences between these two types of societies and then discuss how these differences are illustrated in stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Book of Genesis.
2. How did the societies of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome use religion and art to reinforce their political structures? Do NOT discuss written works in your answer.
3. The dichotomy between controlled reason and uncontrolled emotion is one of the central themes in Greco-Roman thought. Identify the instances where Achilles and Odysseus and Aeneas are out of control in The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Aeneid and the consequences of these outbursts.
Do Homer and Virgil seem to say that uncontrolled emotion is all bad or can it be productive?