Humanities 110

Paper Topics | Spring 2004 | Paper 1

Due date: Saturday, February 14, 5 p.m. in the faculty mailboxes in Eliot.
Length: 1500 words.

1. Livy states: "The special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behavior set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded." (Luce tr., p. 4 / de Selincourt tr., p. 34) Examine Livy's accounts of Romulus and/or Tarquin the Proud in light of this quotation. (Livy discusses Romulus and Tarquin the Proud on the following pages: Luce tr., pp. 7-22 / de Selincourt tr., pp. 37-51 and Luce tr., pp. 54-92 / de Selincourt tr., pp. 85-128.)

2. What role does the evolution of gender relations play in Livy's account of Roman origins? You may consider, for example, accounts of the rape of Sabine women and Lucretia, or Numa's legitimation of marriage.

3. Roman literature of the late Republic and early Principate (e.g. Livy's The Rise of Rome, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Virgil's Aeneid) is deeply concerned with representing a set of virtues believed to be characteristic of the Romans. Based on your knowledge of the Ara Pacis Augustae, can the same be said for Roman art of the period? If so, how do the images on the Ara Pacis express these virtues? If not, how does the Ara Pacis work to express different virtues or different ideas? You can find images of the Ara Pacis at the following website: academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Ara_Pacis/index.htm.

4. To what extent does Augustus exemplify that "form of monarchy" that Freeman argues Alexander bequeaths to later generations (Freeman, p. 273)? In answering this question you should draw upon the Res Gestae Divi Augusti and Suetonius's The Twelve Ceasars.

5. Analyze the theme of marriage in The Aeneid by examining the meaning of marriage for the development of the poem. How do Aeneas' three marriages compare in both form and significance?

6. Discuss one of the "secondary" characters in The Aeneid: e.g. Camilla, Pallas, Evander, Mezentius, Lavinia, Palinurus, Lausus, Amata, or a character of your choice. Offer a detailed analysis of the place of that character within the poem as a whole. What are the excellences or faults of this character; how does this character further the portrayal of the "primary" characters or the development of the general themes of the poem?

7. In consultation with your conference leader, write on a topic of your own devising.

In addition to consulting with your conference leader, you can get help with all stages of the writing process from peer tutors at the Writing Center. You can find links to the Writing Center hours on the Drop-in Tutoring Schedule website. Extra tutoring help will be available in the week leading up to paper due dates.