Semester Adopted: 1st Sem.

AY 2015-2016
Western Mindanao State University Revision Status: 1st Draft
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS Revision Date: January 12, 2015
Normal Road, Baliwasan, Zamboanga City Recommending approval:
Dr. Adrian P. Semorlan
GREAT BOOKS
Mid- Term Examination
Second Semester S. Y. 2019- 2020
Name: Allyssa Mae P. de Leon Score: __________________________
Course/ Year/ Section: BSNED 1-D Date: __________________________
General Instructions:
1. Read and answer each item completely.
2. Avoid Plagiarism (Paraphrase and include citations). Failure to abide by this will automatically get failed
remarks.
3. Be guided by the rubrics provided below.

Criteria for Grading

Content- 20 Grammar- 10 Organization- 10 = 40pts.

1-40. What is Literature? In your own words, how can one benefit from studying Literature?

The concept Literature has changed its meaning over time. The concept is quite difficult to precisely define but
in my study, Literature is used to describe written and sometimes spoken material. It is a product of creative
imagination that includes poems, novels, literary fiction and non-fictions and for instance journalism and even
songs. (Lombardi, 2020) Is it true that studying and reading literature is time consuming? Well I’ll tell you that
it’s a big NO. Why? Have you ever tried getting lost in a book? And cried because your favorite character
died? It’s quite cliché that I’m including this here but this is the effect of literature to a person. It serves as an
introduction to a new world of experience, it takes you to places you’ve never been before and it also gives us
insight to all the world’s societies. People who enjoy studying literature have better communication skills and
writing ability because it enhances vocabulary, reading comprehension and studying literature uses critical
thinking skills. Some studies say that people who read literature have more empathy for others, as literature
puts the reader into another person’s shoes. (Lombardi, 2020) Now, those that are mentioned are the key
elements that will lead people to socialize more effectively, to collaborate better and to behave morally. So will
literature be a waste of time? For me, it saves you more time because it lets you access and understand things
that will probably take you decades to directly experience and it’s like a reality simulator that you are going to
witness. You are also consuming time effectively because you are learning so it’s more of useful than it is a
waste.

41-80. Enumerate and discuss completely the Literary Standards. (You may cite examples to elaborate your
answer.)

In literature, we have these standards that we must follow in order to create a real piece of written art. The
seven literary standards are Artistry, Suggestiveness, Intellectual Value, Spiritual Value, Permanence,
Universality, and Style. These are a set of characteristics to determine whether or not a work is literary.

Artistry, appeals to our sense of beauty. It describes a novel’s ability to reveal and convey hidden truth like
beautifully crafted sentences and sentences such as these are memorized and can become famous phrases. The
second literary quality is Suggestiveness, which is the ability to appeal to the reader’s emotions and
imagination and to open them up to new possibilities. For example the reader is left to establish what the
author is suggesting and to engage them into the story. Intellectual value where each literary piece must
stimulate thought and these should enrich our mental life by making us realize about the fundamental truths
towards life and human nature. Literary work will usually inform us about our past, our present or the world
around us. The fourth one is Spiritual value. A literary work must elevate the spirit within us by bringing our
moral values into the realm of the physical world. It should present moral values necessary for us to reflect and
eventually inspire us to become a better person. The next one is Permanence. A great literary work endures and
can be read again as each readings gives fresh delight and new insights. There are many novels that were
popular in their time but gradually faded into obscurity and irrelevance. It should be long lasting. For example
if a work of literature is not enjoyed 20 years after publication, it will simply be forgotten. Universality means a
great literary work is timeless and timely. Works that appeal to a person’s heart or describe the condition of
human nature are considered universal texts. It is forever relevant, it appeals to a range of people across
different age groups, nationalities, cultures and beliefs. The last criterion is Style, which is the author’s unique
way of expressing his or her thoughts. The writer of the literature will usually have a unique view of the world
and will put thoughts to us in a way we have never considered. For example words may be used in a creative
and unusual way that is entertaining and interesting.

Literary Standards. (2016, Dec 25). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/literay-standards-essay

81- 100. Critically analyze Illiad by Homer. Use the guide questions below.
 Discuss the life of Homer.
 Discuss Social and/ Historical Context as reflected in Illiad.
 What is the role of the gods in the Illiad? To what extent are the events of the narrative the result of
independent decisions made by the heroes, and to what extent are they influenced by the intervention of the
gods? What is the role of women in the poem? How are they represented? How do they interact with men?
 Do character analysis of major characters in the epic.
 Enumerate and discuss completely major themes in the epic.

WHO IS HOMER? We all know that the great poet Homer wrote the epic stories of ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The
Odyssey’ which until now have an extensive effect on the Western culture. It is said that Homer was born
sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC. The exact location where Homer originated can’t be
pinpointed but it is said that it is possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor for the basis that the dialect
that The Iliad and the Odyssey was considered to be Asiatic Greek, specifically Ionic. Homer is thought to have
been blind based on the character in The Odyssey, a blind poet called Demodokos and it was interpreted as
Homer’s hint as to what his own life was like. Some scholars believe him to be one man and others think this
iconic stories were created by a group. All this speculations about who he was is often considered to be the
greatest literary mystery. (Biography.com Editors, 2014) The author may be a mystery but his works are very
influential and evident. One of his works is The Iliad.
The focus of the Iliad is the history of the Trojan War, which took place between the Greek and Trojan armies.
The main Greek characters in Iliad are Achilles, the son of Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis who dipped him in
the River Styx that made him invulnerable. Patroclus was Achilles’ best friend and guardian. Patroclus main
purpose in the Iliad is to bring Achilles back into the war and the bond that he and Achilles have is very
obvious extending beyond the warrior-companion relationship. Agamemnon was the commander in chief of the
Greek expedition that went to Troy to free Helen. Despite Agamemnon’s prowess as a warrior, as a king he too
exhibits the characteristics of stubbornness and cowardice. He fails to realize that authority demands
responsibility and he must not succumb to his own desires and emotions. Menelaus is the brother of
Agamemnon and was married to Helen. Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and was abducted by the
Trojan prince, Paris. For the Trojan characters, there’s Priam who was the king of Troy during the Trojan
War. He is only a king. He is no longer a warrior and he must depend upon his son Hector for prowess. Priam
is apparently a good man who follows special norms and he plays the role of a father and not that of king of
Troy. Paris was the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. He was the one who abducted Helen. He
seems content to allow the Trojans to fight for him. He was not admired by warriors and often accused him of
cowardice. Hector was also a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. He is the heir
apparent to his father’s throne. His concern for the Trojan women and for the Trojan community in general
defines him as a ‘norm’ for Homeric society.
The Iliad begins with Paris, a Trojan prince of Troy, being invited in Sparta by Agamemnon, the brother of
Menelaus. Paris immediately fall head-over-heels in love with Menelaus’s wife, Helen and urged on by
meddlesome gods, abducts her and takes her to Troy. Menelaus was furious and convinced his brother King
Agamemnon to assemble an army of warriors and sends them to Troy to rescue Helen but Achilles the best and
most feared Greek warrior refused to fight for Agamemnon for the reason that Agamemnon took Breises from
Achilles which started the feud between them. As a result, Achilles angrily turns to the gods to help punish
Agamemnon, who begins to lose a tremendous amount of men as the Trojan army advances. The involvement of
the gods in the war goes back to the feast attended by the gods and goddesses. Eris, the goddess of discord,
wasn’t invited but shows up anyway with a golden apple that should be given only to the fairest. Hera, Athena
and Aphrodite all claim it and Paris is called in as a judge. Paris ends up giving the apple to Aphrodite
because she promised him the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world which is Helen. She protects
Paris and makes Helen fall in love with him. Hera and Athena are furious they didn’t get the golden apple and
decide to take out their anger on the Trojans. The Trojan War lasted almost a decade and it’s hard for the
Greeks to enter Troy because of its high walls. It was only when Achilles found out that his best friend
Patroclus died in the hands of Hector that made him decide to fight. Achilles killed Hector. After killing Hector,
Achilles didn’t live long because he was shot in one of his heels, the only vulnerable part of Achilles. After a ten
year war, the Greeks realized that their siege tactics did not worked and they needed to try something new.
Odysseus came up with idea of a wooden horse, aided by Athena. The Greeks left it on the beach and the
jubilant Trojans pulled the horse into the citadel of Troy, thinking it was a tribute of a defeated army. During
the night the Greek warriors hidden in the horse entered in the gates of Troy. Thousands of Greeks poured in.
They set the city ablaze, slew all the men and enslaved the women and children. There was agony, panic and
every shade of death and that was the fall of Troy.
(SparkNotes Editors, 2005)

101-140. Critically analyze Odyssey. Use the guide questions below.

(Formalist Approach—This approach regards literature as “a unique form of human knowledge that needs
to be examined on its own terms”. All the elements necessary for understanding the work are contained
within the work itself. Of particular interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form—style, structure,
tone, imagery, etc.—that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine how
such elements work together with the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.) Note: You may read
further about formalist criticism and search for other guide questions that can help in your analysis.
A CHECKLIST OF FORMALIST CRITICAL QUESTION
 How is the work structured or organized? How does it begin? Where does it go next? How does it end?
What is the work’s plot? How is its plot related to its structure?
 What is the relationship of each part of the work to the work as a whole? How are the parts related to
one another?
 Who is narrating or telling what happens in the work? How is the narrator, speaker, or character
revealed to the readers? How do we come to know and understand this figure?
 Who are the major and minor characters, what do they represent, and how do they relate to one another?
 What are the time and place of the work- its setting? How is the setting related to what we know of the
characters and their actions? To what extent is the setting symbolic?
 What kind of language does the author use to describe, narrate, explain, or otherwise create the world of
the literary work? More specifically, what images, similes, metaphors, symbols appear in the work? What is
their function? What meanings do they convey?

The Odyssey is undoubtedly the most popular epic of the Western culture. Its chief character, Odysseus
inspired more literary works than any other legendary hero. As for Homer, the author with the gift of
description, made the style of the poem, visual, explanatory, repetitive and stately like his first epic, the Iliad.
He uses similes and repeated phrases and sentences, for his audience to visualize and understand everything
that happened. The epic introduced many diversions from the main action to delay the climax which absolutely
gave anticipation and it redoubled the force of the climactic scene. In these counts, it shows how remarkable
the Odyssey is. Introduction for The Odyssey, it is a long epic poem that focuses on the 10 year struggle of
Odysseus to return home after the Trojan War. In this epic, major thematic topics are really visible like
hospitality, loyalty, perseverance, spiritual growth, love, disguises and vengeance. For the character analysis
of Odysseus, I can really say that he is a man with a lot of twist and turns. He is a living series of contradictions
and a much more complicated character and he is a one clever man that is willing to pay a price for
knowledge. Certainly Odysseus does grow in wisdom and judgment and his struggles made his character
credible because it’s not simple and absolute. Penelope is a devoted wife and mother. For 20 years he waited
for Odysseus to return. She has an industrious and cunning character for she is able to hold and misguided the
suitors. Leading on each man with hints and promises but choosing no one. The story of the loom symbolizes
the queen’s clever tactics and also the contest of the bow and the axes. Telemachus is the son of Penelope and
Odysseus who stood up for his mother and father and goes to a quest to find allies and to go in search for his
father. He fights valiantly, earning his father’s respect and trust. Athena, a daughter of Zeus appears in
disguise, most significantly as mentor and adviser who instructs Telemachus in his father’s absence. She is a
consistent supporter of Odysseus, intervening repeatedly on behalf of the hero and his son. Polyphemus (The
Cyclops) is a son of Poseidon. He was blinded by Odysseus in order for them to escape and when Poseidon
knew about what happened, the god made Odysseus’ journey even more complicated to seek revenge to him.
The two goddesses that are involved with Odysseus are Circe and Calypso. They are both beautiful goddesses
but they contrast in their motives and treatment of Odysseus. Circe does everything she can to help Odysseus,
she is an excellent hostess and she helps the Greeks with supplies and advice. Calypso on the other hand is an
egocentric dominating goddess who held Odysseus captive for seven years in hopes of marrying him. She
offered Odysseus immortality when he refuses her for marriage. Her possessive obsessions made her dangerous
to Odysseus. The journey of Odysseus is really tragic but at the end of everything, he showed wisdom and
undeniable bravery. He fought for his family and for his kingdom and it can be seen during the battle of the
bow and arrow where no suitors can come close to stringing the bow. Only Odysseus can string the bow on his
first attempt, and he does this with ease showing that he is the only man ready to be king of Ithaca.

Baldwin, Stanley P. CliffsNotes on the Odyssey. 01 May 2020

</literature/o/the-odyssey/the-odyssey-at-a-glance>

141-180. Critically analyze Book of the Dead. Use the guide questions below.
(This approach “seeks to understand a literary work by investigating the social, cultural, milieu.” A key goal
for historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its original readers.) Note: You may
read further about historical criticism and search for other guide questions that can help in your analysis.
 Discuss what Book of the Dead is about.
 How do you think historical influences are reflected in the text?
 What key historical figures appear or are alluded to in the text?
 What commonly held beliefs of the period are shown in the text?
 How are discoveries/ inventions/ technology of the period evident in the text?
 What do the historical elements of the text teach us about the actual history of the period?
The Egyptian book of the dead is a collection of spells which enable the soul of the deceased to navigate
the afterlife. The afterlife was considered to be a continuation of life on Earth and, after one had passed
through various difficulties and judgment in the hall of truth, a paradise which was a perfect reflection
of life on Earth. The book of the dead originated from concepts depicted in tomb paintings and
inscriptions from as early as the third dynasty in Egypt. The spells with accompanying illustrations,
were written on papyrus and placed in tombs and graves with the dead. According to Margaret Bunson,
a historian, their purpose was to instruct the deceased on how to overcome the dangers of the afterlife
by enabling them to assume the form of several mythical creatures and to give them the passwords
necessary for admittance to certain stages of the underworld. They also served, however, to provide the
soul with foreknowledge of what would be expected at every stage. Having the book of the Dead in one’s
tomb would be the equivalent of a student in the modern day getting their hands on all the test answers
they would ever need in every grade of school. The book was extremely popular but it was only
available to the royalty and the elite but as more and more people desired their own book of the dead,
the scribes allowed them and became just another commodity produced for sale and they could have as
few or as many spells in their books as they could afford. They can like customize it for their liking and
the individual is limited only by his or her financial resources. In spell 125 in the book the dead, when a
person died, they were guided by Anubis to the hall of truth were they would make the negative
confession. This was a list of 42 sins the person could honestly say they have never indulged in. if the
confession was accepted, the heart of the deceased was then weighed in the balance against the white
feather of Ma’at, the feather of truth. If the heart was found to be lighter than a feather, the soul passed
on toward paradise; if the heart was heavier; it was thrown onto the floor where it was devoured by a
monster goddess Ammut and the soul would cease to exist. There were quite a number of slips the soul
might make and it does not seem one was guaranteed to survive all of this twist and turns. The book of
the dead again was never used for magical transformations here on Earth, the spells only worked in the
afterlife and no matter what era the spells are written or collected in it only has one promise and it’s the
continuation of one’s life after death. The book of the dead teaches us a lesson that in life, we will
experience trials and unexpected turns and mishaps but no matter what situation we are in, we should
always choose to be a good person and to live a virtuous life because that is what true success really
means.

Mark, J.J (2016, March 24). Egyptian Book of the Dead.

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