Composition Practice
In Book XI of Homer's The Odyssey, Teirêsias claims that "any dead man" will "speak the truth" (XI.164, 166). Despite this, Agamemnon's answer to Odysseus seems to use language that very pointedly presents a specific side of the story.
Based on the diction in lines 471-535, how does Agamemnon color the story?
Step 1: Select specific words that have specific connotations that change how Odysseus hears the story. Fill in the chart. Some suggestions are in the box.
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Word (ONE)
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Denotation (basic definition)
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Connotation (associations)
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Effect
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Designed
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created
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Planned carefully, built from scratch
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The murder was completely premeditated and planned out (which is cruel and heartless)
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butchered
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Kill/Cut meat (like beef)
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Brutal slaughter without regard for humanity, messy, gross
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Killing without moral thought, violent death
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Step 2: Create a claim. What is Agamemnon doing with his diction choices: how does he use words to present a specific bias?
Step 3: Write the paragraph. Give the claim-topic sentence from above, an integrated, cited piece of evidence and warrant, then a second integrated, cited piece of evidence with warrant. Conclude.