Final Paper: Is Homer Still Piloting the Ship of Theseus? (Due May 7th!)

 

“Are you familiar with the thought experiment, ‘The Ship of Theseus?’ in the field of identity metaphysics?...“The Ship of Theseus is an artifact in a museum. Over time, its planks of wood rot and are replaced with new planks. When no original plank remains, is it still the Ship of Theseus?” (Vision, from Wandavision, 2021)

As Morales explains in Classical Mythology, myths (and stories about myths) survive because they keep being retold. Indeed, Tbe Iliad and The Odyssey are themselves retold stories, probably based on dozens if not hundreds of ‘originals’ that preceded them. Of course, we’ve forgotten the original stories (and the ones that preceded them!), so Homer has now become the original, the canonical text that all new myths have to refer to. In this way, Homer’s books have become the mythical ‘ship of Theseus,’ preserved in a museum and only read through each new translation, and each new work that continues to extend its legacy.

For your final paper, I want you to examine (a) a modern retelling of The Iliad or The Odyssey OR (b) another translation, besides the one we read, of one of the books. I want you to examine how much the second work changes, expands, adapts, and clarifies the original in order to answer the question, is this still the ship of Theseus? Or has it become another work and a brand new ship? Below are some questions you can examine and ask as you explore each work:

• How does the new work try to establish links to the original? Characters? Scenes? Themes? In other words, how do we know this is still Homer?
• If a translation, what words, ideas, or concepts do both works seem to agree on? What doesn’t fundamentally change?
• What changes does the new work introduce to the main story? How do they try to re-write certain key concepts of characters from a more ‘modern’ perspective? Why do you think this was necessary? Can we ‘see’ this in Homer’s original? Did they merely bring to the surface something hinted at in the text? Or is it completely original?
• If a translation, which work seems to be most radically different in its approach to the text? Are there words/ideas which seem anachronistic to Homer’s time and characters? Does the translation try to sound too modern/relatable to our audience? Is it at expense of Homer’s original meaning?
• Does the new work help us see/appreciate new ideas in the original? Do we come away understanding a character’s motivation or origin? Does it help us enjoy or appreciate the original more?
• If a translation, which version helps clarify and understand a moment in the text, or a character in the text, more than the other? Why is this?
• Could we call the new work “by Homer,” or “based upon Homer”? Has it crossed the line into a new work? Or could it still be seen as a translation?
• If a translation, which translator (if any) seems to cross the line into creating a new work? Which one sees the translation as a living poem, and no longer a ship in a museum? Is there one where the work should be credited to the translator instead of Homer?

REQUIREMENTS

• Close reading, close reading, close reading! Make sure we understand the ‘planks’ used to change the ship…and if you feel the ship has changed, make sure we know why.
• Quoting and responding to quotes: don’t rely on paraphrase. Help us see your exploration of text and ideas.
• Use at least one passage/quote from Morales and/or Graziosi for support.
• Due the last Friday of Final Exam week: May 7^th by 5pm!