Well, I've heard back from the last of the five programs I applied to and it looks like no Phd. program in Ancient History for me. Word on the street is that my age and marital status are against me but no school will ever say that as it's a Title IX violation. I also only have one M.A. at a time where two is becoming more and more the rule. Of course the real answer may simply be that my research doesn't match that of the professors in those programs with available slots this year. One way or another, it's time to re-plot and re-plan.
Thoughts after reading the "Iliad" to prepare a Greece unit for my students: -Hector is a jerk until he's dead. He even advocates the exposure of Achaean corpses and then has the cheek to turn around and ask Achilles to spare his. He rudely ignores Polydamas' prophecies and fights outside the gate to save his pride knowing full well what it will cost his family and city. After he's dead, he becomes a martyr for the cause. -Agamemnon has several moments of true leadership to balance out his pettiness. In this way, he's a haunting foil to Achilles: the two men are more alike than they want to acknowledge. -We see that Achilles is the better man at the funeral games of Patroclos. His lordliness, tact, and generosity there give us a window into Achilles before his fight with Agamemnon and the death of Patroclos consumed him. -Nestor is a boring, rambling, old man who's better days are far behind him, and yet every Achaean treats him with the upmo...
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