Second Essay English 1101 Fall 2009
Paradoxical Encomium
Due Date: Friday, October 16
The assignment:
An encomium is a form of praise discourse that comes from ancient Greece and Rome. When well-known generals returned to the city after conquering the barbarian hordes, they were greeted with huge parades and parties in their honor where some dignitary would stand and give an encomium for their hero.
Originally, an encomium was part of the rhetorical assignments designed to teach young Greek (and Roman) boys how to write and speak. Collectively called the progymnasmata, these exercises started with the boys writing short stories or fables and became more complicated as they progressed in school.
Our version is praise gone horribly wrong. You can, of course, be serious if you want. However, this assignment is designed to be fun. The only rule of content is that you must include all of the required 6 parts in your writing in the order given. The idea of a paradoxical encomium is to praise something not really praiseworthy. Nose hair, for example. Ah, the humble and unappreciated nose hair thoughtlessly trimmed and cut by millions of men (and women) worldwide. Did you ever think of what you would do without those humble little strands? You’d get sick. How about the footstool? Did you ever stop to appreciate all the service the poor little footstool gives without ever asking for thanks in return?
Shakespeare certainly understood the value of a twisted phrase. His speech written for Mark Anthony and spoken over Caesar’s body pretended to extol the virtues of Brutus, but the clever phrases were designed to turn the crowd against him.
There have been wonderful encomiums written praising toilet brushes, make-up, Spam, toast sweat—you name it. What little items in your life are praiseworthy and haven’t been fully appreciated? Write about them!
Encomium:
2. Origins/Ancestry: Praise the subject’s family or place of birth. Also one can mention extraordinary circumstances, omens or dreams which foretell or attend the “birth.”
3. Early Indications of Character: Write about your subject’s special talents and early accomplishments. Especially helpful are instances when your subject made moral choices indicative of good character.
4. War and Peace: Write about times of conflict and struggle which brought out your subject’s positive character traits, and about times your subject resolved conflicts in positive ways. Remember that the key virtues in the classical tradition are wisdom, courage, justice and temperance.
5. Comparison: Compare your subject with others whose greatness in general or whose specific virtues are widely known and admired.
6. Conclusion: Include three parts:
a. Summarize your subject’s virtues and accomplishments
b. Invite others to be more like the person or thing you praise in this essay.
c. Close with a prayer or a blessing. (i.e. May the _____gods bless...)
(With special thanks to Janet Lucas, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and her friend, Dr. Dana Elder, Eastern Washington University.)
Modern writing requirements to be considered as well:
Appropriate, lofty language
12-point font
Double-spaced
Clear type, Times New Roman or Arial or equivalent
MLA format
Present tense
3-page minimum (at least one sentence on page 4) 4 page maximum
Submission to turnitin.com
Final presentation in paper folder: final draft and at least 2, heavily edited rough
drafts, and the turnitin receipt
The paper is due at the beginning of class on Friday, October 16. Remember that you are allowed only one late paper this semester. Please consult your syllabus for the details and rules regarding this extension.