1. 10th Grade World Literature
History of Writing
10th Grade World Literature

2. Cuneiform in Mesopotamia: from 3100 BC
Means “wedge”
Clay tablets
Keeping track of animals/trade
We are reading
Epic of Gilgamesh

3. Hieroglyphs and papyrus in Egypt: from 3000 BC
directly pictorial
hieros and glypho mean 'sacred' and 'engrave' in Greek (coined c. 500 BC) 
Decrypted with the Rosetta stone the 19th century
We are reading
Egyptian Poetry

4. The seals of the Indus valley: from 2500 BC
Not yet deciphered
Seals carved in stone

5. Chinese characters: from 1600 BC
Still in use today
We are reading:
The Analects
Tao Te Ching
The Art of War

6. Phoenician alphabet: from 1400 BC
recorded the spoken sound of a word (phonetic)
Basis for Aramaic and Hebrew
Only the consonants are written

7. Greek: from 700 BC Added vowels to the Phoenician system
Added letters to total 24
We are reading:
Antigone
The Dialogues of Plato
Pyramus and Thisbe

8. Your Turn!
Pick your ancient language
Write!

9. Brief Timeline of Literature
c BC Babylon: Epic of Gilgamesh
c BC India: Rig Veda
c BC Palestine: Torah [1st 5 books Old Test.]
c. 750 BC Greece: Iliad / Odyssey (Homer)
c. 550 BC China: The Analects (Confucius)
c. 500 BC China: Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu)
c. 460 BC Greece: Histories (Herodotus)

10. Brief History of Literature
441 BC Greece: Antigone (Sophocles)
423 BC Greece: Comedy (Aristophanes)
c. 400 BC Greece: Dialogues (Plato)
c. 400 BC China: The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
c. 350 BC India: The Mahabharata
c. 300 BC India: The Ramayana

11. Quick Write:
What do you use to guide your everyday life? How do you know what is right and what is wrong?
Finished? Turn to “The Analects” pg.591 in your purple Glencoe Textbook

12. The Analects and The Tao Te Ching: Maxims (short saying about general truth or practical advice)
The Analects pg. 591
The Tao Te Ching pg. 595
Read
Pick 3 of your favorite “stanzas” and summarize
Read
Pick 3 of your favorite “stanzas” and summarize
These were some of the first words written down. Why do you think these men chose to write?
Consider your own moral guidelines. How do these compare? Do you agree with Confucius and Lao Tzu? Why or why not?
These texts were written in the 6th century BC. Are these ideas still relevant today? Why or why not?

13. TOD
Name the writing systems we discussed in chronological order. What came first, second, etc.?
What were the main reasons that writing developed? Why write at all?
Questions/Comments

14. Sun Tzu Documentary Write down 5 notes from the video
(4:34- 7:30)
Write down 5 notes from the video

15. Review What was the Art of War originally written on?
Thin pieces of bamboo bound together
What are the 3 key principles?
Know your enemy and know yourself
Subdue the enemy without fighting (outwit)
Avoid what is strong and attack what is weak
How long are Sun Tzu’s tactics kept secret?
1000 years (appears in Japan and then leaked worldwide)

16. Brainstorm Brainstorm a list of basic ideas for winning a war
Think about your enemy, your men and the people back home
How do you conquer and return home victorious?

17. War and Love in Ancient China
The Art of War
River Merchant’s Wife pg.600
What are the five constant factors to consider when planning a battle?
Does Sun Tzu favor flexibility with planning? Which number indicates this? Cite in MLA format
What examples does Sun Tzu give about knowing your enemy?
How prepared should you be, according to Sun Tzu?
How did the speaker feel about her husband:
Childhood
Marriage
After marriage
After he leaves
Find a sentence that shows how the husband felt about leaving. Cite in MLA format
Why would “paired butterflies” hurt the speaker?
Consider the question from yesterday: “Why do people write?” What are Sun Tzu’s and Li Po’s purpose in writing?
Connect! Are these text still relevant today? Why or why not?

18. TOD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czXCAx6ECEY 5 notes from video
Li Po (Li Bai) Biography
5 notes from video

19. Brainstorm: What makes an epic hero?
Create a list of traits that you associate with heroes.