Monday, December 20, 2010

THAT BIG OLE' WOODEN HORSE: WOULD YOU LET IT IN?


Virgil's Aeneid - Laocoon and the Killer Snakes

Over the last few days in class we have translated, read, and discussed excerpts from Virgil's Aeneid that explain how the Greeks were able to sneak a giant wooden horse full of soldiers (including the famed mastermind Odysseus) inside the walls of Troy, leading to its downfall.  The Trojans were clearly tricked, but would you have been?

Imagine that you are one of the citizens of Troy standing down on the beach the morning the wooden horse shows up.  You hear Sinon's speech.  You hear Laocoon's response.  You know the treachery of Odysseus, but at the same time you witnessed the snakes.  Do you vote to bring it in, or leave it out?  Explain your answer.  Don't forget...use your Latin name when you post!

RESPONSE DUE: MONDAY 1/3/11

42 comments:

  1. I vote to leave the horse outside the city, no matter what anybodyu else says. The Greeks are sneaky people who can never be trusted. Although Sinon claims it would be good for Troy, he is a Greek after all. We know Odysseus wouldn't simply give up; he's just so mischevious! This whole horse could be some kind of trap, so the Greeks can win the war. This wooden horse is odd and spontaneous and we shouldn't even consider taking it into the city.

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  2. I would not want the horse to be brought into the city. It is a little odd that the Greeks would just leave a wooden horse outside of Troy. I would not trust the Greeks and I wouldn't believe that they were about to give up in the war. It is an easy decision for me, because the Greeks would never give up that easy; and if for some reason they did, I wouldn't want anything that had to do with the Greeks in my city.

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  3. Just hearing Sinon claim that he does not like Odysseus and that the Greeks left after 10 years would make me suspicious and not want to bring the horse into the city. However, I might change my mind and want to bring in the horse after seeing Laocoon killed because that is a true sign that the gods are angry. But even if I did change my mind and tried to bring the horse inside, I think the fact that the horse took 4 tries to go through the gates and that each time it hit something you would hear rattling inside of the horse would make me stop bringing it inside. So, after all of these signs I would eventually decide not to bring the horse inside.

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  4. caroline o'connor:
    i would not let the horse in. i wouldnt let it in because it would seem weird that they would suddenly give up so easily after 10 years of fighting. i would be very suprised and really suspicious! i also would realize it wasnt ment to be when it took 4 tries to finally get the horse in through the gate!

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  5. I would have brought the horse right into the city without a second thought. The guys speech would not have sold the deal for me at all. Seeing the guy and his two sons get eaten by the snakes is all it would take. The horse getting stuck a few times on the gate would not have changed the my mind.

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  6. I wouldn't let the horse in for several reasons. One, they were in war and you can't trust anyone especially because the Greeks had just left after 10 years of war. To me that is very suspicious. If you were smart you would have known that the Odysseus doesn't give up easily and that something was weird about the situation. Sinon was a Greek that said he had been abandoned by the Greeks, and told them that the horse was an offering to the god Athena. This would also be very suspicious to me,because he was obviously trying to help the Greeks do something and was covering it up by saying it is from Athena. How would he know anyway? Then having Laocoon get attacked by two serpents, sent by Poseidon, when he tried to tell the Trojans that bringing the horse in was a bad idea. This hinted that someone didn't want him to spoil the attack. Therefore I wouldn't bring in the horse, it would be to big of a risk and to suspicious!

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  7. I would not let the horse in because I would be afraid of someone catching us and that could possibly stir up something like a war. Also, after hearing Sionon express his feelings toward Odysseus would frighten me. I think that I would just be better off leaving the horse and not risking my life.

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  8. i wouldn't not have been tricked as easily as the Trojans were for i would have realized something was going on. The fact just do not line up for the greeks. Why would they leave the war after ten years so quickly, the gift being so large would not make sense to just be left on the beach and the trojans should have listen to the signs when they were not able to get the horse through the door the first three times. Though i would not have been tricked so easily that does not mean i would have been able to persuade anyone out of their beliefs. Even Sinon could not persuade the trojans out of their ignorance, so who is to say my not being trick would make anymore of an impact than his.

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  9. There's a gigantic wooden horse... some guy just tried NOT to bring it in, and what do you know, he got all eaten by a snake. Okay, so Odysseus is all bad, sneaky, and such, however I just watched someone's face (presumably) get ripped off, and this man's two sons killed in much the same fashion. For that one simple reason I would have come to my conclusion. So, yes, of course I bring it in. I will most certainly keep my face, or for the time being anyways. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Sadly, as it would be, my face probably would end up getting maimed by a VERY angry Greek soldier. --------- WOOOOOO!!! 2011!!!

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  10. Carter B.
    I would bring the horse in. This being because even though Odysseus was sneaky people were so religious that the snakes strangling Laocoon would easily be more significant. Even though this would end up in disaster and lead to the fall of Troy it would still be the more sensible decision back then. If this happened now i would leave it out because the strangling of Laocoon by the snakes would be viewed as a coincidence rather than an omen. So my decision would depend on the age i lived in present time i would leave it out but in the circumstances and time of the Trojan War I would bring in the Trojan Horse.

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  11. Mories Wheellock.

    I would not bring the horse in under any circumstances what so ever. I understand that the snakes and all the religious stuff would be a bit scary. The thing that would leave me very suspicious is that the Greeks just packed up and left the party after all these years. I know that the people back then had different tastes then today, but a giant wooden horse... come on! you can live without that

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  12. given the circumstances i would vote to bring the wooden horse in. I would mostly choose to do this because of how Laocoon, the one who told everyone not to bring the horse in was strangled, along with his two sons, by giant serpents sent by the gods. The horse, as i would of beleived was a gift of the greeks to Athena, that would give them a safe passage home. Using this information i would take the horse in and rededicate it to Athena so the greeks will run into troubble on the way home.

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  13. If i had the choice i would not bring the horse in the city. This is because it is very suspicious that the greeks would just stop after 10 years of fighting and give them a gift. After being told it was the idea of Odysseus i would be more suspicious knowing his wisdom and sneakiness. Also knowing that Odysseus, Achilles and the rest of the greeks dont give up eaisly. After seeing Laocoon killed because of the disrespect of the Gift i would second guess myself. I would accept the gift say thanks and leave it just outside of the walls.

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  14. Given the choice, I would have to bring the horse into the city. Back in this city, the security of your people would often depend on whether or not the gods were happy with you. Crops might begin to die, plague could spread, and lives would be lost. The attack of the serpents would further prove the wrath of the gods.

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  15. Knowing about how sneaky Odysseus is, I would most likely not want the horse inside the city walls. It seems strange that one day the Greeks just decide to all flee and give up and then there is a large wooden horse. Sure there are all of our superstitions but what has happened is just too unrealistic. The Greeks would not just leave like that and Odysseus masters at tricking people so if we fall for this and bring in the horse then you never know what could happen. It was clearly made by people because it was wooden and the only people around were the Greeks, therefore they must have been behind this whole act and the horse should not be in Troy.

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  16. If I were faced with the decision to leave the horse outside or bring it in, I would leave it outside and burn it. After ten years at war with the Greeks, nothing could make me trust them and think they would give up so easily. Why waste so many lives to just build a horse and leave one day? It doesn't make sense and I would never touch anything they made.

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  17. Nicole M.

    I would vote not to let the horse inside. I would not let it in because why would the greeks leave a gift after 10 years of fighting. Another reason for not letting the horse inside would be how Laocoon got attacked by two serpents. So I would not let the horse inside the city.

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  18. I would leave the horse outside because the Greeks are very tricky and I don't believe the Greeks would just leave after ten years of fighting. Luke M

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  19. From my knowledge that Odysseus is tricky and deceiving, i would not believe one word that Sinon says. He may be convincing, but that doesn't mean he is telling the truth. The snakes may have some people convinced, but that's just a coincidence. Leaving a giant present for your enemy of ten years sounds highly unorthodox of any war opponents. So, why trust the Greeks, especially if Odysseus is on the attacking side. I vote not to bring in the horse based solely on Odysseus being with the Greeks.
    -Sol

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  20. Unfortunately, I'd probably be on the side to vote the horse in. There were many obvious reasons to support it but also some hidden reasons not to. It seemed like a good idea at the time because a Greek, Sinon, was there to convince them that he hated Odysseus and that it wasn't a trick. He was a very good negotiator. Also, Laocoon, the man that refused to let the horse in, was strangled by two snakes, making it seem like a bad idea for anyone to follow his lead. The exception that brought the horse home for the Trojans and I was the fact that if we brought the monument in, we'd be world powerful and become rich and feared by other nations. All of these reasons seemed nice but there were things that we overlooked. For one thing, the snakes were sent by Athena and the Trojans should have known that she was angry with them. Also, the horse wouldn't fit through the Trojan gates the first couple of times and according to Greek superstition, if it doesn't fit or doesn't work, it wasn't meant to be. These symbols were overlooked however and the Trojans were defeated.

    -Notus

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  21. I would not bring the horse into the city. Although Sinon claims he hates the Greeks and all the stuff in his speech, he is still a Greek, and therefore not to be trusted. It is also very suspicious that the greeks would give up and leave after 10 years of fighting. If the Greeks were known to have a very clever tricky man such as Odysseus, and a strange thing such as a giant horse popped up on the beach with no explanation, i would assume the two are connected somehow. Also the final thing that would make me believe that we are not meant to bring the horse in is the fact that the first few times we tried to get it through the gates, it got stuck.

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  23. If I were a Trojan and I had to choose whether or not the wooden horse left by the Greeks should be welcomed into Troy, I think I would disagree and choose to keep the horse out. I don't think I would I would be fooled when the Greeks "left" after ten years of violent wars. I also would not believe what Sion says because he was on the opposing side. Unfortunately the some of the Trojans were not thinking in these ways before the wooden horse was welcomed into the city...leading towards the downfall of Troy.
    ~Maia

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  24. In my opinion i would leave the horse outside. It doesnt make sense for the greeks to just give up after 10 years for no reason. Greeks can also never be trusted no matter what they say. Laocoon may have gotten eaten by snakes but some gods liked troy and some didnt a stupid horse wasnt gonna change that. Lastly, it took 4 tries to get in, if i hadnt already been persuaded not to bring it in i would have then.

    Achilles

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  25. sydneyg:

    I would have voted to keep the horse outside because it would have been too risky to just trust the Greeks were gone and bring the horse into the city thinking it was safe, they should have checked the horse before just bringing it right inside.

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  26. Aurora-
    I would voted to keep the horse out of the city for a couple reasons. First off, Laocoon is a very wise man and I would take his suggestions seriously, and if he said that is was a trick, than it most likely was. Also, Odysseus has always been known for being a trickster, so again, they must of considered that he must of been behind this! And lastly, why would the the Greeks all of a sudden try to make peace with the Trojans after ten years of war?

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  27. If I was in this situation I would have no choice but to bring in the overwhelming gift despite the suspiciousness nature. If I lived in that ime I would be very devoted to the gods and beleive that they had the all mighty power. Naturally i would also be cautious and aware of the slightly sketchy circumstance of receiving the gift. In order to keep the gods happy I would risk the possible negative aspects bringing in the horse would have. The gods punishment would be far harsher. With all things considered I would have to bring the horse innto the city of Troy!

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  28. I would definatly not bring the horse into the city. After all of the years of war, you really think they are just going to go back home. Then all of a sudden this giant wooden horse shows up and you think it just comes from the sy or somthing? Even with the so told benefits of the horse that were fortold, they also maybe should have had a good look at the horse when it arrived. Thy should have looked for anything suspicious, like maybe a group of heavily armed Greeks in its stomach. Alo Laocoon was killed immiditly after he struck the orse with his spear, by some sea serpant things. All of these signs would definatly tell me to not bring the horse in. Maybe if we had to bring in, then i would have checked to make shore nothing fishy was going on.

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  29. If I were a citizen of Troy witnessing all of this, I would definetely not let the horse into the city. Who would be so stupid as to belive that the enemy, after 10 years of fighting suddnely surrendered. To add on to that, the enemy would then go on to give some sort of "gift". They were idiots to let the horse in.

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  30. In my opinion, i would not bring the horse into the city. Although there was much evidence towards it being good, the horse was just to suspicious. THere is no way that the Greeks would just decide overnight that they would give up. Even if they had, the horse was making noises when it was being brought in. Thats just a tad bit too suspicious. Another thing is hte fact that the Trojans had to try 4 times to even get the horse into the city gates. This is an absurd number as the Trojans should know not to test the fates. All in all, I believe if not immediatly, I would quickly realize that bringing in the horse was a bad idea.

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  31. Artemis-
    Since the horse was from our enemies the Greeks I would have listened to Laocoon and left the horse outside. The Greeks were to prideful to just pick up one day out of the blue and leave. Knowing Odeysseus was a mastermind I would not be convinced that the horse was a present and that it was more like a trick. Logically I would have thought better safe than sorry and left it outside.

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  32. It's hard to tell what we have done, knowing now what happened when they let the horse in. But based on the story I probably would have gone along with letting the horse into the city. With Odysseus being a common enemy for the Trojans and Sinon, his speech must have been very convincing. Also, when Laocoon was attacked by the serpents for going against bringing it into the city, it must have frightened all who agreed with him. I think most people would look at the suspicioius disapearance of the Greeks to be considered something you are happy about, not something you spend too much time pondering.

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  33. I would have brought the horse into the city right away. The speech was not too impressive. Being a citizen of Troy, I am highly religious and respect the gods. If I see the snakes come down and kill Laocoon, the only one to doubt the horse, who am I to do the same thing and not let it in the city. If i sense that the gods want the horse in the city than that is how it should be. I would have let the horse in.

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  34. I would burn it imediatly who leaves a 9 year war all of a sudden and leaves a big, fat wooden horse on ur beach. Id burn it and kill the guy next to it. You won the war the gods would be happy and the serpants are just the greek gods trying to trick you. On the was up it took 4 trys 4 id stop at 2 because the gods would of made it easy if they wanted you to bring it in.

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  35. Atalanta:
    My opinion is that i would not want to bring the horse in because first of all, if i were a citizen of Troy, and the Greeks dropped off a wooden horse at the walls of Troy, i would throw it out. i wouldn't trust the Greeks after the long 10 year war that they all went through. Secondly, i find it suspicious because Odysseus is tricky, and shouldn't be trusted.

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  36. Everyone who can see this, I would let it in!! I would let it in because it's almost like a trophy in honor of being victorious in the war. the only thing I would've done that the people of Troy did'nt do was TO LOOK IN IT!!!!!!!!! Thank you

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  37. Yes, I spelled my name wrong...

    Saturnalia was a time of celebration for the ancient Romans during the month of december. During this holiday, gifts would be swapped, masters and slaves would trade roles, and pine trees would be decorated with lumonous candles. In the temple of Saturn, the statue's feet would be unbound to show a time of freedom for Saturn.

    I would not let the Trojan Horse into the City. One reason for this would be the 2 snakes that killed Laocoon and his two sons unsespectingly. I would think of this as one of the Gods trying to keep Laocoons ideas to himself instead of letting everyone know. Another reason I would not bring the Horse into the city is because the Greeks would simply not give up after an entire decade of fighting, and they would not leave a GIFT to their enemys.

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  38. If i were a Trojan, I would let the horse in. This is because it was dedicated to Athena, the god they had a big temple for in their city. It made sense to bring this thing praising this god into the city. Plus, they knew that their gods were usually vengeful and would probably get angry at them if they didn't. And finally if I were a Trojan I would probably be a little intimidated by the killing of Laocoon. That is what i wold do if i were a Trojan.

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  39. I would not bring the horse in because they have no reason to trust the Greeks. They had been fighting for 10 years and a sudden flee and peace offering from the Greeks doesn't seem right. Also the Trojans knew that Odysseus was behind it and he is known for his trickery so I would realize this was yet another trick.

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  40. I would probably vote to let the horse into the city of Troy for many reasons. One reason is that I just witnessed Laocoon get eaten by snakes and I would be very afraid that that would happen to me if I did the same thing that he did. Another reason is that I would be so happy that the Greeks were gone that I would not even think about why the Greeks just left. I think that I would be a little suspicious, but I wouldn't do anything about it.

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  41. I would not let the horse into Troy. I would never trust the greeks. However I would also be afraid to not bring horse in because of what just happened to Laocoon. But mostly I would be worried that the Greeks might come back and tryy to get into Troy while the horse was being brought in.

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