Vocab and Allusions

apathy

lack of emotion or interest

ambiguous

vague, having more than one meaning, not a clear answer

fervent

passionate

vagrant

wandering homeless person, a tramp

undermine

to weaken, to wear down the foundation of

oblivious

unaware, unconscious

indifferent

not caring one way or the other, lacking a preference, neutral

obscure

unclear, clouded, partially hidden, hard to understand

objective

without bias (as opposed to subjective), facts only

revere

to worship

discriminate

to differentiate, to make a clear distinction, to see the difference (negative or neutral connotation)

embellish

to add details, to exaggerate, to adorn

denounce

to condemn, to speak out against

innovate

to introduce something new, to be creative

stagnant

not moving

candid

honest, frank

impartial

unbiased, neutral

discern

to distinguish one thing from another

ostentatious

showing off

contentious

quarrelsome, smth is up for debate

Prometheus

• Greek mythology

• clever Titan

• cared for humans

• symbol of intelligence, rebellion, and sacrifice (for humanity)

• reflects the tension between divine authority and human advancement.

• stole fire from Zeus in Mount Olympus to give it to humanity (for progress and civilization)

• Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock and an eagle ate at his liver every day but it grew back every night (torture cycle)

Pandora’s Box

• Greek mythology

• Pandora = first woman (created by the gods)

• gifted w beauty and curiosity

• given a sealed box/jar and told never to open it

• opened it out of curiousity and unleashed all the evils (sickness, pain, suffering, etc.) into the world

• quickly closed the box and the only thing left was hope

• explains why the world is full of problems but also why people still cling to hope

Icarus

• son of the master inventor Daedalus

• built wings of feather and wax for the two of them to escape imprisonment on island of Crete

• Daedalus warned him not to fly too close to the sun or the sea

• he was too prideful of his wings that he flew too close to the sun, and the wax melted and he fell and drowned in the sea

• cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and disobedience

reprove

to scold, to find fault with

pessimism

gloominess; belief that the bad guys always win

cursory

hasty, not thorough (eg. cursory glance)

profligate

extremely wasteful; wildly extravagant

miser

someone who hoards money or saves greedily

jocular

joking

fracas

uproar; brawl

caricature

a satiric portrait or representation

corroborate

to confirm

precarious

dangerously unstable

expository

explanatory

bolster

to support; to prop up

daunt

to intimidate; to discourage

inclined

tending toward one direction

uniform

constant; without variety

perceptive

having keen understanding; discerning

superficial

shallow; on the surface only

lucid

clear; easy to understand

immune

safe from harm; protected

aesthetic

concerned with art or beauty

Narcissus

• handsome Greek man

• rejected everyone who loved him

• saw his reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with it and wouldn’t leave it (didn’t realize it was himself)

• either drowned or wasted away

• after he died, a narcissus flower bloomed

• cautionary warning against vanity and obsession with oneself

King Midas

• wealthy Greek ruler (mortal)

• granted 1 wish by Dionysus (god) → he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold

• at first very happy, but then it became a curse → couldn’t eat bc his food turned to gold (in some versions he turned his daughter to gold when he hugged her)

• begged Dionysus to take the power away, so he instructed him to wash in the river of Pactolus (cleanse from the “golden touch”)

• cautionary warning against greed and unchecked desire

Achilles’ Heel

• greatest warrior of Greek Army in Trojan war

  • essential for Greece to have any chance at victory

• half mortal and half god (King Peleus and goddess Thetis)

• his mother Thetis dipped him in the River Styx to make him immune to harm (except his heel, which she held as she dipped him)

• “Achilles’ heel” = small but devastating vulnerability

• multiple versions:

  • 1) prophesied that he would die in Trojan War

  • 2) Apollo guided arrow of Prince Paris to Achilles’ heel and killed him

  • 3) friend/lover Patrocles fought in place of Achilles and dies 

• the legend of Achilles appears in Homer’s Iliad

prodigial

extravagant, wasteful (think prodigal son)

assess

to estimate the value of, to measure

deter

to prevent, especially by threatening

complacent

smug, self satisfied, overly confident

contempt

disdain, hatred

eloquent

speaking well, articulate

virtue

moral excellence

vital

essential, necessary

guile

cunning, deceitfulness

biased

prejudiced, not neutral

censor

to delete objectionable material (not censure, which is disapproval)

vulnerable

capable of being harmed

hypocritical

insincere

eccentric

odd, unusual, quirky

disdain

contempt, intense dislike

abstract

theoretical, lacking substance

valid

founded on fact or evidence

subtle

not obvious, hard to spot

enigma

mystery

inevitable

unavoidable, bound to happen

Sisyphus

• Sisyphus = cunning and deceitful Greek king who repeatedly outsmarted the gods

  • Cheated death more than once

• Gods enraged → condemned him to eternal (cycle) punishment in the underworld = forced to push a massive boulder up a steep hill, only for it to roll back down each time he neared the top

  • Trapped him in endless, futile labor

• Symbol of repetitive struggle, hopeless tasks, and the human condition of persisting even when success can never fully be achieved

The Sirens

• In The Odyssey (book by Homer), the Sirens are dangerous, enchanting creatures

  • Beautiful, hypnotic singing lures sailors to their deaths

  • Songs fill listeners with irresistible longing, causing them to steer their ships toward the rocky shore where they are destroyed

• Odysseus and his crew sailed past their island, Circe warns him that no man can hear the Sirens’ song and live

  • Odysseus wanted to survive and learn from the experience → ordered his men to plug their ears with beeswax while he is tied tightly to the ship’s mast, commanding them not to release him no matter how desperately he begs

• Passed safely, beyond the reach of the Siren songs (which promised of knowledge and glory)

• Story represents temptation, dangerous allure, and the irresistible pull of destructive desires.

The Trojan Horse

• From final chapter of the Trojan War

• After ten years of fighting, the Greeks devised a clever plan to infiltrate the fortified city of Troy

  • Built a massive wooden horse (hollow on the inside) and hid a select group of their best warriors within it

  • Rest of the Greek army pretended to sail away, leaving the horse behind as an apparent offering of surrender

• Trojans, believed that the war was over and the horse a gift of peace → brought it inside the city walls despite warnings from the prophet Laocoön

  • While the Trojans slept, the Greek soldiers crept out of the horse, opened the city gates, and signaled the returning Greek fleet

  • Greeks stormed the city, capturing and destroying Troy

• Story symbolizes deception, hidden danger, and the devastating consequences of misplaced trust

inferred

derived by reasoning (speaker implies, reader infers)

diverse

varied

articulate

speaking well (clarity)

apprehensive

fearful, worried

benevolent

good, kind-hearted, generous (person or action)

virulent

very harmful

pious (piety)

deadly/extremely religious

skeptical

doubting

provincial

narrow-minded, unsophisticated (poor, provincial life)

resignation

acceptance of a situation

illuminate

to light up, make clear

resolution (resolve)

determination

servile

overly submissive, cringing, like a servant

diligent

hard-working

refute

to disprove

anarchy

lack of government, chaos

discord

disagreement

monotonous

without variety, tiresome

trivial

unimportant, insignificant

phoenix

• Mythical bird associated with fire and renewal

  • When it reaches the end of its life, the phoenix builds a nest and sets itself ablaze, burning completely to ashes

  • From those ashes, a new phoenix is born, beginning the cycle again

• Symbolizes rebirth, renewal, and transformation after suffering or loss

  • something stronger or wiser can emerge from devastation

Dante’s Inferno

• In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the poet Dante finds himself lost in a dark forest and begins a journey through Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil

• As they descend, Dante learns that Hell is organized by moral logic, with punishments that reflect the sins committed in life.

  • Early on, he encounters Limbo, where virtuous pagans like Homer and Virgil himself dwell in sorrowful longing without physical torment.

  • In the circle of Lust, souls are swept endlessly in violent winds, symbolizing how passion once carried them beyond reason.

  • Deeper in Hell, the gluttonous lie in freezing, filthy rain, guarded by the monstrous Cerberus, while the greedy are condemned to push heavy weights in endless, meaningless circles.

  • In the River Styx, the wrathful tear at one another in the mud as the sullen gurgle beneath the surface, trapped in their own suppressed rage.

  • Far below, those guilty of fraud suffer intricate and deceptive punishments, including thieves who are bitten by snakes and constantly change form.

  • At the very bottom of Hell, traitors are frozen in ice, the ultimate symbol of moral coldness, as Satan himself stands trapped at the center, eternally chewing on history’s greatest betrayers.

• Through this descent, Dante’s journey becomes a meditation on justice, responsibility, and the consequences of human choice.

*don’t need to know the specific sins and consequences

Frankenstein

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• Victor Frankenstein = brilliant but obsessive scientist who becomes consumed with discovering the secret of life.

  • Created a living being from assembled body parts

  • Victor was horrified by its appearance and abandons it

• Creature wandered the world

  • Initially gentle and eager for connection

  • Hardened by repeated cruelty and isolation

  • Alone and rejected

• Creature confronted Dr. Victor Frankenstein and demands a companion (doesn’t want to be alone)

  • Victor refuses

  • Te creature seeks revenge by destroying those Victor loves

• The novel ends with tragedy and pursuit, as creator and creation are locked in a cycle of guilt, responsibility, and destruction.

  • Dangers of unchecked ambition, the consequences of playing God, and the moral responsibility humans have for what they create

• An important note: Many people often assume that Frankenstein is the monster, but he is actually the (human) doctor/scientist.

profound

deep; insightful

enhance

to improve/augment

phenomenon

an observable fact or occurence

enduring

lasting

advocate

to speak in favor of; to support

solitude

the state of being alone

tentative

temporary, not final/official

contemporary

living at the same time; modern

provocative

exciting; attracting attention