Erin O'Connell presents "Homeric Hip-Hop: The Ancient is Fresh."
"[In my class] students learn that the name for the [Iliad’s] epic singer was Rhapsode and he relied only on a rhabdos (a wooden staff) to beat out a simple rhythm to keep time. The similarity between Rhapsode and rap is probably coincidental but it's very cool and it gets their attention."
Bio
Erin O'Connell
Erin O'Connell teaches Classics and Comparative Literature at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Her scholarly interests include ancient and modern comparisons and the reception of classical literature, performance, and philosophy. Her talk on Homeric Hip Hop reflects an interest that began with the rise in popularity of rap music in the 1980s and her desire to make Homer's Iliad relevant to a wide variety of college students.
(flourished 9th or 8th century BC, Ionia?) Greek poet, one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time. Though almost nothing is known of his life, tradition holds that he was blind. The ancient Greeks attributed to him the great epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. Modern scholars generally agree that he composed (but probably did not literally write) The Iliad, most likely relying on oral traditions, and at least inspired the composition of The Odyssey. The Iliad, set during the Trojan War, tells the story of the wrath of Achilles; The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus as he travels home from the war. The two epics provided the basis of Greek education and culture in the Classical age, and they have remained among the most significant poems of the European tradition.