First and fourth periods worked on Homeric Similes and compared a Calypso song to her part in the Odyssey. We broke off into groups and analyzed the two pieces.

Homeric similes thus far

Second and seventh periods worked on determining the main idea of a text.

The Rorschach inkblot test is a psychological test to determine a person’s personality by the person’s interpretations of ten abstract designs. The test is named after Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922) who developed the inkblots, although he did not use them for personality analysis.

The test is considered “projective” because the patient is supposed to project his or her real personality into the inkblot through the interpretation. The inkblots are purportedly ambiguous, structureless entities. The patient is supposed to give a clear structure by explaining what he or she “sees” in the ink blots. Those who believe in the effectiveness of such tests think that they are a way of getting into the deepest recesses of the patient’s subconscious mind. Those who give such tests believe themselves to be experts at interpreting their patients’ interpretations.

Rorschach testing is inherently problematic. The patient provides an interpretation of the ink blot, but the therapist is going to make her own interpretation for the ink blot. This means that the therapist is interpreting himself as well as the patient. But who is going to interpret the therapist’s interpretation to make sure it’s true?

The Rorschach enthusiast should recognize that inkblots or dreams or drawings or handwriting may be no different in structure than spoken words or gestures. Each is capable of many interpretations, some true, some false, some meaningful, some meaningless. It is an unprovable assumption that dreams or inkblot interpretations issue from a source deep in the subconscious which wants to reveal the “real” self.

Adapted from http://skepdic.com/inkblot.html

Homework

• English I Honors: reread the Calypso part of the Odyssey looking for differences between the poem and the song “Calypso” regarding the relationship between Odysseus and Calypso and regarding Calypso’s personality.