Anacreon (582-485 B.

C)
• Born in Teos in Iona, wrote poetry that was mostly monodic
to be sung solo as opposed to choral which is sung by a
chorus.
• His poetry covers a wide range of topics including love,
disappointment, parties, and everyday life.
• Served under a variety of powerful patrons including
Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos and Hipparchus one of two
tyrants at Athens.
 Old Age
Anacreon
The women tell me everyday
That all my bloom has passed away.
“Behold,” the pretty wantons cry,
“Behold this mirror with a sigh;
The locks upon thy brow are few,
And, like the rest, they’re withering too!”
Whether decline has thinned my hair,
I’ sure I neither know nor care;
But I know and this is I feel,
As onward to the tomb I steal,
That still as death approaches nearer,
The joys of life are sweeter, dearer,
And had I but an hour to live,
That little hour to bliss I’d give.
 SUMMARY OF
“OLD AGE”
Old Age is about a woman who is growing older, and though
she may have been a great beauty when she was younger,
she’s like a fading rose now; however, she doesn’t really care
about what they are saying about her. This woman is saying
that if she could only live one more hour, she wouldn’t live
worrying about being beautiful, but she would live ‘in bliss,’
or in being totally content with who she is. She is satisfied
with the life she has lived.
 Reading and Thinking Critically

Things to consider in developing critical reading and

thinking:
1. Be sure to understand what you read before you agree
or disagree with the author.
2. Finish reading the article before you venture an
opinion on it.
3. Do not remember only those facts and statements that
you agree with.
4. Take time to consider statements that you disagree
with and try to find if your attitude toward these is
biased or not.
5. Do not allow your disapproval of parts of a selection
to cause you to miss the total presentation.
ELEMENTS OF CRITICAL THINKING

1. What is the purpose of this thinking?

2. What issue(s) are being addressed? What
problem(s) need to be solved?
3. What is the author’s point of view?
4. What evidence (e.g., facts, statistics, personal
anecdotes, etc.) is being used?
5. What are the key concepts, and how are they defined?
6. What assumptions are being made?
7. What are the potential implications and consequences
of this line of thinking?
8. How can this thinking be interpreted? What can be
inferred?
STANDARD OF CRITICAL THINKING

• Clear • Relevant • Specific

• Concise • Precise • Plausible
• Consistent • Logical • Deep
• Broad • Complete • Fair
• Significant • Adequate