Punishment

5th period

=== **__Tantalize__- a verb meaning**   to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach. === [|( http://dictionary.reference.com])

Origin:
 It is related to the Roman god Tantalus. His name means //"lurching"// or //"most wretched".// He is Zeus’s son. He was favored by the mortals because he shared forbidden things with them. When the gods learned of him giving forbidden things to the mortals they were very unpleased. His punishment was to be put in a pool where when he bent to drink the water level lowered so he couldn't drink and to put fruit above his head so when he stood up to grasp the fruits the wind blew the branches out of reach.

Tantalize is still used in the English language, and has meant the same for hundreds of years.

Usage: We tantalized the dog with popcorn.

 __**Procrustean**__: An adjective meaning "Producing or designed to produce strict conformity by ruthless or arbitrary means." (dictionary.reference.com)

**The Origin**: A host who adjusted his guests to their bed. Procrustes, whose name means "he who stretches", was arguably the most interesting of Theseus's challenges on the way to becoming a hero. He kept a house by the side of the road where he offered hospitality to passing strangers, who were invited in for a pleasant meal and a night's rest in his very special bed. Procrustes described it as having the unique property that its length exactly matched whomsoever lay down upon it. What Procrustes didn't volunteer was the method by which this "one-size-fits-all" was achieved, namely as soon as the guest lay down Procrustes went to work upon him, stretching him on the rack if he was too short for the bed and chopping off his legs if he was too long. Theseus turned the tables on Procrustes, fatally adjusting him to fit his own bed. ( mythweb.com)

The word //Procrustean// obviously represents producing strict comformity because of Procrustes ruthless method of transforming people to fit his "magical" bed.


 * Usage:** Mr. Kruger has a procrustean method of making his students study for his tests.


 * __Sisyphean__** : An adjective meaning "extremely effortful and futile" ([|dictionary.reference.com] ) or "relating to an endless and ineffective task." ( [|worldwidewords.org] )

**The Origin** : Sisyphus was the king of Corinth. In the later legend he is referred to as the father of Odysseus or Ulysses. The origin of his name meant “crafty” in Greek. "He was noted for his deception and he’s the equivalent in Greek folklore of the master trickster who turns up in many folk beliefs, such as Coyote in American Indian mythology." ( [|http://www.worldwidewords.org] ) He managed to cheat Death, surviving to live to an old age. In Greek legend Sisyphus was sent to Hades for his wrong doings in life by being sent to roll a heavy stone up a hill for eternity. "As he neared the top, the stone rolled down again, so that his labour was everlasting and futile."( [|http://www.worldwidewords.org] )

The word Sisyphean appeared in English in the middle of the 17th century. **Usage** : The civics project was very sisyphean.

__**Infuriate**__ : A verb meaning "to make furious" ( [|dictionary.reference.com])

**The Origin** : The word infuriate comes from the Furies, the goddesses of punishment. "They were the feared avenging goddesses in Greek and Roman mythology who were born from the falling drops of blood of Uranus (Sky)"( [|thanasis.com/modern/furies.htm]). The Furies were often associated with Hades, the god of the underworld.

**Usage** : I often infuriate Freddie in english class.

 Skidmore, Joel. "Tantalize." www.mythweb.com. 2007. Fleet Gazelle. 5 Oct 2008 http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/tantalize.html "Tantulus" http://www.pantheon.org/. 2008 . 6 Oct 2008 <www.pantheon.org
 * __WORKS CITED__

Lexico Publishing Group. "Infuriate." [|www.dictionary.reference.com] 2006 Random House Inc. 6 Oct 2008 <www.dictionary.reference.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/infuritate

Lexico Publishing Group. "Sisyphean." [|www.dictionary.reference.com] 2006 Random House Inc. 6 Oct 2008    **http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/procrustes.html************************************************************

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procrustes

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tantalus.html

http://thanasis.com/store/tantalus.htm

__Dictionary.com__. 2008. Random House, Inc.. 5 Oct 2008 .

6th period Olivia van den Berg Ryan Hinkley Catherine Galletti

A verb meaning “to torment with, or as if with, the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed” (Dictionary.com).
 * Tantalize:**


 * Origin:** The gods once allowed Tantalus to join them in a feast. While he was there, he stole some ambrosia from them. They condemned him to eternal punishment in Tartarus: he is extremely thirsty, and stands in a fresh pool of water. When he bends down to drink the water, it recedes. Thus, he still goes thirsty. Above him hangs a tree full of juicy fruit, and every time he tries to diminish his hunger, the tree swings out of reach (Mythweb). In this way, he was tantalized.

The word tantalize is still used in the English language today, and has the same meaning it has had for centuries.


 * Usage:** My mother tantalized me by showing me a morsel of my favorite food, and then quickly replaced it with dog food.

_

An adjective meaning "1. of or pertaining to Sisyphus. 2. endless and unavailing, as labor or a task" (Dictionary.com).
 * Sisyphean:**


 * Origin:** Along with being the founder, Sisyphus was the ruler of Corinth. He was known as the most cunning man. His real claim to fame came when Hades personally approached Sisyphus to send him to the Underworld. Hades came to him with a pair of handcuffs, a novelty at the time. Sisyphus tricked Hades into handcuffing himself. Afterwards, Sisyphus threw Hades into his closet, still locked in his handcuffs. When Hades finally escaped, he ordered Sisyphus to go to the Underworld for his eternal assignment. Sisyphus used his cunning mind to escape death again. He told his wife not to bury him. He plead to Persephon that he could go back to make sure that his body would be prepared properly, but he just went back to the world of the living. Hades finally caught him at the end though. Sisyphus's eternal punishment was to push a gigantic boulder to the top of hill. When he finished pushing, the boulder rolled back down the hill (Mythweb).

The word Sisyphean is derived from the name Sisyphus because it describes the arduous, perpetual task that Sisyphus must do.


 * Usage:** Folding the mountain of laundry felt like a very sisyphean task.

_

An adjective meaning "Of, relating to, or resembling the practices of Procrustes... Enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation or individuality" (Oxford English Dictionary).
 * Procrustean****:**


 * Origin:** The word procrustean was derived from the Greek myth of Procrustes. Procrustes was a demented Greek thief. He had a sick desire for all humans to be of same standards. "[Procrustes] had an iron bed which he thought all people should fit… He adjusted the people by stretching them or shortening them with his [bed]... Procrustes was eventually captured by Theseus who shortened him by a head so that he conformed to the shortest adjustment of the Procrustean bed” (Dr. Goodward).

The word procrustean is an adjective exemplifying the desire for standardization of an individual’s characteristics without concern of how the change came. Procrustes had no sympathy for his victims but instead craving for them all to have no uniqueness.

_ **
 * Usage:** Hitler had procrustean thoughts that all people should have blond hair, blue eyes, and of athletic standards.

An adjective meaning "Excited to fury; maddened; full of fury; enraged, raging, frantic, furious (of persons and their actions, animals, etc.; fig. of things)" (Oxford English Dictionary). A verb meaning "To fill with fury; to render furious or mad with anger; to provoke to fury or fierce passion; to enrage" (Oxford English Dictionary).
 * Infuriate**:


 * Origin:** The Furies were mythical goddesses who only sought revenge from those who have done wrong (Cotterell 44). Sometimes, the gods would send the Furies after mortals who commited and unforgivable sin. Once, the Furies were sent after Orestes, who murdered his own mother. They persisted him for years, shouting in his ears the sin he had commited. They screamed that he was a murderer without ever faltering (Switzer 189-190). The Furies were some of the only companions of Hades, god of the underworld. They were creatures that scared mortals out of their wits. They appeared often on earth to either torture a being who has been looked down upon by the gods, or they would pick on an innocent person until they were filled with enough rage to commit suicide (Switzer 39-40).

In modern day language, the word infuriate to the personality of the Furies, and how they would drive their victims insane.


 * Usage:** During English class, Mr. Krueger enjoys infuriating Ryan Hinkley by repeatedly telling him to spit out his gum.

_

Works Cited:

Oxford __English Dictionary__. 2008. Oxford University Press. 2 Oct 2008  http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl>.

Switzer, Ellen. __Greek Myths: Gods, Heroes and Monsters__. Atheneum: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988.

Cotterell, Arthur and Storm, Rachel. __The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology__. London : Hermes House, 2004.

__Dictionary.com__. 2008. Random House, Inc.. 5 Oct 2008 <__http://dictionary.reference.com/>.

Skidmore, Joel.__ Mythweb__.__ __ 24 Aug 2008 ____. ____ 5 Oct 2008 ____ . __

__Dr. Goodward, "procrustean."__ __ 5 Oct 2008 ____ .