Yield! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oscar Wilde

The quote continues, "Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

It is spoken by the character Lord Henry to Dorian Grey in "The Portrait of Dorian Grey", the story of a beautiful, innocent young man's seduction, moral corruption, and eventual downfall.

Lord Henry is suggesting that even Dorian's pure, innocent young life is secretly full of hidden, shameful desires. Wilde stated three of the characters were reflections of himself, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am, Lord Henry is what the world thinks me, Dorian is what I would like to be - in other ages, perhaps."

Answer: The Prince

"The Prince", originally written in 1513, with the Latin title "De Principatibus" (About Principalities) was published in 1532 and it remains one of the most influential and controversial books published in Western Literature.

The political themes were considered to be immoral by some of Machiavelli's contemporaries and are still the subject of debate. Characterized by the politicians described in "The Prince", "Machiavellian" often embodies the end justifying the means.

Answer: Parallel Lives

Plutarch's works strongly influenced the evolution of the essay, the biography and historical writing in Europe from the 16th to the 19th century. Among his approximately 227 works, "Parallel Lives" is considered to be his most important.

In "Parallel Lives" Plutarch compared the lives of Sertorius and Eumenes among others. Their deeds in war were equal and parallel, but their general inclinations differed. Eumenes loved war and contention, but Sertorius preferred peace and tranquility.

Answer: Virgil

Virgil is famous for writing "The Aeneid', which tells the story of Rome's legendary founder and stated the Roman mission to civilize the world under divine guidance.

His reputation as a poet endures for the music and diction of his verse and for his skill in constructing an intricate work on the grand scale. His poetry embodied aspects of experience and behavior of permanent significance.

Answer: enemy

During her lifetime she graduated from college, became a best selling author and traveled around the world. She met with Presidents, world leaders, celebrities and served as an advocate for social justice for people with disabilities.

Helen Keller's accomplishments as a deaf and blind person were an inspiration to millions. She believed that "true sight and hearing are within, not without".

Answer: Ulysses

Written in 1833, the poem tells of how Ulysses feels there is little point in staying home but rather, he is compelled to live to the fullest. His travels and encounters have shaped who he is. In the final stanza, Ulysses addresses the mariners with whom he has traveled. He declares that although they are old, they still have the potential to do something noble and honorable.

The poem ends with the following:
"We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Answer: Sophocles

Sophocles was a tragedian who wrote 123 plays during his life of which seven have survived in entirety. They include classics such as "Antigone", "Oedipus the King" and "Electra".

He was responsible for developing theater by adding a third actor, reducing the importance of the chorus and by introducing scenography, established atmosphere and mood. Sophocles also abolished the tradition of writing tragedies in a trilogy and made each play complete in itself which added to the dramatic value.

Answer: Pindar

Pindar was regarded with such esteem it resulted in a good portion of his work being carefully preserved. His "epinicia", in honor of notable persons and winners of athletic games, were designed to be sung by a chorus in celebration of a victory.

Lyric verse was often accompanied by music and dance and Pindar wrote the music and choreographed the dances himself. His poetry sometimes reflected his rivalry with other poets for the favor of patronage.

Answer: Thomas Paine

As the author of two highly influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, he inspired the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Britain.

His principal contribution was the powerful and widely read pamphlet "Common Sense" (1776) which advocated colonial America's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. "Common Sense" was so influential that John Adams said, "Without the pen of the author of "Common Sense", the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain."

He also wrote "American Crisis" (1776-83), a pro-Revolutionary pamphlet series. Paine's writings bolstered the morale of the American colonists. Washington thought Paine's writings so powerful and inspiring that he ordered them to be read to his troops.

Answer: Quintilian

Quintilian's twelve-volume textbook on rhetoric entitled "Institutio Oratoria" ("Institutes of Oratory") was published shortly before his death. Quintilian was often independent in his judgments, especially when discussing Latin authors, and believed the entire educational process, from infancy onward, was relevant to the training of an orator.

The textbooks contained his general observations on educational principles. They are noted for their good sense and insight into human nature, as well as the five traditional parts of rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery.

Additionally, they contained the well-known survey of Greek and Latin authors, which were recommended to the young orator for study. They also dealt with the ideal orator in action, after his training is completed, i.e his character, the rules that he must follow in pleading a case, the style of his eloquence, and when to retire.