Group 9

● Ajrina Khairana Pracadewi / 03

● Alicia Irawati van Paassen / 05
● Hasna Aulia Dewi / 14

ANALYSIS:

1. Characters and characteristics

● Arachne: stubborn, arrogant, supercilious
● Athena: wise, egotistical, hot-tempered

2. The use of past tense

● She refused to see weaving as a gift from the gods.
● She decided to give Arachne another chance.
● She stopped as she saw a tree in the distance.
● When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably better and flagrantly
subversive/immensely offensive work, she flew into a rage and turned on the
human weaver.
● Athena conjured wisps of cloud from above and slender threads of grass from
below in a spectacle of strength.

3. The use of action verbs

● As she ran through the vast field, stumbling and tripping over her dress, the
only thought that came to mind was of how much of a fool she just made
herself.
● Athena strode along the empty field
● Arachne only laughed, barely looking up from her loom.
● Poseidon riding the waves, Zeus firing thunderbolts, and Apollo hurtling
across the sky.
● Arachne’s body started shrinking and contorting
● The scene replayed in her head over and over like a YouTube short.
● She berated Arachne in public.

4. The use of direct speech:

● “How dare the weaver claim herself greater than the gods?”

5. The use of noun phrases

● Masking her shock at the appearance of the grey-eyed goddess, Arachne
accepted the challenge.
● In Athena’s splendid tapestry, the glory of the gods dwarfed mortal life.
● Athena drew up her own glittering loom as a great crowd gathered to watch.
 ● Arachne then turned to the misdemeanors of other gods, from Pluto’s
abduction of Persephone to Bacchus’s wild pursuit of Erigone.
● Even though she cast the gods in the most unflattering light, Arachne’s work
shone with her dazzling skill.
● Athena's grey eyes bored into Arachne's as if she was about to shoot lasers
out of it.

6. The use of adverbs of time

● Arachne could often be heard boasting about her skills, declaring that her
talent surpassed anyone else’s — mortal or divine.
● Arachne then turned to the misdemeanors of other gods, from Pluto’s
abduction of Persephone to Bacchus’s wild pursuit of Erigone.

7. The use of time connectives

● Once upon a time, there was the daughter of a tradesman who spent his days
dying cloth the deepest shades of purple.
● When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably better and flagrantly
subversive/immensely offensive work, she flew into a rage and turned on the
human weaver.
● Before Arachne could do anything, Athena struck her shuttle against
Arachne’s head.

8. Structure:
● Title: Arachne
● Orientation:

From sailors who were turned into pigs, nymphs that sprouted into trees, and a gaze
that converted the beholder to stone, Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters. The
powerful gods usually changed their own forms at will, but for mortals, the mutations were
often unwanted. One such unnerving transformation befell the spinner Arachne.

Once upon a time, there was the daughter of a tradesman who spent his days dyeing
cloth the deepest shades of purple. She had a flair for spinning the finest threads, weaving
them into flowing fabric, and creating magnificent tapestries. People flocked to watch her
hands flying across her loom, as if thread sprung directly from her fingertips. But as praise
for her work grew, so did her pride.

● Complication:

Arachne could often be heard boasting about her skills, declaring that her talent
surpassed anyone else’s — mortal or divine. She refused to see weaving as a gift from the
gods. Rather, she flaunted it as her own personal genius. Unfortunately, the goddess of
wisdom and crafts, Athena, overheard Arachne making these claims.

Planning to teach the ungrateful girl a lesson, Athena disguised herself as an old
woman and stole amongst the mortals. She berated Arachne in public.

“How dare the weaver claim herself greater than the gods?”

Arachne only laughed, barely looking up from her loom. Provoked, the old woman
threw off her cloak to reveal her true form. Athena's grey eyes bored into Arachne's as if she
was about to shoot lasers out of it. She didn't, obviously, but it still left Arachne in shock. If
Arachne insisted on defaming the gods, Athena would challenge her to a contest directly.
Masking her shock at the appearance of the grey-eyed goddess, Arachne accepted the
challenge. Athena drew up her own glittering loom as a great crowd gathered to watch. The
weavers began, eyes fixed and shuttles blurring.

Athena conjured wisps of cloud from above and slender threads of grass from below
in a spectacle of strength. She wove tremendous scenes that showed the power of the gods:
Poseidon riding the waves, Zeus firing thunderbolts, and Apollo hurtling across the sky.

In Athena’s splendid tapestry, the glory of the gods dwarfed mortal life. But Arachne
had no interest in boosting godly egos. Her tapestry showed the gods abusing their power:
squabbling amongst themselves, drinking and bragging, and meddling in the lives of mortals.
She represented Zeus as a philanderer, transfiguring himself to ensnare women: a swan for
Leda, a bull for Europa, a shower of gold for Danae. Arachne then turned to the
misdemeanors of other gods, from Pluto’s abduction of Persephone to Bacchus’s wild
pursuit of Erigone. Even though she cast the gods in the most unflattering light, Arachne’s
work shone with her dazzling skill. Her tapestry was almost alive, filled with movement and
lustrous colors that winked triumphantly.

When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably better and flagrantly subversive/immensely

offensive work, she flew into a rage and turned on the human weaver. Before Arachne could
do anything, Athena struck her shuttle against Arachne’s head. As if that wasn’t bad enough,
Athena proceeded to tear Arachne’s work apart to mere shreds.

Arachne was left there, on the floor, with feelings of shock, pain, and an abundance
of shame. The goddess looked at her one last time before disappearing in a cloud of mist.
Everyone was looking at her. To get rid of the crowd, she started fleeing. As she ran through
the vast field, stumbling and tripping over her dress, the only thought that came to mind was
of how much of a fool she just made herself. The scene replayed in her head over and over
like a YouTube short. If she returned everyone would know her as the one supercilious
enough to challenge a literal god. It was all too much to handle. She stopped as she saw a
tree in the distance. The perfect place to end everything.

● Resolution:

Athena strode along the empty field, spotting the tree in the distance. Although she
has seen thousands of lives taken, she couldn’t shake her guilt off of this one. She decided
to give Arachne another chance. Arachne’s body started shrinking and contorting. Her
fingers waved wildly as her arms stuck to her sides, and black hair sprouted all over her
body. The goddess left Arachne with a single spool of thread unfurling from her belly, a slim
reminder of her human talent, and turned her into the first spider.

● Moral value:
Just like many myths that involve competitions with gods, the moral of this story is
one of pride and humility. As we may know, gods were seen or known as the granters of
man’s skills and abilities. If we claim that we are better than the gods, it would be a personal
affront.