Encomium Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.9-10.1

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

An encomium is a written piece or speech that pays a high level of praise or honor to someone or something. The term comes from the Latin word (enkomion) meaning “to celebrate”. Due to the nature of these types of works they often include a great deal of elevated language and repetition of a foundational concept about the person or thing. When constructing an encomium, it is important to stick to a few key points about the nature of person or thing. This always you room to substantiate your case for that person or thing. The goal is to express your thoughts of admiration. These worksheets will help students understand the finer points of composing a well thought out encomium.

Encomium Worksheets To Print:

Panegyric and Eulogy - We look at how these related concept approach this topic.

Homage - This is more a special respect that sets it apart.

Fill Ins - How do you fill in the thoughts that are presented?

True of False - See what you will fill in your mind.

Formal Essays - Where do they overlap?

What I'm Reading... - Read the assigned text. Identify an example of each element of an encomium.

How to Write It - Focus on a few key points to praise and elaborate on their details.

Composition - Choose a person, a place, or a concept that you respect and admire.

My Speech - Imagine you have been asked to give a short speech introducing your best friend, who is going to be presented with some kind of award in front of the whole school.

Generalize - Why do we do this and how do we achieve a high level?

Graphic Organizer - Use this to help you compose your next speech.

My Text - Read the assigned text. Answer the questions.

My Thoughts - Put what you have learned into action.

The Reasons - Where would you find reasons and what evidence do you have?

Someone Special - Put this together and see if you come up with a really presentation.

What is Encomium in Literature?


Have you ever had a chance to hear the speech given to the recipient of any service award, mostly presented each year at the city hall in different states of America? That's the most prominent real-life example of encomium. However, there were primarily two forms that you will find for this in ancient Greece: formal and informal. Not sure what they are? Read on to learn everything - from the origin to modern life examples of this rhetorical term.


The Origin


The term "encomium" first appeared in English around the second half of the 16th century. It is "a formal statement of great praise" that derives from the Latin [encmium], which comes from the Greek [enkmion], meaning "a jubilant poem to a victor, or a tribute or praise for a living person." Although the exact origin of the term is unknown, it emerges as the first element of kmido, "revel singers," from which the noun kmida, "a funny spectacle," was derived, which is translated as [comoedia] in Latin and comedy in English, respectively.


What is the Function?


Although simple praise may be effective, encomium is a kind of literary praise in which poets and authors write to congratulate someone for their adventures or accomplishments rather than for themselves. In a religious sense, as the first two odes demonstrate, it is intended to elicit devotion from the devotees. In a political sense, as the address of Martin Luther King demonstrates, it is intended to mobilize the people behind an abstract notion.


Nonetheless, this has a distinctive aspect; it sings in honor of something or someone in such a manner that it displays the passion and devotion of the writer or speaker.


The Importance


An encomium is a means of recognizing and praising a deserving individual. Assuming a person has several great characteristics, they may be lauded using this technique (if they are fortunate enough to have a talented writer or speaker who admires them). To conclude, a well-written encomium is a wonderful way to communicate genuine feelings of love, respect, and appreciation for someone.


A Classical Example


The Encomium of Helen, which is credited to the Sophist Gorgias, is one of the oldest and most remarkable instances of poetry from Classical Greece. According to the conventions of most Sophistic literature, Helen's praise serves an altogether other function than just praising the lady (of Trojan War fame). Instead, it acts as a defense of Helen, which is not the intended purpose of hymns in general, and it becomes a celebration of the potential of words to convince others to change their minds.


Examples of Encomiastic Essays


- William Allen White's Mary White


- Franklin P. Adams' To a Thesaurus


- William Golding's Encomium to Books


- Samuel Johnson's An Encomium on Sleep


- Nicholson Baker's Encomium to Perforation


- Henry David Thoreau's The Last Days of John Brown



In a nutshell, this technique is a literary word for a piece of writing that warmly honors an individual. Articles that provide a critical critique of someone's life and work, usually of someone still alive, are the modern-day equivalent of this rhetorical eulogy. You just have to go as far as the super-delegate endorsements of political parties to see a living and breathing example of this technique.