what makes a hero? write down the names of people, real or fictional, whom you consider heroic....
TRANSCRIPT
What makes a hero? Write down the names of people, real or fictional, whom you consider
heroic. Then, list character traits you think each one should have. Are these traits universal, or do
they reflect only our own culture?
Thursday 12/6**Journal collection tomorrow—3 journals (11/26, 11/27,
12/6)**
The Odyssey
Homer’s
Homer
Odysseus
The Epic
• In literature, an epic is a long narrative poem
• It shows the adventures of an epic hero
Epic Hero
• Possesses superhuman strength, craftiness, and confidence
• Is helped and harmed by interfering gods• Embodies ideals and values that a culture
considers admirable• Emerges victorious from perilous
situations
Epic Plot
• Involves a long journey, full or complications, such as:
• Strange creatures• Divine intervention• Large-scale events• Treacherous weather
Archetypes
• Characters, situations, and images that are recognizable in many times and cultures:
• Sea monster• Buried treasure• Wicked temptress• Suitor’s contest• Epic hero• Loyal servant
Epic Themes
• Reflect such universal concerns as:• Courage• The fate of a nation• A homecoming• Beauty• Loyalty• Life and death
Homer: The Epic Poet
• Lived sometime between 900 and 700 B.C.• Blind • Homer’s epics are all that remains of a
series of poems that told the whole story of the Trojan War
Reading an Epic Poem
• Keep track of the events (use the chart I am giving you)
• Visualize the imagery• Notice how figurative language, including
epic similes, makes the story vivid and interesting
• Read difficult passages more than once. Use the side notes to help in comprehension
• Read the poem aloud, as it was originally conveyed
Characters you will encounter…
Calypso- keeps Odysseus on her island for 7 years so
she could make him her immortal husband!
The Lotus Eaters- race of people living on an
island near North Africa dominated by lotus
plants. Cyclops- gigantic, one- eyed, traps Odysseus and his men in a cave
using a huge stone, then eats remaining men by removing their brains.
Characters continued…
Sirens- devious creatures portrayed as beautiful women, who lure nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck
Scylla & Charybdis- sea monsters; Scylla was a six-headed monster, and Charybdis was a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily
Cattle of the Sun God- Had a pasture of cattle (in modern day Sicily) that were to be untouched by anyone
Period 3 Groups• Group 1: David, Josh, Andrew, Grayson,
Evan, • Group 2: Christian, Princess, Delmy,
Robby, Devin, • Group 3:Melba, Hilda, Taylor, Blake, Jason,
Jared• Group 4:Basit, John G., Tiesha, Derek,
Laura, • Group 5: Miranda, Keith, John M., Steven,
Makenna, • Group 6: Emily, Mackenzie, Sam, Sabrina,
Joseph
Period 4 Groups• Group 1:Nicole, Hunter D., James, Fahris,
Camden• Group 2: Joel, Daniel, Kirk, Cesar, Abby• Group 3: Chuka, Casey, Diamond, Troy,
Nick• Group 4:Karen, Carson, Tianna, Evan,
Domenic, Dante• Group 5: Ben, Luke, Justin, Wisam, Kelsie
Watson• Group 6:Charles, Sydnee, Sean, Noah,
Michael, Hunter W.