Ms. J. Peterson's Student Blog: Blogger #11 - Emily Liu - Period 1 - 4/21/2021

Aim- How can a concise understanding of both an epic poem and the Iliad enhance our reading of the Odyssey?

Slide One

Do Now- Whole class discussion

For the following quotation:

"The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts. An immense difference."
- Henry Miller

1. Interpret it in your own words

The common answer was that the quote is saying that the common man follows directions and/or just watches things happen without changing anything. The hero helps and acts against all rules to change the world for the better.

2. Then Agree or disagree with the sentiment being expressed and explain why or why not.

Most students agreed with the sentiment being expressed, mainly because the definition of a hero is a “person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Therefore, heroes take action and make changes while the common man just stands back and watches.

Slide Two

Spirit Reading- Apple of Discord

PDF Link- https://drive.google.com/file/d/10WRhQq6o7JqrK36B6g16Mjx26j

DyscCn/view

YouTube Video-

The Trojan War : Part One : The Apple of Discord [6:37]

Questions to consider while reading-

1. How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?

The gods and goddesses have human feelings such as hope and excitement for the new child, fear of the torch dream, and the guilt of trying to kill the baby. They also hold dreams like humans.

2.. What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?

The prophecy of Paris being the downfall of Troy led to the fate of the downfall of Troy and the Trojan Wars. This shows how oftentimes, prophecy and fate are connected.

3. How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
A. How is this ironic?
Xenia states that Menelaus must be kind and generous to everyone. However, when Paris steals away Helen, Menelaus starts a war to get his queen back.

Slide Three

Team Discussion-

Slide Four

Xenia- is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest host.

The Greek god Zeus is sometimes called Zeus Xenios in his role as a protector of guests. He thus embodied the religious obligation to be hospital to travelers.

Many stories cautioned mortals that any guest should be treated as a potentially disguised god or goddess and helped to establish the idea of xenia as a fundamental Greek custom.

What is XENIA? Greek Myth Comix explaining Homeric literature [4:41]

NOTE: Watch only the first [1:32]

Slide Five

Discussing the Trojan War

Spartan King Menelaus’ wife Helen (the face that launched a thousand ships) left him for the young Prince Paris of Troy.
Paris, Prince of Troy, had sailed to Sparta to seize Helen
King Menelaus of Sparta treats him as an honored guest (xenia)
Aphrodite is true to her word and makes Helen fall in love with Paris. Paris takes Helen and they sneak off in a ship together to head back to Troy

Slide 6 (continues)

Because all of Helen’s suitors took an oath, they are now obligated to help Menelaus go to Troy to take her back (they swore to respect and protect her marriage regardless of who was chosen as the husband)
The Greeks attack Troy.

Slide 7

Odysseus in the Trojan War

Odysseus (main character in the Odyssey) was one of the heroes of the Trojan War
Odysseus knew from a prophecy that if he went to Troy it would take him a very long time to return home, but as one of Helen’s previous suitors he had sworn an oath to protect her
Known not only for his strength but also for his cunning (he is a trickster)
It was Odysseus’ idea to construct the Trojan horse and try to break the 10 year stalemate of the war
He helped to lead the Greeks to victory

Slide 8

Odysseus Hero of Odyssey

Wife: Penelope
Son: Telemachus
Great soldier of the war
Originally tried to get out of going to the war—pretended he was crazy
Came up with the strategy of using the Trojan Horse which would successfully lead to Troy’s collapse.
The Odyssey is the account of Odysseus’ journey home after the war.
Another hero that you may have heard of, Achilles, died in the final year of the war.
Greek forces were victorious

Slide 9

The Trojan Horse

Greeks constructed a giant wooden statue of a horse (a symbol of Troy) which they present to the city as a “gift”
Take their ships a mile away to look as though they had given up
BUT there are Greek soldiers hiding in the horse
Once inside the city, they wreak havoc by destroying the temples, slaughtering children, and enslaving the women
Troy is utterly destroyed.
Thanks to Odysseus the Greeks are victorious in the war

Slide 10

Importance of Homer’s Epics

The Iliad and the Odyssey were used in schools to teach Greek virtues.

>Values: honor, bravery, hospitality—"xenia", intelligence, respect for the gods, loyalty to home and family

>Major faults: disrespect for the gods

lack of hospitality

excessive pride—"hubris"

Iliad is the primary model for epic of war
Odyssey is the primary model for epic of the long journey

Slide 11

What IS the Story - Odyssey?

Sequel to the Iliad (900 and 700 BC)
The Iliad focuses on the days toward the end of the

Trojan War (mid 1200s BC)

The Iliad and the Odyssey together were considered

sacred to the Greeks—much like the Bible to many

people today.

Neither books were originally written down. Both were originally recited orally.

Slide 12

Three Major Plot Strands

Story in Ithaca about Odysseus’ wife and son as they await his
return (called the Telemachy)
Tale of Odysseus’ wanderings during the ten years following
the Trojan War

Deals with the adventures he has to overcome as
he tries to make his way home to Ithaca, Penelope,
and Telemachus, whom he has not seen since Telemachus was just born.
He leaves Troy with 12 ships and approximately 720 men.
He does not encounter military opponents, but
monsters and enchanting women who try to
keep him from his wife.

Merging of the strands when Odysseus returns to Ithaca
and joins forces with his son, Telemachus, to destroy their enemies.

Slide 13

The first lines of an ancient epic poem typically offer a “capsule summary” (a shortened version of a written work) of the subject the poem.

The first lines of the Iliad and the Odyssey conform to this pattern.

We find the poet's own statement about the subject of the Iliad in the original Greek poem's very first word: Anger. The song of the Iliad is about the anger, the doomed and ruinous anger, of the hero Achilles. So also in the Odyssey, the first word, Man, tells the subject of the poem.

If we look at the translated examples below, we can see in the paraphrased beginnings of both the Iliad and the Odyssey that the rules of the poet's craft extend beyond the naming of the main subject with the first word. In the original Greek of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, the first word announcing the subject - Anger, Man - is followed by a specially chosen adjective setting the mood - doomed anger, many-sided man - to be followed in turn by a relative clause that frames the story by outlining the plot - the doomed anger that caused countless losses and woes, the many-sided man who wandered countless ways.

Slide 14

Comparisons of the Iliad and Odyssey

Slide 14

The Ilaid. The Odyssey.