Aim: How can an understanding of Greek mythology and heroes prepare us for our examination of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey?
DO NOW: To start off today’s lesson, we brainstormed, as a class, the qualities we felt belong to a “hero.”-- the working definition of the word “hero.” Gabriel started off by saying they would sacrifice things for other people, which in other words, means they would be selfless. Leslie added on and said they should have moral integrity, so they should be doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Being honest, brave, just, determined, always willing to help, and having the strength to help others are other qualities discussed by the class.
Here is a video to further explain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA&ab_channel=TED-Ed
This video talks about a hero going through a hero’s journey and along the way they obtain help from someone much greater and wiser.
WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION:
We were asked to discuss as a class what we know about Greek heroes and Greek mythology. Kelly started us off by telling everyone that myths are usually created to teach people about important lessons and the origins and natures of the world. Sonia added that there were 12 major Olympians in Greek mythology. Lowell said that the gods embodied different parts and aspects of the world such as lightning and war.
SPIRIT READING: After the class discussions, we did some spirit reading to gain some knowledge about Greek mythology.
Zeus is the God of the sky, lightning and thunder. Hades is the god of underworld or also called Lord of the Dead and is married to Persephone, the goddess queen of the Underworld, and the goddess of spring growth. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage and battle and also the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis, who was swallowed by Zeus before giving birth to Athena so Athena was born from Zeus’ forehead. Poseidon is the god of the sea and earthquakes and is also Zeus & Hades’ brother. Each of these gods represented a part of nature or an aspect of society.
Here are two videos for more information about the Greek Gods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-AoKE42rw&ab_channel=TheLifeGuide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCm8W5RZes&ab_channel=AndreaCirla
THE GODS & RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS:
Ancient cultures in mythology belief systems were similar to modern religion. The Greeks believed in polytheism (complete existence of gods and goddesses). It was common belief that the gods took active interest in the human’s everyday lives and behaved in human ways. They also believed that in order to survive and thrive in society, they must worship them.
ORAL TRADITIONS:
Ancient mythology belongs to folklore, legends, and etc. Stories were passed down orally and appealed to those who weren’t literate. These were oral traditions because mythology existed much long before any forms of writing. The stories were a form of entertainment and a form of history passed from group to group.
EPIC POETRY OF ANCIENT GREECE:
Homer was the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that were the basis of ancient Greek literature. These two set the standard for the definition of the word epic.
WHAT IS AN EPIC?
- a long narrative poem about a national or legendary hero
- 2 epics produced in Greece, both written by Homer
Here are two videos explaining Homer’s Odyssey a little more in depth :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9FQxcCAZ0&ab_channel=TED-Ed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVo225pUaSA&ab_channel=TED-Ed
EPIC CRITERIA:
There are a few points that make a poem epic. They begin in “in media res” meaning in the middle of things and use a flashback to explicate important events that occurred before the story. In a flashback, the epic hero recaps their adventures in a scene, interrupting a sequence of events to reveal events prior. An epic also has ample settings, covering many places, including the Underworld. Long and formal speeches, intervention from the Gods, and heros that exemplifies the morals of civilization.
After reading this, we had a class discussion over why the author would choose to use elements like these. Gabriel said flashbacks are used to give a foundation of the story, and give the reader something to expect. The reader would keep the flashback in mind throughout the poem, and keep the reader engaged. Leslie said flashbacks give insight to the reader about the character’s motives and fill in the blanks of how the character(s) found themselves in the situation they are in. It can give true characterizations and the positive and negative decisions they made and in doing so, it helps set a strong foundation about the character so when we infer what the characters may do from a certain point on.
WHAT MAKES A HERO EPIC?
Next we did some spirit reading on what makes a hero epic. One of these was having supernatural qualities such as being stronger or more courageous than the typical human. Despite this, they are still human, meaning they have flaws and weaknesses, like any other person. They must also conquer tasks of great difficulty, and go on quests for something of great value (for him, or his people). Heroes are also physically appealing and will have obstacles such as villains trying to distract them from their quests or tasks in hand.
Class analysis:
Why is it important to reference that the heroes are human and have flaws?
Authors do this so it makes the heroes in the story seem more realistic and more relatable. Why would someone relate to someone who is so perfect? They would not be able to draw out empathy or sympathy if they had no weaknesses. The readers can also form a connection to the plot and characters, which is why many authors and stories use demigods to form a link to the humans.
ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD “HERO”
After the discussion we continued with the spirit reading and focused on the etymology (origin of words), and the overuse of the word in modern society.
Our ancestral heroes first appeared in the oral storytelling tradition. They were superhumans, almost gods, and the actions they took were mostly in the best interest of humankind. The dictionary traces the word [hêrôs] meaning from "a being of godlike prowess and beneficence" to "a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage or ability" during the Homeric period of ancient Greece.
By the Encyclopaedia Britannica of 1911, the word had come to be applied "generally to all who were distinguished from their fellows by superior moral, physical or intellectual qualities." As a result, scholars argue: “[it is difficult to] grasp the ancient Greek concept of hero and now go beyond the word's ordinary levels of meaning in casual contemporary usage.”
Today we sometimes toss the word "hero" around without thinking much about it. We use it to name TV shows. We speak of a Hollywood celebrity as our childhood hero. Every parent is a hero. Every journalist is a hero. Every American is a hero. Every working woman is a hero. Every police officer, firefighter, and soldier is a hero without question or regard for what they do or have done or are prepared to do. The list goes on.
Some argue that the overuse of the word "hero" is to such an extent that it doesn't really mean anything anymore. According to common parlance, almost nobody isn't a hero. It mirrors the classic injunction that "saying that everyone is special is another way of saying that no one is." If we use the word so much as to devalue it, we make it impossible to describe and understand real heroism, the rare, superhuman kind. So the question has been asked, has the word "hero" been so overused that it's losing its meaning?
DISCUSSION: After reading this, we discussed whether or not we agreed with the idea that the word “hero” had become overused and why or why not we thought so.
We said that to some extent, it has become overused because as the previous reading said, we start naming the celebrities, heroes, as we cannot see what they do daily and the most you see is what they decide to put out in the media. By calling everyone a hero, you devalue the word, and it loses its meaning, therefore not giving it as much potency. The Ancient Greeks’ perception and idea of hero wasn’t the same application in which we are using in our modern day era.
When we create heroes in fiction, we almost can't help but give them superhuman powers because what a hero does to be a hero is something which seems like people should be incapable of doing. It is something truly “other”.
Compare some of today’s superheroes with the original definition of “heros”.
Today’s superheroes would be people who work for the general public health such as police officers, doctors, firefighters, and even teachers. They are said to be selfless and help others even if it means putting others before themselves. These heroes stray from the original definition. Instead of “worshipping” these people we call heroes, we actually admire them for the work they do. Nowadays, anyone who does good for society is considered a hero, diminishing its real meaning. Some others would be Spiderman, Batman, and etc. They can be referred to as superheroes because they do have superhuman abilities and use them to defeat villains. They also each have weaknesses that were shown when Spiderman had a moment of selfishness, which in the end caused great harm.
b. Do you think, as a modern society, we are searching for a “superhuman” hero similar to the Ancient Greeks, despite our overuse of the term? Why or why not?
Despite our misuse of the word, we’re still actively trying to form a “superhuman” hero that is similar to the Ancient Greeks. World records, for example, highlight great achievements that are set by someone with great capabilities that others may not have. Although these may not always be done with the intention to help everyone, it is still progress in our search to do so.
Here’s a video for a deeper understanding of this topic. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGt5iiEsThk&ab_channel=CBSNews
(Example of the overuse of epic and hero & it being reduced to a man in his undergarments trying to save the world.)
REFLECTION:
In today’s lesson, I brushed up on some background knowledge of Greek Mythology. I learned about two Greek epics, The Odyssey and Iliad by the Greek author Homer. I also didn’t know that these two epics set the standard for the word epic as we use it everyday. I attained a deeper understanding of the actual meaning of hero, and not the way we use it nowadays. Epic poetry tells a story and starts off with them in the middle of action, so they incorporate a flashback. Flashbacks give more insight into the characters’ motives and the good & bad decisions they’ve made along the way. The word “hero” was originally used to describe almost godlike superhumans, not just anybody who you admire. When used in this sense, it loses most of its value, as when everyone is a hero, then really, no one is the hero. Today’s lesson provided a foundation for later lessons as we will be taking a closer look and reading The Odyssey, one of the two epics from Greece. Understanding Greek mythology is also key to understanding epics because they include intervention from the gods. Understanding the key points of an epic also allows for a better comprehension while reading The Odyssey, for example, I’d pay close attention to the flashback as it will show the characters’ intentions and the decisions they made that led up to that point in time. Knowing the original meaning of the word hero will also hold the characters in the epic in a better position and give more credit to them, as it is a word with more meaning than just someone who is idolized in the media. It is too commonly misused, and after learning the real meaning, I’ll be more aware of my word choices. In the past I’ve never said someone was a hero out loud, but whenever someone would help me in a situation I needed help in, I would always label them as a hero in my head and I understand I should probably use a different word to describe them instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment