Aim: How can an understanding of Greek myths and heroes prepare us for our examination of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey?
Kahoot Quiz:
First, the cycle was started off with a short Kahoot quiz that consisted of poetic devices and terminology. After the quiz was completed, we moved on to looking at some examples of the poem anthology project.
Poem Anthology Project:
The next part of the cycle was composed of Ms. Peterson showing us a few samples of poem anthology projects that were great but not perfect. She pointed out flaws so that we could understand and improve on them. Some projects were done on slides and others on a document. They were all shown to have artistic drawings and creative executions which helped me in knowing what to do and what to work on. One of the samples that intrigued me was the one that was made to look like a magazine. I thought that was really unique and the cover page was really beautiful.
Do now:
Afterwards, we started the lesson with a simple do now that followed the prompt of brainstorming qualities that we, the students, feel belong to a superhero. Our class’s list of attributes include:
Selflessness (Bernice)
Courage (Sophia)
Confidence (Alma)
Savior (Sahil)
Determination (Carmen)
Righteous (Me)
Kindness (Oscar)
To me, a hero is someone who is morally right and has justice on their mind. They are definitely selfless and kind, thinking about other people’s safety before theirs. Overall, I agree with my classmate’s answers.
Whole Class Discussion:
Next we moved on to another class discussion, this time based around our prior knowledge on Greek heroes and Greek mythology. Our class’s prior knowledge consisted of:
Greek heroes are really strong and usually descended from Gods (Loezee)
It’s fake (Ayad)
Greek mythology teaches you about morals (Oscar)
Dramatized (Eric)
Goddess of Love is beautiful (Christopher)
Greek Gods are a lot more selfish and humanoid compared to other Gods (Sahil)
A lot of manslaughter and incest (Ethan)
A lot of the Greek heroes go on quests to fight monsters (Lapyan)
A lot of the Greek myths explain natural phenomenon and things on Earth (Joanne)
I don’t have much prior knowledge on Greek mythology and Greek heroes but I have read a few Percy Jackson books. That was also how I first learned about Greek heroes and Greek mythology. Since Percy Jackson books are for young readers, the more gruesome stuff was never really emphasized. Through this class discussion, I was able to learn about things that I never knew about before and I thought that this was really useful.
Spirit Reading:
The next part of our lesson was composed of multiple spirit readings. Through spirit reading, we learned about some important gods, religious customs, oral traditions and what an epic is.
Important Gods:
We read about some of the main gods which include:
Zeus: God of the sky who controls lightning and thunder. He is also known as being the king of the Gods who dwell on Mount Olympus.
Hades: God of the underworld and known for being the lord of the dead. His wife is Persephone.
Athena: Goddess of wisdom and war who is also the daughter of Zeus.
Poseidon: God of the sea and earthquakes.
Religious Customs:
Next, we read about their religious customs:
Ancient cultures used a mythological belief system.
The Greeks believed in polytheism which is the existence of multiple gods and goddesses who control different things.
Their culture was known for worshipping heroes (town founders or historical figures).
Oral Traditions:
Afterwards, we read about the oral tradition and how it was like the telephone game.
They include:
Ancient mythology came about through the passing of stories orally.
Centuries ago where printing presses were not created yet.
The stories were told as entertainment, allowing it to be passed down through generations.
Epics:
Next, we spirit read about some examples of the most well known epic poetry that was created by Ancient Greece. They were the Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey. They were very well respected and even going as far as being the cornerstone of the Greek civilization.
After touching on some examples of epics, we defined what an epic is. An epic is a long, narrative poem that centers around a national or legendary hero.
Now that the class knew about the definition and some examples, we next learned about the various things that make a poem epic. The topics discussed include:
Story begins in the middle of action and uses flashbacks
Vast setting
Lengthy and formal speeches
Contains the Gods in action
Uses heroes that incorporate and portray the values/morals of the civilization.
We also discussed why storytellers might use flashbacks or start their story in the middle of action. We came to the conclusion that storytellers might use these elements in their writing to provoke thoughts such as why or how did they get themselves into this situation. Flashbacks are used to give some sort of footing on the situation.
After learning about what makes a poem epic, we learned about what makes a hero epic. They are:
Superhuman qualities
Still human
Conquer difficult obstacles
On a quest for something of value
Villains that get in their way
Physically beautiful
We also discussed as a class why the author would give the hero flaws instead of making them perfect. As a class, we came to the conclusion that the author wants us to be able to relate to the hero and have sympathy/empathy for them. There is no one that is perfect and makes no mistake.
Etymology of the word “hero” & its overuse in the modern era:
Continuing the lesson, we moved on to spirit reading the origin of the word “hero” and to think about the topic of whether or not it has been overused. From spirit reading, I learned that:
Ancestral heroes first appeared through oral storytelling.
The origin of the word hero is derived from the word hêrôs which means being of godlike prowess and beneficence" to "a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage or ability.”
The Encyclopaedia Britannica of 1911 stated that the word hero is now used to describe anyone that has a higher amount of moral, physicality or intelligence.
In the present day, the word hero is thrown around everywhere causing some people to think that the word has lost its significance and meaning.
Due to a lack of time left, we ended the class off here with a few more questions for us to review on our own about. The questions were:
Draw your own conclusion on this argument. Do you agree or disagree with the concept that the word “hero” has become overused? Why or why not?
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 “hêrôs”.
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?
My responses:
From the argument provided in “Etymology of the word “hero” & its overuse in the modern era”, I do not agree that it is being overused. While I do see the point being made, the times have changed. The word “hero”, in my opinion, still has a strong meaning behind it and being able to bestow the word on people who do good deeds is the right way. The word hero is like a praise, and praising people for performing heroic or moral actions will just make people even more motivated to do them. This creates a better society which I think is what is needed.
2A. Some of today’s superheroes are definitely different from the original definition but they still hold up to the ideals of a hero. A hero portrays the values and morals of their society, which in this present day time makes sense. Someone is called a hero because their deeds/actions relate to our morals and we are able to appreciate that. Although the present day heroes may not have super powers or they still went on facing obstacles and were braver than the people around them. Take for example, Martin Luther King. He was able to challenge racism in the world, spread his message and was called a hero because we shared the same ideals as him.
2B. I don’t think that we are searching for a superhuman hero since the purpose behind the usage of the term is different. We are not using the term in search of someone, we are using the term as appreciation, respect, and praise. We use the term to signify that we recognize their actions and that we too think the same and support your actions. As a modern society, I think we are using the word to create a better society. A motivated society that is constantly on the lookout for doing righteous actions.
Reflection:
Through viewing this lesson and writing this blog, it has opened my eyes to many new perspectives and information. The lesson focused on Greek culture and epic poems which I had heard about before but in these topics, there were pieces of information that I had not known about. For example, they were the gruesome parts about Greek heroes and Greek mythology or how it actually originated through oral storytelling. I learned about what makes up an epic poem and elements that authors use. The idea of starting a story in the middle of the action intrigues me and I would definitely like to use it. When writing the blog, I was reflecting on the lesson, review questions and the idea of a hero. It opened my eyes up to the different perspectives in this world. The word hero in our modern society is used to describe someone who has a higher amount of moral, physicality or intelligence. But in the same way that we call someone who did deeds a hero, the “bad guys” can also be called heroes. The people that followed the “bad guys” probably thought of them as their heroes as they committed deeds that they appreciate. It all comes down to the morals and values that they portray. Overall, I felt that this lesson was really helpful and can be applied to many different situations in school and in real life.
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