The Odyssey and The Iliad were written by Homer They are the two most epic poems in Greek History EPIC a long narrative poem about a national or legendary hero Homer was said to be blind He lived between 700 and 900 BC The stories comes from myth and oral history passed down rhapsodes (traveling poets) recited them to kings and noble families Later, they were regularly recited every 4 years at the Festival of Athena These great epics were written to teach boys Greek ideals and became a foundation for education. In addition, they reinforced an important theme that respect of the gods is essential for survival. The most lasting symbolism in the story is a look at every man in his effort to find a place of peace and joy!! Homer makes his heroes believable and human by showing them as having both good and bad traits The Odyssey is basically a story of one man s triumph over temptations and obstacles in life in his effort to make the way home with his men. The Illiad tells the tale of the Trojan War, a war raged over Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus, who was kidnapped by a Trojan prince. The hero in the poem is Achilles. The war Ended with a plan to build a Trojan Horse and leave it outside the gates of the city. Characteristics of a hero: A good leader (Odysseus was this) Like a father to his followers (Odysseus was this) Merciful to the weak Merciless to his enemies (Odysseus was this) A will to win (Odysseus was this) Courage (Odysseus was this) Intelligence (Odysseus was this) Characteristics of Odysseus: leader of a homeward-bound Greek fleet Curious Clever Proud Determined Brave Bold The Lotus Lotus flowers if you eat them, you will wish to stay in the land of the lotus forever The lotus is to be avoided because anyone who eats it wishes to stay in the land of the lotus forever.
Cyclopes Cyclops are one-eyed creatures with no civilization Odysseus wishes to visit the land of the Cyclopes to satisfy his curiosity and exchange gifts. Odysseus and his men only wish to steal Polyphemus cheeses and sheep and quickly sail away because they see no reason to take needless risks. The Cyclops they encounter is Polyphemus. He lives in a cave with goats and sheep. At night, he barricades the door to keep his sheep in. HE makes cheeses from the milk of his ewes. The Cyclopes do not have contact with men. Polyphemus captures them and locks them in his cave. When they are stuck in the cave, Odysseus cannot kill Polyphemus because they won t be able to get the door open. Instead, Odysseus is clever and shrewd with his strategy. He pokes Polyphemus one eye and they can sneak out without being seen. Odysseus was very clever, proud, determined, brave, and bold with his encounter with the Cyclopes. The Sirens The Sirens try to lure Odysseus and his men with flattery and promises Only Odysseus may hear their song. He covers his men s ears with bee s wax; they tie him to the mast. Circe Circe tells Odysseus to go to the Land of the Dead and bring back Teiresias top tell his future. Odysseus does and finds out the following from Teiresias and then again from Circe: When you go through a straight, there will be sirens (put beeswax in your men s ears so they can t hear them and lash him to the mast and listen, don t let your men listen) On the one side, The Scylla, who has 6 heads, she eats six men from each boat that goes by
On the other side is a whirlpool, Charbydis, that sucks everything into it (could be an underwater volcano, a huge riptide, earthquake) Odysseus must choose to lose six men rather than all men and the boat You will find the island of the Sun God and his herd of cattle. Don t touch the cattle. If you don t hurt the cattle, you will make it home. If you hurt them, you will wreck your ship and all your men will die. Odysseus men ignore the final warning of Circe and end up harming the Sun God s cattle Odysseus goes back to his men and only tells them part of what he learned from Circe and Tieresias. Why? He didn t want his men freaking out and leaving the boat. He certainly didn t want them knowing about the six-headed monster or the whirlpool or that some of them were going to die. Would you want to know? Vocabulary: sage abominable tumult profusion rancor ardor ravage formidable stealth adversary ESSAY QUESTION: Essay: How does Odysseus in his travels in The Odyssey signify or represent everyman in their struggles on this earth? Support your answers with examples from the story and relate them to events that could happen in peoples lives. (Clues: Cyclops = Bullies, Circe/Calypso = Temptations,
Scylla/Charybdis = Hard Decisions & Sacrifice, Lotus Eaters = Drugs/Alcohol & anything that takes over your life) 150 words = 15 lines with 10 words per line.) Odysseus is considered to be the role model for a hero. What do you consider to be the qualities of a hero? Who is your hero and why did you choose this person? (Must be a real human, not a super hero, does not have to be living at this time.)