The Odyssey Part 1 - Ms. Ragland's English Class

1 950950 Themes in Literature: HeroismUlysses Deriding Polyphemus, 1819, Turner, The National Gallery, LondonCritical Viewing Do the images in this painting evoke feelings of hope or doom? Explain? [Analyze]MotivationPrepare an Anticipation Guide(seeGeneral Resources,pp. 8 10) withthe following statements: The best travel is one that is wellplanned and has no surprises. Good leaders are people who canthink on their feet. Fear is an excellent motivator. It is important to be able to adaptto students a copy of the preparedAnticipation Guide and have studentsmark their responses in the Me column. Have students discuss thestatements in pairs or groups andmark the Guides again in the ConnectorStudents will return to theAnticipation Guide after completingPart 1 of the ModalitiesVisual/Spatial LearnersEncourage students to use the illus-tration on p. 950 to get a sense ofthe challenges facing Odysseus andhis men as they try to sail home the SelectionTheOdysseyis a classic adventurestory.

2 It combines realistic elementsof historical events with wildly imag-ined scenes of fantastic places andcreatures. The epic also includes skill-ful characterizations. Odysseus, forexample, represents the model epichero: A leader of courage, daring andwit, he pursues his goal to returnhome after many years of war inthe face of many setbacks. However,he is also overly curious, foolishlycocky, and clever to the point ofbeing tricky. Critical ViewingAnswer:The painting suggests thatthe adventures will involve seafaringand great danger. The dark colors ofthe painting create an Analysis Call students attention to the vocabulary wordplunderedin line 4. Explain that it came fromthe Germanic word pl nderen-,meaning to pillage or to rob of household goods, andthat the word came into wide usage during theThirty Years War, around 1630. Explain that soldiers often took spoils or valuable posses-sions, from the cities they defeated. Troy, there-fore, would have been plundered of its valu-ables by the victorious greek students to look for other words thatrelate to wartime, such as stronghold, valor,stormed, enslaved, Odyssey part 1 Homer951 HumanitiesUlysses Deriding Polyphemus,before 1830, by TurnerTurner began as a watercolor painter,influenced by the baroque landscapepaintings of the seventeenth Deriding Polyphemuswasexhibited at the Royal Academy in1829.

3 Use this question for discus-sion: How does this painting help youunderstand the story?Possible response: The paintingshows the tension and energy inthe Greeks escape from Cyclops AnalysisThe Epic Hero Remind students of other heroesthey have encountered in theirreading. Have the Class discusswhat makes characters appearespecially heroic. Then askstu-dents what qualities of Odysseusmark him as a : Odysseus has a deepheart and he bravely fights tobring his shipmates home. Have students review the descrip-tion of epic hero on p. 948. Discussthe phrase skilled in all ways ofcontending in line 2, whichmeans, in essence, versatile. Askstudents to explain how beingskilled in many ways can be aheroic CheckAnswer:Odysseus and his menplundered the city of Troy. 654from the Odyssey , part I 951In the opening verses, Homer addresses the muse of epic poetry. He asks her help in telling the tale of in me, Muse,1 and through me tell the storyof that man skilled in all ways of contending,the wanderer, harried for years on end,after he plundered the stronghold5on the proud height of saw the townlandsand learned the minds of many distant men,and weathered many bitter nights and daysin his deep heart at sea, while he fought onlyto save his life, to bring his shipmates not by will nor valor could he save them,for their own recklessness destroyed them all children and fools, they killed and feasted onthe cattle of Lord Helios,3 the Sun,and he who moves all day through heaven15took from their eyes the dawn of their these adventures, Muse, daughter of Zeus,4tell us in our time, lift the great song : In translating the Odyssey , Fitzgerald spelled greek names to suggest the sound of the original greek .

4 In these excerpts, more familiar spellings have been used. For example, Fitzgerald s Kirk , Kyklops, and Seir n s are spelled here as Circe, Cyclops, and Sirens. 1. Muse (my z)any one of the nine goddesses of the arts, literature, and sciences; the spirit that is thought to inspire a poet or other Builderplundered (plun d rd) goods by force; looted2. Troy (tr )city in northwest Asia Minor; site of the Trojan Helios (h l s )sun Zeus (z s)king of the city did Odysseus and his men plunder?Support for Less Proficient ReadersPoint out that this page describes events thatwill be recounted during the telling of the students to summarize the page, then tellwhat they can infer from for Advanced ReadersPoint out to students that reading the legends,epics, myths, and folk literature of a culture willhelp them understand a culture. The Odysseyprovides historical background as well as cultural insights. Discuss students responses atthe end of each day s reading.

5 56952 Literary AnalysisEpic Hero Discuss with students howOdysseus speech on p. 953 servesto introduce him and to illustratehis character. Point out that givesdetails of his background andchildhood in this opening speech. Ask students where his home wasand why he holds it response:His home isIthaca, which has a view of otherislands. He says that it was rocky,but good for a boy s training. Askstudents to name qualitiesthey associate with heroism. Answer:Students may say thatbravery or determination is a heroicquality. Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion on page 953: For whatquality does Odysseus say he isfamous? Possible response: Odysseus isfamous for his guile, or cunning,which makes him effective in bothwar and peace. 7952 Themes in Literature: HeroismCHARACTERSA lcinous(al sin s) king of the Phaeacians, to whom Odysseus tells his storyOdysseus( dis s) king of IthacaCalypso(k lip s ) sea goddess who loved OdysseusCirce(s r s ) enchantress who helped OdysseusZeus(z s) king of the godsApollo( p l ) god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicineAgamemnon(ag mem n n ) king and leader of greek forcesPoseidon(p s d n) god of sea, earthquakes, horses, and storms at seaAthena( th n ) goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfarePolyphemus(p l i f m s) the Cyclops who imprisoned OdysseusLaertes(l r t z ) Odysseus fatherCronus(kr n s) Titan ruler of the universe.

6 Father of ZeusPerimedes(per m d z) member of Odysseus crewEurylochus(y ril k s) another member of the crewTiresias(t r s s) blind prophet who advised OdysseusPersephone(p r sef n ) wife of HadesTelemachus(t lem k s) Odysseus and Penelope s sonSirens(s r nz) creatures whose songs lure sailors to their deathsScylla(sil ) sea monster of gray rockCharybdis(k rib dis) enormous and dangerous whirlpoolLampetia(lam p sh ) nymphHermes(h r m z ) herald and messenger of the godsEumaeus(y me s) old swineherd and friend of OdysseusAntinous(an tin s) leader among the suitorsEurynome(y rin m ) housekeeper for PenelopePenelope(p nel p ) Odysseus wifeEurymachus(y ri m k s) suitorAmphinomus(am fin m s) suitorWords from greek MythologyThe names and actions of the characters listedmay be more meaningful to students if they arefamiliar with examples that have enteredEnglish usage. Have students look up the wordsodysseyand sirenand use these words in a sentence that shows their general students to find the derivation ofother words from mythology , including atlas,echo, mentor,and ThinkingInterpret Point out that the desire to returnhome drives all of the action in theOdyssey.

7 Explain that Calypso and Circe aretwo enchantresses. Calypso is a seanymph who holds Odysseus underher spell for seven years. Circeturns Odysseus men into pigs. Ask students how Odysseus feelsabout his home on Ithaca. Whydoes he stay with Calypso andCirce when he is so eager to returnto return to Ithaca? Draw students attention to the second : Odysseus is eager toreturn to his home. He says that he never gave consent to stay withCalypso or Circe, indicating that hewas under a spell and never in con-trol of his own CheckAnswer:Alcinous, king of thePhaeacians, asks Odysseus to tell hisstory. 98from the Odyssey , part I 953 Sailing from TroyTen years after the Trojan War, Odysseus departs from the goddess Calypso s island. He arrives in Phaeacia, ruled by Alcinous. Alcinous offers a ship to Odysseus and asks him to tell of his adventures. I am Laertes 5 son, hold meformidable for guile6 in peace and war:20this fame has gone abroad to the sky s home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithaca7under Mount Neion s wind-blown robe of leaves,in sight of other islands Dulichium,Same, wooded Zacynthus Ithaca25being most lofty in that coastal sea,and northwest, while the rest lie east and rocky isle, but good for a boy s training;I shall not see on earth a place more dear,though I have been detained long by Calypso,830loveliest among goddesses, who held mein her smooth caves, to be her heart s delight,as Circe of Aeaea,9 the enchantress,desired me, and detained me in her in my heart I never gave shall a man find sweetness to surpasshis own home and his parents?

8 In far landshe shall not, though he find a house of of my sailing, then, from Troy?What of those yearsof rough adventure, weathered under Zeus?40 The wind that carried west from Ilium10brought me to Ismarus, on the far shore,a strongpoint on the coast of stormed that place and killed the men who we took, and we enslaved the women,45to make division, equal shares to all but on the spot I told them: Back, and quickly!Out to sea again! My men were mutinous,125. Laertes (l r t z )6. guile (g l) ; Ithaca (i k ) island off the west coast of AnalysisEpic HeroFor what quality does Odysseus say he is famous?8. Calypso (k lip s ) sea goddess who loved Circe (s r s ) of Aeaea ( )10. Ilium (il m) Cicones (si k n z)Who has asked Odysseus to tell his tale?12. mutinous (my t n s) for Less Proficient ReadersDisplay the Series-of-Events Chain(GraphicOrganizer Transparencies,p. 239), and havestudents chart the story that Odysseus in the first box of the organizer with the following sentence from p.

9 953: The wind thatcarried west from Ilium brought me toIsmarus. Guide students as they list events thatOdysseus describes, for example, his men s battles with the Cicones, his arrival on the island of the Lotus-Eaters, and his encounterwith the Cyclops. You may suggest that stu-dents write the names of the islands or creatures in each box as they encounter a second reading, they can go back and jotdown what happened to Odysseus and his menat each place or with each students that when they completetheir Series-of-Events Chain, they will have arough outline of the major events in Odysseus SkillHistorical and CulturalContext Askstudents what mistakesOdysseus and his men made onIsmarus. Possible response:Odysseus men were greedy and mutinous,drinking wine and feasting onsheep and cattle, but paying littleattention to people who wentinland. The crew s behaviorexposed them to the Cicone army. Point out the ways in whichOdysseus description reveals thetactics of greek warfare.

10 For exam-ple, the Cicones fight on horse-back, while the Greeks are armedwith lances. Askstudents what the emptybenches in line 63 reveal about theoutcome of the battle, as well asthe type of ship Odysseus sailed response:The emptybenches show the number of menkilled in battle. The benches alsoshow how the sailors sat on theboat, possibly to row with the Reading Skillquestion: What beliefs and valuesare reflected in lines 65 69?Possible response:The sailors grief indicates how close they areto one another and how muchthey honor the men with whomthey fight. Literary AnalysisEpic Hero and Flashback Remind students that Odysseus isexplaining to his listener why it hastaken him so long to return home. Askstudents to mark the wordsthat show the passage of time inthe first 10 lines of The : The words now, two longdays and nights, until,and thenshow the passage of time. Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What words in line 82remind you that this part is a flash-back?