Blogger #20, Anisha Parvez, Period 9, 12/7/20, Day C, Freshmen 2021
Freshman 2021
Previous Lesson: Poem Anthology Project. Due Dec 23rd.
Aim: How can an understanding of Greek myths and heroes prepare us for our examination of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey?
Do Now: Think/Pair/Share
With a partner, brainstorm and list qualities that you feel belong to a “hero”.
Then create a unified, working definition of “hero” to share with the class.
Our class discussed that heroes have many traits but one important trait they have is that they are selfless. We all agreed that a hero is someone who actively goes out of their way to help others even if that means putting themselves in danger and creating enemies for the greater good.
List of qualities I believe belongs to a “hero”.
Bravery
Determination
Honesty
Integrity
Courage
Perseverance
Confidence
Inspirational
Whole-Class Discussion:
What (if anything) do you already know about Greek heroes and Greek mythology?
My class discussed their knowledge of Greek mythology and Greek Heroes. We discussed that the purpose of greek heroes was to inspire people and make them look up to someone even if it wasn't real. Some of my classmates also had mentioned that Greek mythology was a way to show aspects of life and how to live then. Ms. Peterson also added on and reminded us that during the time myths were told there was no scientific data or reasons for why certain things had been occurring so the people had to estimate why it was occurring.
Some important Gods to know…
Zeus
The God of the sky, lightening and thunder
King of the gods on Mount Olympus
Hades
God of the underworld/Lord of the Dead
his wife is Persephone
Athena
Daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom,
courage, battle etc.
Poseidon
God of the sea and earthquakes
The Gods and Religious Customs:
The Greeks had believed in gods and goddesses which is polytheism, believing in more than one god. They believed that gods took an active interest in human life and took a huge part of the Greeks’ everyday lives. The Greeks respected their gods as a way for success and guidance. In addition, the Greek culture was known for hero-worship where a town founder or leader played a huge role in a battle.
Oral Traditions:
Ancient Greeks spread folklore, legends, myths orally. There were no technology or writing systems so everything got spread orally from one generation to another. The Greeks enjoyed telling these stories to their families and others so it was a form of entertainment.
Epic Poetry of Ancient Greece:
We had discussed the two “epics,” the Iliad and The Odyssey both written by Homer. Ms.Peterson had also asked if anyone of us knew another “epic” and it was the Epic of Gilgamesh!
What is an EPIC:
An epic is a long, narrative poem about a national or legendary hero.
As previously stated, Ancient Greece
produced two epics:
The Iliad and The Odyssey (900-700 B.C.)
Both written by Homer
What makes a poem EPIC?:
They begin “in medias res” (in the middle of things)- uses a flashback to explain important action that occured before the story
Flashback: the epic hero recounts his adventures in a scene that interrupts the sequence of events in a narrative to relate earlier events
Has a vast setting, covers many nations (and the underworld)
Features lengthy, formal speeches
Contains divine interventions—THE GODS!
Features heroes that embody the values and morals of the civilization
Next we moved on to having a class discussion!
Class Discussion:
Why would an author/storyteller choose to use these elements?
Our class discussed that authors choose to use these elements to get the reader hooked so they can keep on reading. The author may use flashbacks to help the readers understand the character developments occurring in certain characters and understand why the decisions the characters made that brought them to where they started. It helps readers understand how the character might behave or the decisions they may make later in the story.
Next, I read the following slide What Makes a Hero Epic out to the class.
What Makes a Hero EPIC:
Superhuman qualities (stronger/braver than others)
Still human, so has a flaw/weakness
Must conquer many difficult tasks
On a quest for something of great value
(to him or his people)
Villain(s) try to keep the hero from his quest
Physically beautiful
Etymology of the word “hero” & its overuse in the modern era
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's [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?
Summary:
As a class we discussed how Heroes had “godlike” characteristics and abilities. They seemed superior to normal people and did everything for the benefit of others or for the good. We refer to doctors, firefighters, and police officers as our heroes because they do good. However many argue that the term “heroes” is overused in the modern world and the value of hero would eventually decrease like other words like “omg” have.
Team Collaboration:
1.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?
I believe that the word “hero” is not always overused because we have people that actually try to do good for others and the world and if that is a lot of people they are still heros.
2. 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”.
Some of today’s superheroes are doctors, police officers, firefighters. These types of heroes save lives everyday and in their job they would go out of their way to help others. In the past superheroes were depicted as extraordinary. Now we consider whoever goes out of their way to do good for others as heroes.
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?
I believe that as a modern society we are kind of searching for a “superhuman” hero similar to the Ancient Greeks despite our overuse of the term. Superheroes do have similar characteristics similar to the Ancient Greeks such as bravery, determination, and courage.
Ms. Peterson had put us into our team breakout rooms to discuss our answers to the questions above and express our opinions on what we think about the word “Hero”. My group had different views on if “hero” is overused. Me and 2 other members of the group had agreed that the term “hero” is not overused for the most part because there are people out there that always put themselves in danger for others and for the good of the world. There were also 2 members of our group who had disagreed and said that the term “hero” has been overused for the smallest acts of heroism. As a class we had shared our views and half of the class argued that the term “hero” is overused while the other half said it was not overused. After Ms. Peterson had addressed the question “When do superheroes most often appear in history?” many had remembered superheroes come during difficult times to rescue.
Reflection:
In today's lesson I learned new knowledge about the Greek culture & traditions, epic poems and about the views of the word “hero” being overused. I learned much more about Greek mythology and how stories were passed down from one generation to another and that the Greeks were Polytheistic. I also learned about epic poems, what structures an epic poem and that Homer had written the Iliad and The Odyssey. In addition I also learned the different views of the word “hero” in the modern-day. Many believe that “hero” is overused and its value is becoming meaningless. In the future, this lesson will help expand my knowledge on Greek Mythology and epic poems.
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