Blogger #21, Dana Neyman, Period 5, 12/4/2020, Cycle Day B, Freshman Lit 2021
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.
The list of qualities and definitions of “hero” were done by students independently as the class was held over Zoom.
List of qualities that I feel belong to a “hero” include
Courage
Bravery
Mental/Emotional strength
Kindness
Selfless
Giving
Humble
My definition of a hero is someone who goes out of their way to help those in need and tries their best to make the world and/or others’ lives better.
Others in the class mentioned traits and qualities such as determination, trustworthiness, thoughtfulness, selflessness, kindness, helpfulness, and persistence. Generally, heroes had to be good people, if not above average, to be considered a hero.
Definitions that were shared included phrases such as “There is no I in hero” and “Something or someone that brings positive inspirations” Many students mentioned that heroes put others first and are willing to help others in their definition. One specific definition that was shared stated “A hero is a person that helps other people with or without having special abilities, heroes have compassion for others and help others when needed.”
The next class discussion was about what knowledge we had about Greek heroes and Greek mythology.
The family of gods and goddesses was discussed. Zeus and Hera are considered to be the leaders or the heads of the gods. Zeus’s mom was human. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were three brothers and were the gods of lightning, the underworld, and the sea, respectively. Each god or goddess represented a different aspect of society. Unlike many other belief systems, gods and goddesses were sometimes shown in a bad light rather than being praised constantly. One person mentioned the myth of Narcissus, a god who fell in love with his reflection when he looked at himself in some water. He ended up dying because of his reflection. Also, Greek mythology included other beings such as titans and monsters, at one point there was a war between the gods and the titans where the gods won. It was pointed out that some prior knowledge could have been from reading Percy Jackson.
For background, here is the myth of Narcissus and Echo. Here it mentions flaws, like Narcissus’ love for himself and Echo’s constant talking. These are examples of flaws, flaws are later mentioned in the lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jVsyWFss4&t=10s
Some Important Gods to know…
Zeus - The God of the sky, lightning, 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
Here is a short video I found with an overview of many important Greek gods and goddesses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCm8W5RZes
The Gods and Religious Customs
Ancient cultures used mythology belief systems much the same way that people used modern religion.
- The Greeks believed in a polytheistic belief system
- Believed that gods took an active interest in human life
- Gods behaved in human ways (possessed human characteristics)
- Respect for the gods was essential success and survival
Greek culture was also known for hero-worship
- A hero might be the town’s founder of a historical figure who played a major role in an important battle
Then conversation started about why gods may behave in human ways and possess human characteristics. I stated that giving human characteristics to gods made it more relatable and easy to understand them. If they were given no flaws and above human traits throughout, it would be farfetched and impossible to worship because we did not have their perspective and it was so far out of reach that we couldn’t learn from them. Others mentioned that the gods were created by humans so inspiration came from other humans. Human characteristics allowed for storytelling and the ability to teach lessons.
Oral Traditions
Ancient mythology belongs to the oral tradition (folklore, legends, etc…)
Stories passed orally and appealed to the non-literate
These stories were a form of entertainment
The stories enable the passing of history and culture from one group to the next
The next point in the lesson came to epic poetry.
What is an Epic?
An epic is a long, narrative poem about a national or legendary hero.
2 epics were produced in Ancient Greece which were both written by Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey (900-700 BCE)
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
The next class discussion was started by the question, why would an author/storyteller choose to use these elements?
Throughout the discussion, several points were brought forth. An author or a storyteller could get a spike of creativity based on real events like the Trojan War and attempt to romanticize it. When using a flashback, a reader becomes more connected to the situation and receives a better understanding. A flashback can mention decisions, conflicts, or reasons as to why a situation happened. In addition, a reader can get to know a character better. Through their actions, choices, and dialogue, we can understand their personality better. Beginning “in medias res”, or in the middle of things, can hook a reader into a story. If the story starts with action, a reader will continue even if it is boring at times because they want to find out either the outcome of the action or why it occurred in the first place. Sometimes, stories can have boring introductions which can lead to a less enjoyable read. They feature the gods, the values, and the morals of the civilization because they are used to teach the society.
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
It was mentioned that out of all the gods, only one has been described as not extremely beautiful.
More class discussion about how each god or goddess has a flaw or weakness. Some stated how they were still human, so they could not be perfect. People could connect better to the gods if they were more realistic. Also, there are so many gods that they cannot be all well rounded. The gods were used to teach people morals. A point stated was that there is no perfection so we can grasp they are not perfect.
2 slides contained a reading about the word hero. They were titled “Etymology of the word “hero” & its overuse in the modern era”
The reading follows
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?
Team Collaboration - Answer questions about the reading.
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?
One person in my group mentioned how the word isn’t overused because deciding whether or not a person is a hero is an opinion. I believe it is overused because the title and definition of hero have become so much less grand since we did not respect the original definition. Someone else in my group agreed and said how the word, hero, has strayed away from the definition because of its overuse.
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”.
Superheroes stray away from the original definition. Today’s superheroes are not worshipped, rather respected. Respected could be considered the wrong word but today we aren’t worshipping or following superheroes in the same way as heroes in Ancient Greece, we are simply fans of their personalities or their abilities. Also, the ordinary person can be a superhero, they don’t have to be good looking or even aware of their power. Superheroes today are much less grand than the original definition of 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? My group decided that we aren’t searching for a “superhuman” hero. We are being entertained by the idea of powers. We like the stories of a man that is part spider or a someone who can be superhuman strong like the Hulk, we aren’t necessarily trying to find someone who is actually superhuman.
Other groups talked about how heroes are overused because they still show flaws today which is inline with the original definition. Someone mentioned that evolution of words is natural so the word can’t necessarily be overused. Others said how the word hero is overused because now anything good is a hero.
For the second question, rather than looking for superhumans like how heroes were in ancient Greece, we are looking for people who show how little things matter. Also, comic books were brought up. The times at which more stories about superheroes are made are during times of war and strife. We may want to hear about superhumans and heroic actions when the world is suffering as a way of escapism.
Reflection
In this lesson, I learned the basics of Greek mythology, information about epic poetry, and the original meaning of hero. Greek mythology consists of many gods and goddesses who each represented an aspect of the world. They were respected and worshiped in ancient Greece for many years. Unlike many other religions, gods and goddesses admittedly had flaws and human characteristics. Epic poetry focuses on storytelling and starts with action so that a flashback can be used to learn more about how the action came to be. Epic poetry included the Gods. Hero was originally a grand and godlike title to receive in ancient Greece. However today, hero is used nonchalantly and can be considered overused. It has less of a strong meaning to it and being called a hero is not as meaning as it used to be.
I learned this because later, we will be examining The Odyssey which is an epic poem from ancient Greece. Since epic poetry included divine intervention, an understanding of Greek mythology can be greatly beneficial to understanding The Odyssey. Also, knowing the characteristics of epic poetry can help appreciate the way it was written. It was made to start in the middle of things and have a flashback which now I will look for while reading the epic poem. The use of the word hero while discussing The Odyssey would be more clear now that I understand that it was a much greater term than it is today.
I will use what I have learned in the upcoming weeks when we begin examining the epic poem, The Odyssey, as well as outside of the classroom. As mentioned before, knowing the basics of Greek mythology, the original meaning of hero, and the techniques used in epic poetry will better my understanding of The Odyssey and better my ability to discuss the text. Outside of the classroom, I will be more aware of my use of words and how words evolve over time. The word, hero, evolved over time because of how it was misused. Rather than being reserved for the highest of people, it was used for anyone that has done good, therefore changing the meaning.
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