2 Odyssey: Apple of Discord & The Trojan War
Aim: How can a concise understanding of both an epic poem and the Iliad enhance our reading of the Odyssey?
Pre-Lesson “Housekeeping”:
Ms. Peterson started off this lesson by reminding us that our Poem Anthology projects are due soon (A: 12/20, B: 12/21, C:12/22), and strongly recommended that we should adhere to some sort of scheduling to ensure that we get them done on time. There is no actual work to submit for this cycle (again, to ensure we get our projects done on time), so taking notes is highly recommended! She also encouraged participation, and reminded us that she’s not looking for perfection, and that there is no right or wrong answer!
Do Now:
We had to interpret the quote below and put it into our own words, then state whether we agree or disagree with the sentiment provided and why.
"The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts. An immense difference." - Henry Miller
As a class, we discussed how an ordinary man can be described as someone who spouts hot air and is a “follower” or a bystander. The difference between that and a hero is that a hero actually takes action and starts it all, keeps their promise, makes decisions and acts on them, while an ordinary person is just part of the task. A large percentage of us disagreed with the sentiment being provided, because an ordinary man can still make a positive change, or even contribute to one. As Henry Miller stated, there’s “an immense difference” between the two, and we all definitely agreed on that.
We then spirit-read The Golden Apple of Discord (link here & also attached to Google Classroom assignment), and considered the following questions (found on slide 2):
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
A. How is this ironic?
After reading, Ms. Peterson states, “Take note of the line: It happened this way.” and point out the literary device used”.
The literary device used was foreshadowing, since the future was hinted at through this line.
(**Video detailing the Trojan War)
Class Discussion - Slide 2 Questions:
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
The gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities through acting greedy, manipulative, jealous and displaying vanity. This is because they tried bribing for the apple, utilized manipulative means to get their way, and even fought over it at the banquet. They displayed caution as well.
***An important idea touched upon during our discussion was self-preservation, which is an
instinct where, when the situation calls upon it, you override every thought and make whatever decision you need to to live. We can see this take place with Zeus, where he preserves himself and makes Paris decide who to give the apple to.
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
To answer this question, we first discussed the difference between prophecy and fate: prophecy is a prediction that is made for something that could potentially happen in the future, while fate is the inability to avoid something that is destined to happen. For instance, the idea of fate is commonly seen in Shakespeare’s work and mythology: a character would try everything and anything to change their fate, which cannot be changed. We can see prophecy and fate play out in “The Golden Apple of Discord” through the ordering of Paris to be killed when he was born, in order to prevent fate concluded from prophecy from taking place.
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
How is this ironic?
Xenia plays an interesting role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris because the king treated Paris with respect, hospitality and generosity (xenia), but after his wife gets stolen, he consequently initiated an attack on Troy. This is ironic because of how King Menelaous was kind and hospitable at first, but then ended up feeling and acting the opposite way.
(We didn’t know enough about Xenia to answer the third question, so we just skipped it, but came back and answered it later)
Class Discussion - Slide 3:
A promise is “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen”.
An oath is a “solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior”.
Consider the different denotative and connotative emphasis of these two words.
We thought that both words have the same denotative meaning, but different connotative meanings. The word “oath” sounds much more serious than the word “promise” and can even be described as more of a “deal with the devil”. Sometimes things happen that cause us to break promises & disappoint others, but oaths cannot be broken as easily, and often cannot be broken at all!
We then watched a video on Xenia (link here + only watch until 1:32), which is described as the following:
“Xenia is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest hosts.”
Zeus, sometimes called Zeus Xenios, embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers
“Many stories cautioned mortals that any guest should be treated as a potentially disguised god or goddess and helped to establish the idea of xenia as a fundamental Greek custom”
Next, we spirit-read slides 5-14 detailing The Trojan War, Odysseys in the Trojan War, The Trojan Horse, Homers’ Epics, etc. and had great discussions about them. Key points of our discussions are listed below:
Paris, Prince of Troy, sails to Sparta to seize Helen, while King Menelaus treats him as an honored guest (xenia). Adding on, Aphrodite remains true to her word and makes Helen fall in love with Paris. Paris then takes Helen and heads off to Troy after sneaking into a ship with her
Since Helen’s suitors took an oath, they’re now obligated to help Menelaus go to Troy to take her back, & the Greeks attack Troy
Odysseys, who's the main character in The Odyssey, cunningly thought of constructing the Trojan Horse and tried to break the 10-year stalemate of the war, which helped lead the Greeks to victory
The Trojan Horse was a giant wooden statue of a horse (a symbol of Troy) which was presented as a “gift”. In actuality, there were Greek soldiers hiding in the horse & once they were inside the city, they wreaked havoc through destroying the temples, slaughtering children, and enslaving the women
Homer’s Epics were used in school to teach values like honor, bravery, hospitality—"xenia", intelligence, respect for the gods, and loyalty to home and family, and also to teach major faults like disrespecting the gods, having lack of hospitality, and excessive pride—"hubris”
Three Major Plot Strands
Odysseus’ wife and son awaiting his return (called the Telemachy)
Tale of Odysseus’ wanderings during the ten years following the Trojan War
& the merging of the two strands, when Odysseus returns to Ithaca and joins forces with his son, Telemachus, to destroy their enemies
***For anyone who’s confused, the videos below summarize everything we learned this lesson :)
Video #1 - Eris: The Goddess of Discord and Strife - Mythology Dictionary #05 - See U in History
Video #2 - Zeus and the Myth of Hospitality (Philemon and Baucis) Greek Mythology Ep. See U in History
Reflection: What did I learn? Why did I learn it? How will I use what I learned?
I really liked this lesson because I learned mainly about the Trojan War, its catalysts, the people involved and the events that took place. I also learned about Homer’s Epics, which are the Iliad and the Odyssey, among other intriguing things. I learned about this because of these events and literature’s historic significance, the effect they had on Ancient Greece, and because learning about them provides useful context for future lessons, readings, and learning. I can utilize what I’ve learned through researching, learning more about, and implementing values like Xenia, and others that correlate with it into my life. I can also use what I’ve learned to enrich my responses, work and understanding for other subjects like APWH, for example, where we’re currently learning about Ancient Greece.
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
A promise is “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen”.
An oath is a “solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior”.
Zeus, sometimes called Zeus Xenios, embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers
“Many stories cautioned mortals that any guest should be treated as a potentially disguised god or goddess and helped to establish the idea of xenia as a fundamental Greek custom”
Paris, Prince of Troy, sails to Sparta to seize Helen, while King Menelaus treats him as an honored guest (xenia). Adding on, Aphrodite remains true to her word and makes Helen fall in love with Paris. Paris then takes Helen and heads off to Troy after sneaking into a ship with her
Since Helen’s suitors took an oath, they’re now obligated to help Menelaus go to Troy to take her back, & the Greeks attack Troy
Odysseys, who's the main character in The Odyssey, cunningly thought of constructing the Trojan Horse and tried to break the 10-year stalemate of the war, which helped lead the Greeks to victory
The Trojan Horse was a giant wooden statue of a horse (a symbol of Troy) which was presented as a “gift”. In actuality, there were Greek soldiers hiding in the horse & once they were inside the city, they wreaked havoc through destroying the temples, slaughtering children, and enslaving the women
Homer’s Epics were used in school to teach values like honor, bravery, hospitality—"xenia", intelligence, respect for the gods, and loyalty to home and family, and also to teach major faults like disrespecting the gods, having lack of hospitality, and excessive pride—"hubris”
Three Major Plot Strands
Odysseus’ wife and son awaiting his return (called the Telemachy)
Tale of Odysseus’ wanderings during the ten years following the Trojan War
& the merging of the two strands, when Odysseus returns to Ithaca and joins forces with his son, Telemachus, to destroy their enemies
Video #1 - Eris: The Goddess of Discord and Strife - Mythology Dictionary #05 - See U in History
Video #2 - Zeus and the Myth of Hospitality (Philemon and Baucis) Greek Mythology Ep. See U in History
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