Aim: How can an understanding of Greek myths and heroes prepare us for our examination of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey?
Do Now:
Whole Class Discussion
Brainstorm the qualities that you feel belong to a “hero”. What do you believe might be a working definition of “hero” you could share with class.
Here’s what my peers said:
Bernice - Selflessness
Sophia - Courage
Alma - Confidence
Sahil - Savior
Carmen- Determination
Lixiang - Righteous
Oscar - Kindness
We made a list of these following qualities and discussed them, as well as what made a “hero” really a hero. Someone willing to sacrifice themselves for the health and safety of others. Those who put others comfort in front of theirs.
Whole Class Discussion
What (if anything) do you already know about Greek heroes and Greek mythology?
Here’s what my peers said:
Loezee- Greek heroes are typically strong and descended from Gods
Ayad - Greek mythology is fake
Oscar - Greek mythology is supposed to teach you some things, such as morals
Eric - Greek mythology is often dramatized
Chris - The goddess of love is attractive
Sahil - The Greek gods are a lot more selfish and humanoid compared to other gods.
Me - There is a lot of manslaughter and incest
Lapyan- Greek heroes go on long journeys and quests
Joanne- Greek mythology explains natural phenomena and things in nature.
Using this list, we made comparisons to some of the bigger figures in Greek mythology including:
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
The Gods and Religious Customs
We discussed the use of polytheism, which is the belief in the existence of multiple gods in a religion. It is used in Greek mythology because there are many numerous gods. We also discussed a couple of the beliefs, such as how it was believed that gods had an active interest in human life. Also that gods behaved in very humanly ways, as well as respect for the gods being necessary for survival, which is a very common theme in religion, but still worth mentioning.
Oral Tradition
We discussed the oral traditions of this culture. They spread their stories through words, and these stories would get passed down from generation to generation. It is how the culture stays alive and the stories become a popular part of modern culture. The stories are often used for entertainment.
Epic
We discussed what epic poems are. It is a long narrative poem about a journey of a legendary hero. We took a look at two poems produced by Ancient Greece, both written by Homer. They were The Odyssey and IIliad. These poems really set the standard of the word epic.
What makes a poem EPIC?
We discussed the part of an epic poem that makes it an epic poem. These are some of the attributes:
They begin in the middle of things, uses a flashback to explain an important event that happened before the story.
It has a vast setting, often time covering many nations and even the Underworld.
Features lengthy, formal speeches.
Contains encounters with divine beings, such as the gods.
Has heroes that embody the values and morals of the civilization in which they originated.
What makes a hero epic?
We discussed some of the things that will make the protagonist, the mighty hero, a hero. Here’s what we discussed:
Superhuman qualities, stronger/braver than others
Strong, but human, so has flaws and weaknesses
Conquers many difficult tasks with strength, smarts, and wits
On a quest for something of great value
Has villains standing in his path
Is physically beautiful
A modern “hero”
Next, we discussed the modern use, and typical overuse, of the word “hero”. Some argue that the word “hero” is used too widely to the extent that it comes as almost meaningless. According to the common usage, almost nobody isn’t a hero. It is often used to describe someone who is different from others, devaluing the word to understand true heroism, like a superhuman. Our big question was, “Does the word ‘hero’ still come with any real meaning to it?”
Team collaboration
We were assigned, in our respective groups, to draw our own conclusions to the argument presented. These were the parts of the assignments:
Do we agree or disagree with the concept of a “hero” being overused?
Compare some of today’s superheroes with 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?
Unfortunately, the class was on a time crunch, so we did not get to collaboratively work on these questions. However, this is my take on it.
I do not agree with the term “hero” being overused. Despite the older meaning, a hero can be any normal person willing to help out in a community, go above and beyond for the welfare of others. There is no reason that they would have to have an attractive physical appearance, big muscles, the need to travel throughout the world in search of something, or many other attributes presented to justify the meaning of a “hero”.
Some of today’s superheroes, not in real life but more like Superman or Spiderman, match many of the details listed as the attributes of a hero in Greek mythology. However, modern heroes are usually people with supernatural abilities that others are not capable of. Most times, they are not in search of something, but rather they are there to protect their home or country. I am not very into the DC universe, however with the Marvel Universe, most of the timeline is pointed at advancing human civilizations, as well as protecting Earth from terrestrial and extraterrestrial threats. The heroes presented in Greek mythology actually leave their place of origin, even their country, in search of something to maybe bring honor to their hometown, they are very different motives.
As a modern society, it is unlikely that we will be in need of a hero. At least, not a superhuman, the thing is, superhuman would just be used as a tactic for powerful governments to win battles against other governments. They would not bring honor to their home, but would rather be used like guinea pigs, even if they wouldn’t be, one single misuse of their powers, even in a misunderstanding, would result in a full mistrust. As of right now, it looks like people around the world would usually depend on their governments for protection. And long journey’s would also probably be held mostly by governmental forces.
Reflection
As I look back on the lesson, I ask myself, “Is there any real, justified definition of a hero?”. As it seems, there is not. Although there are definitions from ancient times, they do not seem to fit the criteria that our everyday heroes, or even comic book heroes possess. Heroes are not people that stand out because of their looks and superhuman abilities, heroes are more like people that stand out because of their willingness to go above and beyond for their community and the people around them. As a result, the definition of a hero is not justified on the basis of someone who has better physical capabilities, physical appearances, and god like abilities amongst their peers, despite what the ancient definition says. The definition of a hero is justified within the actions taken to ensure a healthy and safe community by an individual, or group of individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment