Aim: How can a concise understanding of both an epic poem and the Iliad enhance our reading of the Odyssey?
Do Now:
"The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts. An immense difference."
-Henry Miller
We began the class by interpreting the meaning of the quote and whether or not we agree with it. I thought that the quote meant that an ordinary man is usually a bystander or the one in need of help and the hero is the one who decides to actually solve the problem. I agree with the quote because people need to take action against problems to become a hero instead of standing and watching. One of my classmates, Bernice, viewed the ordinary man as a supporter and the hero as a leader.
The Apple of Discord (Summary):
After the do now, we proceeded to read the myth Apple of Discord (Click this link to read the full myth!). You can also watch a video about this myth with the link embedded here. This myth is about a young man, Paris, and the gods. Paris was prophesied to be the reason why Troy will fall so he had to be executed. Nobody could bear to execute the newborn so he was left in the wilderness. However, a bear took pity and decided to protect him and so a herdsman took it as a sign that Paris was not supposed to die. As a result the herdsman raised Paris in secret.
Paris was a judge in an event that a god, Ares, participated in. Despite Ares being better than mortals because of his status, he was awarded the reward anyways so the gods saw Paris as a man who kept his word.
One day, the gods had a feast to celebrate a marriage. However, an angry goddess who wasn’t invited decided to cause chaos by throwing a golden apple that had “for the fairest” (beautiful) inscribed on it. The goddesses bickered over who was worthy of the apple so Zeus brought Paris in to decide the winner. The goddesses each bribed Paris, but in the end Aphrodite won with her bribe of marriage to the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta.
True to her word, Helen fell in love with Paris, but King Menelaus was enraged so war was waged. This was the beginning of the Trojan War.
Questions:
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
Lapyan: The gods get angry and have feelings of desire.
Wilson: The gods become selfish and greedy.
Joanne: Zeus relied on someone else to make a decision to show that Zeus is not a perfect god. Zeus is also afraid of the wrath of the other gods.
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
Wilson: The role of prophecy was saying that Paris was fated to destroy Troy because it is impossible to change fate in Greek mythology. No matter what, people tried to kill Paris, but in the end, Paris would live and destroy Troy.
Team Discussion:
Consider the different denotative and connotative emphasis of these two words. How do they differ?
Mohammed R: The connotation of promise is uncertain and not as trustable compared to oath.
Sahil: Oath has a more serious connotation compared to promise.
Questions Cont.:
After the team discussion, we read and watched a video about xenia (Embedded here, and only watch up until 1:32!). Xenia is about a guest asking for hospitality from a host. In Greek culture, they had to practice xenia. This meant that the guest could ask for hospitality from anyone but he cannot overstay to burden their host. On the other side of the coin, a host has to provide food, drink, comfort, and protection for the guest. Until all of the above is provided, a host cannot ask the guest for their reasons.
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
How is this ironic?
Wilson: Since King Menelaus had to perform xenia, they had to treat Paris well
due to their belief. This is ironic because Paris steals his wife, Helen, and runs
Away.
The Odyssey:
We then read about how King Menelaus treats Paris well as a guest. True to Aphrodite’s word, Helen falls in love with Paris. Paris takes Helen back to Troy and since many suitors swore an oath to protect the marriage, war is waged and the Trojan War begins.
One of King Menelaus's suitors was Odysseus. He was a strong, cunning soldier and he came up with the Trojan horse to win the war. Odysseus starred in two famous Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad is an epic about the last days of the Trojan war while the Odyssey is about the journey home from the war. These two epics were written by Homer and were meant to teach people about Greek virtues.
Of the two epics, we focused on the Odyssey. It is a tale located in Ithaca about how Odysseus is returning from the Trojan War to see his family. While returning home, Odysseus goes through wild adventures with his army, all within about 10 years. However, he does not find the regular opponents on his journey, instead he finds monsters and women attempting to lure him away from his family. In the end, Odysseus returns to Ithaca and helps his son fend off their enemies.
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Reflection:
I learned that the Greeks valued xenia, respect for the gods, and honor. I also learned about the Trojan War and how it all started. We get some insight about Odysseus, the protagonist in the Odyssey. This lesson gave us background information about The Odyssey, a book we are going to read in the future. I can use this background information to better understand the setting, plot, and events that will happen in the book. I can also learn from the Greek idea of xenia. Sometimes people may be in genuine need of help, so if I see someone I know that is genuinely panicking then I will offer hospitality.
Enrichments:
Eris: The Goddess of Discord and Strife - Mythology Dictionary #05 - See U in History (Fixed) [2:28]
How and why the Trojan war started [3:22]
Zeus and the Myth of Hospitality (Philemon and Baucis) Greek Mythology Ep. See U in History [3:54]
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