Blogger #9- Darren Chin- Period 7- 4/23/21- Day C

Aim: How can a concise understanding of both an epic poem and the Iliad enhance our reading of the Odyssey?

As a class reminder, the lesson started out with hinting that our Poem Anthropology Project would be due the following cycle and that we should direct any questions we have to our teammates since they are a lifeline.

Do Now: For the following quotation:

"The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts. An immense difference."

- Henry Miller

1. Interpret it in your own words

2. Then Agree or disagree with the sentiment being expressed and explain why or why not.

Bernice said how heroes take on a bigger responsibility than ordinary men; ordinary men are followers while heroes are leaders.  Oscar said how common men are like supporters for the hero, like how common men are bystanders but heroes are a big part of the event (a game changer).  I personally agree with the statement; for example say that someone tripped on the street, a “hero” will come to help them get back up, while there would be “ordinary men” just watching the scenario play without taking action.  The instructor, Ms. Peterson, said to keep this in mind as we venture deeper into Greek mythology.

* The picture above shows a hero saving a man from a car and bystanders running away*

Additionally, Ms. Peterson said that the Greek mythology unit will be handled a lot differently.  There is a lot of important information to absorb, and multiple lessons will have to be learned each cycle.  Reading homework will have to be done and that it is the students responsibility to check the syllabus (in the Google Classroom stream) to see if there is homework.  Reading check quizzes will also be occasionally taking place using Kahoot.

As a class, we then started reading the text, “Apple of Discord”, which directly correlates with the Trojan War.  Here’s what I learned: Paris was prophesied to be the downfall of Troy; attempts to kill him were made but he miraculously survived.  A chief herdsman, Agelaus saw this and decided to raise him as his own as he grew older.  Zeus arranged a wedding for sea nymph Thetis and the goddess of discord, Eris wasn’t invited so she was enraged; she threw a golden apple sketched with the word kallisti, which means “for the fairest”.  Three goddesses: Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera mainly fought for it.  It was Paris of Troy’s decision to decide who gets the apple, and the three goddesses started to offer up love, power, and etc.  Paris chose Aprhrodite’s deal because it appealed the most; Paris then went to Sparta and gained the love of King Menelaus’ wife, Helen.  This led to King Menelaus commanding an attack on Troy, which caused the start of the Trojan War.  

As a class, we then started answering these questions:

1. How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?

2. What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?

3. How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris? 

1. How is this ironic?

For Question 1, Lapyan and Wilson said that gods can act selfish and could have human emotions like anger, which the class collectively agreed on.  Joanne took this question from another perspective and said that Greek gods aren’t portrayed as perfect or righteous compared to gods in other religions.  This is because Zeus demonstrated acts of cowardness and did not want to face the wrath of the two gods who could not get the golden apple.

For Question 2, Wilson and Ms. Peterson said how Paris was prophesied to be the downfall of Troy, and attempts to kill him ultimately failed because fate had stepped in.  Paris got raised until he was older when fate once again stepped in; Zeus chose Paris to decide who gets the golden apple amongst the three goddesses.  Fate steps in for the last time when Paris accepts Aphrodite’s offer, then steals Helen from King Menelaus, igniting the sparks for the Trojan War.

To answer Question 3, we must first cover oaths, promises, and xenia.

Oath- “a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior.”

Promise- “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.”

When the class was asked to differentiate the connotative meanings of the two words, Mohammed R. said that an oath was more secure/trustworthy than a promise.  Ms. Peterson agreed and said that an oath is essentially a strong promise.  Here are some real life examples she mentioned:

• Putting hands on bible in court pleading to always tell the truth (an oath)

• Doctors take an oath to do no harm

• Lawyers take an oath to not betray a client’s trust

Xenia

“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 host.”

Remember Zeus Xenios!!- hosts guests; role model to show how hosts should treat guests to give xenia

Theoxenia- act of avoiding divine punishment as a host by giving xenia to guests

For Question 3, Wilson says how King Menelaus treats Paris very well because xenia must be given to avoid divine punishment from Zeus.  This is ironic because Paris came to Sparta to just steal King Menealus’ wife, Helen, away from him.  I personally agree with Wilson because all hosts had to give good xenia to avoid punishment, and how Paris just stabbed King Menelaus in the back by stealing Helen when he just gave good xenia to him.

Helen’s suitors (man in love with a woman) had to go into the Trojan War because they took an oath.

A trick I clearly remember that Ms. Peterson said during class was to pronounce Odysseus like “Oh-dysseus” so there would be no confusion with the pronunciation of the word “Odyssey”.

Odysseus and his contribution to the Trojan War

• Odysseus invented the “Trojan Horse”

• The “Trojan Horse” were disguised as gifts

• Houses soldiers

• Used to get inside Troy

• Troy is demolished thanks to Odysseus

• “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”

Fun Fact: The “Trojan Horse” computer virus originates from the “Trojan Horse” in the war

Achilles

• Died in the last year of the “Trojan War”

• Supposedly invulnerable in everywhere but the Achilles heel

• Son of Thetis, the sea nymph

Zeus forced Thetis to marry the mortal man Peleus because it was prophesied that her son was supposed to be stronger than her husband.  Zeus did not want to see any overthrowing like he did to his father Chronos.  If Thetis married a god, the son would be much stronger and the power balance would be unstable. 

Homer’s Epics, The Iliad and the Odyssey, featured hubris, meaning “excessive pride” and also major disrespect for gods.  The Odyssey describes the end of the Trojan War and the journey back home for Odysseus; essentially a sequel for The Iliad. 

In Homer’s Epic the Odyssey, three major things happen: 

• A separate story called the Telemachy where Odysseus’ family wait for him to come back home

• Odysseus’ journey to get back home after the Trojan War

• Odysseus and his son Telemachus team up to put an end to their enemies

HW: Read slides 13 and 14, and refer to slide 15 for enrichment 

Links to recap this lesson

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10WRhQq6o7JqrK36B6g16Mjx26jDyscCn/view (Apple of Discord PDF)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euD0fqeI_9o (In depth video with graphics of the Apple of Discord)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQRIQtnvII&ab_channel=GreekMythComix (Amazing explanation of xenia)

Reflection

I learned about the “Apple of Discord” and Troy’s prophecy which both cumulatively caused the Trojan War.  I also learned values significant to Greek culture like xenia (host demonstrating hospitality to guests) and theoxenia (act of avoiding divine punishment).  This lesson also introduced me to Greek figures like Achilles and Odysseus which were crucial for securing a victory in the Trojan War.  Lastly, this lesson introduced me to the sequel of the Iliad, which is the Odyssey and major plot points for it (Odysseus’ journey home and the enemies he and his son encounter).  I learned this because it is so important to develop the fundamentals of Greek mythology since a deeper dive into the topic will be taken and it’s always good to know a bit of a topic before you start reading and analyzing epics.  Additionally, I learned this because personally, I found his topic to be super interesting so far, like Troy’s prophecy and the fates he meets along the way were very intriguing and I cannot wait to learn more about the sequel, Odysseus.  I will use what I have learned this lesson to enhance my arsenal of existing vocabulary words to use in real life scenarios.  This lesson can also be applied to other real life applications because myths are hugely relevant and important, no matter the era.  They usually have something important to say and in this case, it’s the act of giving good xenia (welcoming and friendly to guests) to avoid divine punishment.  Ultimately, a lot of information is to be taken in from this lesson and my blog is here to help the people reading this clear the gaps of confusion you might have.