Aim: How can an understanding of Greek myths and heroes prepare us for our examination of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey?
Do Now:
At the beginning of the lesson, we brainstormed as a class the attributes we believe a "hero" should possess— the working meaning of the term "hero." I believe that a hero is someone who is trustworthy, courageous, and always willing to help others. What good is a hero without a good villain, as many have said? This ties in with the other attributes listed by the classmates, such as a hero's bravery and perseverance in overcoming and defeating his or her villain or obstacle.
Whole-Class Discussion:
We had a lengthy conversation about what we knew about Greek myths and heroes because we were going to be studying the Odyssey. Ayah added that in film, the gods are seen to play specific roles, such as Zeus being the villain. Many heroes were god's sons or daughters, which is why many of them were considered to possess supernatural strength and bravery. We also discussed how the gods were the embodiment of human beings, representing both the positive and negative aspects of our being.
Important Gods:
Following the class lecture, we did a spirit reading on Greek Gods and the customs of these gods. Zeus, Hades, Athena, and Poseidon are some of the more famous gods. Zeus is the god of the moon, lightning, and thunder, and he is the lord of all gods. Poseidon is Zeus' brother and the god of the seas as well as earthquakes, earning him the nickname "Earth-shaker." Hades is the king of the underworld and dead/afterlife, and he another one of Zeus' brothers. He is the husband of Persephone. Athena is the daughter of Zeus and the titan Metis, and she is the goddess of battle and wisdom.
The Greeks were polytheistic, which meant they fully believed in the presence of gods. They claimed that gods were reflections of nature and that they behaved in the same good and bad ways as humans. They also claimed that the gods kept a close eye on what they did throughout their lives. The secret to life and prosperity was thought to be respecting and worshipping the gods. Greeks revered their heroes as well. A hero could be the founder of a town or a key figure in a war. Ms. Peterson used the Epic of Gilgamesh as an example of this.
Many of the myths were passed down orally through generations, which means they were passed down by physically sharing the tales. Before the printing press was invented, this allowed stories and culture to survive through civilizations. This method of storytelling was often appealing to the illiterate.
Homer's Epics and What Constitutes an Epic:
The Iliad and its companion, The Odyssey, are two made by Homer; these epics were considered to be the cornerstones of Greek civilization. These two poems also define what constitutes an epic.
We had a class discussion about why these criteria exist and how they work for the poem after spirit reading the criteria. Many of us discussed how the epic beginning in the middle of the poem adds to the intrigue, creating a kind of cliffhanger effect. Starting it in the middle often deviates from the standard, as the most text begins at the start of the actual narrative or plot.
A hero in an epic should have superhuman abilities and the bravery to meet every challenge. They should, however, have faults because they aren't flawless and are still human. As previously said, a hero should be given tasks or villains to conquer or beat. The hero should be searching for something important to his or her people or to himself. A villain or several villains will attempt to prevent the hero from completing the search. The protagonist should also be physically attractive.
We had a class discussion about why heroes aren't great after we finished spirit reading about heroes in an epic. We came to the conclusion that if a hero were fine, we would have no sympathy for him. We wouldn't feel tension if the hero got into trouble or made a tough choice between good and evil if the hero was fine since we would know the hero would do the right thing. Including faults makes them more relatable to us, and relatability helps us to empathize with the protagonist.
The etymology of the Word “Hero” & Its Overuse in the Modern Era:
We talked about how the word hero came to be after explaining what makes an epic and the qualifications for a hero in an epic. The heroes first appeared in stories passed down through the generations. Many of the characters of these tales were superhuman, and their deeds were almost always in the best interests of humanity. During the Homeric era of ancient Greece, the word's [hêrôs] meaning evolved from "a being of godlike prowess and beneficence" to "a warrior-chieftain of special power, bravery, or capacity," according to the dictionary description.
The word hero is overused too much, where it can be applied to anything and anyone who does something good. This word is used so much that it doesn’t have a meaning anymore and it isn’t really special. Over time, it just becomes bland and loses its meaning.
Group Discussion:
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?
My group said that the word hero is overused and it’s just applied to anyone who does something good. This makes the word lose its meaning to the point that it becomes stale.
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 that 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”.
My group said that a modern hero example that defies the original definition of a hero is Batman. Batman doesn’t have any superpowers or any special abilities, he’s was just an ordinary guy who swore to help protect the city and he was driven to do so because his parents were killed by a mugger.
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 said that as a modern society, we aren’t searching for a ‘superhuman’ hero similar to the Ancient Greeks since the term is so overused that the heroes could be anyone and as a society, we don’t really need one.
Reflection:
In this lesson, I learned a lot about Greek mythology and the gods of Greek. It’s really nice to relearn about the gods since the last time I learned about Greek gods would’ve probably been in fifth or sixth grade. In addition, I also learned that the word ‘hero’ came from the Greek word ‘hêrôs’ and now the modern world is just overused too much where it is applied to anything in the world. The original definition was about someone doing good with superpowers, with human flaws, and have good qualities about themselves. The modern definition has just evolved to basically anyone who is distinguishable and can do good. We also learned about what an epic was, which was a poem about a heroin preparation for The Odyssey, by Homer. We learned the criteria of an epic to further our understanding of them. In conclusion, the word ‘hero’ lost its meaning, and epics help show the true heroes.
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