Aim: How does Homer’s invocation establish tone for the beginning of the Odyssey?
Before the lesson, Ms. Peterson went over the updated syllabus. She told us about the due dates, lessons, and formatting of the syllabus.
After that, we had a team name change. My team decided to change to a simple and short name - boat.
Then, we started our lesson with a class discussion on the question, “How do you become inspired? Where does it originate?” Christopher started the discussion by answering that he got inspiration from playing video games and reading Wikipedia articles. Randy stated that he drew inspiration from other people’s works. Kelly also thinks that she draws inspiration from works of other people, especially on Pinterest. I said that random thoughts at any time and shower thoughts give me the ideas and inspiration to do something. Ms. Peterson agreed and told us how her colleagues would rush to have their notepads ready for whenever they needed to quickly jot down the thoughts that come into their head.
We learned about the Muses after our class discussion.
The Nine Muses
Inspiration for Poets and Artists
Nine goddess of literature, art, and science
Clio (history)
Thalia (comedy)
Erato (love poetry)
Euterpe (lyric poetry/song/flutes)
Polyhymnia (sacred poetry)
Calliope (epic poetry)
Terpsichore (dance)
Urania (astronomy)
Melpomene (tragedy)
Homer pays homage to these goddesses in invocation to provide a purpose to the story and tie in Ancient Greek traditions
Invocation
Calling on a deity or spirit for witness or inspiration
Homer calls out to the goddesses for inspiration to tell his tale
We then read Homer’s invocation:
After reading this passage, we had a discussion about some questions.
1. What is your opinion of Odysseus so far after hearing Homer's invocation to the muses and learning about the Trojan War?
I think Odysseus is a determined man to try to make his way home with his crew mates. He seemed confident that, through difficulties and obstacles, he could save and send them home safely after the fall of Troy. Randy said that he respected the traditions of honoring the Muses and also plundered Troy in the war.
2. How does Homer maintain the audience’s interest in the story, knowing that the audience is aware of the outcome from the very beginning?
He maintains the audience’s interest with the epic stories, monsters, and events that happen during the tale. Justin also responds that Homer tells of the events, incidents, and difficulties in between to keep the audience interested.
3. What does the invocation of the Muse in the opening lines clarify about Odysseus’ culpability (responsibility for a fault or wrong; blame) during his voyage home?
I think the invocation clarifies that Odysseus was unsuccessful in bringing his crew home but it was mostly his men to blame. Randy says that Odysseus did horrible things like have his men eat the cows of Helios and unsuccessfully bring his crew back home.
We then did the anticipation form. It was a form with different proverbs and quotes that we had to choose if we agreed or disagreed with. At the end, we had to choose one and explain why we chose our response.
After filling out the form, we moved on the next lesson of the day.
Aim: How does “Sailing From Troy” and “The Lotus Eaters” (Book IX) establish Odysseus’s role as a leader?
Do Now:
Consider the fact that Odysseus has been trying to return to
his home in Ithaca for 10 years. Imagine being away from your home for that long.
We had a class discussion for our do-now. Kelly and Randy said that they would miss her family and memories at home. Kevin stated that he would miss his bed. Ayah responded with her family and pets. Francisco added that he would miss the comfort and feeling of being home and knowing where it was. Finally, Ms. Peterson told us that she would miss her family’s homemade meals the most.
Characterization
Method of creating the personality and image of a character
Direct Characterization
Author makes direct statements; tells us about the character
Indirect Characterization
Author implies about character; shows the reader
STEAL Method
Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, Looks
After, we read the passages “Sailing From Troy” and “The Lotus Eaters”.
At the end of the class, Ms. Peterson told us to go over the questions on the slides ourselves.
Summary of Sailing From Troy
Odysseus talks about his tale from Troy. He longs for his home, Ithaca, which he describes as the most dear and memorable as he says “I shall not see on earth a place more dear.” From Troy, he was brought to the Cicones where his men went to resupply and relax. They plundered the place and overstayed while Odysseus tells them to hurry and leave. They refuse and the fugitives run to call the main army. The army arrives to fight Odysseus’s crew, resulting in many deaths. They finally flee and cry as they sail away.
Summary of The Lotus Eaters
While sailing across the sea, they face an endless storm with blazing winds. The crew tries to survive. After nine days, they reach the island of the Lotus Eaters. These people have been intoxicated by the lotus, which makes you forget the memories and feeling of home after eating it. Odysseus is able to prevent his men from eating it and drag them back to the ship, where they sail away. The lotus eaters lived a life in “paradise” as they no longer longed for home and are happy to stay on the island forever. Homer implies the land as a trick and negative because the people are being forced to stay. They also try to have the crew eat the lotuses, an attempt to make them join. This place numbs their mind and never allows them to escape, which is a sign of defeat to those who have succumbed to the lotus fruit. Odysseus is shown as a leader because it is him who drives his men away from the lotuses. He himself has to take responsibility for their clumsiness to make sure they all get home alive.
Reflection:
Today, I learned about three passages of Homer’s Odyssey. These passages are Homer’s Invocation, Sailing From Troy, and The Lotus Eaters. After this lesson, I had a better comprehension of Homer’s writing and methods. His use of indirect characterization successfully molded Odysseus’s personality and character through his actions. For example, his strength and confidence to bring him and his crew home showed his determination. During class, we read these parts of his tale and understood the purpose and meanings of them. In Homer’s Invocation, he honored the Muses for help and inspiration in telling his tale of Odysseus. With this passage, he incorporates Greek traditions of invoking the Muses. In Sailing From Troy and The Lotus Eaters, Homer builds up Odysseus’s character through his sayings of his journeys to Alcinous and his determination to seek shelter and save his crew from the tempting Lotus Eaters. I learned about these passages because they show examples of Ancient Greek literature building character and tone. Experiencing Homer’s writing sense and how he created Odysseus’s personality is essential to teaching me about character development. Reading these passages required me to think and understand the purpose of them. For instance, The Lotus Eaters was important to indirectly describe Odysseus as a leader in his crew, straying them away from the hungry Lotus Eaters. With these passages and these two lessons in mind, I think I can use these methods in my own writing to fully grasp the idea of indirect characterization. Learning these examples of building tone and character allow me to catch it in other books that I may read. Being able to understand and grapple Homer’s writing and texts also can allow me to read other translated versions of epics, such as the Iliad.
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