Aim: How does the episode of “The Land of the Dead” further our understanding of Odysseus as the epic hero?
Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION
ENRICHMENT: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
To start off today’s lesson, the class began with a discussion for the Do Now. Upon reading the questions, Mrs. Peterson emphasized the importance of the words “culture” and “tradition.” Additionally, the Do Now ties heavily into today’s lesson and has huge connections to the episode of “The Land of the Dead.” Mohammed R. starts off the discussion. He says that “When a few years ago my grandpa passed away, I remember we had two celebrations. One here and one back in Bangladesh. Both times, we held a big feast and invited our friends. We basically mourned his death and we had a priest say a few prayers during them.” Rather than actually mourning, it can be seen that in Mohammed’s culture, they celebrate instead. I then contributed to the discussion by adding on that, “Personally, I never experienced the passing of a loved one, however, I know that people in our culture burn paper money.” Mrs. Peterson points out that we should keep this in mind and the reason for this would be because this aspect plays into today’s lesson. Joanne then chimes in on the discussion regarding the reason why people burn paper money. She says that, “I think my grandma or parents told me that they burn paper and it’s supposed to act as money for the deceased in the other world.” Darren then adds on by saying that, “There’s the Day of the Dead and it’s a holiday where people pray for the dead and give offers.” To conclude the discussion, Mrs. Peterson shares one last final response. She says that, “I celebrate Christianity and Judaism. My family is half and half. On the Jewish side, when somebody passes (if it is an immediate family member), what you would do is cover up all the mirrors in the house and you’re not supposed to sit on any of the regular chairs or furniture. On the day of the funeral, we would put a scoop of dirt on the actual coffin itself. Rather than actually mourning, we would celebrate similar to what Mohammed mentioned. The point of it is to remember them in a positive way. For Christianity, we usually lay the body out for a few days so family members can pay their respects. On the day of the funeral, each person would throw a flower onto the coffin. After all of that is over, we go back and celebrate.” All of these concepts and ideas are relevant to today’s lesson and still continue even in today’s culture and traditions.
As the class discussion came to an end, we began to spirit read.
Death and The Underworld
The Greeks believed that after one passed away, their soul would go on a journey to the Underworld. The Underworld was beneath the Earth. Hence, “Under” world. It was ruled by Hades and his wife, Persephone. In the afterlife, the soul either receives punishment or reward depending on what they have done in the previous life. Lastly, he/she would be brought forth to three judges who would decide their fate.
It is important to have a very clear understanding of the Underworld and the perceptions that were involved. Having a clear idea of what the Underworld is and how it operates will make the reading of “The Land of the Dead” much easier to comprehend.
We then proceeded onto watching the video: The Underworld: The kingdom of Hades - Greek Mythology Curiosities - See U in History [3:50]
Summary: Hades was known as the god of the Underworld. After the victory of the Olympian gods over the Titans, the world was divided by the three brothers. They were known as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Hades was given the mission to govern the Underworld with his wife, Persephone. His domain was known as kingdom of the Dead because it was the destination of the souls of the perished ones. Likewise to the world, the Underworld was also divided into three different territories. Tartarus was the place where the unfair and criminal souls where to go. Figures like Sisyphus and Tantalus fulfill these punishments. Tartarus was also a destination for the powerful and imprisoned Titans. In addition, the fields of a Spondylus were the spot that was reserved for the souls that have not committed major crimes nor have they accomplished anything worthy. This place was rather dull and gloomy, considering how souls who reside here roam the place with no purpose. However, the Elysian Fields were for the souls of the heroes and for the fair and honored people. Entering the Underworld also had its requirements. The body had to go under proper Feenie Airy rites. After the ritual, Hermes would have to take the soul to the shore of the river Acheron. Cheran would only take the souls that gave him the coin since it serves as payment. Those who did not have coins were forced to wander for 100 years on the banks. Cerberus, Hades’ dog, protected the access of his kingdom. The fate of the souls were in the hands of the Underworld’s three judges: Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthys. Most feared not only the punishments but also the possibility of being forever forgotten.
Honoring and Remembering the Dead
The Greeks held elaborate burial rituals. A proper burial was necessary. They believed that if someone was not given a proper burial, the soul would be trapped between the worlds of the living and the Underworld. The existence of the dead depended on their remembrance by the living. If one forgot to remember a dead one, he/she was considered unrighteous or immoral.
We then continued to spirit read “Land of the Dead” pdf [4.5 pgs] together.
Summary: Odysseus was given instructions by Circe to seek Tiresias. Sacrifices had to be made in the Underworld. As a result, he attracted the dead. The first to approach Odysseus was Elpenor. Elpenor had spent his last night on Circe’s roof. He ended up dying by falling off of the platform. Because Odysseus had to go to the Land of the Dead immediately, Elpenor was left unburied and forgotten. He requests Odysseus to give him a proper burial when he returns. The next one he sees is his own mother, Anticlea. Upon seeing her, Odysseus feels great grief. The last time he saw her, she was alive and it shocked him to see she had already left the living. Soon, Tiresias came forward. He tells him that they would encounter the grazing herds of Helios on Thrinakia and should avoid them. He said if Odysseus or his men ate the livestock, they would meet destruction. He also said that Odysseus would encounter ignorant men courting his wife and eating his food when he returned home. Odysseus must kill his suitors or send them away. Finally, he was asked to look for a place where no man knew of the sea and ate unsalted meat. When someone asks the required question, Odysseus would stick the oar into the ground and make a sacrifice to Poseidon.
Vocabulary:
Ignoble (adj.) - dishonorable, shameful
Assuage (verb) - to calm, to mollify, to lessen
After reading the “Land of the Dead”, Mrs. Peterson briefly introduces the remaining slides of the lesson and clearly explains what foil is, in terms of literature. We were asked to do the teamwork questions in our own time with our teams. These were answers that my group came up with, we all discussed, agreed, and came up with the following responses:
Teamwork Questions
1. As Odysseus prepares to meet the dead, he says, “Then I addressed the blurred and breathless dead, / vowing slaughter my best heifer (cow) for them…”, it can be inferred that ancient Greek beliefs saw death as something extremely important. There is a sacrifice being made in this quote.
2.
Details that Elpenor wanted Odysseus to remember about his burial was to build a cairn for him above the breakers and implant the oar that he had used during the time he had with his companions. Elpenor was unburied and pretty much forgotten. He wanted a proper burial. As a group, we thought that what Elpenor wanted most was a proper burial because he wanted peace when we went to the Underworld.
This reflects the Greek ritual of death because ancient Greek beliefs were that proper burial and remembrance was necessary. A sacrifice to the dead is respect to the dead and was made if they had a request to the gods.
3.
When Odysseus sees his mother, Anticlea, he feels shocked. The last time he saw her, she was very well and alive. Seeing her here in the Underworld causes Odysseus to feel great grief.
In this scene, we see Odysseus display characteristics of a son to a mother and a leader. Instead of going straight to his mother and starting up a heart-felt conversation, he decides to wait for Tiresias first and get what has to be done first. It can be seen that Odysseus knows what is important. He also displays characteristics of a son to a mother because he feels great grief and sadness upon seeing with his own eyes that his mother has left the living.
4.
Tiresias wants Odysseus to believe in himself and have faith in his crew members.
Tiresias advises Odysseus to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon to quell his rage. Odysseus angered Poseidon by blinding Polyphemus.
Foil: In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character. The objective is to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied to a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things. In other words, foil can be seen as a secondary character. To put it another way that may appear simpler is two characters who are totally different from each other. In literary works, foil is often the antagonist. The contrasting traits of the villain highlight all the great qualities of the protagonist. Take for instance, Batman and Joker. Because Joker displays such a horrible image to its audience, Batman is automatically seen as a hero to society. The same may apply to other characters such as Superman. The use of foil in literature is utilized mainly to highlight what a great person a character is.
After clearly identifying what foil is, we then had a class discussion for the following question.
5. A FOIL is a character who contrasts with another character. How does the character of Eurylochus serve as a FOIL to Odysseus in Book X?
Oscar begins the discussion by saying, “I think Eurylochus is the person in Odysseus’s crew that doesn’t believe Odysseus. I think he wanted to escape and leave his friends who were turned into pigs by Circe but, Odysseus didn’t think it was a good idea since he wanted to go back and save them. This contrasts because it clearly shows how Odysseus cares about his crew while Eurylochus just doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to risk his life for them.” Joanne then adds on by saying, “I’d like to add on to Oscar and I guess you can call Eurylochus a coward and Odysseus the brave one.” This concludes the class discussion for this question.
I certainly agree with what Oscar and Joanne have shared during class. Eurylochus serves as a foil to Odysseus because while Eurylochus is portrayed as someone who lacks courage, Odysseus is portrayed as brave and courageous. Because of the comparison that is being made, Odysseus becomes known as brave. Eurylochus’s cowardness highlights Odysseus’s heroic qualities.
Enrichments:
The Odyssey by Homer | Book 11 Summary and Analysis [2:02]
“Funeral Practices” and “The Ancient Greek Burial Rites” are on the syllabus.
This concludes the first lesson. We then transferred over to our second lesson of the day as today’s cycle consists of a double lesson.
Aim: How does Odysseus’ strategic leadership further characterize him as an epic hero in “The Sirens” episode of Homer’s Odyssey?
Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION
In my own words, the term “flattery” can be defined as sucking up to someone. Flattery is when someone praises someone for a purpose instead of genuine compliments. The morals above advise that flattery is something that we should watch out for. Flattery is not exactly a positive entity. Oscar begins the class discussion by saying, “My own definition of flattery is praising someone either true or false, to achieve a certain purpose.” The objective that Mrs. Peterson wants us to grasp here is that none of the morals that are listed depict flattery in a good light. When someone is flattering someone, he/she is not doing it for a genuine reason. In this case, when flattery is being done, it is being done for the intention of gaining a certain something. There are ulterior motives involved.
Odysseus and the Sirens
Sirens are seductive creatures that lure sailors to their death with their songs. When sailors hear their song, they are led to the Wandering Rocks where their ship crashes and sinks. Sirens are often portrayed as half-bird/half-woman. They are sometimes depicted as mermaid creatures. When Odysseus and his men return to Circe’s island to give Elpenor a proper burial, Circe warns Odysseus about the sirens. She tells Odysseus to put beeswax in his men’s ears to block out the singing. Legend has it that no mortal has lived to tell of the experience of encountering the sirens, however, Odysseus plans to change that.
We then watched the video using the link below to learn more about sirens:
Summary: Sirens were hybrid creatures, a combination of women and birds. The sirens were beautiful and charming beings. They were beautiful nymphs when born, daughters of the God River, Akheloios and the muse, Melpomene. After Hades, the god of the Underworld, decided to abduct Persephone, the nymphs were punished by Demeter. They were punished because they did not prevent the abduction from occurring. They were then transformed into woman-birds. The sirens started singing, and luring sailors to their deaths. The singing of the sirens were labeled as irresistible but there are two stories of people who escaped. They were Jason and the argonauts and Odysseus. Jason and the argonauts survived thanks to Orpheus, who drowned out the singing with his leer. Odysseus was curious so he was tied to the mast.
After watching the video, we moved onto reading “The Sirens.”
Summary: When Odysseus returned to Circe’s island to give Elpenor a proper burial, he was warned about the sirens they would encounter. Fortunately, Circe tells him to put beeswax in his men’s ears. However, instead of putting beeswax in his ears, Odysseus tells his crew to tie him tightly to the mast. Odysseus wanted to hear the siren’s song. He told them to never untie him even if he asked for it during the event. When the sirens saw Odysseus, they began to sing, promising him knowledge and wisdom. Odysseus demanded to be untied and struggled but his crew members only tied him tighter. As the sounds of the songs faded away, the men released Odysseus.
Teamwork Questions
We read Siren’s song and proceeded onto the questions.
During our Teamwork, we covered a variety of topics and questions:
1. Odysseus addresses his men as “sore at heart” because he does not want to inform his men that there is still upcoming danger after everything they have experienced.
2. Odysseus decides to tell his men about Circe’s forecast because this helps prepare the men for what’s to come instead of walking into danger without background information.
By telling his crew members, Odysseus reveals leadership qualities. It shows that he trusts all his men with moving forward and not backing out. We can also see that Odysseus is a responsible leader since he tells them what will happen beforehand.
When Odysseus orders his crew members to tie him to the mast, he displays leadership qualities of selflessness. He is putting himself in harm.
Odysseus’s desire to hear the siren’s song reveals his curiosity and his adventurous traits.
It can be concluded that Odysseus is a responsible and bold leader.
3. When the sirens try to lure the men, they are appealing to the desire and wisdom that travelers all want.
The sirens use flattery to lure the soldiers by disrupting their thoughts with the songs. The singing sounds so enchanting that the men lose all train of thought and only think of the things they most desire.
Examples of what would appeal to the crew and the epic hero are glory and praises for the accomplishments. On this journey, the crew has encountered so many life threatening events. Being praised for surviving and experiencing such would definitely appeal to them.
4. The analysis of the Siren Song suggests that human flattery is just as dangerous. Human flattery does not kill you but it is definitely not viewed in a positive light.
Humans are susceptible to a figurative “Siren’s Call” because humans have a lot of pride. Being complimented can make someone feel joyful. It is nice to be praised once in a while.
The sirens represent both desire and distraction because what sirens do is lure sailors in. They make use of your deepest desires. They can also be seen as a distraction because many sailors who have encountered them took a different route rather than the originally planned one. The route they took was death, because of sirens, they lost all rational thoughts and gave in to the sirens, or their desires.
Enrichments:
Mrs. Peterson included the video of Pirates because she wanted us to have a reference point. In the previous video, it was mentioned that sirens were sometimes depicted in mermaid form. This video is an example of sirens being depicted as mermaids.
Pirates of the Caribbean Mermaid Scene [3:29]
The Odyssey by Homer | Book 12 Summary & Analysis [2:25]
To help with the lesson, I looked for videos and websites that may deepen the understanding of these lessons and help simplify the ideas. Here are the links:
Book 11 - Summary + Analysis [Website]
Reflection:
Throughout the lesson, I have acquired a great deal of information. In the first lesson, I learned about the origins of the Underworld and ancient Greek beliefs regarding honoring the Dead. The Greeks believed that after one passes away, the soul embarks on a journey to the Underworld where it awaits its fate. They believed that proper burial was necessary and served as respect to the deceased. Those who fail to remember or honor were considered impious. I came to realize that these concepts were very similar to the cultures and traditions we have today to mourn the passing of a loved one, as mentioned in the Do Now. We then proceeded to read about “The Land of the Dead.” The episode of “The Land of the Dead” furthered our understanding of Odysseus as the epic hero by displaying leadership qualities of him. When Odysseus arrives at the Underworld, he encounters his mother, Anticlea. It was shocking, considering the last time he saw her, she was well and alive. However, he was able to put his sadness aside and prioritize seeking for Tiresias. Odysseus does what’s important rather than jumping to his personal matters. We were then taught about foil. Foil is a completely new term to me as I have never heard of it in terms of literature. Foil is basically a secondary character that is made for the purpose of highlighting another character. We were taught this lesson to further our understanding and knowledge of Odysseus as a character. Through the many hardships that he has experienced, it can be seen that Odysseus continues to demonstrate leadership attributes in his journey. Having learned about the beliefs of honoring the dead, we, as students, may also develop connections with the episodes in The Odyssey. I will use what I learned by applying this information to future references of The Odyssey. In the future, I can also make connections between literature and the morals behind Homer’s words which will overall deepen my understanding of The Odyssey.
Moving forward, the second lesson that was primarily about sirens has also deepened my understanding of Odysseus. Sirens are seductive creatures that lure sailors to their deaths with their songs. They are often depicted as half-woman/half-bird. The story behind the transformation was taught in the YouTube videos. In “The Sirens”, Odysseus is warned by Circe of the sirens they will encounter. He puts beeswax in his crew member’s ears and decides to listen to the song himself. In the end, he survived. Flattery plays a role in this episode because the sirens are appealing to the desires and wisdom for their victims. We learned about this because this is another situation where Odysseus demonstrates leader qualities. It can be seen that he continues to prove that he is an epic hero according to his actions. Additionally, we were also taught this because these episodes may add onto our overall idea and knowledge of The Odyssey which will definitely expand for future readings and references. A connection may also be made between sirens and humans. Humans are susceptible to figurative “Siren’s Call” and this can serve as one of the messages of the stories. I will use what I learned by attempting to make connections in future readings we will have. Doing so will not only deepen my understanding but simplify ideas. All things considered, I enjoyed these lessons. Learning about The Odyssey has been a joyful and interesting experience.
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