Blogger #24 - Nikolas Profita - Period 1 - 5/12/2021 - Day A

Aim: How can we evaluate Odysseus’ leadership through his decision-making in his encounter with “Scylla and Charybdis” in Homer’s Odyssey?

Today’s Lesson

The Do Now from today’s lesson was to read and think about the following:

Would you sacrifice one person in order to save five other people?

• What would influence your decision if you had to make a choice according to

• “The Trolley Problem?” [1:38]

Attached was a video explaining the premise of this abstract issue. In the video, it was explained that you found yourself at a train track, right next to a switch. The train is heading towards a track of five unsuspecting workers, but the other track only has one worker. What do you do? Should you change the direction of the train to save more lives, or not interfere? We were then given the alternative scenario that there was a very large man on a bridge by the track. If we pushed him off, we would save the workers. Many said they would sacrifice one for five people in the first scenario, but would not push the very large man off the bridge. When asked to explain their reasoning, many felt that pushing the man off the bridge would be too direct, whereas pulling the switch did not seem as harsh.




After discussing this, we played a kahoot to get a general idea of everyone’s values. There were some scenarios that involved the occupation or life of a person such as murderers, doctors, and pregnant women. The overall consensus was usually a numbers game, except when the larger group was the murderers.

This warmup had a huge parallel to our lesson, in which we learned about Scylla and Charybdis.






The first monster we learned about was the nymph turned monster, Scylla. Glaucus the sea god fell in love with her, but the feeling was not mutual. To win her love, he went to the sorceress Circe to get a love potion. As he told Circe what had happened, she fell in love with him. She tried to win him over, but he would not have it. This caused Circe to become bitter, so she poisoned Scylla. This caused Scylla to become a monster with six heads and twelve feet. Scylla became miserable, stuck in place. Each time a ship passed by, her heads would take one crew member each.

The next monster we learned of was Charybdis. She was a nymph daughter of Poseidon who would flood land for her father. When she stole Hercules cattle though, Zeus turned her into a monster. Three times a day, she sucks water in and vomits it out. She lived in a cave opposite of Scylla, making the pathway between very dangerous. Charybdis is represented in the form of a whirlpool.

We then read“Scylla & Charybdis” and kept the following question in mind:

Odysseus is faced with the challenge of bringing his men through two dangerous places.
Why does he choose one over the other?



This story placed Odysseus and his crew between Scylla and Charybdis, forcing Odysseus to choose a pathway. He passed through Scylla, and she took six of his crew members.


When answering the question, many said that it was due to the fact that Scylla would only take six crewmembers, while Charybdis would drown everyone. This had a direct parallel to our earlier warmup, as Odysseus chose the same option as the majority, which was to sacrifice the few. This is supported by Circe’s Advice, which is to pass through Scylla. Odysseus even wanted to fight Scylla instead of losing his men, but Scylla is immortal.

We then learned about allusions, and how this story is referenced through the allusion, “Between a rock and a hard place”. We then went through a slideshow that had many images from popular shows and books, and how they alluded to each other. A common show to do that is “The Simpsons”, as they reference many pieces of pop culture.

Lastly, we answered these four questions related to the story, each questioning Odysseus’ decision:

1. Imagine you are one of Odysseus' men when he leads his crew to Scylla.

1. How do you feel about his decision to take you closer to Scylla?

2. Do you support his decision or not?

2. Also, Odysseus decides it would be best to not tell his men which route they are taking.

But as I sent them on toward Scylla, I 

told them nothing, as they could do nothing.

3. Assess Odysseus’ decision.

1. Would you have wanted to know which route Odysseus was leading you?

1. Why or why not? 

2. If you were the leader, do you think you would have made the same decision?

3. Why might Odysseus have opted to withhold this information from his men?

4. How does the story of Scylla & Charybdis correlate to the “Trolly Problem” we encountered in the Do Now?

Many students agreed with Odysseus’ choice, but if they were a crewmate would like to know what would happen. Some had the unique point of view that they would not want to know, as they could not control that fate. They also understood why he withheld the information, as it would only cause panic. The final question really helped to put the story into perspective. This story was a classic example of the trolley problem, with Odysseus choosing to save the many over the few.

Enrichment

The enrichment for today's lesson was two videos, one on Scylla and one on Charybdis. The first video took a look into the roots of her name, as well as a in depth explanation about Scylla’s story. An interesting thing that I learned from the video was that Scylla became more grotesque over time, and the parallels between beauty and punishment. I also learned of new locations like Glaucus’ crystal tower.




The second was a short video discussing the origins of Charybdis. I learned about the different adaptations of her, as well as the quarrel that caused this monster to be created. It also mentioned the allusion that we learned about in class.




Overall, I found these videos helpful in expanding my understanding of these two monsters.

Reflection

Today’s lesson, overall, taught me a great deal of information. Learning about the complex moral situation Odysseus found himself in also taught me a great deal about my own values. I am also now more confident in my ability to understand the use of allusion. The do now allowed me to prepare myself to learn about Odysseus and his choice, and even furthered my understanding. Furthermore, the abundance of examples provided in relation to allusion further helped me understand its meanings, possible uses, and application. To recap this lesson, I learned about Odysseus’ leadership in relation to the trolley problem, as well as two new monsters in the Greek Mythos. I also learned how allusion is prominent in all forms of media. This lesson also showed me how I value certain aspects of life and how the trolley problem can really show everyone’s values. This lesson really helped to get me thinking, and expand my knowledge of Greek Mythology. Therefore, after this lesson, I now confidently understand how such ideas and choices are made throughout the Odyssey.