• The Odyssey

     "written" by Homer

     Odysseus' Homering In......how'd he do that??
     
    Homering in...on Penelope.
     
     
    How to Read The Odyssey
    Well it is long...what did you expect from an epic journey??  As we discussed in class, there are certain elements of spoken/sung poetry that can help you remember the events and their significance. 
     
    To help you connect to the material in a way that is meaningful to you, we are going to keep a Dialectical Journal, similar to what we've been doing for Things Fall Apart.  Additions that are specific to The Odyssey (as we discussed in class) are:  Elements of Epic Structure (epithets, catalogues, digressions)
     
    Other ways to consider for your own reading:
    • Post-it notes with important names/connections
    • Create and keep a timeline of events, adding details and experiences in as you go. 

    Homer (and translator Robert Fitzgerald) built in ways to help you understand, too.

    • First, the repetition of names and epithets is something to note. 
    • Second, look at the Book Titles on page ix-x. These should help you keep track of the story's timeline of events.  (Note I said the story's timeline, NOT the chronological way they happened.) 
    Why Read it?
     
    These are the lasting and enduring lessons we aim to take from this reading:
    1. The Oral Tradition and its devices were used to explain and teach natural and religious origins, political origins, history of culture, and acceptable behavior for society.
    2. Understanding how an epic poem is structure and the devices it employs enables full appreciation of its message.
    3. Epic heroes are both courageous, intelligent leaders and flawed humans; they reflect the culture from which they emerge.
    4. An odyssey takes one well beyond the familiar geography and explore the boundaries of human psyche and human society both literally and figuratively.
    5. An individual’s understanding of self, his interaction with others and the world form his identity. 
    6. Home is a vital link to one's past, present, and future.
    Online/Study Resources Materials
    Here are a few online resources you can use to help direct your own reading.  These are compiled by other teachers as well as Odyssey scholars!  (Yes, those do exist!!)
     
    REMEMBER:  In using these, many are written by one person with one perspective and therefore you do not have to agree with what s/he says.  Do not read anything online (or elsewhere, for that matter) without questioning it.  USE YOUR BRAIN!!
    • The Odyssey Wiki Summaries - A good, quick summary page to use for the books.  These are NOT comprehensive, so make sure you return to the text to read the full selection!!
    • Annenberg Learner: A really cool interactive site with video, background info/timelines, and even literary criticism and analysis!!
      Traditional vs. Epic Hero:  Helpful PowerPoint on these 
       
     
    Let's Read!
    Intro:
    Here is the Odyssey Intro PowerPoint we viewed in class. 
     
    Books I-IV - The Telemache
    These are known as the "Telemache" as they follow not Odysseus, but his son, Telemakhos, in his decision to search for his father. 
     
    Book II Blog  Based on your discussions in your groups, craft a well-written and supported response and post it here under the correct question heading.
    You will work in groups and as a group and be evaluated based on the following FCAs:
    1.     Includes necessary and appropriate context toset up quotation (10 pts)
    2.     Includes at least one correctly embedded, citedquotation that best supports point (5 pts)
    3.     Interprets/analyzes quotation to explain how itsupports overall point. (10 pts)
    4.     Response is accurate and thorough, including themost important information to support point. (10 pts)
     
    Book III Summary - Click here to download the brief summary we'll be using in class.

     

    We will address the following questions, among other things
    1. What is identity and why does it matter?
    2. Odysseus is physically absent but constantly present. What insight does that give us into HIS identity?
    Please come prepared with notes and thoughts on this topic. This will be your “test” for these four books.
     
    For these books, we'll learn of and review the plot/themes through group presentations.  Hooray!  If you have misplaced the project explanation, you can find it here.
     
    Presentations will take place on Tues and Wed, March 20 and 21.
              Books XIII-XVI - The 4th Reading
    Books XIII-XVI Blog - This is the material you completed in partners in class.  Only ONE person per partner should post here, but please make sure you put both partners' first names in the name line (and ONLY the last initial!).
     
    Thesis Statement Results- This is the feedback on how we're doing with our thesis statements.  Use this as you re-read the blogs to know which are strong and which need work.  This does not indicate the strength of their defending paragraph. It's JUST looking at thesis statements in isolation!!!
    Books XVII-XX - The 5th Reading
     
    Known as the 5th reading, these books capture the events as Odysseus returns to Ithaka but remains unknown as a beggar in his own home!  Not surprisingly, there is a considerable amount of dramatic irony in these pages as he bears witness to the suitors, his servants' disloyalty, and worst of all, his wife's perpetual grief. 
     
     
    We also have a lot of development in these books for the themes and devices we've been monitoring.  After your peers help indicate and chart these, take a moment to consider them and their importance.
    Study Resources
     
    This is a link to the study guides distributed in class.  Feel free to download them and use them if you find it helps your comprehension.  These do not serve in place of the Dialectical Journals, however.
     
    Online Materials
    Here are a few online resources you can use to help direct your own reading.  These are compiled by other teachers as well as Odyssey scholars!  (Yes, those do exist!!)
     
    REMEMBER:  In using these, many are written by one person with one perspective and therefore you do not have to agree with what s/he says.  Do not read anything online (or elsewhere, for that matter) without questioning it.  USE YOUR BRAIN!!
     
    Maps
     
    Supplementary Material to the text:
    Still Relevant Today!!:  Check out this 2006 article of findings of illustrations of the Epic Poem.
    The Oresteia - This is the story of Agamemnon, his wife, Clytemnestra, and the troubles that comes to them following the long Trojan War.  A classic by Aeschylus, this provides interesting background to the gods and goddesses as well as the characters we have come to know so far.  It has three parts:  Agamemnon (which is what is referred to in The Odyssey), Choephoroi (The Libation Bearers), and the Eumenides (The Kindly Ones).  It's long, but great! 
     
    Note that this is the e-text; if you'd like the real deal, visit your local library.  Enjoy!
    The Aeneid - This is the story of Aeneas, whom Aphrodite saved at the Battle of Troy and who was able to escape in the end.  Told by the poet Virgil, it is another classic tale of the Greeks.
     

    The Text

    We are using the Robert Fitzgerald's 1963 translation. 

    • If you would like to purchase your own copy of the book, please do, but make sure you have this one ever so you have similar line numbers and translations. You can find specific info on Amazon.com.

    If you forget your book and look to use an online text by a different translator, know that those page and line numbers will not match up with ours and therefore it is your responsibility to find and insert the correct citation information.

     
     
    The Author:  Who is Homer Anyway?

     Do a little research (NOT starting with Wikipedia!) to learn about Homer.  Some sites you may find helpful:

    ·        http://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Homer.html 

    ·        http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/HomerBio.html

    ·        http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Homer/