Final thoughts about the Odyssey

Please comment on this post on the blog

Why do you think contemporary readers can still relate to the characters and events in the Odyssey?  Be specific and articulate in your response.

Complete this assignment by Monday, 12/22

The next episode for Thursday

We will be working on the Siren episode come Thursday -

This episode has been modernized in many ways... recently in a Charmed episode... but the idea of women enchanting men using their voices and bodies is not uncommon.  Think if you remember any other times when this theme has been used and post to this blog.

prereading activity.

Please read for Monday - 11/30 -

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.11.xi.html - The land of the dead episode

Make sure to take notes/summarize in your notebooks.

You will read a different copy in class... if you want to make copies it is p. 999-1004 from the classroom copies.

Make a list of the characters and the plot events.

Supplemental help... summary and clues

http://www.bhsonline.org/english/ody/ody.html - this breaks things down easily into small bites... hopefully it will help.

The full Cyclops text - as promised

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MINOA/POLY.HTM  

For those of you whom want to read...

Part 1 of the Odyssey - homework questions due on Monday, 11/23

The following questions should be answered in YOUR NOTEBOOKS -

Thinking about the selection we read in class today:

1.What is your first impression of Odysseus? Which of his qualities do you admire and why?
2. Describe the events on Ismarus. What lessons can be learned?
3. What significant role does his home play in Odysseus' epic journey? Where is home?
4. How do Calypso and Circe keep Odysseus from readching home?  What were his feelings like when he was with them?
5. What happens to the men who eat the Lotuses?  What does this suggest about Odysseus's relationship with his men?
POST THE ANSWER TO NUMBER 6 ON THE BLOG
*****6. In what ways is the world of the Odyssey similar to today's world? In what ways is it different?

The Odyssey by Homer - full online text

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html

The full text

The Odyssey - next project (courtesy of J. Harrison from LV HS)

Do one of the following assignments:

1. Write a new episode of The Odyssey in the same style as the episodes we have been reading in class.  Follow the requirements and guidelines given below.

• Give the scene a clear beginning, middle and end
• Develop the middle section sufficiently so taht the episode does not move too quickly from beginning to end
• Remain faithful to the greater tex of the The Odyssey. For example, avoid changing the story that is written, such as Odysseus's goal or personality.
• Aim to create a story with the same qualities we have noted in The Odyssey. We have noted that the story is imaginative, adventurous, suspeneseful and surprising.  We have also noted the epic's vivid and detailed description, the heroic qualities of Odysseus (strong in the mind and intellect, cunning, devoted to his family, respectful of the gods, but not perfect), the triump of good over evil, and the way the story promotes desired values.
• Write teh episode in verse, in imitation of the original and the translation by Fitzgerald.

2.  Perform a scene from The Odyssey with a small group of classmates.  Follow the requirements and guidelines given below.

• Choose a scene that the group is excited about, not one that seems easier to perform.
• Write a complete script for the scene, including all lines and stage directions
• Remain faitful to the text.  You may make alterations, (for example, of wording), but you should avoid making essential changes (for example, don't make Odysseus and Polyphemus friends).  If you are performing a scene from which we read only an excerpt in class, then you should obtain and read the whole scene before creating the script.
• Utilize the non-dialogue parts of th etext either in additional speeches or in scenery, props, or stage directions.  For example, if the phsycial setting of a scene is important and you cannot recreate it physically, then have a character refer to its qualities.
• You may also utilitze a narrator.  A arrator can provide important information about the context of the scene that is difficultt to convey in other ways, especiially at the beginning of the scene
• Strive to assign the members of the group equal work loads.  Youw ill be asked to describe how the responsibilities were divided.  Group members will be rated individually, so everyone must do his/ her fair share.

3. Do a combination of 1 and 2.  Write a scene in script form; then perform it.  Follow the appropriate guidelines from 1 and 2.

****Reflective journal on the The Odyssey episode (everyone must do this)****
Write a journal entry in which you reflect on the project.
You might describe or discuss:

• The process of creation, e.g., how you or your group thought of your good ideas
• How worthwhile/interesting/ fun teh process of creation was
• What you learned about The Odyssey you did not know so well before
• Difficulties involved and how you overcame them or why you did not
• Hwo you would approach the assignment differently if you were doing it again
• How the assignment might be altered in the future
• What specificall you contributed to the group effort
• How equally or unequally members of your group contributed to the overall effort.