Monday, January 23, 2012

Dear Mythology Kids,
What did I miss today?

1. We reviewed the Heracles myth and discussed specific questions.
2. I then distributed the quizzes and each student recorded the particular questions that they are required to answer.
3. JOURNAL #9 "Disastrous Disney"
We watched the frist 15 minutes of Disney's Hercules and identitied errors in relationship to the Hercules myth and errors regarding mythology in general.
4. We began our discussion regarding TROY

Homework:

1. Your Quiz covering Heracles is due on WEDNESDAY If you missed class, please stop by my room so I can give you the particular questions you will be answering.
2. Your mythological allusions quiz that was not completed in class last week is also due on WEDNESDAY. I returned the quz to each student, as we did not have time durng class to complete it. Please make sure you finish it for WEDNESDAY!
3. You will have a quiz on FRIDAY covering the introductory material covering Troy!

In order to be prepared for Friday's quiz, please familiarize yourself with the following:
1.Did the Trojan War actually take place? If so, what was the cause?
2. Why is Henrik Scheilmann important to Troy?
3. Explain Scheilmann's archaeological approach? Why was it inappropriate?
4. How is the "Mound of Hissarlik" significant to Scheilmann?
5. Eris' golden apple....How is it relevant to The Iliad's plot line?
6. How does The Iliad begin?
7. Why are the events within The Iliad relevant to events within The Odyssey?
8. Make sure you can define the term "epic."


THIS IS THE HANDOUT used in our class discussion regarding Homer's Iliad. Please cut and paste it as a Word document and ten place it in your binder. We started working on this in class, but we did not complete it; we will do so on Wed.

Introduction:
What is an epic?

The Iliad is about:



Ilium:

Acheans:

The Odyssey is about:


Did the Trojan War actually take place and what was the cause?

Who discovered the ancient city of Troy?

“Road Map:”

“Schliemann's scar:”

Using a well read copy of The Iliad as his reference guide, he chose a spot on the Asian coast of Turkey called the Mound of Hissarlik, and began digging for the famous city of Troy. In the course of four years, he uncovered nine successive cities built on top of each other. The sixth city he declared the “City of Troy,” or as Schliemann called it the “Burnt City.” Later archaeologists through carbon dating and additional archaeological discoveries, proved that Schliemann's choice was accurate. What was once thought to be myth had been proven historically correct.


What we know about Homer.....

Many scholars have asked the question, “Were the epic poems of The Iliad and The Odyssey written by one poet or were they collective efforts on the part of several poets?” We will never know the answer to this question. Most scholars agree that “a Homer” existed, that he lived in the 8th or 9th century B.C., and that he was a well-known poet. Some references to Homer indicate that he was blind, which has been interpreted as a “sign of his greatness.” We know that Homer had a strong command of the written language, and that at one point he could see. His love for beauty and gory details are too advanced, especially for someone who might have been blind his entire life. He lived about 500 years after the events at Troy; therefore, the story he told was not original with him, but had been passed down in the oral tradition of the times.



Allow me to share two excerpts from The Iliad with you.

“...the spear of bronze went through

Below the brain and shattered the white bones,

Dashed out his teeth, and filled his eyes with blood;

And blood he spurted gaping through his mouth

And nose; and death's dark cloud encompassed him.”

Book XVI, lines 345-350



“Then answered Hector of the flashing helm,

His strength all gone: 'I beg thee by my life,

Thy knees, thy parents, leave me not for dogs

Of the Acheans by the ship to eat,

But rather take abundant stores of bronze and gold-

My king and queenly mother will give it thee-

And render back my body to my home,

So that the Trojans and the Trojans' wives

May give me due meed of fire in death.'



But scowling at him swift Achilles said,

“Do not entreat me, dog, by knees or parents ,

I only wish I had the heart and will

To hack the flesh off thee and eat it raw......”

Book XXII, lines 317-330

Posted by Crampton at 7:09 PM

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Dear Mythology Kids,
I appreciate you venerating our substitute while I was not well. I have included the information for your quiz covering Hercules or is it Heralces on Monday.

Dear Mythology Kids,
If you missed class, we accomplished the following in class:

Don't forget that you will have a QUIZ covering the irony found within the myth of "Heracles," and how those aspects of irony add to the pathos experienced by our hero on Friday!

"How do I prepare for the quiz, Crampton?"

"Make sure you have read the myth of Heracles found on page 166 in your textbook. In addition, review the storyboard that we worked on in class on Thursday.

"Will there be extra credit for this quiz?"

"Absolutely! I have listed the aspects of irony below. Respond to each one as if you were taking the actual quiz. Originally, I was going to have you complete one of the six questions, but I have changed my mind. You will answer two of the six listed. If you review this way, you will clearly be successful, as you will have two of the six included below, you just don't know which two. You are to discuss the irony found in each excerpt from the myth of “Heracles,” and how the irony adds to the pathos experienced by Heracles. Please be thorough in your response; assume that your audience has no schema on the character of Heracles. Cut and paste the questions into a Word document, and then respond to them on your computer.

1.) Athena “found” the infant Heracles outside the walls of Thebes, where Alcmene had abandoned him in fear of Hera’s jealousy. Athena showed the child to Hera and urged the goddess to pity the beautiful child so cruelly neglected.

2.) The goddess drove Heracles temporally mad, and he killed his children, Megara as well—thinking they were either wild beasts or enemies of Thebes. When his sanity returned, Heracles exiled himself from Thebes for his crime. He traveled to Delphi to ask the oracle how best to atone for his crime. The priestess of the oracle instructed Heracles to go to Tiryns and perform any 10 labors devised for him by King Eurystheus.

3.) Eurystheus directed Heracles to kill the Lernaean Hydra (water snake) as his second labor. Heracles slew the beast by chopping off its immortal head and burying the still-hissing head under a rock. Before returning to Tiryns, Heracles dipped his arrows in the poisonous blood of the Hydra. Thereafter, anyone wounded with one of these arrows would die.

4.) The goddess sent two poisonous serpents with flaming eyes to destroy both Heracles and his half-brother Iphicles. Yet the mighty infant seized one in each hand and easily strangled the serpents, thinking they were toys he found great glee in his kill of the snakes.

5.) The perfect host, Admetus entertained his guest while hiding the fact that he was mourning for his wife, Alcestis. When Heracles discovered his host’s secret, he rushed to Alcestis tomb. Upon bringing her back to Admetus, the host promptly died.

6) "He sent his servant home to Deianeira in order to obtain the special ceremonial shirt he wore on these religious occasions. When the servant mentioned to Deianeira that Iole was to accompany Heracles, Deianeira feared that her husband loved the beautiful princess.”

HOMEWORK:

1. Please read "Heracles" pages 166-179

2. Quiz covering Heracles will take place on Monday.

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

YOUR MOSAICS are BREATHTAKING! I am transfixed by your aesthetic abilities!

If you missed class on Tuesday, January 11th, 2012 you were introduced to the concepts of "Allusion" and "Reference," and the role of mythological allusions and references found in literary work. Please visit with a classmate in order to obtain this information.

I used Icarus as my focus for emphasizing how frequently references and allusions to mythology arise in literary work. This, of course, is due to the fact that universal themes are always prevalent within the myths; therefore, audiences of all types can connect with the themes that are used.

HOMEWORK:

1. Your Mythological Allusions assignment is due on Tuesday., Jan. 17th. If you missed class, please visit with a friend and then stop by and chat with me, so that I can give you the explanation sheets for your assignment.

We had a history lesson today concerning Theseus and the Minotaur!

We had a history lesson today concerning Theseus and the Minotaur!

Dear Mythology Kids,

If you missed class, this is what we did:
1. You had a history lesson on the Minoan culture and their connection to the myth of "Theseus and the Minotaur." Please visit with someone in class, concerning this information.
2. You saw several different images associated with the Minoan culture and how certain practices relate to the myth.
3. Journal #5 "Minoan Culture:Points of Interest"
We viewed a video clip concerning the Minoan culture and recorded a minimum of 10 points that we found engaging.

HOMEWORK:
1. Please read "Theseus and the Minotaur" pgs. 155-165 for FRIDAY.
2. Please read "Daedalus" pgs. 144-145 for FRIDAY, as well.
3. YOUR QUIZ WILL TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY. You will "be caught in the labyrinth" of T.H.S. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes.