Literary Analysis 10/29/2015......Happy Halloween!

Dear Mythology Kids,

If you missed class today, I missed you! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your homework.

1. We reviewed the requirements for ACADEMIC VOICE when writing. Please communicate with someone in class to obtain this information.

2. We then reviewed your "Comparison Essay" that is due on Friday, November 6th. Students asked questions concerning areas of concern. Please remember to READ through your entire assignment, and the example given to you on the back of the blue handout entitled "Modern Day God." This is located in the homework section of your notebook, as it was included in the packet that you received for first term.

3. TWO NEW VOCABULARY WORDS were introduced to you!
Venerate and Laconic ........communicate with a friend in order to obtain the etymology and definition. These words are also easily accessible via the internet. BE PRO-ACTIVE!

4. Students then discussed allusions within the poem "Titan," that caused confusion. We alleviated questions and confusions as a class.

5. We then proceeded to write an analysis together of the poem, "The Jar," that we extrapolated last class period. I have included the analysis for you below. USE THIS AS AN EXAMPLE for each analysis assignment offered to you from this point, until the end of the year. 

 

“The Jar”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

What of the end Lady? Was it thine the deed

That set the fiery pinions free? Wherefore upon

Jupiter’s demand did Vulcan make thee so divine?

Hug the wretched casket now.

If hope is pent therein alive or dead?

          The poem, “The Jar,” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, offers the reader significant questions concerning the mythological character of Pandora. Tennyson creates the poem by posing questions to Pandora, who he refers to as “Lady.” He states, “What of the end, Lady? Was it thine the deed that set the fiery pinions free?” Due to the allusions to Pandora’s identity through questions, and the fact that Pandora is also alluded to as “Lady,” the reader recognizes that great emphasis is placed on the audience identifying her. The reader must decipher clues through past knowledge. For example, the line “….set the fiery pinions free,” gives the reader insight into the fact that the “Lady” has released aspects that cause pain. Pandora does not simply open a jar containing ills, phobias, complexes, and desires to torment mankind, but she also gives mankind the opportunity to grasp opposition. Without this action, man could not obtain or perceive opposing forces, and why they are such a necessity for man’s well-being. In addition, when Pandora releases all the “pinions” that cause pain, Hope also exists within the jar, but according to the myth, she slams the lid, trapping Hope before it can escape. Tennyson ends the piece with a question, “If hope is pent therein alive or dead?” By ending this way, he offers the reader a choice. Is it possible that Hope was able to escape the confines of the jar; therefore, giving mankind the opportunity to feel the positive and negative effects of hope? Or did Hope remain in the jar forever? If this is the case, then man would never have the opportunity for motivation when he feels distressed. The reader may never know Tennyson’s intent with his questions, but what is clear, is that Pandora made a choice that affected mankind forever.


This is the poem that you are asked to analyze for Monday. Use the example above to guide you.

"Titan"
by George Gordon, Lord Byron

Titan! To whose immortal eyes
The suffering of mortality,
Seen in their sad reality.
Your silent suffering and intense;
The rock, the vulture, and the chain,
All that the proud could feel of pain.

Thy god-like crime was to be kind,
To render with thy precepts less,
The sum of human wretchedness
And strengthen man with his own mind.

Titan! To thee the strife was given
The wretched gift of eternity
Was thine--and thou didst so well forsee,
His fate thou didst so well forsee,
But would not to appease him tell. 
And in the silence was his sentence,
And in his soul a vain repentence,
And evil dread so ill dissembled,
That in his hand the listenings trembled.
HOMEWORK:
1. Comparison Essay is due on Friday, November 6th!
2. Analyze "Titan," by Alfred Lord Tennyson, for Monday. You are welcome to hand write your response, but please use ink. Thanks! Use the example above to guide you. I recommend that you focus on the following question: What is Byron's purpose in using the mythological character Prometheus to illustrate the theme of "sacrifice?" 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

October 21st, 2015 ANTIGONE

Dear Mythology Kids,

I love your guts, but not like "Oedipus!"  Okay, if you missed class, you must communicate with someone that was in attendance, as you were given SO MUCH information! You were given the following handouts:

1. Antigone (it is in your textbook pg.273) Please read this myth for FRIDAY, the 23rd. Annotate and notate the myth using all your colors!

ANTIGONE, the courageous daughter of OEDIPUS, was introduced to you today!

1. I introduced the myth of "ANTIGONE" (pg. 273). MAKE SURE YOU READ THE MYTH! "Antigone" is the companion piece to "Oedipus." It is the myth of what happens to Oedipus after he blinds himself and is banished from Thebes. Antigone is the oldest female child of Oedipus and Jocasta.  It was originally written as a myth, and then retold as a drama by Sophocles. It is a story about doing what is honorable and just, even when you are the only individual who has the courage to behave with such fortitude. Please make sure you are familiar with the characters of Creon, Haemon, Antigone, Etoecles, Polynieces, and Ismene.

2. Review for Exam #1 YOUR EXAM WILL OCCUR ON FRIDAY, the 23rd!


REVIEW #1

Mythology Exam

You will see 43 different pieces of artwork. Each drawing, painting, sketch, statue, etc. pertains to the areas of mythology we have discussed this term. I will ask you specific questions about each overhead. For example, you may be asked to “identify the myth illustrated” or “identify the god,” or “explain what is taking place in the image, “ etc. The best way to completely prepare for your exam, is to go through each question below, as some aspect will appear on the test.

You may use ONE SIDE of a 3x5 card to assist you with some aspects that you might find difficult to recall. This is not required, but it's a nice form of  “insurance.” You are not penalized for you don't make the care, but if you need it, and you made it, then you can use it. 

One of my goals as your teacher is for you to apply what we have learned in class to the “real world.” So, if you are watching a film, listening to music spending time in a museum, reading a book, etc, and you see/hear references to mythology, you can identify them without hesitation. All of your exams will be application in nature.

Identify the Roman name, symbol(s) and domain(s) for the following Greek gods:

1. Aphrodite 5. Poseidon 9. Zeus 13. Apollo

2 Demeter 6. Hestia 10. Hephaestus 14. Hades

3. Artemis 7. Hermes 11. Athena

4.Ares 8. Dionysus 12. Hera 13. Dionysus 14. Persephone

NOTE: You need to have strong familiarity regarding the parents of each Olympian, and specifics concerning their births. In addition, you must be aware of relationships that the gods have with each other, and the result(s) of these associations. (Example: Poseidon is disrespectful towards Athena because her gift was chosen over his. Consequently, Medusa as we know her is created. (This, of course, is the abbreviated version).

Please respond using complete sentences:
15. Who are the Furies? Describe their roll, “birth,” and appearance.
16. Identify the significance of Greek drama to Mythology
17. Identify the importance regarding the Greek chorus.

NOTE: for18 30. you will need to be familiar with ALL the characters with
in each myth.
. Plotline for “Pandora’s Box”
. “Arachne”
. “Prometheus”
. “Demeter and Persephone”
. “Daphne”
. “Echo and Narcissus”
 
  “Oedipus”
. “Antigone”

. Creation myth (Aphrodite, Crone, Uranus, Rhea,)

October 12th, 2015 OEDIPUS

STOP MISSING CLASS, my young friends! I LOVE YOUR GUTS, but the more you miss class the harder it is for you to grasp the material! IF YOU NEED HELP, then COMMUNICATE so that I CAN ASSIST YOU!

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. Each student submitted their homework regarding IRONY in "Inja, the dog!"

2. Students were then introduced to GREEK THEATER and their first aesthetic myth entitled "Oedipus" located on page 268 in your textbook. This is actually one of the most famous pieces of Greek literature that still remains in its entirety. It was first written as a myth, and then converted to a theatrical tragedy by a playwright named Sophocles. Students were given a handout in class covering GREEK THEATER. If you were absent, the handout is available in the "Mythology Make-Up Box."


If you missed class today, please make sure you read the myth of "Oedipus" located on pages. 268-273 in your textbook. You will have a QUIZ over the myth on Wed, October 14th! PLEASE READ THE MYTH! What we do in class on Wednesday is important concerning your schema regarding "Oedipus." This is a valuable piece of literature, as it was originally written as a narrative, and then transformed to a play by Sophocles. It also contains the literary element of IRONY, which adds to the plot line.

This image depicts a theater troupe performing "Oedipus Rex. " Oedipus is in the middle, and the Greek chorus is surrounding him.

We reviewed the three different types of IRONY today in class.
1. Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the audience is aware of specific information that characters are not.
2. Irony of Situation or Situational Irony: This occurs when the outcome of a literary work turns out differently than what the audience originally anticipated.
3. Verbal Irony: This occurs when a characters means the opposite of what they say.



Ancient Greek theater mask. The Greeks used masks to help indicated emotion and the type of drama being performed. This image depicts a TRAGIC mask.


.

I introduced the myth of "Oedipus" to you today (Monday, October 12th) as a catalyst for understanding Greek Drama. I have included some additional images from those I shared with you in class. This myth is extremely significant, as it illustrates the ancient Greeks desire and ability to take their myths and transfer them to the genre of drama.

 WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ:The literary tool of irony is significant to the plot of "Oedipus." As part of your quiz, you will respond to ONE of THREE quotes. I will ask that you explain the irony of the chosen question in relationship to the plot of Oedipus. Your response must be thorough. Responding with, "This section is ironic because Oedipus does not realize Laius is his father," is not detailed enough. You will need to explain ALL the circumstances behind the quote that you "pull from the bag." You may need to go "back in time."  This is why you must READ YOUR MYTH, my fine young friends! You do have access to the questions, as they are below, and you can consider a strong response for each one.

1. "He left his home, Corinth, where he was held to be the son of the king, Polybus, and the reason for his self exile was another Delphic oracle. Apollo had declared that he was fated to kill his father."

2. "...whoever had murdered King Laius must be punished. Oedipus was relieved. Surely the man or men could be found after all these years, and they should know well how to punish him."

3. He spoke to his people..."Let no one of this land give him shelter. Bar him from your homes, as one defiled, companioned by pollution. And solemnly I pray, may he who killed wear out his life in evil, being evil."

   

EXAMPLE from a former student, Sarah Collins, 2014

"No one suffered more than Oedipus. He regarded himself as the father of the whole state; the people in it were his children; the misery of each one was his too."

            "Oedipus,"by Sophocles, represents an incredibly strong piece of literature due to the element of dramatic irony present within the play.  Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has information that characters within the work do not.  The dramatic irony present within the play causes the audience to feel strong emotion, and consequently, pity for Oedipus, the primary character. For example, the following quote, "No one suffered more than Oedipus. He regarded himself as the father of the whole state; the people in it were his children; the misery of each one was his too," acts as a strong dramatic example in that Oedipus has no idea that the reason his subjects are suffering is due to the fact that he has killed his father and married his mother. In essence, as the "father" to the people he loves his "children," but he does not realize that he has "given birth" to their pain.    The audience is aware of his choices and the consequences that have occurred due to a direct result of his fate; yet, Oedipus has no idea that he is entirely responsible for the plague that has fallen upon Thebes.  Oedipus learns  from the Delphic Oracle that the suffering will stop if "whoever murdered King Lauis is puinshed. "  Oedipus receives satisfaction in knowing that the suffering will cease; however, he does not realize that he is the cause. The "father" must "destroy" himself in order to save his "children." The audience recognizes the dramatic irony associated with this section of the play, as it causes them to feel anguish and  dispair for Oedipus who has no idea what he has done.

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

Dear Mythology Kids,
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I would take advantage of "College Day" which is scheduled for tomorrow.

This is what we accomplished:

1. Each student completed their "QUEST!" Some students still needed additional time, so I suggested that we finish the assessment on Monday. IF YOU MISSED CLASS, then I recommend you stop by on Friday AFTER school. If you don't ,then you will be further behind.

2. Students reviewed the literary tool of IRONY! WHY? Well, from this point until the end of the year, the myths all have elements of irony within them; consequently review this literary device is essential.

IRONY is  a literary tool that causes the audience to question possible attended outcomes.

• Verbal Irony:  when a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to. It is an intentional product of the speaker and is contradictory to his/her emotions and actions. 
• Dramatic Irony:  when the audience has information that characters within the literary text do not. THIS IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF IRONY!
• Situational Irony: when the audience's expectation is completely different than the outcome.

3. Students were introduced to DIONYSUS/BACCHUS! Please communicate with a friend in order to obtain the information regarding Dionysus.Dionysus is the Greek god of performance(theater), wine, and merriment. He is also referred to as the "TWICE BORN!"

HOMEWORK:
1. Please read the myth entitled "Dionysus" located on pg. 55 in your book. This is due on Monday!
2. Please view the film "Inja" (the dog) found on YOUTUBE. The film is approximately 15 minutes in length. Notice the image below. Watch the film once just for pleasure, then view it again, and as you do so, make a list of the irony examples found within the film. Use a sheet of notebook paper, and divide it in half vertically. On the left side write "EVENTS" and on the right side write "IRONY EXAMPLES and WHY."
When you watch the film a second time, record examples of irony located within "Inja." Write the event and then explain what irony is falls under.  Be aware that there are NO VERBAL IRONY examples; however, DRAMATIC and SITUATIONAL are prevalent. THIS IS DUE ON MONDAY!

PRACtiCE QUEST for Gods

PRACTICE QUIZ
(include Greek and Roman names for each question)
 1. Venerate, Vigil, Valuable, Vigilante, Volume, Viscous...I love words that begin with the letter V. ______________/______________
2. I would make an excellent "shop" teacher. ______________/___________
3. I have a PhD in Statistics. __________/______________
4. I am "President Obama" of the Olympians. _____________/____________
5. I directed a documentary film on grand larceny (look this up). ___________/____________
6. I would do well working in a floral shop, as I have a "magic touch" when it comes to flowers.

_____________/_______________
7. March is my favorite month. ____________/___________
8. I always "hit my mark." __________/_____________
9. I am responsible for desecrating a temple. ____________/_____________
10. Justify your response for #9 ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
11. A trick was played to woo me, so "love can not live where there is no trust." ______/_____
12. Justify your response for #11. ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
13. I failed to ask my wife's mother for her hand in "marriage." _________/_________
14. "Make me the most beautiful land animal." __________/____________
15. I gave my father a terrible headache the day I was born. ____________/___________
16. I was in the delivery room when my brother was born. ______________/______________
17. I am "cuckoo" for cuckoo birds_____________/_______________
18. "Beauty" is in the eye of the beholder. _______________/_______________
Justify your response for #18 ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
19. Payment is needed to enter here. __________/__________
20. Two eagles "found" my truth 

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Dear Mythology Kids,

I hope you have a great weekend! If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. We read the following previous student's "Is Mythology a Lie" narrative. PLEASE READ THIS EXAMPLE. 

Kristen Hanson                                                                                                                        Hanson 1

Mrs. Crampton

Mythology, B4

4 October 2011

Shattered Mirrors and the “Naked” Eye

I was late for school this morning; I hate that feeling, especially when I have a significant assignment due that involves me giving a presentation.  I considered wearing my pajamas, but then I changed my mind because they are slightly too small in areas where they shouldn’t be; consequently, I knew that the school’s “dress code police” would require a change, so I settled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had grown accustomed to my floor. I knew that attempting to do something with the “clay” that was my face would end up being useless. I usually spend time “molding” it into a beautiful piece of art, but today it would be a unformed.. I kept checking the time, and decided that I could put my mascara on during a “may I please use the restroom” moment in one of my classes. I didn’t even brush my teeth, comb my hair, or use deodorant. I know, gross! I grabbed some gum and threw my hair in a ponytail.

“Can I fix you a piece of toast,” my mother asked, as I ran down the stairs frantically throwing the mascara into my backpack.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t have time. I’ll see you after school.”

“Don’t bother with the mascara; it’s not worth it. Be free today, sweetheart,” my mom yelled to me as I pulled my car from the garage.

I kept thinking, Not use mascara? I need the mascara. I NEED THE MASCARA!!!”

I had 15 minutes before the bell rang, and my home is located 10 minutes from the school. I felt confident that I might be able to apply my mascara before first period, at least that way no one would notice my poor wardrobe choice. I pulled into the school parking lot, just as the five minute bell rang for first period. I can do this, I thought to myself. I used the mirror from my compact and started hurriedly applying the mascara as I started speed walking to class.

I could feel the anxiety begin to build as the one minute bell rang for first period. I had only put mascara on one eye! I can do this. I’m going to appear as if I am put together, I thought to myself.

I ran down the hall tightly holding the mascara tube, and entered first period, just as the bell rang. A feeling of relief consumed me, but then I remembered my “naked eye.”

“Do you mind if I finish putting my mascara on?” I asked my teacher. I thought about using the bathroom excuse, but I was too weary from my attempt to make it to class on time.

“You don’t need make-up,” he replied, “but if it makes you feel more comfortable then go ahead.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a mirror I could borrow? I have my compact, but it’s too small.”

He promptly went to the cupboard in the back of his room, and pulled out a hand held mirror, which reflected the whole of my face. I didn’t notice myself at that moment, but I should have seen the beauty that reflected back at me.

“This is perfect; much better than my compact.”

As I held the mirror in my left hand and started finishing the “dressing” of my other eye with mascara, the fire alarm went off, and the surprise caused me to drop the mirror; it completely shattered. The worse part was that my eye was still naked!

I looked at the shattered mirror on the floor. My reflection was distorted; yet, at the same time beautiful.

An announcement came over the intercom explaining that the alarm was a mistake. I started collecting the pieces of glass, and suddenly realized something: I did not need the mascara!

The shattered mirror offered me a different perspective on myself. I was beautiful without the mascara! I was that broken mirror. In fact, all people are like broken mirrors. They are flawed but beautiful fragments throwing images in a million different ways. People are like walking mirrors. Most of them are shattered. We are flawed on the outside and marred on the inside. We throw our image in different ways. Contrary to what many believe, everyone and their broken, flawed, dysfunctional way is beautiful.

Narcissus, wandered to the clear and polished pool. The silver waters were as clear and as smooth as a polished mirror.   Narcissus knelt down, tired and overheated from his hunting. He lay down upon the grass and quenched his thirst from the spring. Soon another kind of thirst arose within him. He gazed into the still water and beheld a from which gazed back at him. He became completely distracted with love for the reflection. (Stoddard, pg. 1)

I never considered the reflection in the mirror with its clean canvas, and one “mascaraed” eye as beautiful. Why was I so consumed with myself? The shattered reflection offered me a different point of view.

If Narcissus had only turned aside, the reflection would have faded away, and he might have known that his own reflection was what he loved---that his love had no independence from himself. (Stoddard, pg. 2)

The shattered mirror helped me realize that we are all flawed, though many wear masks, ashamed of their flaws.  Without flaws the world would be vacant. Without that snore in the night, it would be too quiet. Without that random snort, laughter would seem empty. Without that smack of the lips during meals, eating would be insistently dull. Flaw defines us and that is what makes us beautiful.

I believe that we are lost in our plunder for perfection. Women are expected to have flawless skin, ample breasts and tiny waists. Men are expected to be strong, handsome and athletic. We set these standards ourselves. No man or woman has ever said, “Hey! You have to be unflawed and beautiful or I won’t love you!” The people who couldn’t live up to those perfections went down an alternate road.  Mascara is a sham, muscles are over rated, and perfection is pointless.

Gazing sadly upon his image again, his tears created troubled circles upon the water, which made his image distorted and eventually vanish. He begged it to stay and beat himself upon the breast. Seeing this action reflected in the water, he could no longer bear his sorrow. (Stoddard, pg. 1)

I believe that there is not just one you inside you.  The fact is, there are many personalities and characteristics that define me, one little mascara label could never cover it all. As much as I would like to be unique in my ability to be undefined, everyone is like that. We are all just different blends of each other. No label could ever cover a human being. Girls slap layers of makeup and clothes on, fixing themselves up to today’s standards. Guys wear baggy pants with their hats turned sideways and flex their arms rather pathetically. Give it up; the only people you are fooling are yourselves.

Then Narcissus lay down and Death’s cold hands shut his self-admiring eyes. When the funeral pyre was built, no one could find Narcissus’s body. In its place was a yellow flower with tufts of white petals, which seemed to be called the Narcissus blossom. The flower’s face was lovely, but it was flawed in that it never brought its’ blossoms to the sky, but rather tilted its head toward the water as if  admiring itself.

I believe in shattered mirrors and eyes without mascara. I believe we are all broken in the most beautiful of ways. Accidents happen. Sometimes we trip and skin our knee. Like a mirror we are knocked over and clatter to the floor; sometimes shattering into pieces. However, we are all beautiful in our own ways. We throw images of ourselves; thousands of different personalities and characteristics bouncing off one another. I believe in beauty and its flawed amazing ways.

2. There were several of you that were gone on Friday. So, rather than choosing two myths for all of you, what I did was pull two myths from the "bag." Those myths are "ARACHNE" and "DAPHNE." Those of you that were absent, the focus for your TWO NARRATIVES are those myths. 

• You must include dialogue
• You must connect your personal story to the moral theme of the myth, by including text from the myth.
• You must include a Works Cited page, as you are using text from the myth.
• 500 words double spaced is the minimum lengh

WE WILL GO TO THE LAB ON TUESDAY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS, AS DOING SO WILL EXPEDITE YOU COMPLETING BOTH NARRATIVES.  

HOMEWORK:
1. Plan on taking the "QUEST" covering the Greek Pantheon on Thursday. Review by taking the practice quest, which is in my previous post. In addition, transfer the information from your yellow sheet to flashcards.
2. Your "Is Mythology A Lie" personal narratives are due on Thursday....at teh beginning of class.