Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Dear Mythology Kids,
If you missed class today, we reviewed by obtaining information concerning Aeneus and then completing a time-line that helped indicate what events took place within The Iliad or The Odyssey. For those of you on Drama Tour, I will post this information for you tomorrow. I am writing from home, at the moment, and the time-line information is at school.

Please note the quotes for Odysseus, Ajax (greater) and Ajax (lesser) below. I have also posted a brief "practice quest" regarding the quote section of your quest. The images are too large to load. Realize that you have THREE SECTIONS to your QUEST:
1. Quotes: #1-#29
2. Time-line of Events: #30-#55
3. Images: #56-60

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, "inventor" of the Trojan Horse
B1:1."When the moment came to stand by his sacred oath, Odysseus pretended to be mad, as it had been revealed to him in a prophecy that should he go to war, he would not return for twenty years. His duplicity was reveal when Palemedes placed Odysseus' son, Telemachus, in front of the plough. Odysseus avoided the child, proving he was of reasonable mind. He was compelled to join Menelaus' army.

2. "Once at war he proved to be a shrewd and wise general. In Greek myths the idea of the Wooden Horse, which defeated the Trojans and led to the destruction of the city, is Odysseus' idea."

B2:1. "Renowned for his eloquent and persuasive speaking, Odysseus was called upon many times to give advice. Although he fought bravely he preferred strategy to heroics."
2. "...if anything went wrong...the men inside the wooden horse would surely die. Odysseus, as can be readily believed, had not overlooked this fact....he was prepared."

B4:
1. same as b2
2. same as b2


AJAX, the Greater
B1
1. "So awe inspiring Ajax, a tower of strength for the Greeks, rose and went into battle."
2. "He spoke little and slowly, but he had a good heart and tremendous courage."
B2
same as B4
B4
1."He is not wounded in any of the battles described in The Iliad, and he is the only principal character on either side who does not receive personal assistance from any of the gods who take part in the battles. "As such, he embodies the virtues of hard work and perseverance."
2. "They were soon rallied by Ajax, who, next to matchless Achilles, was the best-looking and best fighter of all the Greeks. He charged through the front of the line, fierce as a wild boar in the mountains who easily scatters the hounds and lively young huntsmen as it turns at bay in the glades. So glorious Ajax charged and easily scattered the ranks of Trojans, who had gathered round Patroclus and made up their minds that they were going to win the glory and drag his body into the city."

AJAX, the Lesser (Sorry, I couldn't find an image of him that I liked)
B1
1. "Ajax, not the great Ajax, of course, who was dead, but a lesser chieftain of the same name--tore her from the altar and dragged her from the sanctuary."
2."Not one Greek protested against the sacrilege. Athena's wrath was deep. She to Poseidon and laid her wrongs before him. "Help me to vengeance," she said. "Give the Greeks a bitter homecoming. Stir up the waters with wild whirlwinds when they sail. Let dead men choke the bays and line the shores and reefs."
B2
Presentation will occur on Thursday.
B4
1."Athena herself threw a thunderbolt at Ajax's ship and sank it, but he swam ashore boasting that he had defied the anger of the gods and escaped with is life."
2. "Yet there you are mouthing off as usual, and there is absolutely no need for it. There are many better men here than you, Ajax."

PRACTICE QUIZ
IDENTIFY the character from the underlined pronoun. Some characters may be used more than once!

1. He carried his lame and aged father and led his son, Ascanius, by the hand as the battlements burned to the ground. __________________________
2. "Take my armor. I am a man dishonored. I will not fight for men who have disgraced me. " __________
3. "When the Greeks sacked the city of Troy, she was in Athena's temple clinging to her image." _________
4. "A man that cannot live nobly can die nobly.' He drew his sword and killed himself." _____________
5."Not even for Achilles sake could he stay longer away from the battle. ___________________
6."He was brave and bold, but he was most famous for his cunning tricks, not normally associated with heroes." __________________
7. "A haunting net. Death's weapon of attack! And she who hunts is she who shared his bed." ___________
8. "He must stay with the women, and die as a woman, or join the battle with him. __________________
9."She knew that she must die so that the men could battle, although deceived, she bravely went to the alter."________________
10. "The cause of all this agony and death, yet as they looked at her, they could not feel any blame." ____________
11. "He was arrogant, deceitful and incredibly hateful toward the gods, especially Athena." ______________
12. "He took the girl, from Achilles, and therefore caused the destruction of so many." ______________

Cheers,
Crampton

Iliad Character Monologue

Dear Mythology Kids,

Enjoy your LONG WEEKEND, cute kids, but work on your monologue assignment due on Thursday, Feb. 23rd!  

What did you miss today during class?

1. We completed the presentations for Achilles and Odysseus.
2. We read two sections from The Iliad. The first involving Hector's goodbye to Andromache and then the dialogue between Hector and Achilles.
3. I then explained your monologue assignment to you. Please see the information for the assignment below.
HOMEWORK:
1. Please read the second half of the epic poem found on pages 195-200.
2. Your test covering the poem will take place on Thursday, the 23rd. There are three parts to your test:
                a. Quotes where you will need to identify who is speaker or who is being alluded to in the text
                b. A timeline of Iliad or Odyssey events (we will review for this on Tuesday)
                c. Images pertaining to events within the epic poem

START PREPARING NOW, my young friends, AS THE QUEST IS THOROUGH!

MONOLOGUE ASSIGNMENT 

      
Explanation: The Iliad represents a literary work full of irony. In The Iliad, Homer uses dramatic irony particularly for the purpose of causing the reader to become sympathetic toward the characters. Your assignment involves writing a monologue for one of the Iliad's characters. Your piece needs to contain elements of irony associated with The Iliad and with mythological characters in general. Please see the following example.

CASSANDRA:
            Welcome to my party, everyone, I am so thrilled that you could attend. I must remind you that our theme for this evening is "See everything, believe nothing." Allow me to remind you of the following.......There is danger looming ahead. Athena, are you listening? I can see our bleak future. I am doomed to know all the catastrophes that will befall us; yet, no one believes me. Therefore, hark, Paris, Prince of Troy. Are you daft, brother? Do not drink that apple punch; it smells oddly like death. You would be far from the fairest after tasting that disgusting and damaging drink Love will not even be able to set you free from your pain. I would not even have a piece of cake. Why, you ask? Can you not see the "cake server?" She's holding an axe, standing in a bath tub, holding an umbrella with holes in it. That vision makes no sense. Can you not see the signs of doom surrounding us? Wait...Paris, did you invite everyone on my guest list? Doing so is in accordance with Discord. We wouldn't want to offend anyone. Look there, Hades is the Lord of the Dead, yet he's the life of the party. Sisyphus refuses to rock and roll. Prometheus the titan gave us the gift of fire, but he's banned smoking. Honestly, I would have taken the gift of fire over truth. Ares has made peace with the fact that his brother, Apollo, isn't too bright. Narcissus just broke up with himself. Dionysus is sober and Icarus is high. Atlas is on top of the world. Zeus knows everything except how to spell the word omniscient, and Thor---What is Thor doing here? I don't think he was on the guest list. Midas has the golden touch, but thanks to Aphrodite he was a touch of herpes. Medusa was just stoned. Antigone is agreeable, and her father, Oedipus, brought a date that looks old enough to be his mother. And what do all these foreboding signs forebode? We are all doomed to die. Wait, a gift for me, from Odysseus. You really shouldn't have. What is...oh my...I love it...a horse. How did you know? Back to our theme....The Greeks are preparing to attack. They will lay siege to our city and destroy everyone within these walls. Why do you mock me? Ajax, your napkin is on the floor. You clearly need to do a much better job of cleaning up after yourself. I refuse to relent. What do you mean the party is over? We've only been celebrating for ten years.

REQUIREMENTS: 
1. The monologue must "voice the thoughts" of a character from The Iliad.
2. The piece must reference or allude to a minimum of four mortal character from The Iliad.   
3. The piece needs to reference of allude to a minimum of two gods associated with the poem.
4. The monologue needs to reference a minimum of six mythological characters NOT associated with the epic poem.
5. A minimum of six aspects of irony and/or puns must also be incorporated into your monologue. You will select two of the six aspects and explain why each are ironic.
6. Please use MLA format for your monologue (double space).
7. Identification of two requirements for numbers 2-5 need to appear below your monologue.  You select the required aspects that you will justify. Please single space  your explanations. Please note the following examples:

The piece must reference or allude to a minimum of four mortal characters from The Iliad 
1. Paris is mentioned in association with choosing the "rotten" apple. This reference indicates the destruction that Paris causes due to selecting Aphrodite as the "fairest." It also indicates the havoc that Paris will cause himself due to giving the apple to Aphrodite. His demise occurs when he is hit with a hydra dipped arrow. His death is a slow and painful one, as his first wife, Oenone, had the ability to heal Paris of his wounds, but she refused to assist him due to his abandonment of her for Helen.
 2. Clytemnestra


The piece needs to reference or allude to a minimum of two gods associated with the poem.
1. Athena is alluded to and reference in the line, "There is danger looming ahead. Athena, are you listening?" The word looming indicates her connection to weaving. It is also a pun in the sense that she "weaves" much of the danger imposed upon the characters within The Iliad. For example, she disguises herself as Deiphobus, Hector's brother, during his battle with Achilles. This clearly leads to his death.
2. Eris, the goddess of contention and discord is alluded to in the line, "Paris, did you invite everyone on my guest list? Doing so is an accordance with Discord" This line indicates that Eris/Discordia felt offended that she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, which, of course, cuased the vents that lead up to the Trojan War.


The monologue must reference or allude to a minimum of six mythological characters NOT associated with the poem.
1. The line, "Sisyphus is ready to rock and roll," clearly references the king from Corinth who was placed in the underworld due to his inappropriate sexual behavior. He is punished with pushing a boulder up a hill, always to have it come crashing down on him. The boulder represents his lack of ability to control his sexual desires.
2. The line, "Oedipus brought a date that is old enough to be his mother." is quite funny because Oedipus unknowingly killed his father and actually married his mother. Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, so his parents decided to abandon him, in the hopes that he would die from the elements. He was saved by a shepherd, and adopted by the king of Corinth, Polybus. He had a dream where he killed his father. Not realizing that Polybus was not his actual father, he leaves Corinth, and heads for Thebes, the location of his birth. He meets a man on the highway that accosts him. Oedipus in turn killed the man in order to protect himself. He does not realize that his particular individual was in actuality his father. When he arrives at Thebes, the city is besieged by a monster known as the Sphinx, who will not allow any traveler to enter the city unless her riddled his answered correctly. Oedipus solves the puzzle, and the monster kills herself. For this, the people reward Oedipus their queen and he accepts their "gift." He does not realize that he has just married his mother.

Dear Mythology Kids,
We completed the learning more about Cassandra, Ajax (the lesser), Ajax (the greater), Patroclus, Hector

HECTOR

B1

1. "His glancing helm was everywhere and one gallant warrior after another fell beneath his terrible bronze spear. When evening ended the battle, the Trojans had driven the Greeks back almost to their ships."

2. "Apollo forbade Hector to enter upon a contest with Achilles, but when the two heroes met, they were protected by Apollo and Athena. The Trojans fled, but Hector, although called back by his parents in the most imploring terms, remained and awaited Achilles."

B2

1."If I kill you, I will give you back to your friends and you do the same for me."

2. "My doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that may be told among men hereafter."

B4

1. Same as b2

2. Same as b1

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, "inventor" of the Trojan Horse

B1:1."When the moment came to stand by his sacred oath, Odysseus pretended to be mad, as it had been revealed to him in a prophecy that should he go to war, he would not return for twenty years. His duplicity was reveal when Palemedes placed Odysseus' son, Telemachus, in front of the plough. Odysseus avoided the child, proving he was of reasonable mind. He was compelled to join Menelaus' army.

2. "Once at war he proved to be a shrewd and wise general. In Greek myths the idea of the Wooden Horse, which defeated the Trojans and led to the destruction of the city, is Odysseus' idea."

B2:1. "Renowned for his eloquent and persuasive speaking, Odysseus was called upon many times to give advice. Although he fought bravely he preferred strategy to heroics."
2. "...if anything went wrong...the men inside the wooden horse would surely die. Odysseus, as can be readily believed, had not overlooked this fact....he was prepared."

Wednesday, February 8th and 10th, 2012

Dear Mythology Kids,

I thoroughly enjoy the moments in class when you read from The Iliad, as the story becomes genuine and you clearly make a connection with it. I valued listening to your performances....well done!


We discussed Menelaus, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Iphigenia today in class.


Menelaus, King of Sparta/Husband to Helen

B1:
1."Hear me also! This touches me most clearly. My mind is that the Acheans and the Trojans should now be reconciled. You have suffered enough this quarrel of mine and Paris. Call his grace, King Priam, as a witness, and we do not wish to violate this old man, he looks both before and behind, to see that the best is done for both sides."
2. " Paris struck first, but Menelaus caught the swift spear on his shield then hurled his own. It rent Paris' but did not wound him. Menelaus drew his sword, his only weapon now, but as he did so it fell from his hand broken. Undaunted though unarmed he leaped upon Paris and seizing him...he would have dragged him to the Greeks victoriously if it had not been for Aphrodite saving him. "

B2:
1. "Menelaus and Helen received him graciously as their guest. The ties between guest and host were strong. Each was bound to help and never harm the other. But Paris broke that bond. Menelaus trusting completely to it left Paris in his home and went off to Crete."
2. "Later after Paris' death, the Trojans gave Helen to his brother Deiphobus, in whose house, on the night of the fall of Troy, Menelaus found her. He had meant to kill her on the spot, but her beauty and Aphrodite's power deterred him."

B4:
1. "Menelaus saw who was making the challenge and was as glad as a lion coming on the carcass of a wild goat....He stood and looked at his rival with contempt."
2. Same as the second quote for B1..refer to the second quote for B1.

Burial mask discovered by Henrik Scheilmann. Scheilmann thought he had discovered the mask of Agamemnon. He was actually incorrect, as the funeral mask is several hundred years older than the Agamemnon of history.

B1:
1. "Artemis was so angry. One of her beloved wild creatures, a hare, had been slain by the Greeks, together with her young, and the only way to create the winds and ensure a safe voyage to Troy was to appease her by sacrificing to her a royal maiden, Iphigenia....He dared the deed, slaying his child to help a war."
2. "Agamemnon, in Greek Mythology, was King of Mycenae, and a commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. When the Greeks had assembled at Aulis for their voyage to Troy they were held back by adverse winds. Agamemnon had killed one of Artemis' sacred hares and the young; she was angry with Agamemnon's arrogance, so she caused the winds to blow unceasingly. To punish Agamemnon, she required the sacrifice of his eldest daughter Iphigenia. "
B2:
1. ""Agamemnon sent a letter to Clytemnestra and their child, Iphigenia, asking them to come and join them at Aulis, where Iphigenia he said was going to be married to the great Achilles."
2. "He insulted the goddess Artemis by bragging that he was a better hunter than she and by killing a sacred hare. As punishment, Artemis caused the winds to blow so hard that the Greek fleet could not set sail."

B4:
1. "Agamemnon had been forewarned about the danger of returning home with Cassandra, yet his pride blinded him and he thought himself invinsible. He was vulnerable because he refused to listen to Cassandra, so Clytemnestra killed him."
2. Same as the second quote for B2

Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, wife to Agamemnon, mother to Iphigenia, sister to Helen of Sparta

B1:
1. " She saw no reason to explain her act or excuse it. She was not a murderer in her own eyes, she was an executioner. She had punished and murdered the murderer of his own child."
2. "Dark red stains were on her dress, her hands, her face, yet she herself looked unshaken, strongly sure of herself...It was his blood that stained her dress and face and she was glad."
B2:
1: Same quote as b1
2: Same quote as b1
B4:
1. Same quote as b1
2. "Here lies my husband dead, struck down justly by my hand."

Sacrifice of Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

B1:
1. "When she came to her wedding she was carried to the alter to be killed by her father."
2. "She would only send a favorable wind if the king propitiated her by offering up Iphigenia, the most beautiful of his daughters, as a sacrifice to the goddess."

B2:
1. Same as B1
2. "Iphigenia was a tragic heroine. She was the first person to have her life flipped upside down because of the Trojan War and it was her death which allowed the Greek fleet to set sail for Troy. Iphigenia was extremely brave and she is the reason why the entire war was able to continue."

B4:

1. same as b1

Journal #9 "Clytemnestra's Defense"

Do you agree with Clytemnestra's defense that "She is not a murderer but an executioner." According to Clytemnestra, Agamemnon deserved to be removed from the world because he possessed no likeable traits. He killed Cytemnestra's first husband, Tantalus, and their child. Then he proceeded to sacrifice Iphigenia to Artemis.

Is Clytemnestra's act justified? Consider the following abstract regarding the Greek play,"Agamemnon," by Euripides.

"Without a hint of shame, the Queen describes how she killed Agamemnon with an ax, after using a heavy net to trap him in his bath. She tells the Chorus that he was evil and deserved to die. They declare that she will be driven out of Mycenae and shunned by all men for her crime. She rebuffs their reproach by pointing out their hypocrisy; none of them protested when Agamemnon killed her innocent daughter, Iphigenia. The murder of her husband is justified, she insists, because it avenges his crime. Now Agamemnon can lie dead alongside Cassandra, who shared his bed."

February 6th, 2012

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Introduction to PRIAM, PARIS and HELEN

First day of Iliad Character Presentations

Dear Mythology Kids,

For Monday, February 6th we discussed three characters. These included Priam, Helen, and Paris. I have included an image of each character below, and the quotes that were chosen by the groups for each class. I would review the quotes for EACH CLASS, as doing so will give you insights into each character, and the QUOTES will appear on your "Iliad Quest."

HOMEWORK:

Please read/annotate/notate the information entitled "The Iliad" for Wednesday. Please include 7-10 for the first page and 5-7 for the second. All the colors may be used for this assignment.

Priam, King of Troy, begging Achilles to relinquish the body of Hector

B1/B2:
1. "I have endured what no other mortal on the face of the earth has yet endured, to reach forth my hand to the face of him that has slain my sons."
2. " So accompanied the old man past the guards and came into the presence of the man who had killed and maltreated his son. He clasped his knees and kissed his hands and as he did so, Achilles felt awe and so did all the other there....."
B4:
1. "Priam was killed by Neopotolemus, the son of Achilles. Achilles had spared Priam, but Achilles' son struck him down before the eyes of his wife and daughters."
2. ""In Greek Mythology, Priam was the last king of Troy, a ruler who witnessed the destruction of his city in the Trojan War. His son Paris caused the war, while another son, Hector, became the greatest Trojan hero during the long struggle with the Greeks."

Paris, Prince of Troy

B1:
1. "Hera promised to make him Lord of Europe and Asia; Athena, that he would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece in ruins; Aphrodite, that the fairest woman in all the world would be his."
2. "Paris, a weakling and something of a coward, too, as later events showed, chose the last."
B2:
1. "Paris himself, who had not fought at all, except to throw his spear, she caught up in a cloud and took him back to Helen."
2. "His single combat with Menelaus, Helen's husband, was suppose to have settled the outcome of the whole war. Instead it revealed Paris as a coward, who only escaped through the intervention of Aphrodite."
B4:
1. "In Sparta, Menelaus, husband of Helen, treated Paris as a royal guest. However, when Menelaus left Sparta for a funeral, Paris abducted Helen and also carried off much of Menelaus' wealth."
2. "What men care for most was set before him. Hera promised to make him Lord of Europe and Asia; Athena, that he would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece in ruins; Aphrodite, that the fairest woman in all the world should be his. Paris, a weakling and something of a coward, too, as later events showed, chose the last. He gave Aphrodite the golden apple."

Helen, "the face that launched a thousand ships"

B1:

1. "Then Priam brought Hector home, mourned in Troy as never another, even Helen wept. 'The other Trojans upbraided me, ' she said, 'but always I had comfort from you through your gentleness of spirit and your kind words. You were only my friend."

2. "The most fascinating things about Helen was her story. It was far better than she was. We do not see any real character development in her and have to regard her as a a pawn of the gods. The larger story is involved with the people around her, their rise and fall. She herself seemed oblivious to the horrors that surrounded her."

B2

1. "If only death had pleased me then, grim death, that day I followed your son to Troy, forsaking my marriage bed, my kinsmen and my children."

2. "Never set food on Mt. Olympus ...never! ---suffer Paris, protect Paris, for eternity....until he makes you his wedded wife---that or his slave. Not I, I'll never go back again. It would be wrong, disgraceful to share that coward's bed once more."

B4

1. "Aphrodite led Paris to Sparta, the home of a Greek prince named Menelaus. Helen, his wife was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris fell in love with Helen and carried her off to Troy."

2. "When Menelaus returned home and discovered Helen gone, he called on the leaders of Greece, who had sworn to support him if necessary. The Greeks organized a great expedition and set sail for Troy. Their arrival at Troy marked the beginning of the Trojan War."