MODULE 2:
HE IS MORE THAN A
HERO BY SAPPHO
INTRODUCTION
LESSON OBJECTIVE:
He is more than a hero by Sappho is a seventeen-line poem
Connect
the
which has been separated into one set of four lines, or quatrain,
sexuality
to
and five sets of three lines.
understanding of the literary
The term “lesbian” founds its origin within Sappho’s life. She
piece
issue
of
deepen
the
was from the Greek island of Lesbos and is known for her lyric
poetry, most of which dealt with relationships between women.
This is where the word “lesbian” arose.
PRE-ACTIVITY
Read about the role of women in society during Sappho’s time.
Share your thoughts.
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Activate your
prior
knowledge.
Share your
thoughts on the
lines provided.
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Little is known
with certainty
about the life of
Sappho, or
Psappha in her
native Aeolic
dialect.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Little is known with certainty about the life of Sappho, or
Psappha in her native Aeolic dialect. She was born probably
about 620 B.C. to an aristocratic family on the island of Lesbos
during a great cultural flowering in the area. Apparently her
birthplace was either Eressos or Mytilene, the main city on the
island, where she seems to have lived for some time. Even the
names of her family members are inconsistently reported, but
she does seem to have had several brothers and to have
married and had a daughter named Cleis. Sappho seems also
Sappho
to have exchanged verses with the poet Alcaeus. Scholars have
discussed her likely political connections and have proposed
plausible
biographical
speculative.
details,
but
these
remain
highly
In antiquity Sappho was regularly counted among the greatest
of poets and was often referred to as "the Poetess," just as
Homer was called "the Poet." Plato hailed her as "the tenth
Muse," and she was honored on coins and with civic statuary.
Nonetheless, an ancient, scurrilous tradition attacked and
ridiculed her for her evident sexual preferences. Indeed, the
facts of her life have often been distorted to serve the moral or
psychological ends of her readers.
An Anacreontic fragment that was written in the generation after
Sappho sneers at Lesbians. Sappho was lampooned by the
writers of New Comedy. Ovid related the story of Phaon, who,
An Anacreontic
fragment that
was written in
the generation
after Sappho
sneers at
Lesbians.
according to some traditions, rejected Sappho's love and
caused her to leap from a rock to her death. Christian moralists
pronounced anathemas upon her. Many modern editors have
exercised "gallantry" and "discretion" by eliminating or changing
words or lines in her poems that they believed would be
misunderstood by readers. This history of her reception is itself
part of Sappho's significance.
POEM:
He is more than a hero
he is a god in my eyes—
the man who is allowed
to sit beside you — he
The Tenth Muse book
who listens intimately
to the sweet murmur of
your voice, the enticing
your voice, the enticing
laughter that makes my own
At such
times
death isn't
far from
me.
heart beat fast. If I meet
you suddenly, I can't
speak — my tongue is broken;
a thin flame runs under
my skin; seeing nothing,
hearing only my own ears
drumming, I drip with sweat;
trembling shakes my body
and I turn paler than
dry grass. At such times
death isn't far from me.
Children’s laughter
REFLECTION
Write about the changing role of a woman in society today.
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Pause for a while
and reflect on
the statement.
Share your
thoughts on the
lines provided.