Incoming Sophomore Honors Summer Work Assignment FVHS 2012
Mr. Gradgrind in Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, thought that the chief staple of education should be facts, facts, facts.
We take a different view. Although we think facts are important, we also think educated people must know myths, myths,
myths. It isn’t clear whether the myth of George Washington and the Cherry Tree belongs in a course on history or one on
mythology, but from the standpoint of literacy it doesn’t matter. For purposes of communication and solidarity in a culture,
myths are just as important as history. And unless history achieves the vividness and memorableness of myth, it will not be
very useful to shared culture. We should indeed try to discriminate between history and myth; but true or false, the stories
that we share provide us with our values, goals, and traditions. The tales we tell our children define what kind of people we
shall be. A myth is a traditional story that tells a tale or explains something.
The term myth itself implies community. In Greek, it means “what they say.” The origins of most myths are lost in
obscurity; they belong to the community. The myths that are shared by literate Americans are worldwide in their origins and
embrace both ancient and modern cultures. The Greek myth of Paris and the apple of discord belongs to us as much as the
myth of Washington and the cherry tree. According to some modern philosophers, notably Nietzsche, all stories, even scientific
theories and religious teachings, are myths. Nietzsche’s view is probably wrong, but it usefully emphasizes the importance of
shared myths in forming our national community and providing us with irreplaceable common points of reference. If we did
not inherit myths, we would have to invent them; since we have inherited them, we should learn to use those we have
inherited. Our traditional myths are no more true or false, wise or foolish, than those of other cultures. But being ours, they are
uniquely valuable to us. (1)
The Task:
All students taking Honors 10 English at FVHS will read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology; take notes on the content; and
prepare to write several short essays on topics in the book, as well as to take a multiple choice exam on the entire book. Both
the essays and the test will take place during the first week of school and either one may be given on the first day of school. In
the event that the student is a transfer student, he or she must take a make-up exam after school during the third week of the
quarter. The essay questions will be posted online at www.fvhs.com, and students are encouraged to read the essay questions
BEFORE they read the book so that they can focus their reading and note-taking accordingly.
Listed below are the essay questions for incoming Sophomore students based on Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.
Students will be given three of these questions and will be required to write an insightful, grammatically correct, clear and
well-crafted response to these three questions. Each response should be around ¾ of a page in length and will need to be
finished in the course of one fifty-four minute class period. There will be one extra credit question that students MAY chose to
answer IF they have time to answer it.
The Essay Prompts:
1. Juxtapose two of Hamilton’s “Eight Brief Tales of Lovers.” One should be the tale that you believe is the most tragic, and the
other should be the tale that you believe is the most uplifting.
2. Explain how the myth of Persephone’s abduction could possibly be told with Hades as a sympathetic character.
3. Near the close of the Cupid and Psyche myth, Hamilton writes, “So all came to a most happy end.” Does Psyche deserve such
an ending? Defend your opinion.
4. Considering that Zeus and Hera are the king and queen of Olympus, why are Demeter and Dionysus called the Great Gods of
Earth? What is it about these two gods that Greeks hold in such high esteem, and do you think that their significance can in any
way offer lessons for society or individuals today?
5. There are many Greek heroes: Perseus, Theseus, Atalanta etc… and yet why is Hercules, who not only killed his own wife
and children, but also often drank too much, considered the greatest hero of Greece? Make sure in your response to include
references to at least three of his labors and how the actions related to these labors help illustrate the point that Hercules is
the greatest of the Greek heroes.
6. In Greek mythology, Chaos existed before all else. After Chaos came Night and then Love. Since Love was created even
before the Titans or Gods, it is obviously important in the minds of the Greeks. How does love play a crucial role in the story of
Jason and the Argonauts and what happens in the story when love is valued less than ambition.
Extra Credit:
Read Hamilton’s version of the Daedalus story for a basic understanding of what happens in the myth. Compare and contrast
Pieter Breughel’s painting The Fall of Icarus with William Carlos Williams’ poem “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” (both can
be found online). Discuss two aspects of the myth that are emphasized in the painting and the poem and two aspects of the
myth that are absent in the painting and the poem. Focus your discussion on characteristics, rather than plot (obviously,
neither the painting nor the poem deals with Daedalus’ experience in the maze).
(1) Excerpt taken from The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsh.
Help:
Should you have questions about the assignment, please contact Mr. Theriault at dtheriault@hbuhsd.edu.
The text, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology is not available for free online.  Here’s what you can do: Purchase a book from a
bookstore; purchase an e-reader version; or check out a book from school.
This is an amazing book to have in your library since many of the allusions, et cetera from other literature you will be reading
throughout high school and college will be coming directly from the mythology covered here. How amazing to have your own
annotated (your text with your notes in it) hard copy of the text, or annotated e-reader version of the text. You may even be
able to find a copy of the book at a used bookstore for cheap. 
If you choose to check out the book from school, it is considered a school textbook and you may not write in it. If you do you
would be charged the replacement value of the book. Additionally, if you lose the book, you would be charged the replacement
value of the book (just like any other textbook). To check out books, Ms. Hollingsworth with be available the following dates
and times: Tuesday, June 19 from 7:30 am - 9:30 am, Wednesday, June 20 from 7:30 am - 9:30 am, and Monday, June 25 from
11:30 am - 1:30 pm. You will need to bring your school ID card with you to check out a book. No ID card, no book.  If you
have questions about this process, you can e-mail Ms. Hollingsworth at ahollingsworth@hbuhsd.edu.
Have a great summer and happy reading. 