Eighth Grade Literary Analysis
Genre: Fiction
Name: ________________________Date: _______ Due Date: ______ Total Points: ____ / 100
This in-class writing assignment will be an analysis comparing your reading of classic Greek mythology to watching the
movie, The Lightning Thief. You will be using your knowledge of the gods/goddesses we have studied to analyze how at
least three gods and/or goddesses are rendered new in the movie.
Within this analysis, you will need to consider the following:

In Riordan’s world of The Olympians, the Greek gods and goddesses are alive and still influencing our mortal world.
How does Riordan take gods/goddesses and/or myths from Greek mythology and render them new and modern?

Remember to consider the characteristics of the gods and goddesses as they were portrayed in your reading of the
classic myths and how you chose to translate those characteristics on your Facebook page. Then think about the
choices Riordan made as he modernized the gods and goddesses in the movie and/or novel. Do you agree with
Riordan’s choices? Why or why not?
*It is your responsibility to bring your class notes, stories, and other materials you are using to do your literary analysis with you to
class every day. You will need your notes to find textual evidence to support your points.*
The following outline will help you to organize your literary analysis:
Paragraph 1:
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Write an interesting and attention-grabbing lead to your paper.
Give your overall impressions of the movie or novel, The Lightning Thief.
End this paragraph with your thesis statement, which is analyzing how Rick Riordan took Greek Mythology and
rendered it new in The Lightning Thief
Paragraphs 2, 3 & 4:
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Use textual evidence as well as your own thinking to write about at least three gods and goddesses in the literature
you read in class.
You may also want to think about the myths that we read in class and your general understanding of Greek
Mythology as a whole.
Using text-to-movie connections or text-to-novel connections, analyze how Riordan translates their characteristics to
modern times.
Think about their characteristics and the myths they were associated with.
Consider how the gods/goddesses are portrayed in the movie – think about their physical characteristics, their
personality, the setting in which we find them – analyze how well Riordan modernizes them. (Remember to choose
at least three gods and/or goddesses to analyze.)
Paragraph 5:
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Use textual evidence from your reading and from the movie as well as your own thinking to conclude your literary
analysis.
What other connections can you make?
What did you learn from Riordan’s attempt to modernize classic Greek mythology?
What does this tell us about the world we live in?
End your literary analysis with an interesting connection or statement.
Movie Notes Option A:
How Are the Gods/Goddesses Rendered New?
Comparing Characters from Ancient Mythology to How they Are Modernized in the Film
Directions: Think about how the movie portrays the gods and goddesses from The Lightning Thief. Choose at least four
gods and/or goddesses to analyze. Remember that the more thorough your notes, the easier it will be to write the
paper.
***We will stop throughout the film to write down notes and ideas.***
God or
Goddess
Name 
Notes from
reading the
original myth

Characteristi
cs of the god
or goddess

Notes from
The Lightning
Thief

Examples of
how the god
or goddess is
“modernized”

Movie Notes Option B:
How Are the Gods/Goddesses Rendered New?
Comparing the Book to the Film
Directions: Think about the differences between the book and the movie and write notes below. You may create your
own graphic organizer suitable to the type of information you will include. Remember that the more thorough your
notes, the easier it will be to write the paper.
***We will stop throughout the film to write down notes and ideas.***
1. How were these gods and goddesses rendered new? Think about their physical characteristics, their personality,
the setting in which they are encountered.
1. Do you agree with how Riordan modernized the gods/goddesses you chose? Why or why not?
2. Write a draft of your thesis statement: