The Odyssey
Epic Tales of Epic Proportions
Pre AP Eng 1 Agenda
OBJ
I can use context clues to demonstrate my understanding of
vocabulary.
I can discuss the distinctive element of an Epic Poem
LIT
Epic PPT AND Literature Books pg 804 – 806
WRT
NOTES: PPT AND Literature Books pg 804 - 806
Epic Hero Charts
Pre AP Eng 1
OBJ
I can discuss the distinctive element of an Epic Poem
Epic-- An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels,
adventures, and heroic episodes and written in a high style (with
ennobled diction, for example). It may be written in hexameter verse,
especially dactylic hexameter, and it may have twelve books or twenty
four books.
Examples:
Homer, Iliad
Virgil, Aeneid
Homer, Odyssey
Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered
Milton, Paradise Lost
LIT
NOTES PPT AND Literature Books pg 806 copy the bulleted
characteristics for both EPIC POETRY and EPIC NARRATION.
Journal #1 -- choose one, 100 words.
• Do you have a family member or a friend who
tells great stories? What makes their stories so
fun to listen to? Do you enjoy hearing their
stories again and again?
• What makes you a great storyteller? What are
some things you do to make your stories come
alive for your listeners? What do you do to
remember them?
• What is one of your favorite stories? What makes
it a great story?
Journal #2 -- 100 words.
• Write about a time someone told you (or
someone you know) not to do something, but
you did it anyway. (If you are writing about
someone else – use a pseudonym.)
Journal #3 -- 100 words.
1. Name a Hero—real or fictional
2. What are three traits he/she has that make
him/her a hero?
3. Choose one trait and write a journal about
the hero you named above. Give at least
three concrete examples of how (or when)
that trait makes (made) that person heroic.
Journal #4 -- 100 words.
1. Today is a day that focuses on love. Part of the
popularity of The Odyssey is the love story between
Odysseus and Penelope.
• For today’s journal, write a diary entry (or a poem)
from either Odysseus’ or Penelope’s point of view
expressing his/her feelings about their marriage after
being separated for 7 years.
Or
• Write about love as a topic. Your choice…love is
powerful. Love is fake. Love equals sacrifice.
Whatever you want to say about love. Start with a
clear topic sentence that shows the controlling idea
of the paragraph.
Key Terms
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arete
Narrative poem
Epic Poem
Epic Simile
Epithets
Patronymics
Themes, elements and symbols
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Narrative poem
Epic Poem
Epic Simile
Epithets
Patronymics
Allusion
Personification
Metaphor
Character (Archetype)
• The journey (to the
underworld)
• “3”
• Catalogues
• Histories and descriptions
Characteristics of the classical epic include these:
• The main character or protagonist is heroically
larger than life, often the source and subject of
legend or a national hero
• The deeds of the hero are presented without
favoritism, revealing his failings as well as his virtues
• The action, often in battle, reveals the more-thanhuman strength of the heroes as they engage in
acts of heroism and courage
Characteristics of the classical epic include these:
• The setting covers several nations, the whole world,
or even the universe
• The episodes, even though they may be fictional,
provide an explanation for some of the
circumstances or events in the history of a nation or
people
• The gods and lesser divinities play an active role in
the outcome of actions
• All of the various adventures form an organic
whole, where each event relates in some way to the
central theme
Typical in epics is a set of conventions (or epic machinery).
Among them are these:
• Poem begins with a statement of the theme ("Arms and
the man I sing")
• Invocation to the muse or other deity ("Sing, goddess,
of the wrath of Achilles")
• Story begins in medias res (in the middle of things)
• Catalogs (of participants on each side, ships, sacrifices)
• Histories and descriptions of significant items (who
made a sword or shield, how it was decorated, who
owned it from generation to generation)
• Epic simile (a long simile where the image becomes an
object of art in its own right as well as serving to clarify
the subject).
Typical in epics is a set of conventions (or epic machinery).
Among them are these:
• Frequent use of epithets ("Aeneas the true"; "rosyfingered Dawn"; "tall-masted ship")
• Use of patronymics (calling son by father's name):
"Anchises' son"
• Long, formal speeches by important characters
• Journey to the underworld
• Use of the number three (attempts are made three
times, etc.)
• Previous episodes in the story are later recounted
Day 1
OBJ
Pre AP Eng 1 Agenda
I can use context clues to demonstrate my understanding of
vocabulary.
I can discuss the distinctive elements of an Epic Poem
LIT
Literature Books pg 804-805 (Restate the questions and answer
in complete sentences.)
1. In ancient Greece, what was the specific job of the storyteller?
2. When do experts believe Homer composed and recited his poems?
3. Where did Homer get the ideas for his stories?
4. Homer was fascinated by what type of hero?
5. How did Homer compose his poems?
WRT
NOTES: PPT AND Literature Books pg 804 - 806
Epic Hero Charts
Day 2
OBJ
Pre AP Eng 1 Agenda
I can use context clues to demonstrate my understanding of
vocabulary.
I can use background information and media to make a
prediction about the plot and the theme of a text.
DWU Read pages 813-814. Based on the Invocation list 4 things you
expect to happen to Odysseus on his journey. (Put this in your
notes)
LIT
The Odyssey pg 810 – 880.
HWK Voc Lesson 13--Morphology (Prefixes—etc) Due
Character Cheat Sheets; Due
VOC Lesson 13 Quiz will be
WRT Epic Hero Chart
Summaries
Predictions, adjustments, evidence chart
MLA Citations (for Polyphemus)
"Book 9." Spark Notes. B & N, 2013. Web. 18
Feb. 2014.
Chin, Beverly Ann. “The Odyssey: Part
1." Glencoe literature: the reader's choice.
New York, N.Y.: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2002.
818 - 828. Print.