FOCUS QUESTIONS FOR MYTHOLOGY BY EDITH HAMILTON
Essential Questions for the Unit:
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What is mythology?
How does mythology differ between Culture/Religions/Nationalities/Tribes?
What is Creationism?
What is a Classic Hero? What are the characteristics of a Classic Hero?
What is a Tragic Hero?
How does fate and pre-destination play a role in our lives?
What are the origins of vocabulary and how have words evolved over time?
How have feminism and women’s roles in society changed/not changed throughout
history?
HOW THE WORLD AND MANKIND WERE CREATED
1. Night and Erebus were the first two children of Chaos. Who was their child?
2. How does Rhea fool Cronus?
3. Who are Zeus' allies?
4. How does Zeus' punish his enemies after they lose?
5. Who is Atlas and what was his fate?
6. How was man created?
7. What does Epimetheus do for the creatures of earth that earns his reputation as a
“scatterbrain”?
8. How does Prometheus come to man's aid?
9. What two gripes did Zeus have against Prometheus?
10.How did Zeus get revenge?
11. What does Pandora's name mean and why is it appropriate?
12. Hope is left in Pandora's box. What does it symbolically represent and why?
13. Does the Deluge remind you of another stories? Which one?
14. Who was saved and how were they saved?
15. Why doesn't Zeus get angry at their survival?
FLOWER MYTHS
Narcissus
1. How did Zeus use the narcissus flower to help Hades lure Persephone?
2. Why did Hera punish Echo?
3. How did she punish her?
4. What happened to Echo after she was rejected by Narcissus?
5. How did Nemesis punish Narcissus?
6.How did death set Narcissus free?
7.What happened to Narcissus's body after he died?
7. How did Hyacinthus die and what happened to Hyacinthus after he died?
Adonis
9. What is the name of Adonis's flower?
10. What two goddesses did Adonis split his time with?
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11. What seasons did he spend with each?
12. How did Adonis die?
CUPID & PSYCHE
1. Why was Venus so jealous of Psyche?
2. What did Venus tell her son Cupid to do to Psyche?
3. What was the difference between how Psyche felt and how her family felt about her meeting
her destined husband?
4. Where was Psyche taken when she went to the hilltop?
5. What was the plan that Psyche carried out one evening?
6. Who did her husband turn out to be and what did he do/say when he saw her?
7. What were the four things that Venus made Psyche do out of bitterness and envy?
8. What does the combination of the names Cupid and Psyche mean?
EIGHT BRIEF TALES OF LOVERS
Literature Circles – Complete the Literature Circle roles from the Vault, upload them to googledocs (in
one file), discuss the story in class and then the Director presents the groups’ ideas to the class.
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Pyramus and Thisbe
Orpheus and Eurydice
Ceyx and Alcyone
Pygmalion and Galatea
Baucis and Philemon
Endymion
Daphne
Alpheus and Arethusa
PERSEUS
1. Why did Acrisius refuse to kill his daughter?
2. Why did Polydectes want to kill Perseus?
3. Name the gifts that Athena, Hermes and the Hyperboreans gave Perseus and tell me
what they symbolize?
4. Why could Perseus only kill Medusa?
5. Why was Andromeda being punished and what was her punishment? Explain the
metaphor.
Extra Credit: Compare and contrast Percy Jackson and the Olympians with the mythological
story of Perseus. (4 paragraphs, MLA formatted.)
THESEUS
1. What were the terms for Theseus to receive his father's gifts?
2. Why didn't Theseus want to travel by sea?
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What was Theseus's ides of dealing with justice?
When he arrived at Athens, why was he an acknowledged hero?
Why did the King want to poison Theseus? Why did they want to poison him?
Why did Minos demand 14 youths and maidens?
Explain how Theseus killed the Minotaur
Assignment: Create a Labyrinth and we will have the Grand Labyrinth Contest and crown the
winner the Greatest Hero of the 10th Grade! (so much cooler than Theseus)
Extra Credit: What film was inspired by this story? Explain the connections. (1-3 paragraph
essay, MLA formatted.)
ATALANTA
3-5 paragraph in both of the Mythology story vs. the 1972 short film. Discuss the feminist
themes in both of the stories. Compare both of the Atalantas.
HERCULES
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Name The Twelve Labors in order?
Why does Heracles have to complete the Twelve Labors?
Do you think Heracles should have to atone for killing his children? Why or why not?
Why does Hera hates Heracles so much?
Which or the 12 Labors of Heracles is your favorite? Why?
Was there ever a time when you think Heracles acted un-heroically? Why?
Who was Heracles’s wife? Explain the “love potion” and why she chose to use it.
What are Heracles' most heroic traits/characteristics/attributes? List 5.
Do you think all of the monsters and men that Heracles killed deserved to die? Explain
your answer.
10. If a guy like Heracles was Greece's greatest hero, what do you think that says about
their culture? What did they value in human beings? What did they strive to be like?
Extra Credit: If you were a super hero, what would your super power be? Why? 1-3 paragraph
short DESCRIPTIVE essay, MLA format. VERY DESCRIPTIVE! Remind your self to use
imagery, metaphors, similes and personification to “slow down time”.
OTHER MYTHS – Less important myths
Choose 5 MYTHS and each of your group will choose 5 MYTHS as well gets story: (all stories
are listed in the table of contents of the MYTHOLOGY book under The Earliest Heroes or
under Less Important Myths
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Choose 5 myths that are different from the rest of your group
Read them
5 point tweet summary or paraphrase the story; put it into your own words
Literary connection to it (the connecter from Literature circles)
Share it with their small groups
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If there is time, let them do more for extra credit.
Hand it in at the end of class.
THE ODYSSEY
1. In a world governed by the gods, is there any room for human will? Do human choices
make a difference?
2. What does justice mean for the people in The Odyssey? Are revenge and retribution the
only options, or do they seem to be working on a different kind of justice?
3. The people in The Odyssey have no problem boasting, but they also warn against
excessive pride. What's the difference? When is it okay to talk big, and when do you
need to be little more humble?
4. What kinds of roles do women play in the Odyssey? Which women (or goddesses) hold
the most power and why?
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Explain the symbolism for the following (what does each metaphor represent?):
The sea
Odysseus’s bow
The ship called the Argos
Food and the banquets
Odysseus’s home
Wine
The Sirens
Achilles’s heel
The Cyclops
Group Mini-project: Tableau of Adventures (see rubric and instructions)
Whew…that’s it for this unit.
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