An exploration of The Odyssey and you Monsters in your life An exploration of The Odyssey and you

The BIG QUESTIONs What does this story have to do with me? How is this ancient epic relevant to teenagers in 2016?

You and the Story You and Odysseus are more similar than you think. Your assignment: To write a reflective article about how the monsters Odysseus encounters are similar to "monsters" in your own life. You are going to make an analogy between The Odyssey and your life. Analogy - An analogy is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.

The Assignment Choose four monsters from the seven that Odysseus encounters Cicones, Lotus-eaters, Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, Helios Explain at least two characteristics of each of your four monsters. Explain how those two characteristics are similar to a monster in your life. This will be written in paragraph form; a paragraph per monster. You'll get 6 points for each monster you discuss. Make sure you mention two characteristics and clearly link those characteristics to both the Odyssey's monster and yours. Total points = 25

Part 1: Analyzing Monsters Choose 4 out of the 7 monsters. Write a paragraph for each monster you choose. Answer the following questions in a paragraph about each monster. Describe the monster. How did the monster pose a threat to Odysseus? How did Odysseus overcome the monster?

Part 2: Making the connection Write a paragraph for each of the four monsters you have chosen. Relate the characteristics of the monster to the monster in your life. Include textual evidence to connect the monster to the monsters that you face. Analyze the monster by answering questions about it. Example questions: What monster do you face in your life? How does this monster relate to the monster Odysseus faced? What threat does the monster pose in your life?

EXAMPLE 1 In my life, the lotus eaters are just like the computer. The lotus eaters enjoyed the lotus plant: it tasted good, and once they tasted it, they wanted to do nothing but enjoy and stare at it. With the computer, I enjoy the things I do with it: reading good articles, talking to my friends, and laughing at silly stuff. What happens is I get to using it and I don’t want to stop—I could sit there for hours using the computer. That is also like the lotus eaters, who forgot their homeland and responsibilities and had to be dragged away. When using the computer, I forget the things that are important, like sleep, and I stay up too late and am too tired to enjoy my family. The computer is definitely a lotus plant to me.

Example 2 Homework in my life is like Helios. Helios sees and hears all. Homework is with me whenever I have a spare moment and even when I do not. My homework sees most of my weekends and weeknights; even during my open blocks in school I'm doing homework. Helios has herds of sheep and cattle that never die, just as my homework sees work from the same subjects continuously. My work never dies down. I think for these reasons Helios clearly represents homework in my life.

Example 3 I think the sirens are a lot like junk food, because they both draw you in. The sirens draw in sailors with their song, and the junk food does this by smelling and looking really good. But they both are dangerous, because although the junk food sounds like a good idea, it always ends up hurting you in some way, just as going to the sirens sounds nice before they eat the people.

MONSTERS in the Odyssey Cicones Lotus Eaters The Cyclops Sirens Scylla Charybdis Helios