Oral Tradition, Part 3 7 th Grade Literature

Background  This week’s readings consist of a Greek myth, an Arthurian legend, and a Puerto Rican folk tale.  Myths- attempt to answer basic questions about the world and are considered truthful by their originators.  Folk tales– are told primarily for entertainment and feature humans or humanlike animals.

“Narcissus”  Greek myth  Beauty is a common issue in many Greek myths, as may characters’ identities are closely tied to beauty.  Narcissus is a very vain and handsome youth who falls in love with his own reflection, believing it to be someone else.  Narcissus and the nymph, Echo, are both deceived and taught lessons in typical Greek fashion.

“Young Arthur”  A retelling of a classical medieval tale that focuses on Arthur’s belief in his heart that he was already a knight, even though no one had made him one.  The story of King Arthur is full of disguises and deceptions.

“Lazy Peter and His Three-Cornered Hat”  Puerto Rican folk tale  A trickster tale that depicts the trickster as a con man, while reflecting an admiration for cleverness.

Part 3: Flights of Imagination  Vocabulary: Write the following words in your LNb on a page titled Oral Traditions, Part 3. Then look up the meaning of the words in your glossary. You may split the list with your partner, if you wish.  Immortalrebellion  Misfortunereclaiming  Scornfullygrievous  Vainlybellow  Contemptdismount  Pineinscription  Enchantedunsound  Melancholyhaggle  Priceless

“Narcissus”: Sequence  Sequence is the order in which things happen.  Writers sometimes provide signal words such as first, next, last, and after to cue readers about the time at which a story even takes place.  At other times, readers must infer the sequence of events based on clues such as changes in setting

“Narcissus”and “Lazy Peter”: Irony  Irony is the difference between what we expect and what actually happens.  A situation turns out to be ironic when what happens is the opposite of what we have been led to expect. (situational)  Another kind of irony occurs when the reader of the story knows something that the characters do not know. (dramatic)  The difference between what the character knows and what the readers know creates a sense of irony, which adds to the dramatic tension in the story.

Group Discussion Questions  Why did Narcissus spurn Echo?  How did Aphrodite punish Narcissus? Why?  How did Merlin control the events of the story?  What did the farmer discover after he bought Lazy Peter’s hat?  What lessons should have been learned by the characters in these stories?