1. English 1 Ms. Batchelor January 23, 2017
Please take out your copy of The Odyssey, your notes, and something to write with. Put away your iPads.

2. The Odyssey
An Epic Poem by Homer

3. Objectives
Students will be able to discuss and identify important background information about Homer and the text itself

4. Crash Course by John Green
While watching the video: please take notes—we’re going to share out something you learned or thought was important!

5. Laconic Summary of Plot
Aristotle’s Précis from the treatise Poetics:
“A certain man has been abroad many years; he is alone, and the god Poseidon keeps a hostile eye on him. At home the situation is that suitors for his wife’s hand are draining his resources and plotting to kill his son. Then, after suffering storm and shipwreck, he comes home, makes himself known, attacks the suitors: he survives and they are destroyed.”

6. Homeric Greece

7. Introduction Odyssey: English word meaning _________
Derives from the Greek word Odusseia, which means the story of Odysseus.
The story came first and defined the word as it is commonly known today.
Consists of over 12,000 lines of verse.
Epic = ___________________
Estimated to be 2,700 years old. Written versions and commentary of the poem is circulating by the time of Alexander (roughly B.C.E.).
Most estimate that the poem was composed (not written) by Homer between the years 800 and 700 B.C.E
Homer, to whom the poem is attributed, lived at least 140 years after the Trojan War, which took place approximately 1200 B.C.E.

8. Homer
Almost all reputable accounts describe him as blind and illiterate.
There is still scholarly debate about the latter description, but it is clear that his tale was not recorded in writing until decades, likely centuries after Homer’s lifetime.
Prior to written records, the poets/performers communicated the poem orally—literally reciting the poem in its entirety.
Poets as Jazz Musicians/MCs:
Though it is in a fairly rigid hexameter verse, it is believed that poets/performers often improvised or established new or different ways of telling the same story.
Impact on the Poem’s Style and Content:
The overwhelming majority of the poem remained the same (the central themes and structure of the story remained intact), but some modes of expression may have been altered, or points of emphasis may have changed
The fact that the text we now read is translated and may have changed over time puts more emphasis on our need to interpret and analyze for significance.
Widely considered to have composed and performed the two most famous poems of Greek Civilization: The Iliad and The Odyssey.

9. The Iliad v. The Odyssey
The story of The Odyssey takes place rather recently after the events in The Iliad, which is presumed to have come first (in terms of composition as well as plot).
The Iliad is about the events of the Trojan War.
In The Odyssey, the Trojan War has already taken place, and it is the reason for Odysseus’ absence from his home, Ithaca.
Odysseus is a character in The Iliad, but is the protagonist in The Odyssey. He has the same character traits, but the focus of his personality shifts in each story.
He is a persuasive speaker in both, but The Iliad has the underlying notion that his skills render him deceptive or manipulative (neutral/negative connotation).
His “deception” is usually for some sort of noble purpose in The Odyssey (positive connotation).
Famous/revered in The Iliad for his concept of the Trojan Horse.
The Iliad examines the nature of war itself; The Odyssey concerns itself with the aftermath of war.

10. Homer (Continued) Structure: Books I-IV: The Telemachiad
Focuses on (Queen) Penelope and (Prince) Telemachus in Ithaca, dealing with Odysseus’ absence in the present.
Books V-VIII: Exposition
Focuses on Odysseus travels from Calypso’s island to Phaeacia in the present.
Books IX-XII: Exposition
Focuses on Odysseus’ trials and tribulations before he arrived in Phaeacia (past years)
Books XIII-XVII: Rising Action
Focuses on Odysseus’ return to Ithaca and his reunion with Eumaeus, an old friend, and Telemachus, his son, in the present.
Books XVIII-XXII: Climax
Focuses on Odysseus’ revenge and recapture of his throne in the present.
Books XXIII-XXIV: Denouement
Focuses on Odysseus’ reunion with Penelope, his wife, and Laertes, his father, in the present.

11. Narrative Elements
Point of View: 3rd Person Omniscient that gives the thoughts and feelings of other characters.
Books 9-12 are told through Odysseus’ eyes—the only sections that use of a first person narration.
“Modern” Structure:
Disruption of Timeline: traditional narrative structure is present, but it does not unfold in the traditional order
Lack of chronology de-emphasizes plot and stresses characters and themes
Reflects themes of waywardness, confusion, and uncertainty
Combines elements of a tale, an epic, and a myth—all three are equally important to the structure and themes of the poem.
5 Components of an Epic Poem:
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________

12. Major Themes Nostos: the Major Conflict of the Story is.
Define Nostos: _______________________
HERO: This is the primary theme, we will discuss what makes a hero and how the story fits/redefines the notions of a hero.
Development of Odysseus and Telemachus.
Journey Narrative
Xenia: the Greek concept of hospitality, generosity, and courtesy.
Compare and contrast the presentation of the suitors and the people/creatures/gods in the various places Odysseus travels.
Father-Son Relationships:
Odysseus-Telemachus, Laertes-Telemachus, Poseidon-Polyphemus, Nestor-Pisistratus, Euphitithes-Antinous.

13. Major Themes (Continued)
The Role and Representation of Women: Penelope, Athena, Calypso, Anticleia, etc…
How are women portrayed? Are the portrayals Progressive? Sexist? Archetypal? Revolutionary?
Two Narratives: modern concept of parallel, non-linear, and simultaneous plots.
Telemachus and Penelope at home on the isle of Ithaca.
Odysseus and his journey.
Role of the Classical Gods: What roles do gods play in the personal lives of the human characters? Transitions between reality and fantasy: monsters, creatures, gods, goddesses, intercessors, magical aspects…

14. Major Themes (Continued)
Loyalty: What does this mean in the context of familial or other relationships?
Good v. Evil
Temptation and Sexuality
Personal/Social Identity
Home
Humility and Hubris
War and Consequences of War
Leadership
Power and Power Structures
Masculine/Feminine Ideal

15. Characters
This list does not include all characters who appear in The Odyssey, but it does include the ones who are most essential to the action of the story.
Alcinoos: King of the Phaiacians
Anticleia: Odysseus’s mother who died while he was away from Ithaca
Antinoos: “Ringleader” of Penelopeia’s suitors
Arete: King Alcinoos’ wife, known for her kindness and beauty
Argos: Odysseus’s old hunting dog
Athena: Goddess of wisdom; Odysseus’s helper
Calypso: Witch/nymph who wanted Odysseus as her husband
Circe: “Terrible goddess with lovely hair, who spoke in the language of men” (115); daughter of Helios
Demodocos: Blind minstrel
Eumaios: Swineherd; a faithful servant of Odysseus
Eupeithes: Father of Antinoos

16. Characters (Continued)
Eurycleia: Faithful old servant of Odysseus and his family; “she loved him [Telemachos] more than any other of the household, and she had been his nurse when he was a little tot.” (21)
Eurymachos: One of Penelopeia’s cruelest suitors
Hyperion: Sun-god
Iros: Beggar at Odysseus’s home
Laertes: Odysseus’s father; lives in seclusion in the country
Odysseus: Protagonist unable to reach home after the Trojan War; “wise beyond all mortal men” (12)
Melanthios: One of Penelopeia’s cruelest suitors; a goatherd
Nausicaa: Daughter of King Alcinovs; “tall and divinely beautiful” (73)
Penelopeia: Odysseus’s faithful wife
Philoitios: Faithful cattle drover
Poseidon: God of the sea; bore a lasting grudge against Odysseus; often called “Earthshaker”
Polyphemos: “Most powerful of all the Cyclopians” (12); son of Poseidon
Telemachos: Odysseus’s son; “a fine-looking boy” (13); approximately twenty years old
Theoclymenos: Prophet who returns to Ithaca with Telemachos
Teiresias: Blind Theban prophet

17. English 1 Ms. Batchelor January 24, 2017
Please take out your copy of The Odyssey, your notes, and something to write with. Put away your iPads.

18. Objectives
Students will be able to consider some of the important elements from The Odyssey and apply them to their lives
Students will be able to recall at least three important concepts from yesterday’s class
Students will be able to discuss Book I of The Odyssey with accuracy

19. Review What were some of the topics we discussed yesterday?
What do we know about Homer, Odysseus, The Odysey, The Iliad, and epic poems?
How might The Odyssey still be relevant to our lives today?

20. Warm-Up _____1. There’s no place like home
Read through the list of statements below. Consider them carefully and rate each statement on a scale of 1-4.
Strongly Disagree  Strongly Agree 
_____1. There’s no place like home
_____2. Half the fun of going someplace lies in getting there
_____3. Revenge is sweet
_____4. Winning isn’t everything; it’s how you play the game that counts
_____5. All’s fair in love and war
_____6. What goes around comes around
_____7. Good people usually get the reward they deserve
_____8. Life is hard
_____9. Absence make the heart grow fonder
_____10. You should take care of yourself and your family first, then worry about saving the world
_____11. You should be willing to die for your country
_____12. If mothers and wives where in charge, there would be no war
_____13. You should express your anger
_____14. I’d rather be a live coward than a dead hero
_____15. Sometimes it is necessary to lie

21. Book I Discussion Questions