1. McCloud THE ODYSSEY HOMER

2. GOALS A. learn to follow activities of several characters at the same time B. become comfortable with settings and names that may be foreign C. relate to characters that are initially thought to have nothing in common D. put aside immediate gratification of simply finishing the wor k

3. II. BACKGROUND: A. Homer 1. Greek minstrel – traveling story teller 2. blind 3. lived about 1000 B.C. 4. considered by the Greeks as their greatest and finest poet

4. B. follow-up to Homer’s The Illiad about Odysseus being recruited and fighting in Trojan Wars

5. III. EPIC A. long narrative poem B. cannot be told in one sitting C. complex story with several main characters D. story spans many years

6. E. journey (adventure) story F. has an epic hero G. contains characters with superhuman powers/abilities H. stories beyond belief

7. EPIC HERO Not a superhuman but conquers most problems Unending faith in god, country and family Brave, although often has fears he must overcome

8. Purpose is to defeat all evil so all good may prevail Intelligent – relies on brains to get out of trouble Often guided, but not aided, by a higher force that has some supernatural abilities Has to overcome obstacles to achieve success