Jean Kim
English 112B
May 2, 2006

Introduction

Today, high school students are faced with a world that presents such as careers, family, morality, and so forth. In order to choose wisely, young people need a strong sense of who they are, where they are going and what choices will get them there. Students can be asked to see in the experience of Odysseus, the archetypal traveler, and his son Telemachos, a vision of their own search for identity, along with the focus on fate and choice.

The purpose of this unit is to help students see themselves in the journeys of Greek characters from ancient mythology. Not only do they focus on admirable traits, the characters of the epic poem are human beings, that experienced many of the same difficulties around growing up, making choices and becoming mature, like the students as they leave their childhood and enter the world of adolescence and adulthood.

Summary of Novel

             The novel starts by Athena and Zeus talking about Odysseus who has been kept on an island by a nymph for eight years. Athena then visits Telemachos in disguise for him to call an assembly for the unruly houseguests that want to marry his mother.  He fails miserably and decides to leave.  He visits Pylos, Menelaus, to hear of his father, while the suitors decide to ambush him at home.  Meanwhile, Odysseus washes up on shore from his journey overseas and stays with King Alkinoos and tells the story of the Lotus-Eaters and how he escaped from the Cyclops.  He continues his journey to go home, bumping into Circe and various perils of the sea. When he returns, even his own servant does not recognize him.  Athena tells Telemachos in a dream that he must return home and the plans of the suitors.  After Odysseus is reunited with his son, they make and execute their strategy to kill the suitors. 

 

Class Level

 

The novel and the other material is made for advanced 9th to 10th grade class,.

Completing the Odyssey helps build students' self-esteem although they may be intimidated by the task at the beginning.  Also most students should be required to take notes.

OBJECTIVES

Students will be expected to:

1. read and study the Odyssey.

2. focus on the themes of maturation and identity in the Odyssey.

3. study the concepts of initiation, and the passage from youth to adulthood.

4. study the characters of Odysseus and Penelope as examples of adult people who are mature, although in some ways they are still growing.

5. study the characters of Telemachus and Nausicaa as young people who are just embarking on the road to maturity.

6. think about themselves as young people and about their own initiation into adulthood and the establishment of their own sense of identity.

 

 

YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE SELECTIONS

 

 

 

Beowulf

A masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon literature, it was orally passed down for generations.  It is ideal piece to learn about epics and pagan mythology as well as the civilization during the early middle ages. It embodies a lot of customs and values from a harsh and heroic time.

 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

This story is about four children called Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy who are sent away from London during the German air-raids of World War II. They go to an old Professor's house and Lucy walks through a wardrobe into the land of Narnia. The White Wich had returned and enchanted the land so it was winter all year and never Christmas. Finally, they all tumble through the wardrobe and make friends and try to rescue the world with the Lion Aslan on their side.

 

The Lightning Thief

Perseus Jackson, the main character starts out in a boarding school for the troubled youth.  However, the readers come to realize that all the events that surround him is not his fault, but they involve the greek gods.  He�s really the son of Poseidon and a mortal woman.   As he discovers his heritage, he also loses his mother and falls into mortal danger. The gods (still very active in the 21st-century world) are about to go to war over a lost thunderbolt, so Percy his two friends are on a journey to retrieve it. There�s a lot of Greek mythology and legend involved that would make the novel approachable and enjoyable for many students.

 

 

Ella Enchanted

�At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery, trying to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way.

 

Lord of the Ring series

Kingdom Hearts (rpg, rated E for everyone)

-The main character�s aim is go to home and fight against the darkness.  The villains (that disguise as friends) and Mickey Mouse (the higher characters) seem to know their destiny, but he is able to overcome it.

Lost the TV show.

-


Themes throughout the book

Cunning and disguise: Odysseus' most prominent characteristic is his cunningness. His skill at improvising false stories or devising plans is admired upon throughout the book, and that is what saves him throughout his journey.  He also discuses himself multiple times in the book, especially when he pretends to be a better to escape from harm when he comes back from home.   In addition, Athena frequently appears in the poem as the character Mentor to help Odysseus or Telemachos.

Women as predatory: Women are not usually portrayed in a positive way in the book.  Odysseus constantly worries of Penelope�s loyalty.  Circe, Kalypso, and the Seirenes are constantly using their sexuality to destroy and lure men into a trap.  Even the suitors of Penelope accuse her of teasing them.

Flaws : Though Odysseus is usually a smart, decisive leader, Odysseus is prone to errors, and his deepest flaw is falling prey to temptation of pride. His biggest mistakes come in when he foolishly investigates the Cyclops�s' lair and then cannot resist shouting his name to him after escaping.

The power of the gods: The gods have absolute power over all the moral actions in the book.  Offending a god can cause huge problems, such as Poseidon�s grudge against Odysseus.  Athena plays a huge role in the epic as well, helping him survive various tasks and events. She helps him get his freedom as well as saves his life in the end.  Ultimately, it seems as if the gods decide what happens to the mortal, but it is the people that decid


Lesson Plan

 

Session 1  Epic poems: Read introuction and up to Book 4

Introduction to the author Homer and epic poems.

Discussion of definition of epic hero and their characteristics.

Journal writing: What is your definition of a hero?

 

Session 2  Read from book 5 to 8

Discussion of the characters introduced in the book.

Look at the society and their expectations of a hero.

Compare the society in the Odyssey to another book�s (from the reading list, such as the Iliad or Beowulf) society.

What are the similarities and differences?

What can you tell of the society and their expectations?

 

Session 3  Read from book 8 to 13

Describe and explain in detail the influence of women, mortal and immortal.

What can be said about gods in the book?  How are they personified? 

Take a look at Telemachos?  What problems does he have as a young adult? 

Can these be applied to modern students?

Make a list of the characters and keep a note on their role in the epic.

 

Session 4  Catch up on reading and discussion of vocabulary and essay

Many words appearing in this epic may be unfamiliar to students.  They will keep a vocabulary journal where they write vocabulary words they do not know.  They should try to interpret the meaning of each world through context clues rather than looking it up right away.

Assign an Essay based on several topics and themes throughout the book.  Some examples would be: th existence and use of fate in the story, (wills, prophecies, ), the role of women, the attributes of an epic hero, daily life of the ancient Greeks, a character analysis of Telemachos, including his journey from boyhood to manhood,

 

Session 5  Read from book 14 to 18

Describe the relationship Athena has with Odysseus.  Discussion on cunningness and deception based on Athena�s admiration of Odysseus.

What other relationships do the gods have with characters from the book?

How does fate play a role in the novel?  Do you believe in fate?

If Odysseus is viewed as the ultimate Greek, what qualities are held in esteem by the Greeks?

 

Session 6 Book 19 to 24

Discussion of the ending of the book, and the relationship of fathers and sons.

Has Odysseus and Telemachos grown throughout the book? 

What role have various gods played in the book?

Do the characters have more of a free choice or are most things destined by fate?

Turn in vocabulary journal and essay.

 

 

Homer

Main character:

Odysseus (Roman version of Ulysses)

 

Journey home from Trojan War

 

Home: Ithaca, a Greek island

 

Wife: Penelope

 

Sin of PRIDE

 

Encounters unusual obstacles on his way home

 

Cyclops (one-eyed monster)

Poked in the eye with a stick

 

Lotus Eaters: mesmerizing, drug-like effect

 

Sirens (women) bathing on the rocks by the water, seduces/hypnotizes w/ song

 

Odysseus� son doesn�t recognize him when he gets home

 

Odysseus changes/grows up during the journey

 

 

OTHER:

 

 

 

 

Book title