Epic PoemsThe Odyssey
By: Homer
Today’s Goal
• Introduce ourselves to our next piece of literature, The Odyssey
• Discuss one of The Odyssey’s common themes
• Learn about what genre it belongs to
• Conclude what to expect from the piece
Quick Write
•What is a hero to you?• Characteristics
• Personality or Physical Traits
• Actions
**Be prepared to share your answers with the class
Epic Poetry• A genre of classical poetry originating in Greece
• Long narrative with journeys of an Epic Hero who represents an entire cultural, racial, or religious group:
• Greeks used the Homeric Epics as ethical textbooks in their schools
• They were seen not only as good stories but also as a source of knowledge about human conduct and relations with Gods.
• The Greeks also used mythology to explain people and their culture – through creation, weather, nature, and the universe.
Odyssey
1. An epic poem attributed to Homer, describing Odysseus’s adventures in his ten-year attempt to return home to Ithaca
after the Trojan War.
2. A long series of wanderings or adventures, filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc…
A Hero’s Journey
• A personal journey transformed into a cultural journey
• A call to an adventure or quest
• Supernatural forces that give aid or cause problems
• A series of tasks and trials
• A collision of forces
• A victorious or defeated hero
• Homecoming – the hero’s reintegration into or banishment from society