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