1. T HE J OURNEY OF A H ERO Monday, September 24, 2012

2. W RITER ’ S N OTEBOOK Think about a specific modern day hero. Describe that person/character. What are his/her positive attributes? Flaws? What does s/he look like? Heroes to consider: athletes, political figures, celebrities, comic book characters, men and women in service (military, fire fighters, nurses, etc)

4. W HAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A HERO ?

5. W ORDS TO D EFINE : EPIC POEM EPIC HERO HUBRIS EPIC CYCLE/ JOURNEY ARCHETYPES IN MEDIA RES

6. EPIC POEMS A long, narrative poem detailing the adventure or journey of an epic hero Early epics are the result of oral tradition that have eventually been written down, thus the authors of early epics are often unknown Originally meant to be sung or performed Language is literary and elevated Includes an epic question Begin “ in media res,” meaning “in the midst of things”

7. EPIC HERO 1. Unusual circumstances of birth - born of royalty - born in danger 1. An event, sometimes traumatic, leads to adventure or quest 2. Hero has supernatural help 3. The hero must prove himself many times while on adventure/quest 4. When the hero dies, he is rewarded spiritually

8. HUBRIS Excessive pride or self-confidence to a fault Defiance of the gods

9. EPIC CYCLE/ JOURNEY 1. The hero most possess supernatural abilities /powers 2. The hero is charged with a quest that will test his abilities/ worthiness 3. The hero will meet helpers, companions, and mythical animals throughout his journey 4. The hero will travel to a supernatural world of which ordinary humans are banned 5. The cycle reaches a low point when it seems as though the hero is defeated but in the end, the hero regains his rightful place with a lesson learned

10. ARCHETYPES Common elements that appear again and again in literature and art such as: Situations Characters Images Can you think of a common example for each?

11. M ESOPOTAMIA “B ETWEEN R IVERS ” Mesopotamia is believed to be one of the world’s first civilizations Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern day Iraq

12. M ESOPOTAMIA CONT. Kings ruled the city-states to act as intermediary between the gods and the people (Sumerians) Sumerians were polytheistic Developed world’s first writing system

13. G ILGAMESH The epic of Gilgamesh examines the quest for eternal life, friendship, abuse of power, and relationships One of the oldest works of literature The epic is divided into twelve tablets Gilgamesh is the historical king of Uruk during 2700BCE He was 2/3 God 1/3 human and 100% TROUBLE He is arrogant, boastful, selfish and destructive Represents both the best and the worst that a person can be