ODYSSEY AN EPIC POEM BY HOMER WHAT IS A HERO?

KEY IDEA When you hear the word hero, who comes to mind? Do you think of someone with unusual physical strength? Great courage? A rare talent? In Homer’s Odyssey, you’ll meet one of the classic heroes of Western Literature-Odysseus, a man with many heroic traits as well as human faults.

WHAT IS AN EPIC POEM? A long narrative poem on a serious subject presented in an elevated or formal style

EPIC HERO The epic hero is a larger-than-life character, traditionally a man who pursues long and dangerous adventures. Alternately aided and blocked by the gods, he carries the fate of his people on his shoulders. The epic hero is an archetypal character-one found in works across times and cultures. Odysseus, one of the most famous heroes in Western culture, has shaped our ideas about the traits that a hero should have. Extraordinary strength and courage Cleverness and deceit, also known as guile Extreme confidence and a tendency to dismiss warnings

EPIC HERO CONTINUED Every epic hero embodies the values of his culture. As you read the Odyssey, consider how Odysseus faces various conflicts. What does this tell you about his character? What do his character traits tell you about what the ancient Greeks found admirable?

EPIC PLOT There are strange creatures, dangerous weather, divine intervention, world scale events.

EPIC SETTING Is a wide scale of many nations, exotic or fantastic places.

ARCHETYPES Characters, settings, and images that are well known in many times and to many cultures. Two Examples are: Buried treasure Loyal servant

EPIC THEME Epic themes reflect universal concerns. Examples: Loyalty Beauty

EPIC SIMILE A simile (comparison) that is developed in great detail, so that it goes on for several lines. Example: Odysseus’s description of his rage book 20.

EPITHET A brief phrase that names a person or thing and describes a main characteristic, such as, “Ivan the Terrible”. Example: Odysseus, son of Laertes.

ALLUSION A reference to a famous person, place, event, or story. Example: Odysseus’s son refers to Menelaus’ palace by alluding to the court of Zeus.

READING AN EPIC POEM Keep track of events Visualize imagery Notice how the figurative language, including epic similes, can make the story more vivid and interesting. Read difficult passages more than once. Use the side notes for help in comprehension. Read the poem aloud, as it was originally conveyed. As you read keep a list of major events and consider whether they lead Odysseus any closer home.

VOCABULARY PG CREATE A CHART LIKE THE ONE BELOW LOOKING AT THE LIST OF WORDS PUT THEM IN THE APPROPRIATE COLUMNS. KNOW WELL THINK I KNOW DON’T KNOW