1. A Story of Epic Proportions: What makes a Poem an Epic?

2. Epic Poem
An epic poem is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation.

3. The Iliad by Homer
These heroic adventure tales have often had surprising durability over time, such as the story of friendship and heroism, The Iliad, which continues its life in the modern film Troy.

4. Why do they last for centuries?
Epic poems are more than simply a lengthy story told in poetic form, and their ability to remain accessible, relevant, and remembered over time owes a significant debt to their roots in an oral tradition and to their cyclical pattern of events.

5. Today’s objectives: You will learn about the epic hero cycle
You will recognize the pattern of events and elements in contemporary stories.
You will be introduced to the patterns embedded in these stories that have helped generations of storytellers remember these immense poems.

6. Agenda Bell ringer “What is an epic poem?”
Notes on Epic Poetry-add to list
Discussion of Hero/Examples of epic hero cycle
Epithets
Think-Pair-Share
Closure

7. Elements of an epic poem:
Epic stories: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, The Ramayana

8. What other stories do you know that follow a similar pattern of action?
Star Wars The Wizard of Oz
Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit
Harry Potter The Lion King
Fill out the example portion of the worksheet.

9. Pay attention because you will be creating your own Epic Hero Story !
Epic Heroes
Pay attention because you will be creating your own Epic Hero Story !

10. What do they all have in common?

11. Has “larger than life” qualities, possibly supernatural powers
Traits of an epic hero
Has “larger than life” qualities, possibly supernatural powers

12. Is a natural leader of men.
Traits of an epic hero
Is a natural leader of men.

13. Traits of an epic hero
Is appealing to the opposite sex, but rarely has an extended relationship.

14. Defeats monsters (bad guys) and/or fights gods.
Traits of an epic hero
Defeats monsters (bad guys) and/or fights gods.

15. Traits of an epic hero
Has “good” on his or her side.
Ares, the god of war, rode alongside the Trojans, aiding them in war.

16. Often stands alone in battle. Beowulf fights big battles alone.
Traits of an epic hero
Often stands alone in battle.
Beowulf fights big battles alone.

17. Is smarter than everyone else, generally a problem solver.
Traits of an epic hero
Is smarter than everyone else, generally a problem solver.
Odysseus tricks the Trojans by hiding inside a “gift horse” and surprising them.

18. Has a weakness that destroys him or her, or leads to death.
Traits of an epic hero
Has a weakness that destroys him or her, or leads to death.
Achilles was shot in his vulnerable ankle and died.

19. Makes long journeys… always on the move, travels to find adventure.
Traits of an epic hero
Makes long journeys… always on the move, travels to find adventure.
Indiana Jones travels the globe in search of artifacts and adventure.

20. Traits of an epic hero
A skilled fighter

21. The Epic Hero Cycle
The epic hero cycle is cyclical (it comes back to the beginning).
It is a general blueprint that many ancient stories used/followed.
Nowadays, you can find evidence of the epic hero cycle in many movies, novels, video games, and TV shows.

22. Quick Check
What modern movies, novels, video games, and TV series show evidence of using the epic hero cycle?

23. Students will define and write epithets.
Today’s objectives
Students will be introduced to the patterns embedded in epic poem/stories that have helped generations of storytellers remember these immense poems.
Students will define and write epithets.

24. Modern Epics

26. Are there patterns in the answers?
Is the hero a remote figure, or is he/she someone readers identify with?
Can you identify ways in which the behavior of the epic hero might be teaching the reader a lesson, or presenting an example to follow?
What is the hero’s relationship with his homeland?

27. Other elements of traditional epic poems:
Formal and florid language (excessively ornate or embellished)
Open with an invocation (prayer for guidance or aid)
Use of epithets (descriptive term/name/handle)
“Fleet-footed Achilles” “Ever-patient Metzger”
Odysseus:  Zeus' equal in his mind's resource; son of Laertes; nimble-witted; famous spearman; sacker of cities; much-enduring; loved of Zeus; great glory of the Achaians

28. Epithets
Throughout this book, Edith Hamilton refers to people and gods through the use of epithets. For example: “implacable Charybdis” implies that even as Charybdis’ whirlpool pulled ships under the water, the monster did not care.
‘Sharp-clawed eagle’ implies that the eagle’s claws are its most effective weapon.

29. Epithets create images
epithet, an adjective or phrase that is used to express the characteristic of a person or thing, such as Ivan the Terrible.
In literature, the term is considered an element of poetic diction, or something that distinguishes the language of poetry from ordinary language.
Homer used certain epithets so regularly that they became a standard part of the name of the thing or person described, as in “rosy-fingered Dawn” and “gray-eyed Athena.” Think- Oscar the Grouch!

30. Why use Epithets?
Characterization. Epithets identify individuals and give the audience an opportunity to recognize their favourites. Color and vividness in the narrative. They make it possible to visualize what is mentioned. In a long narrative, such as an epic poem, variation and detail must be introduced often to avoid tediousness. Formula is made by combination of name plus epithet. This acts as a mnemonic for the bard who is using oral tradition in telling folk tales learned by heart.

31. 3. Poseidon Earth-shaker 4. Odysseus, wrecker of cities
Think-Pair-Share: What image is suggested by the word or phrase found in these epithets?
1. Many ridged Olympus
2. Golden-throned Hera
3. Poseidon Earth-shaker
4. Odysseus, wrecker of cities
5. Harpies, hounds of Zeus
6. fleet-footed Antilochus
7. Hector, tamer of horses
8. death-dealing War

32. Make up an epithet for one of the following and explain how the epithet describes the noun or proper noun.
You may place the epithet before or after the name, and you may eliminate the person’s first name if it sounds better.
i.e. “blood-sucking Dracula” –This describes him because he is a vampire which are said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
Choose from:
George Washington, cheetah, Barack Obama, Grand Canyon, Muhammad Ali, the moon, New York City, Cadillac, Homer Simpson, Moby Dick, Genghis Khan, Miley Cyrus, Steve Jobs, Liam Neeson, Taylor Swift, Brad Pitt, Kate Upton, Darth Vadar, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, ground hog, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton.

33. Your epithets!
Hell Goddess Hillary Strong-willed Washington Wall-building Trump
Sleek-footed Cheetah Evil-doer Donald Country Twang Taylor
Grand Crack Famous No-life Kim
Tattoo Bieber Blond-haired Swift Hot Headed Trump
Rapid-punching Ali Criminal Clinton Bieber-Strong
Swift-footed Cheetah Nature’s flashlight Bullet-flying cheetah
Crime fighting Batman (The Dark Knight) Independent Washington
State Changer Washington Sell-out Sanders Dark Changed Darth
Pumpkin Head Donald Dark Evil (Vadar) Doughnut Downing Homer

34. Pass it On!
These stories were originally passed on by bards, or professional poets who made their living by singing folk tales and epic poems to audiences.
Details of the poem often shifted from one telling to the next, the most important elements of the story always remained the same.

35. How did the bards do it?
Imagine some of the issues related to telling of stories by means of oral rather than written communication.
Imagine memorizing a novel, which you will then retell without having a text to refer to.
Would the story have been the same each time it was told?
With so much info. and detail to remember, how was it possible for bards to memorize thousands of verses of poetry?

36. Cinderella
Identify the most important characters, objects, and actions in this story.
List of elements for Cinderella:

37. Elements for Cinderella:
Wicked step mother/two evil daughters
The prince
The fairy godmother
The glass slipper
The pumpkin coach
Banishment of the night of the ball
Losing her slipper along the way
The moment when her foot fits the glass slipper
Why did most of you have the same elements?

38. What do these elements represent?
What do each of the elements symbolize?
Do these elements help you to remember the story in order?
Epic poems are much greater in length than fairy tales, bards must have used mnemonic devices to aid them in their telling.
EPIC HERO CYCLE-predictable story cycle helped bards to memorize the long poems.

39. Mnemonic device- formula used to aid memory
These elements act like memory markers in the telling of the story, helping the teller to remember how the story unfolds.
Breaking the story down into more easily memorized smaller pieces of narrative, and then memorizing the order of these smaller narratives, is a mnemonic device that has been utilized by bards since Homer’s time.
If the teller can remember these markers, he/she can then elaborate and expand the details of the story for specific audiences.

40. Cinderella’s dress pink? White? Blue?
Does changing the time, place, or details such as the style of dress in the “updated” story affect the main elements of the story, or the story’s message?

41. Write your own!

42. Website
*Create an account so that
you can save and edit it! (Use your name because it will
be graded when you submit it in Google Classroom).
*Project title- Hero Journey
*Include an EPITHET for your hero!
*Minimum of TWO sentences per section. PLOT
DEVELOPMENT is critical!
*Be creative and ORIGINAL!
*Check your grammar and mechanics:
usage, punctuation, capitalization, spelling!