The Odyssey, Odysseus, and the Epic Poem

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The Odyssey, Odysseus, and the Epic Poem

• English 1 CP

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Journal

• Write a list of what makes a person or character
  heroic. Try to come up with at least 10 items.
  You may also write in paragraph form if you wish.

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Key Terms

• An odyssey is an extended adventurous voyage or
  trip
• An epic poem is a long narrative poem about
• important events in the history or folklore of a
  culture
• the incredible deeds and adventures of a hero
• An epic hero is the larger-than-life central
  character in an epic poem
• Many epics begin in medias res, or in the middle
  of things, meaning that much of the important
  action in the story occurred before the point at
  which the poem begins
• Therefore, the adventures are often recounted in
  flashback, a scene that interrupts the sequence
  of events to relate earlier events

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More Detail

• Epic Poem

• Epic Hero

• Based on historical fact, legend and truth
• Gods/goddesses help and harass the hero

• Hero reflects goals and values of society
• Taught lessons to listeners/readers
• Better than everyone (strength, courage,
  endurance)
• Pride in reputation
• Love for family/homeland
• Forceful leader

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Historical and Cultural Context

• The backdrop of details of the time and place in
  which the work is set or in which it was written
• Specific events, beliefs, and customs
• The Odyssey tells the story of the Trojan War,
  when the Greeks fought Troy (Turkey)
• Trojan War started because Paris kidnapped Helen
  her husband is Menelaus

When you read a work from another culture, use
background and prior knowledge to analyze the
influence of the historical and cultural context.
Historical/Cultural Detail Background Analysis
Now Zeus the lord of the cloud roused in the north a storm against the ships Zeus is king of the gods in Greek mythology The Odyssey reflects a belief that the gods participate actively in the lives of mortals
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Homer

• Wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey (The Iliad is a
  story of war, while the Odyssey takes place
  after)
• Collected stories around 800 B.C.
• In oral poetic competitions, Greek minstrels
  sang stories set to music
• Stories were told and listened to more than they
  were read they were not written down
• Did he exist?
• He was blind
• May have been the greatest in a long line of
  Greek epic storytellers/collectors

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The Odyssey

• Recounts Odysseus (epic hero) difficulties while
  trying to go home
• Odysseus ventures home after 10 years of fighting
  in the Trojan War
• Story begins 10 more years after the end of the
  war (in medias res often told in flashbacks)
• No one has heard anything about Odysseus since he
  left 20 years ago
• When Odysseus is away, many men begin to vie for
  his wife, Penelope
• Odysseus and Penelope also have a son,
  Telemachus, who is 20 years old

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Map of Odysseus Travels
Odysseus journey takes so long because the gods,
including Poseidon (god of the sea) punish him
and interfere with his travels
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Need a better visual?

• Troy
• No, we are not going to watch the whole movie