2023-2024 Mythology/Folklore - Plans
*** Dates in the past are what we did those days. Dates in the future are what we have planned, and the plans may change. ***
January 08
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4
distribute Edith Hamilton's Mythology books and The Princess Bride (which we won't need until the second half)
sign up for Remind 101 (rmd.at/2f39ebk)
January 09
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
January 10
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
January 11
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
Zeus
January 12 (half day due to weather forecast)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
January 15 (no school: MLK, Jr. Day)
January 16 (no school: snow day)
January 17 (no school: snow day)
January 18
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
January 19
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
January 22
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
Hephaestus
January 23 (no school)
January 24 (2-hour delay)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
January 25
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
January 26
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
reminder:
January 29
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
January 30
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
January 31
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
January 08
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
distribute Edith Hamilton's Mythology books and The Princess Bride (which we won't need until the second half)
sign up for Remind 101 (rmd.at/2f39ebk)
- Also have parents either sign the letter or (better yet) email me saying they saw this letter sent home about classroom policies.
- We looked up some information about the author of our main book, Edith Hamilton.
- It can be argued that the Greek (and Roman) culture has had more of an impact on modern American culture, more than perhaps any other ancient culture.
- our concepts of freedom, civilization, government, law, barbaric behavior, etc.
- Zeus:
- thunder, lightning, heavens, #1 god, married (Hera) but many girlfriends (more about that later)
- Poseidon:
- sea, trident
- Hades:
- Underworld (also riches, since gold, silver, etc. are found under ground)
- also frequently mentioned:
- Achilles (tendon), Odysseus (Odyssey), Trojan Horse, Icarus, Minotaur, Hercules (aka Heracles), Midas
- Now, why would those three gods mentioned earlier be the chief gods of the Greeks?
- What do their gods' attributes tell us about the Greek people themselves?
- We can discern a lot from what we already know:
- Three most powerful gods are male = a male-dominated society (patriarchy)
- Zeus as #1 god = agriculture very important to them (need rain)
- Poseidon as #2 god (perhaps tied for 2nd with Hades) = importance of the sea, sailing
- cf. how Greece is surrounded by the Sea, and how mountains effectively block it off from the rest of Europe.
- Hades as #2 or #3 god = the afterlife very important to them
- We can discern a lot from what we already know:
- What do their gods' attributes tell us about the Greek people themselves?
- For comparison (and since it's a common reaction to think ancient Greeks were primitives who worshiped gods they made up), we talked about our own culture in similar ways:
- For example, if we were to have some gods that were American (i.e. not Christianity, which is a world-wide religion), what might we "worship"?
- Typical answers include Freedom, Liberty, National Unity, money, etc.
- If so, would we honor them by having statues built in their honor?
- Flags used to represent their importance? Pledges recited to remind us?
- cf. The American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance
- We sing songs at sporting events that honor our nation, most often the National Anthem.
- some of the lyrics:
- O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave,
O'er the Land of the free and the home of the brave?
- O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave,
- Are these our gods? Do we worship them?
- Not exactly, but we certainly do honor/respect them.
- Similar, though, right?
- some of the lyrics:
- Would we mention them on our money?
- For that matter, would it seem we have temples to money (banks) in every town?
- Would we have stories of legendary heroes (cf. the Founding Fathers, explorers, war heroes, etc.)?
- Typical answers include Freedom, Liberty, National Unity, money, etc.
- another thing:
- One of the most common ways to honor the gods was to sacrifice an animal.
- Most of us probably don't or won't do that.
- But how many of us have thrown coins in fountains?
- It's similar enough to show that...
- Most of us probably don't or won't do that.
- One of the most common ways to honor the gods was to sacrifice an animal.
- For example, if we were to have some gods that were American (i.e. not Christianity, which is a world-wide religion), what might we "worship"?
- the point:
- We have a great deal in common with the ancient Greeks.
January 09
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
- Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- Reminder: It's an assignment to take basic notes on our class discussion:
- Also, from time to time we will refer to these slides to help aid our discussion.
- We discussed the following things as part of getting into thinking about the ancient world:
- p.001: Are we really that much less connected to nature than the ancients?
- Those of us who feel somewhat connected to nature (through hunting, fishing, camping, etc.) still admit that it is usually as a break from our normal routine.
- For example, we usually have to purchase special items (even clothing) for those purposes.
- We also usually need special equipment (not in use every day) for doing those things.
- Assuming we are less connected to nature than our ancient ancestors were, is "driving a car" outdoors?
- We talked about how it takes a special effort to try to connect to nature in that way:
- radio off, windows open, focusing on the beauty around us instead of... anything else
- We talked about how it takes a special effort to try to connect to nature in that way:
- Those of us who feel somewhat connected to nature (through hunting, fishing, camping, etc.) still admit that it is usually as a break from our normal routine.
- Consider how much scientific knowledge we have (even if we just have a rudimentary understanding) and how much that changes what we think about our world.
- We talked about how we don't like to "have no answer" for things.
- We much prefer to have some explanation, even if it may not be accurate.
- Notice how many children to this day are told (or watch cartoons) about some obvious lies about explanations for things:
- where babies come from (storks?)
- what causes thunder (God and/or angels bowling?)
- p.001: Are we really that much less connected to nature than the ancients?
- back to non-scientific explanations:
- How would we explain these types of phenomena if we had seen/dealt with them enough to know that they (at least most of them) are not necessarily dire emergencies?
- snow
- thunder/lightning
- an eclipse
- a tornado
- a drought
- a flood
- a plague (why did some die and not others?)
- a meteor
- mirages
- genetics
- Why do some people look more like parents and some less?
- What causes twins (or more multiples) be born?
- Especially since some are identical and some aren't...
- germs
- It's surprising to many today to find out how recently doctors started washing their hands between seeing patients, even between performing autopsies and then delivering babies...
- How would we explain these types of phenomena if we had seen/dealt with them enough to know that they (at least most of them) are not necessarily dire emergencies?
- We talked about how we don't like to have no answer for things.
- We much prefer to have some explanation.
- Consider how many of us talk about hell like it's inside the ground, or how heaven is in the clouds.
- This is also similar to how the Greeks believed the heroes (e.g. Hercules) and the gods lived in particular cities or regions.
- Consider the things we still can't prove with science:
- Where does inspiration come from?
- Where does an artist (painter, dancer, author, musician, etc.) get his/her creativity?
- Can it be controlled?
- Where are memories stored?
- If you assume it's the brain, then what do you make of how this article describes memories and feelings being transferred by organ (e.g. liver, heart) transplant?
- Where does consciousness (life?) come from?
- Is it your soul or your spirit? Is there even such a thing?
- If so, where is that located? In your brain?
- Can we create life?
- Not reproduction, but creating a new form of life?
- Is it your soul or your spirit? Is there even such a thing?
- What happens to us when we die?
- Heaven? Hell? Reincarnation? Nothing?
- There's a lot we still can't prove through science.
- But we still have explanations for these things.
- Where does inspiration come from?
January 10
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
- Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- back to the book:
- p.008
- astrology: the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
- e.g. the Zodiac, horoscope, etc.
- What's important here is that the ancient Greeks did not believe in this.
- astronomy: the scientific study of space (stars, planets, moons, comets, etc.)
- Like us, the ancient Greeks sought rational explanations for what they observed.
- The ancient Greeks did not believe in ghosts, either.
- astrology: the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
- p.009
- It seems the Greeks were among the first to stop practices of human sacrifice and other barbaric practices.
- p.010
- Greek mythology is a bunch of stories about gods and goddesses, but it's not a Greek bible.
- It's also not just "Greek religion."
- As the author says: "Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them."
- Myths are basically in three categories:
- explanations (primitive science)
- why there's an echo, why beautiful flowers can still grow despite Greece's rocky landscape, etc.
- history
- The Greeks ("Zeus") conquered other cultures (their gods).
- entertainment
- e.g. hero stories (Odysseus trying to get home)
- explanations (primitive science)
- Greek mythology is a bunch of stories about gods and goddesses, but it's not a Greek bible.
- p.008
- We continued our discussion about our similarities to the ancient Greeks by considering this:
- Even with our scientific advances, there are still many things we can't explain, and so we often think or talk about them using "myths."
- temptation:
- Why do some people (all people?) do things they don't want to do or things they know they shouldn't do?
- Do we illustrate it this way?
- If so, this is a myth.
- Even if we all know it's not true, we still pass it along as an explanation.
- attraction:
- Why are some people attracted to certain others?
- Is there a "scientific" reason for your attractions, your taste?
- Have you ever thought someone was good looking and your friends disagreed?
- Do we explain it like this?
- luck:
- Does it seem like some people are luckier than others?
- Or that some days are just lucky, and some are unlucky?
- Do we think about it this way?
- temptation:
- Even with our scientific advances, there are still many things we can't explain, and so we often think or talk about them using "myths."
- We spent some time going over some topics from yesterday's reading, or questions people had, such as the following:
- How'd they come up with names for their gods?
- It seems they just used words to describe them as their names (e.g. Hades means "the unseen," and Zeus comes from the word for "god," and earlier names for him came from their word for "sky.").
- See more here.
- Another interesting one is Athena, whose name seems to mean "divine mind," perhaps what we would call "inspiration" (especially strategic inspiration).
- We also talked about why the Greeks would have so many stories about Zeus having different girlfriends.
- Consider how the ancient Greeks could remember their cultural history without the printing press and without a literate culture.
- They were limited to oral tradition (telling stories), and so that limits the amount of detail involved
- especially if they wanted everyone to be able to remember things
- One option: Tell stories (the more memorable the better) about conquests.
- Zeus was their main god, the god of rain, which is important for an agricultural society.
- Stories of our main god having flings with goddesses from other locations...
- are really stories about the Greek culture conquering others
- through diplomacy = they were willing (it was a consentual love with Zeus)
- through violence = against their will (it was sexual assault by Zeus)
- are really stories about the Greek culture conquering others
- How the Greeks made the gods in their own image (made them to look like us).
- This is a reversal of the Biblical notion that God made man in His image.
- Other cultures (e.g. Egypt) that had more bizarre gods (e.g. human body with head of a wolf).
- Gods that are like us are less intimidating.
- How "the visible was used to explain the invisible."
- We talked about how germs are invisible, so people used other things to explain the spread of disease (e.g. bad smells).
- such as "plague doctor" masks in the Middle Ages
- We talked about how germs are invisible, so people used other things to explain the spread of disease (e.g. bad smells).
- (if we haven't already talked about this) the concept of centuries, and how many people confuse the years
- e.g. the first century was not the 100's. It was the years from 0-100.
- We're living in the 21st century (the 2000's).
- a recent debate:
- Was 2020 the first year of a new decade? or the final year of the decade?
- some thoughts on this
- a recent debate:
- Centuries work the same way B.C.
- The first century B.C. was from 0-100 B.C. The second century was the 100's B.C.
- Therefore, the 9th century B.C. was the 800's B.C.
- We also talked about the common misconception that A.D. means "after death."
- It stands for the Latin phrase "Anno Domini."
- And we talked about the emergence of a similar dating system, B.C.E. and C.E. (see more here if needed).
- How'd they come up with names for their gods?
- Then students had time to read p.011-012, and we discussed the following:
- How these myths are not really a "Greek bible."
- They're more of a collection of rudimentary scientific explanations for natural occurrences.
- How/why Zeus (rain) was even more important than the Sun.
- Also, notice how Zeus changed from being just the god of the sky (rain) to be the god of justice.
- This reflects how over time the Greek people changed from an agricultural society to more of what we would call an empire:
- law, order, government, colonies, etc.
- This reflects how over time the Greek people changed from an agricultural society to more of what we would call an empire:
- Also, notice how Zeus changed from being just the god of the sky (rain) to be the god of justice.
- How these myths are not really a "Greek bible."
- Read p.17-20 in our book, which is about the Titans.
- Assignment: Take some basic notes (you certainly don't have to write down everything) over this content for today's assignment.
Titans: - why someone decided to name the Titanic after the Titans
- Titanic was huge!
- (If you're interested in conspiracy theories, even one that seems to have been proven inaccurate, there's an interesting one about the Titanic, whether it sank or whether it was actually the Olympia that sank.)
- Titanic was huge!
- The Titans were probably originally older gods from different empires that were surpassed by Greek culture
- Notice that Cronus/Saturn fled to Italy.
- This means that people who worshiped the god Cronus/Saturn fled to Italy.
- Notice that ancient Romans (in Italy) worshiped Saturn...
- This means that people who worshiped the god Cronus/Saturn fled to Italy.
- leader of the Titans: Saturn (Greek name: Cronus)
- his major holiday Saturnalia has a lot of similarities to Christmas, which came much later (scroll to last paragraph in this section)
- also get name for Saturday from him
- another major point: things we're very familiar with came from these ancient religious beliefs
- This family tree of the Titans (including some of the Olympian gods) is useful.
- Notice that Cronus/Saturn fled to Italy.
- We also examined the ancient view of the world and speculated why it was so.
- Compare this view of the world to the European concept of the world.
- In the late 1400's, Columbus went sailing west in order to reach China by water (instead of across land).
- He didn't realize there was a continent in between.
- Much like the ancient Greeks...
- In the late 1400's, Columbus went sailing west in order to reach China by water (instead of across land).
- Let's refresh our memories with a glance at a map of Europe to locate Rome (in Italy) and Greece.
- consider the Mediterranean Sea to put Greece in context of what is around it
- look at map of Greece to locate Mt. Olympus as well as other famous cities (Athens, Sparta, Delphi, etc.)
- Assignment: Take some basic notes (you certainly don't have to write down everything) over this content for today's assignment.
January 11
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
- Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- e.g. the first century was not the 100's. It was the years from 0-100.
- We're living in the 21st century (the 2000's).
- a recent debate:
- Was 2020 the first year of a new decade? or the final year of the decade?
- some thoughts on this
- a recent debate:
- Centuries work the same way B.C.
- The first century B.C. was from 0-100 B.C. The second century was the 100's B.C.
- Therefore, the 9th century B.C. was the 800's B.C.
- We also talked about the common misconception that A.D. means "after death."
- It stands for the Latin phrase "Anno Domini."
- And we talked about the emergence of a similar dating system, B.C.E. and C.E. (see more here if needed).
Zeus
- Zeus is neither omnipotent nor omniscient
- compare to the Christian, Jewish and Muslim concept of God
- his shield = the Aegis
- the concept of oracles and divination
- More about Zeus can be found here.
- Her great importance is signified by marriage to Zeus, the #1 god.
- also his sister... uh...
- reminder: this reflects the shifting religious beliefs as well as the interaction between various cultures
- "Oh, your god of marriage is the rain god's sister? Well, we believe they're married."
- "Hey, maybe they're both..."
- more about her here
- Her daughter is Eileithyia (or Ilithyia), goddess of childbirth
- fertility, safety during birth, healthy babies, etc., very important to many cultures (and to ours as well, but not nearly as much)
- How would our culture today feel about Hera?
- consider our medical and cultural advances that take away much of our anxiety about childbirth
- fertility treatments and drugs
- even drugs or procedures to prevent pregnancies
- (How would Hera feel about that?)
- pre-natal care, doctor visits
- births in hospitals, etc.
- fertility treatments and drugs
- consider our medical and cultural advances that take away much of our anxiety about childbirth
- How would our culture today feel about Hera?
- Childbirth was quite dangerous in ancient past.
- If time, briefly check out how long ago C-sections were performed.
- It may blow your mind...
- fertility, safety during birth, healthy babies, etc., very important to many cultures (and to ours as well, but not nearly as much)
- Her daughter is Eileithyia (or Ilithyia), goddess of childbirth
- god of the sea, storm/calm, earthquakes
- and horses?
- The theory is that Poseidon (i.e. sailors who worshiped him) brought horses from other lands to Greece.
- more about him here
January 12 (half day due to weather forecast)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
- Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- back to the book, p.24-25:
- not Death itself
- i.e. he's not equivalent to the Grim Reaper
- but he's god of the dead and king of the underworld
- The importance of honoring the dead, the afterlife, etc., to the Greeks is indicated by his status as Zeus's brother.
- How do we seem to feel about what was important to Hades?
- We discussed how many of us have attended funerals, how they are formal occasions with ritual (supposed to dress certain way, do certain things, act certain way, speak certain things, etc.)
- We also reflected on the number of cemeteries and the practice of visiting them.
- How do we seem to feel about what was important to Hades?
- interesting that goddess of wisdom a woman in mostly male-dominated society
- We're not sure why she was called "Pallas" Athena.
- There are a few theories.
- was born from Zeus's head and allowed to carry his shield (both indications of her importance)
- Why Zeus's head? Why not Cronus's or someone else's?
- Quite possibly, the Greeks thought of Greece as the birthplace of these concepts (e.g. civilized behavior).
- And a lot of these ideas did originate in Greece.
- Consider how Athens really was the "the birthplace of democracy."
- Why Zeus's head? Why not Cronus's or someone else's?
- why thought of as a virgin?
- Think about what we've discussed regarding Zeus and his... adventures with women, and what those really represent:
- This concept of Athena as a virgin symbolizes the invincibility of Athens.
- No other gods (meaning no people who worship other gods) can have their way with this goddess (with this city).
- "You can't touch this!"
- her worship was widespread (protector of civilization, the city)
- named after city of Athens (or else city named for her)
- Athens: one of most important cities in world history (as discussed earlier with the birthplace of democracy)
- Educated people know what these are and where they were:
- the Acropolis
- most famous building on the Acropolis: the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to Athena
- has been reproduced in the US, in Nashville, Tennessee (meaning at least some Americans think this is very important)
January 15 (no school: MLK, Jr. Day)
January 16 (no school: snow day)
January 17 (no school: snow day)
January 18
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- Take basic notes over this content for a weekly grade.
- more information here
- born on island of Delos
- mother was Leto, daughter of Titans (so he was related to older religions)
- why called "Phoebus Apollo" most of the time?
- famous for defeating Python
- space program named after him:
- Apollo program (including Apollo 11, the first men on the Moon)
- Why it's named after him is disputed, it seems (end of p.2 and beginning of p.3).
- Apollo program (including Apollo 11, the first men on the Moon)
- high priestess Apollo's temple at Delphi (she was the Oracle of Delphi or the Delphic Oracle) was called Pythia
- very interesting information on that page about the procedure (fumes, possibly hallucinations) and related topics
- The number and range of temples to Greek gods indicates how widespread their religion was.
- We compared that to how we see churches all around us now.
- Basically every town has at least one church.
- We compared that to how we see churches all around us now.
- Compare pictures on that previous link to pictures of capitol buildings here in the United States.
- So are we "worshipping" Abraham Lincoln by having such a monument in his honor?
- Or is it more that we are honoring his memory and what he stood for, what he inspires in us?
- The same may be true about the ancient Greek temples, that these are important concepts being honored and not just "gods being worshipped" in these temples.
- More examples today:
- We have statues all over the place, but especially in government buildings (are these our "temples"?).
- The Statue of Liberty itself is one obvious example.
- The US capitol has this statue on its highest point.
- The US Supreme Court also has statues portraying Justice (and so do many court rooms across the country).
- We often depict Justice as a woman who is blindfolded (fair) while weighing the scales (evidence for/against).
- So is a courtroom with such a statue a temple to justice?
- We often depict Justice as a woman who is blindfolded (fair) while weighing the scales (evidence for/against).
- We have statues all over the place, but especially in government buildings (are these our "temples"?).
- Keep in mind the good things being honored in most of the old temples dedicated to gods like Apollo and Athena, especially:
- Apollo: truth, medicine, music
- Athena: wisdom, civilization itself
- There weren't many (if any) temples dedicated to Hades, and the Greeks didn't honor Ares that way either.
- The Romans did honor war that way, but we'll talk about that more later.
- Even the pediment style and statues are frequently imitated in American architecture.
- Closer to home, compare Greek temples to the capitol building here in Michigan.
- Indeed, we have inherited much from the ancient Greeks.
- But I think we also are trying to attach ourselves to the Greeks for various reasons.
- If we can use the same architecture and art (e.g. statues) decoration as the Greeks, we are making a claim to be related (at least in culture) to the oldest democracies.
- Here's more:
- Check out the painting inside the dome of our capitol building (Congress).
- It's called the Apotheosis of Washington, and it reminds us of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (image 1, image 2).
- Most likely, we're once again trying to connect ourselves to great art and great civilizations from the past, in this case, Renaissance Italy.
- That's an interesting title for a painting about an American president, based on what the word apotheosis means.
- Additionally, there are "godlike" figures around Washington:
- war, science, marine (sea, ocean), commerce, mechanics, agriculture
- Here's more about the painting. Quite interesting.
- Check out the painting inside the dome of our capitol building (Congress).
- more information here
- worshipped across Greece, important everywhere
- somewhat confusing:
- seemed to have 3 aspects or sides to her personality:
- Artemis (on land)
- Selene (the moon itself or in the sky)
- Hecate (darkness, moonless nights, the world below)
- Most likely this type of situation comes from the blending of different cultures and religions over long spans of time.
- "What gods do you worship here?"
- "The moon, Selene."
- "Oh, we worship her too, only our name for her is Artemis. The goddesses sound similar. We must just have different names for the same goddess."
- Here's a decent explanation of this.
- seemed to have 3 aspects or sides to her personality:
- was a major factor in the Trojan War, even requiring human sacrifice before allowing the Greeks to set sail
- Most likely, this is part of the legend is from so far back that the Greeks were willing to sacrifice a person to a god, because that's pretty rare in what we have of their mythology.
- It does illustrate how badly they wanted to get on their way, but it doesn't seem like the Artemis we know, especially when it meant the sacrifice of a young woman.
- Her temple in the city of Ephesus is one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
- The plan is to talk more about these 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
- If we have a quiz that includes them, you'll be given plenty of advance notice.
- Lastly, the new (2017) space program is called Artemis.
- humans to the Moon
- permanent base on the Moon
- eventually sending humans to Mars
- also interesting there: the Ares rockets (meant for taking supplies to Mars - makes sense, based on the name)
January 19
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- reminder: Take some basic notes over this content for this week's assignment.
- So do we worship Aphrodite (read: Love, Beauty) in America today?
- Consider how much money we spend on romance.
- on romance novels or romantic comedies (romcoms)
- on beauty products or fashion
- Consider how much money we spend on romance.
- more about her here
- And information about her precursors (Ishtar/Inanna) can be found here.
- What does it mean that Aphrodite is related to the oldest of the gods (not another daughter of Zeus)?
- A lot of famous artwork was inspired by mythology, such as the painting The Birth of Venus, based on what they believed about Aphrodite's birth.
- another famous work of art (possibly) connected to Aphrodite: the Venus de Milo
- words connected to Aphrodite/Venus:
- aphrodisiac
- hermaphrodite (combination of two names, Hermes + Aphrodite)
- Venus flytrap
- Focusing on the last few sentences in the book about her, we talked some about how beauty is not forceful (Aphrodite is not a warrior).
- Still, Aphrodite is a very influential goddess, as beauty is a powerful force.
- It's often the downfall of the powerful, in fact.
- Consider how beauty (lust, love, etc.) is often part of the downfall (or at least scandal) of powerful men (and some women).
- more information here
- messenger of the gods (along with Iris)
- It makes sense that Iris would be the messenger for god-to-god communication since humans can't reach a rainbow :)
- Edith Hamilton talks about a popular statue.
- carries the caduceus
- which is often confused with the Rod of Asclepius
- Oops! The US Army Medical Corps used the wrong symbol!
- You can see the Rod of Asclepius in the logo for the World Health Organization.
- also invented the lyre, apparently
- It makes sense that the messenger/commerce god would be the one to bring the lyre to Greece from Mesopotamia.
- more information about him here
- Why the Romans felt differently about Ares/Mars:
- They were conquerors (the Roman Empire), enjoyed gladiatorial games, practiced other forms of oppression (crucifixion, etc.).
- symbol for "male" may come from shield and spear of Mars, but there's some dispute about that
- Similarly, the symbol for "female" may represent Venus's (Aphrodite's) mirror, but that's also debated.
- If these symbols come instead from abbreviations for the gods' names, they still come from mythology.
- So do we worship Ares?
- consider how much money we spend on our military - or would this be more Athena (strategy, defense, etc.)
- how many of our movies and entertainment involve war
- Or is it that we try to avoid Ares?
- Are we more like the Greeks or the Romans when it comes to this?
- consider how much money we spend on our military - or would this be more Athena (strategy, defense, etc.)
January 22
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- I read the first four paragraphs of this article with students, and then they had time to read the rest.
- (Here's the original source, if you want it.)
- After reading it, we discussed it as much as there was interest:
- personal reactions, other teachers or professors in our experience, etc.
- assignment: write a reflection to this article on the back (try to fill it up, or at least get close) that shows you thought about it yourself.
- agree with author?
- disagree with author?
- different reaction altogether?
- your own experiences?
- This is due anytime this week.
- Read p.32-34:
- Hephaestus, Hestia, Eros (Cupid), the Graces, the Muses, gods of the water, and a couple others
- If you were absent, you could watch this video and also this other video talking through a bunch of topics related to this section.
Hephaestus
- here is a lot more information
- Hephaestus and Athena are very important to life and defense of the city (although she was perhaps even more important than he was)
- here's a bunch more info about her
- If you've read the Percy Jackson series, Hestia is "the last Olympian."
- goddess of the home and the hearth (in the home as well as a public hearth in the city)
- the practical and also symbolic significance of having a community hearth
- Many homes today don't have hearths, but they used to be a central part of a home, literally, because of the cooking but also heating the house; it was best to have the hearth in the center of the home.
- In Rome it was a great honor to serve as a Vestal Virgin.
- privileges such as
- always trusted
- anyone injuring one was sentenced to death
- could set condemned prisoners or slaves free just by touching them
- considered good luck to marry one after she completes her 30-year term
- Clearly, this duty was very important to the people of Rome (and other cities where people held these beliefs).
- privileges such as
- Now that we're done with the 12 Olympians, let's use this handout to study their details.
- advice: This can be a good study guide for the first test if you include a reasonable amount of information on it.
- Students were even given a handout with the questions, and they had time to take notes to plan their responses.
- As part of this, we also talked about some possible responses
- If you were absent, this video will help make up for missing the class discussion.
- 1.) American "gods" could include what things or concerns?
- note: This question is not about "God." Nothing against Him :)
- What do we care about (spend time and money on) the most across our entire culture?
- money? entertainment? fashion/beauty? freedom/liberty? social media? technology? stress? sports? happiness? health? fairness/equality/rights?
- I could make the case that Sports is a god, in this sense.
- Consider how much time and money are spent on sports (both training and watching).
- people encouraged to try many, from an early age
- SuperBowl is basically a national holiday.
- His/her symbol might be a victory podium or a trophy.
- Is Sports kind, hostile, or neutral?
- Does it depend on how old you are for that?
- Is Sports a child of Entertainment?
- Does he/she have siblings, or other children of Entertainment?
- Music / Movies / TV shows?
- Does he/she have siblings, or other children of Entertainment?
- Consider how much time and money are spent on sports (both training and watching).
- 2.) Some Greek gods would definitely still be important today:
- Aphrodite ?
- Consider all we do for the sake of love, romance, attraction, etc.
- Hades ?
- Consider how we feel about deaths and funerals.
- Hermes ?
- Consider how we treat travel (vacations?), commerce (Amazon?), and messages/news.
- Hephaestus ?
- Athena ?
- Aphrodite ?
January 23 (no school)
January 24 (2-hour delay)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- We spent a couple minutes reviewing the essay questions for the upcoming test.
- Students were even given a handout with the questions, and they had time to take notes to plan their responses.
- See January 22 for more detail as well as some examples.
- Read p.34-37:
- meaning love or desire, one of the most powerful and important of all forces
- in ancient world, considered to be a young man (even married)
- makes sense: old enough to fall in love
- later (e.g. Renaissance) considered a child
- one of the oldest of all the gods
- since one of the oldest of all forces of nature
- without it, we wouldn't be here...
- See how Eros doesn't have a parent in some versions of his story.
- since one of the oldest of all forces of nature
- many similar gods (since there are many types of love)
- related term: erotic
- don't need to know names, but should know #
- important for festivals and parties, group events
- cf. being in a good mood, or being in a bad mood
- And also consider why these would be so important to them:
- Think about what we can do for entertainment thanks to modern technology and also all the free time we have compared to the average person back then.
- Much of their entertainment was with others, community:
- therefore a festival, feast, party, etc.
- Thalia Grace (Percy Jackson series)
- don't need to know names, but should know #
- inspiration and creativity (especially literature, science, art)
- words "music," "museum," and "amuse" come from their name
- Mnemosyne (memory)
- how we use mnemonic devices
- It's interesting how they said Zeus was the father of the Muses with Mnemosyne (even though she's much older).
- probably means they felt that memory existed before the Greeks, but it was the Greeks who created or perfected the arts
- and they're not all wrong:
- The first known historians were Greek
- Heroditus
- Thucydides
- same for dramatists, meaning writers of tragedy and comedy
- Aeschylus
- Sophocles
- Euripides
- Aristophanes
- epic poets
- Homer
- etc.
- The first known historians were Greek
- and they're not all wrong:
- probably means they felt that memory existed before the Greeks, but it was the Greeks who created or perfected the arts
January 25
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Students were even given a handout with the questions, and they had time to take notes to plan their responses.
- See January 22 for more detail as well as some examples.
- land: Greece, Crete, Turkey, Italy, Sicily, Egypt
- sea: Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian, Sea of Crete, Adriatic, Black
- see January 24
- except to briefly touch on
- Nereus (the Old Man of the Sea)
- lived in the Aegean Sea
- reminder: the ancient view of the world
- since he daughters, Nymphs, are often characters in the myths
- related term: nymphomaniac
- Nereus (the Old Man of the Sea)
- the Underworld (aka Hades)
- five rivers (should know names/characteristics of two)
- Charon
- boatman who transported souls across Acheron (or Styx) into the Underworld
- another psychopomp, along with Hermes
- for the idea of a psychopomp that we're more familiar with, compare this idea with St. Peter allowing people in the gates of Heaven.
- interesting connection:
- Tartarus
- compare with the notion of Hell
- torture, punishment
- Elysian Fields (aka Elysium)
- compare with Heaven, but not as similar as Tartarus is to Hell.
- Cerberus
- the hound of Hades
- prevents dead from leaving Underworld
January 26
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- read p. 041-048
- the wild and fertility (explains why nature is so... reproductive, both plants and animals)
- his name seems related to the Greek concept of all, whole, every
- notice other words with same root:
- pandemic, pangaea, pantheism, panoramic, etc.
- notice other words with same root:
- related:
- fauns
- satyrs (caution: pix are more graphic than normal), although these were originally half-human, half-horse
- more recently: Mr. Tumnus from The Chronicles of Narnia.
- The constellation Gemini, which does look like the twins Castor and Pollux in this picture.
- A myth was created to explain why these stars look like two people (stick figures) that are virtually identical that are always close to each other.
- e.g. Chiron (a rare good centaur)
- By the way, here's a common theory about how people could come up with the idea of a centaur in the first place.
- The fact that modern commercials, such as this one involving Medusa, include such ancient stories helps prove that Greek mythology has had so much impact on our culture.
- what the Graiae looked like
- They play a prominent role in a famous section of The Odyssey.
- three of them
- This idea that our lives and lifespans are controlled by something else (gods, destiny, etc.) is common across cultures.
- We can determine what the Romans cared most about based on the gods they believed in.
- Like the Greeks and many other cultures, the Romans had gods having to do with childbirth and family ancestors.
- sounds similar to the idea of guardian angels
- another thing that's not exactly the same but has some similarities:
- How many of us have photographs of or items from ancestors, even those we've never met (such a pictures of great-grandparents)?
- maybe even an ancestor's ashes in an urn in our house?
- other similarities from other cultures:
- ofrenda (Spanish, cf. Dia de Muertos and the movie Coco)
- guardian ancestors in China (e.g. in the movie Mulan)
- The concept of a guardian angel is also somewhat similar.
- my point:
- Many cultures, including ours today, have a tendency to honor our ancestors similar to how the ancient Romans did.
- How many of us have photographs of or items from ancestors, even those we've never met (such a pictures of great-grandparents)?
reminder:
- test on Tuesday, January 30
January 29
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- (We'll spend time on Demeter and Dionysus later, so we didn't discuss them in this chapter [p.47].)
- (if we didn't get to this last class) Saturnalia as a likely precursor to some of our practices at Christmas:
- ctrl+f "Christmas" on that page to find evidence:
- the time of year
- giving gifts
- lighting of candles
- singing songs (e.g. Christmas carols)
- It's worth noting that many Christian aspects of Christmas were influenced by the Roman Catholic Church.
- Vatican City (home of the Catholic Church and the Pope) is inside the city of Rome.
- Even if we're unaware of the connections, things like Saturnalia have had a long-lasting impact on our culture to this day.
- We benefit from recognizing this impact by better understanding ourselves and humanity in general.
- ctrl+f "Christmas" on that page to find evidence:
- Janus
- which is where we get the name for January
- We still celebrate new beginnings (such as opening ceremonies) and especially new years (New Year's Eve parties, resolutions, etc.)
- But we also do things to celebrate the start of an event (e.g. the national anthem).
- The idea behind the Temple of Janus is interesting:
- open during war / closed during time of peace
- which is where we get the name for January
- Other than that, the author spends very little time on other things on these pages, so we just glanced at them quickly as well.
- But we also went back to discuss some important terms, all of which are included in some way on our first test:
- psychopomp
- xenia
- xenophobia (related word that is often used today)
- the Furies (p.041) in case we didn't cover them enough
- anthropology
- monotheism / polytheism / henotheism / atheism / agnosticism
- Also be prepared for the essay question (see Jan.22 for more details and examples).
January 30
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- multiple-choice part
- [teacher note: just mult.-choice part this day next time I teach this, and just essay part next day]
- [should have time to start next section on this day and then move on next day, but many students didn't have time to do all of test on same day]
January 31
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Since most students did not complete both parts of the test yesterday, we took today to work on the essay part of the test.
- Since a couple students took the entire hour, this was all we had time for today.
February 01
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Before reading, if you don't know what threshing and winnowing are,
- here's a quick video that demonstrates.
- We don't know much about the Demeter's worship called "Eleusinian Mysteries"
- because those who participated swore to keep them a secret!
- And apparently they really did keep the secret :(
- Here are some things we do know (or that we can guess).
- because those who participated swore to keep them a secret!
- I read these first few pages, and we talked about
- how these two are perhaps the most important gods for day-to-day life of the Greeks
- We considered how much time and effort it would take to thresh and winnow (previous video clip) enough to make food for an average family.
- consider why we don't typically do things this way these days
- and why most of us don't even know what threshing and winnowing are these days...
- how Demeter and Dionysus are used to help explain things that are quite mysterious without scientific knowledge:
- seasons, crop growth, the effects of wine, etc.
- how these are suffering gods, meaning they are willing to feel pain so humans can benefit (unlike the Olympian gods and goddesses)
- how these two are perhaps the most important gods for day-to-day life of the Greeks
- Here's a handout we filled out together that we'll use for future studying purposes.
- Then the class read the section about Demeter.
- Typically, we discuss the following:
- If you don't know what threshing and winnowing are, here's a quick video that demonstrates.
- We don't know much about the Eleusinian Mysteries because those who participated swore to keep them a secret.
- Hades and the abduction of Persephone, which helps explain the seasons.
- Here's a famous sculpture (made in 1620's) of the abduction.
- Would Hades make a good husband for Persephone?
- Some interesting answers are here.
- Also, do an image search for "Hades and Persephone" and you'll see that most people these days depict their relationship as loving, even romantic.
- The belief that the gods walked among us influenced their practice of being kind to strangers (who might be gods in disguise).
- We also talked about this idea today:
- Puttin' the baby in the fire is an odd thing to do, but it's clear Demeter was trying to reward the family for their hospitality.
- Still...
- Here's a study guide for Demeter & Persephone.
February 02 (half day: Comet Connections and SnowFest assembly)
February 05
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Remember, Greek mythology is not the Greek religion itself.
- Their actual religious beliefs affected what they said and did at the temples and during their rituals.
- things like the Eleusinian Mysteries, which we don't know much about
- Myths are stories that explain events or else teach lessons.
- Like how the story about Persephone explains the change of seasons:
- Why is Hades involved?
- Because things are dying. So the ruler of the Underworld must be involved somehow.
- Why did he abduct Persephone?
- Because the things that die don't want to die.
- Why is Hades involved?
- We know about the tilt of the Earth and the changing of seasons, so we don't need a myth (explanation) to reassure us.
- But this story would help people trust that winter only lasts so long (while Persephone is in Hades).
- Like how the story about Persephone explains the change of seasons:
- Their actual religious beliefs affected what they said and did at the temples and during their rituals.
- If you were absent or here to review, here's a video that discusses things from this section as well as some things that often come up in class discussion:
- from the city of Thebes
- imprisoning or banishing Dionysus as a metaphor for prohibition.
- which didn't exactly work here in America either...
- The good and the bad of alcohol:
- good: levity, courage, medicine
- bad: drunkenness, depression, addiction
- We talked about how this is true to this day -- how even with what we know, there are still alcoholics and drunk drivers.
- This idea that drinking the wine
- "was like being possessed by a power greater than themselves" and that
- Dionysus "was not only outside of them, he was within them, too"
- led to the belief that there are "spirits" in alcohol, and to this day, spirits is a name for hard liquor.
- the theatre of Dionysus
- Here's a study guide for Dionysus.
February 06
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- Students had ten minutes to work on the previous three study guides.
- Read p. 076-085: Greek creation myths
- If you were absent, here's video that explains where we're headed with this chapter (including something not in the book)
- We started reading this together, but only for 2-3 pages.
- We worked on filling out this study guide as we went along.
- We got about halfway through p.079.
- If time, we talked about the following topics from this section:
- Cyclopes (plural of Cyclops):
- Why might people have believed in the existence of such creatures?
- It might be due to finding large animal skeletons, such as these.
- Look at pictures of these skulls. Doesn't it look like a giant's skull with one eye in the middle?
- Especially when compared to a human skull?
- Here's an article that discusses this possibility further.
- Why might people have believed in the existence of such creatures?
- Cyclopes (plural of Cyclops):
February 07
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Thyrsus
- Demeter
- Dionysus
- I'm not sure why the book doesn't mention his want, called a thyrsus.
- Here are some more details about the worship of Dionysus (his cult).
- There are some interesting similarities between him and Christ.
- Perhaps even more interesting:
- There were "mystery cults" with very similar ideas to Jesus:
- a god as father, a human as mother
- heroic death then resurrection
- communal meal: eat flesh and drink blood of the god
- and the cult of Dionysus himself:
- Jewish practices had been influenced by the Greeks by the time of Jesus
- There were "mystery cults" with very similar ideas to Jesus:
- Perhaps even more interesting:
- also how his worship started out pretty violent...
- I'm not sure why the book doesn't mention his want, called a thyrsus.
- Read p. 076-085: Greek creation myths (Earth and monsters)
- We covered p.079-080 together:
- Zeus's birth on Crete:
- It's probable this means worship of Zeus began on the island of Crete (located just south of Greece, see on this map).
- Further evidence is how the culture from Crete, the Minoans, were quite advanced ("the first advanced civilization in Europe") and had a major impact on mainland Greece (see last sentence here).
- p.080
- more detail:
- Cronus castrated his father
- And then Zeus later castrated his father Cronus!
- What's with all the castrations going on!?
- Such an attack would mean he could no longer reproduce/spread.
- more detail:
- Zeus's birth on Crete:
- also in these pages:
- We covered p.079-080 together:
- Read p. 085-094: Greek creation myths (mankind)
- We covered p.085-089 together:
- Prometheus:
- Prometheus was a Titan.
- reminder: The Titans likely represent older religious beliefs from previous cultures.
- Prometheus was a Titan.
- Epimetheus
- Their version of creation explains why animals have advantages that are superior to ours
- hard shell, speed, strength, sight, etc.
- But that we are still dominant due to our intelligence and using fire to make things to overcome our weaknesses.
- Their version of creation explains why animals have advantages that are superior to ours
- Pandora:
- Perhaps we should call it "Pandora's jar," since that's what the Greeks called it.
- cultural connections:
- Prometheus:
- We covered p.085-089 together:
February 08 (sophomores gone for Career Center tour)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10
- By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- read p. 076-094:
- anything we didn't cover as a class
- handouts:
February 09
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- We'll compare this to the Greek version we already read about (Edith Hamilton's ch. 03, p.076-094).
- Consult this guide to help you fill in at least 9 details on this diagram
- assignment:
- On the Venn diagram:
- minimum of 9 total details, but at least 1 detail in each region
- 1 sentence about your thoughts, something interesting (not necessarily what you believe)
- On the Venn diagram:
- The first two chapters of Genesis (linked above) do not include the serpent deceiving Eve.
- But since most of us know about it, we talked about it some:
- It's interesting that Pandora is very similar to the Hebrew/Christian idea of Eve.
- first woman / origin of problems / her fault?
- patriarchal society blaming woman/women for problems
- It's interesting that Pandora is very similar to the Hebrew/Christian idea of Eve.
- But since most of us know about it, we talked about it some:
- We also talked about Lilith.
- the supposed first wife of Adam (before Eve) who didn't let him be her boss (like Eve did)
- This is a Mesopotamian and a Jewish (Hebrew) myth.
- It's quite interesting, and most students in this class haven't ever heard of her.
- a myth
- That doesn't mean it's true or that it's false.
- It's a story used to explain.
- That doesn't mean it's true or that it's false.
- If time, we also looked up these rivers mentioned in the Bible in the account about the Garden of Eden.
- We noted the how these rivers exist in the real world as well as in the story of the Garden of Eden
- Compare that to how the Greeks spoke of Mt. Olympus, a real mountain, as the home of the gods.
- This area of the world is very important for human history, and it's often referred to as the "Fertile Crescent."
- If time and if interest, we may spend a bit talking about Göbekli Tepe.
- We noted the how these rivers exist in the real world as well as in the story of the Garden of Eden
February 12
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- Prometheus:
- Prometheus was a Titan.
- reminder: The Titans likely represent older religious beliefs from previous cultures.
- an interesting connection not mentioned in our book:
- The subtitle for Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein is "The Modern Prometheus."
- Note that Frankenstein is the name of the scientist, not the monster he created.
- The monster is never given a name.
- So Frankenstein the scientist is similar to Prometheus in how he created a new life form.
- He is a "modern Prometheus."
- Quite a lot of artwork (especially since the Renaissance) was inspired by his story.
- both bringing fire to mankind and his punishment
- Prometheus was a Titan.
- Pandora:
- Perhaps we should call it "Pandora's jar," since that's what the Greeks called it.
- Deucalion:
- Many cultures have a flood myth as part of their history/mythology.
- It's hard to prove whether or not such a flood did occur, or at least one that was worldwide.
- So it is quite interesting that so many cultures (all over the world) have accounts of surviving a catastrophic flood.
- Read p. 095-100 - The Earliest Heroes: Prometheus and Io
- If you were absent, here's a video that helps explain some things related to today's reading as well.
- We spent some time examining the basics about Prometheus as well as Io.
- Prometheus was apparently chained to a mountain in the Caucasus Mountains (map).
- locations named after Io's story:
- Ionian Sea
- Bosporus was also named after her story.
- This story about Pan making a flute out of Syrinx is interesting, not boring (like Argus apparently thought...)
- Peacocks have eyes in their feathers (there might even be 100 there) due to this event, according to the myth.
- We also did image searches (e.g. prometheus art, io goddess, argus mythology, etc.) to see how past and modern artists have depicted them.
- Read p.100-105
- If students wanted to, we read the section about Europa together. If not, they read individually.
- At the same time, we looked up artwork inspired by this story.
- We also talked about how this myth seems to be an explanation of the spread of a cow-herding culture towards Europe.
- It's likely that the ancient god Ba'al was thought to be the same god as Zeus, just called a different name by the Phoenicians.
- Notice that Ba'al's symbol is a bull.
- This shows that cows (even cow worship?) were important in this part of the world.
- On the island of Crete (mentioned in this story) as well:
- King Minos (also mentioned here) was king of Crete.
- Perhaps better known is the Minotaur, named after him.
- Notice that there was a snow-white bull involved in this story as well...
- And he was thought of as the god of weather, rain, and lightning (among other things).
- Notice that Ba'al's symbol is a bull.
- There's a lot of interesting information here about bull worship in the ancient world.
- Most importantly, bull worship was widespread for a long time.
- We definitely should talk about these:
- ancient artwork on cave walls from 20,000 years ago!
- Egypt
- Crete
- Minoans
- bull leaping (cf. bull fighting)
- the size of some of these statues indicate importance
- size matters...
- Levant (which includes Israel)
- Moloch?
- possibly child sacrifice to this bull god
- possible connections to Minotaur
- especially part about sending tributes to be killed by the Minotaur
- Aaron (brother of Moses) making a golden calf
- Moloch?
- Greece
- Io
- Europa
- possibly Hera (ox-eyed)
- If students wanted to, we read the section about Europa together. If not, they read individually.
February 13
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- Io
- a moon of Jupiter named after her (fitting, since she was "near" Zeus)
- Bosporus named after her story (make sure we talked about this enough)
- Read p. 105-111 - The Earliest Heroes: the Cyclops Polyphemus
- Most students are familiar with the story of Odysseus due to 9th grade English.
- This is a clue to the whole point of their stories:
- to show the audience (especially children) that acting uncivilized is scary, unattractive, etc.
- Still, it's worth mentioning how the monsters act uncivilized.
- Odysseus is expecting xenia.
- later, his "love story":
- What would make Polyphemus a bad choice for a husband?
- What does he have going for him as a husband?
- It seems like many artists were inspired by the story.
- Search for (ctrl+f) galatea on Polyphemus's Wikipedia page.
- This is a clue to the whole point of their stories:
- After that, students were given a study guide for the first half of ch. 4.
February 14
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- Read p. 111-120 - the flower myths
- If you're absent, here's a video that goes along with this section of the book.
- It's interesting that all three of these flower myths have origins in the death of handsome men.
- The Narcissus is a partial exception, because there's another version of its creation:
- Zeus made it to help Hades abduct Persephone.
- The Narcissus is a partial exception, because there's another version of its creation:
- Narcissus
- some paintings that go along with this myth:
- painting 1, painting 2, and a couple more modern ones: painting 3, painting 4
- When polled, students mostly agree that selfies are a type of narcissism, especially the more selfies a person takes.
- more about this tomorrow...
- painting 1, painting 2, and a couple more modern ones: painting 3, painting 4
- Narcissus flowers
- related topic:
- narcissism: excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance.
- see more here
- especially interesting: Perhaps our culture is getting more and more narcissistic...
- some paintings that go along with this myth:
- Hyacinth
- Adonis
- quiz tomorrow (ch. 2, 3 & 4)
February 15
Quiz: Edith Hamilton's Mythology: ch. 2, 3 & 4 (p.051-120).
After everyone was done with the quiz, we returned to the topic of narcissism:
- This interesting study links taking and posting selfies with narcissism and psychopathy.
- What's psychopathy?
- What about women?
- This study only mentions men...
- So we talked about how our culture views things differently based on sex/gender.
- Compare reactions to selfies posted by guys on social media compared to those posted by girls.
- Do they even post them for the same reasons?
- What are they doing in the selfies?
- Are they using filters or editing the pictures in some way?
- assignment: Write a thoughtful reaction to the article.
- due Friday, Feb. 23
- at least half a page long
- It can include some of the topics we discussed in class, but it should be your thoughts in your own words.
February 16 - no school (Presidents' Day weekend)
February 19 - no school (Presidents' Day weekend)
February 20
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- The Lost Empire of Atlantis
- I'm not necessarily convinced, but this guy believes ancient Crete was Atlantis.
- quite interesting, and connected quite closely to things we have talked and will talk about in this class
- He has a lot of evidence (although that's not the same things as proof).
- Edith Hamilton's Mythology: p. 121-134: Cupid and Psyche:
- In class, I talked about how this story only reached us through one source:
- The Golden Ass, by Apuleius.
- This is my favorite book from the ancient world.
- The Cupid and Psyche legend is a story inside that story.
- Actually, it's a story told to another character, and that story is overheard by the donkey.
- The Golden Ass, by Apuleius.
- Here's a lot more information about the Cupid and Psyche legend, if you care.
- I reminded the class about something mentioned earlier, how C. S. Lewis wrote a version of this story called Till We Have Faces.
- And he (as well as his friend J.R.R. Tolkien) thought it was his best work.
- In class, I talked about how this story only reached us through one source:
- Here's a study guide for Cupid & Psyche.
February 21
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Specifically, there is often conflict between in-laws, especially wives and their mothers-in-law.
- We discussed some famous examples in popular culture, such as comedy movies and TV shows
- Everybody Loves Raymond (better picture of it here)
- Monster-in-Law
- The King of Queens
- This one has a different dynamic: the son-in-law with the wife's father.
- This article talks about a study into the matter that suggests there's a lot of truth behind the conflict in this story.
- We often discuss how this relates to our culture, our experiences:
- "momma's boy"
- Is there such a thing as a "momma's girl"?
- "daddy's girl"
- Is there such a thing as a "daddy's boy"?
- Consider your own experiences:
- Have you met a boyfriend's/girlfriend's parents?
- How'd it go with the parent of the opposite sex? the same sex?
- your relationship with your parents:
- Do you tend to butt heads more with your parent of the same sex?
- If so, you're like most people, it seems.
- Why is that?
- Is it the same or similar with step-parents?
- Why or why not?
- Does it depend on how old the child was when the step-parent entered the picture?
- Have you met a boyfriend's/girlfriend's parents?
- "momma's boy"
- We often discuss how this relates to our culture, our experiences:
- We discussed some famous examples in popular culture, such as comedy movies and TV shows
- Our discussion about this sort of thing often expands to involve related topics.
- especially the Oedipus complex since this article said something about a romance between mother and son (!) in the penultimate paragraph
- But we usually don't talk much about that at this time because we will read the play Oedipus Rex later this year.
February 22
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- birth-order theory
- Some people believe a person's order in the family (i.e. first born, middle child, baby of the family, only child) has a profound impact on the person's development.
- It may also impact one's compatibility with friendships and romantic partners (i.e. of same spot in birth order or different spots).
- either
- a.) two lovers who have complications or
- b.) someone who loves someone else without being loved in return.
- another requirement:
- It involves at least one god or goddess in some way.
- Read p. 135-150: Eight Brief Tales of Lovers (the first four)
- We often need to talk about the phrase "girl next door" (in the first story) if students haven't heard that before.
- Many TV shows and movies use this idea.
- Consider Ross and Rachel in Friends.
- Consider the romantic relationships in The Big Bang Theory.
- Many TV shows and movies use this idea.
- (goal was to do first four/able to in past years) We spent some time today looking at some other details, especially artwork inspired by these stories.
- Pyramus and Thisbe
- origin story for red berries (that are white before they are ripe)
- quite a few works of art inspired by this tale
- cf. Romeo and Juliet
- Orpheus and Eurydice
- origin story for why nightingales sing so beautifully (especially where Orpheus is buried)
- Alcyone and Ceyx
- note: seems to be origin for phrase "halcyon days"
- They used to think this bird made its nest on the sea, and this love story is the "origin story" for that belief.
- Pygmalion
- note: some famous stories have a similar idea, although not necessarily with a statue
- most notably the play Pygmalion (by George Bernard Shaw)
- which itself has some famous adaptations:
- Pinocchio (not a love interest, but an artificial boy turns into a real boy)
- Pretty Woman (1990)
- not a statue to life, but teaching a prostitute how to act high class
- She's All That (1999)
- a bet to turn a random girl into the prom queen
- He's All That (2021)
- gender swap of She's All That
- which itself has some famous adaptations:
- the musical My Fair Lady
- most notably the play Pygmalion (by George Bernard Shaw)
- Culturally, we may have to deal with some things like this very soon.
- AI girlfriends and boyfriends
- There are already many options; these are just the first two that popped up...
- Will there be robot girlfriends in the near future?
- AI girlfriends and boyfriends
- note: some famous stories have a similar idea, although not necessarily with a statue
- Pyramus and Thisbe
- assignment: study guide - eight brief tales of lovers (part 1)
February 23
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- Read p. 150-159: Eight Brief Tales of Lovers (the last four)
- If there was interest and time, we also spent some time today looking at some other details, especially artwork inspired by these stories.
- Baucis and Philemon
- the importance of xenia
- Endymion
- I'm not sure what to make of this one, and it seems like there is some disagreement over what it's about, exactly.
- Daphne
- origin story for the laurel tree (used as a trophy)
- Alpheus and Arethusa
- I'm not sure what to make of this either, except it seems there really was a belief that a stream on Sicily was connected to a river in Greece.
- Baucis and Philemon
- assignment: study guide - eight brief tales of lovers (part 2)
February 26
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- study guide - eight brief tales of lovers (part 1)
- study guide - eight brief tales of lovers (part 2)
- original writing: Write your own lovers' myths:
- either
- a.) two lovers who have complications or
- b.) someone who loves someone else without being loved in return.
- another requirement:
- It involves at least one god or goddess in some way.
- either
- grading:
- how long?
- a story
- Use the "brief tales" in our book if you want a model. Some are quite short...
- how graded?
- 100% if it meets requirements (see above) and is read out loud in class (either by student or by teacher)
- 85% if it meets the requirements and is not read out loud
- 50% if it's missing one of the requirements.
- when due?
- by Friday, March 1
- how long?
February 27
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- But our next quiz will be on Friday, March 1.
- Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8
- watch this video to give you some background and some explanation of some things that may confuse quite a few people.
- Before starting, we looked up some artwork based on this story, among them this painting of Medea and Jason.
- We spent some time analyzing this painting, including speculating about who seems to be the boss here.
- If time, we also looked up the basics about Jason, the Argo, the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece, and Medea
- We typically just read the first paragraph for each link and discussed the general idea there.
- Don't look too closely if you don't like spoilers.
- Some years we talk a bit about why Hercules would have left this quest to chase after his friend Hylas.
- Heracles seems very distraught about losing Hylas.
- Here are some details that our book leaves out...
- I read p. 161-164 aloud (stopped at the bottom of p.164).
- Students had time to read p. 164-169 on their own, but they were encouraged to read farther in order to save time for ch. 8.
- some more info. about the Golden Fleece
- We're still not sure what it represents (if anything specific). Here are a few theories.
- There's a "cult classic" movie about this story (from 1963).
- More recently (2000) someone made a two-part miniseries about it.
- It might help to have Jason's family tree to see how he's related to the other characters (especially Phrixus, Pelias).
- Jason stopped at Lemnos (which is on the way from Iolcus to the Symplegades).
- Hypsipyle lived there.
- Now you know what you're going to name your first daughter...
- The reason the women killed the men of the island is worth discussing.
- Hypsipyle lived there.
- The Harpies show up in this story, and they torment Phineas, who helps the crew survive the Symplegades.
- other quick hits:
- Jason's dad: Aeson
- Jason is the rightful king of Iolcus, but Pelias makes himself king instead (he is a usurper).
- Medea has a brother named Absyrtus, and Medea is willing to do just about anything when it comes to Jason...
- Colchis (where Medea is from) is a long way from Iolchus.
- These maps do a good job of showing why Medea is understandably mad about being abandoned (bad enough) so far from her home.
- Here is the study guide for today's section.
- original writing: Write your own lovers' myths - due by Friday, March 1
- For details, see Feb. 26
February 28
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- The story of Jason and the Argonauts is even used as a classic example of this concept.
- Here's another useful link with other explanations/examples.
- And here's one more.
- p. 160-180: The Quest of the Golden Fleece (Jason and the Argonauts)
- see Feb. 27 for more information and links
Edith Hamilton's Mythology: p. 181-195: Four Great Adventures (part 1, p.181-191):
- I read the story about Phaethon aloud.
- We spent a minute or two looking at artwork based on this story (as well as the others in this section, if time) and also talked about the following:
- how such a story may have been inspired
- exceptionally hot day, wildfires, drought?
- and other lessons or "real life" that we see:
- a young person who won't listen to warnings (he's even driving his dad's car recklessly...)
- how such a story may have been inspired
- (if needed) hither, thither, whither / hence, thence, whence since the first paragraph includes the word thither
- We spent a minute or two looking at artwork based on this story (as well as the others in this section, if time) and also talked about the following:
- Then students had time to read the section about Pegasus and Bellerophon.
- Tomorrow we'll talk some more about the next two stories in this chapter.
- Here is the study guide for today's section.
- quiz over part 2 (chapters 5, 6, 7, 8) on Friday, March 01
- If you haven't started studying yet, you should start today.
February 29
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Otus and Ephialtes
- over 50 feet tall by age nine...
- in our version, killed by friendly (brotherly, even) fire
- Daedalus (and Icarus)
- one of the most famous inventors of all time (either legendary or historical)
- created the Labyrinth
- on the island of Crete for King Minos
- This is extremely interesting to me:
- We still know so little about these people.
- But I can see where a story/legend about a labyrinth would come from based on these pictures:
- a model of the palace at Knossos (one of the major cities of ancient Crete)
- a map of the palace
- a satellite image of one of these palaces
- This is extremely interesting to me:
- This part of his story has inspired many other artists and writers, such as the following popular examples:
- Labyrinth (movie, 1986)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book, 2000; movie, 2005)
- The Maze Runner (book, 2009; movie, 2014)
- home for the Minotaur
- It's possible this monster was created as a way of remembering history.
- We'll talk more about this part of the story later when we read about Theseus (ch. 10).
- artwork inspired by this part of his story
- on the island of Crete for King Minos
- Icarus
- human flight
- like this?
- It seems humans have dreamed of flying for a very long time, based on this legend.
- famous warning: "Don't fly too close to the Sun."
- We typically take this as a warning against pride or arrogance.
- artwork inspired by this part of the story
- human flight
- getting a thread through a shell like this
- Here is the study guide for this section.
- Our quiz over part 2 (chapters 5, 6, 7, 8) will be tomorrow.
March 01
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
after that:
In the near future, will be reading at least two famous plays from ancient Greece:
- Oedipus Rex (i.e. Oedipus the King)
- Antigone
- read p. 376-380: The Royal House of Thebes (Oedipus)
- While reading, fill out this study guide to make sure the basics make sense.
- a useful map of Greece that shows Thebes and Corinth
- This family tree will also help.
- While reading, fill out this study guide to make sure the basics make sense.
- compare what it says about the development of drama on a stage to what usually happens in a movie:
- opening scene (even before the opening credits)
- title scene and opening credits
- the main story/conflict/climax
- the resolution
- Aristotle
- tragedy
- some more terms that are on the test:
- fate/destiny
- as opposed to
- free will/freedom of choice
- fate:
- There's a great deal we cannot control in our lives, such as
- when born
- where born
- parents/genetics
- or what others do
- There's a great deal we cannot control in our lives, such as
- free will:
- But there are many things we can at least influence, such as
- how we react to events
- what we strive for
- But there are many things we can at least influence, such as
- And if you believe we have 100% control over our own lives, our own decisions, then what do you make of this?
- Twins separated for decades are often very similar to each other, like these guys (and others above on this article).
- cf. the movie The Parent Trap
- related:
- Twins separated for decades are often very similar to each other, like these guys (and others above on this article).
March 04
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- a useful map of Greece that shows Thebes, Corinth and Delphi
- This family tree will also help.
- I spent a few minutes talking about the basics of the backstory:
- the prediction that Oedipus would kill his own father and marry his own mother
- So Oedipus was injured and left for dead on a mountain.
- He is found by a stranger taken to live in Corinth.
- how Oedipus grew up and started wondering about who his real parents are
- He doesn't want to kill his father and marry his mother, so he leaves town (Corinth).
- Shortly into his journey, he gets into a fight on the road (road rage!) and kills some people.
- He doesn't know it right now, but this was his own (biological) father!
- He solved the riddle of the Sphinx at Thebes and is rewarded by being made king - and marrying the queen, his own (biological) mother!
- And then 20 years or so go by before the start of this play...
- the prediction that Oedipus would kill his own father and marry his own mother
- parts needed today: Oedipus, priest, Creon, Chorus
- Along the way, we discussed many things, including the following:
- praying to so many gods at the beginning = trying to get help from anywhere they can
- (line 47) "ship of state" metaphor
- (line 82) The oracle's answer was ambiguous.
- This picture represents ambiguity pretty well.
- We also discussed parts of this handout:
March 05
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- what Oedipus did:
- killed his own father
- married his own mother
- He grew up in Corinth, raised by Polybus and Merope (see line 731 in our play)
- We read/performed the play in class and read lines 285-636.
- parts needed today: Oedipus, Creon, Chorus, Teiresias, Jocasta (at very end)
- It's interesting that Oedipus lays out some harsh punishments and curses for the murderer.
- The irony is that he's doing it to himself, since he doesn't yet realize that he is the murderer...
- For what it's worth, this is "dramatic irony," or better yet, "tragic irony."
- This family tree should help make things a little clearer.
- For this play, we're concerned with the following:
- Laius + Jocasta = Oedipus
- Oedipus + Jocasta = four children
- Creon and Jocasta are siblings (which makes Oedipus Creon's brother-in-law [as well as nephew...])
- For the next play, Antigone, it will matter more who the kids are in the bottom layer of the family tree.
- For this play, we're concerned with the following:
- The prophet Teiresias is blind, but he can "see" better than others.
- If you're interested, here are some interesting details about Teiresias (usually spelled Tiresias).
- The number one warning today seems to be to avoid pride (hubris).
- Oedipus starts suspecting even the most trustworthy (Teiresias, Creon) before himself.
- He assumes Creon is jealous of Oedipus and somehow bribed Teiresias.
- However, Creon's defense deserves to be considered:
- He says he has all the benefits of being near the king but none of the downsides of actually being the king.
- He has a point. Why would he be jealous?
- foreshadowing about Oedipus's blindness in the future
- tragedy
- serious
- a person of high rank or importance
- reversal of fortune → suffers (may die)
- because of his/her hamartia (tragic flaw or profound error in judgment)
- protagonist may face an antagonist
- catharsis
- If it helps, here are some modern examples from famous movies.
- Here's another list of movies people have labeled as "cathartic."
- How that represents the kinds of things that we can't control or that we know nothing about (Fate).
- What's the worst crime someone can commit?
- And what's the grossest thing someone can do?
- The things Oedipus did are good answers for those questions.
- And in this story, they also represent the kinds of things that we have no control (or very little control) over.
- other examples:
- our genetics
- our family history or reputation before us
- other familial or genetic flaws (diseases, conditions, addictions, abuses, etc.)
- other examples:
- And what's the grossest thing someone can do?
- how we often watch movies or read books (even re-watch them) when we already know the ending
- Ancient audiences knew what Oedipus was going to do in this story, and they still saw the play.
March 06
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- We read/performed the play in class and read the rest of part 1.
- Then we started part 2 and read lines 001-350.
- teacher note: It was a little tight, so I may not be able to make it quite that far every year, but this is a great place to stop.
- parts needed today: Oedipus, Chorus, Jocasta, Messenger, Shepherd (near end), 2nd Messenger (at very end if make it to line 350)
- a couple times again, the famous metaphor of a "ship of state"
- the many "uh-oh moments" along the way as characters are figuring out the truth
- how Laius and Oedipus separately tried to avoid their fate
- In the very beginning of part 2, we see how the Greeks valued many things we do to this day:
- against pride, against greed
- respect for religion
- where Oedipus grew up: Corinth
- who Oedipus thinks his parents are
- Polybus and Merope, King and Queen of Corinth (see part 1, line 731 in our play)
- Jocasta seems to think what we call an Oedipus complex is real and normal (part 2, line 112)
- If time, we'll talk about that term today. If not, it can wait until tomorrow.
- the phrase "ignorance is bliss" (Jocasta, part 2, line 200)
- Keep in mind that "bliss" does not necessarily mean "safe" or "better off."
- What's the big deal Oedipus is making about his parents possibly being slaves? (lines 194-195, 209-211)
- Why does he think Jocasta would have been upset about the possibility?
- She is a queen, and he thinks she would hate the idea of having been married to someone who wasn't from a royal family.
- Keep in mind that he was brought up as the son of the king of Corinth.
- Why does he think Jocasta would have been upset about the possibility?
March 07
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- We read/performed the play in class and read the rest of the play.
- parts needed today: Oedipus, Chorus, 2nd Messenger, Creon
- Jocasta's suicide (right where we left off last time)
- Oedipus's blindness (which was foreshadowed frequently)
- the chorus's (and others') reaction:
- pity, sadness, horror
- Aristotle believed that having these feelings at a play was good for us (remember, catharsis).
- We experience these emotions and then have a sort of release.
- For comparison, do you ever cry when watching a movie?
- How do you feel afterwards?
- pity, sadness, horror
- Notice how Creon says multiple times that he will consult the gods before deciding what to do next.
- This is humility (the opposite of pride), to ask for advice and guidance, especially from a "higher power."
- Also note that Oedipus has been "humbled" (line 530).
- He had to be proud first in order to be humbled.
- We get a sense of how old Oedipus is when this takes place in lines 547-551.
- We'll see if anyone would want to marry his daughters when we study the play Antigone...
- famous ending:
- "Count no man happy till he dies.
- Then, free from pain and sorrow, he may lie in peace."
- As long as you're alive, something bad may happen to you (Fate).
- Do you feel bad for Oedipus?
- Was he completely blameless, an "innocent victim"?
- Did he "get what he deserved"? After that, students had time to study for tomorrow's tes
- topics:
- the murder of King Laius
- feeling sorry for Oedipus and/or Jocasta
- why Creon would never overthrow Oedipus
- the paradox between Teiresias and Oedipus (involving sight)
- how Laius and Oedipus try to avoid fate
- essay question:
- How does Oedipus contribute to his own downfall?
- need to explain at least 5 significant details
- How does Oedipus contribute to his own downfall?
- Oedipus complex
- Thebes (Greece)
- Corinth
- (if time) spent a few minutes looking at artwork inspired by the Oedipus story.
- (if time) a similarity to the story of King David, Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan
- especially the irony ("The man who did this must die!")
- and the prophesy ("Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them...")
March 08
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
after that:
- assignment: research option - Oedipus (see Google Classroom)
March 11 (no school - teacher PD day)
March 12
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- After SAT testing, probably.
- I read to p.199, maybe a bit farther, with the class, before letting students finish reading on their own.
- As we went along, we discussed some other elements that are common in (at least Greek) stories:
- a prophesy about a baby
- a prophesy about someone's death or fate
- trying to avoid the prophesy
- If time, we also talked about features of this story (Perseus) that are similar to other well-known stories:
- a step-parent who wants to abuse or even kill a step-child
- especially Disney movies?
- a person who wants to kill a family member or a guest but can't due to legal or religious restrictions, so instead he imprisons or imperils the victim
- children placed in a basket, chest, etc. and left on the water (cf. Moses)
- a step-parent who wants to abuse or even kill a step-child
- Throughout the reading, students were encouraged to notice how the stories of other heroes (even non-Greek stories) are similar in many ways:
- help from others, but also items (in this case, the sandals, sword and shield)
- Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility, Luke Skywalker's light saber, etc.
- saving innocent victims along the way
- revenge/justice against the bad guy
- help from others, but also items (in this case, the sandals, sword and shield)
- Additionally, we speculated about a few more things involving this story, such as the following:
- why Perseus would be able to safely use the mirror shield to see Medusa without turning to stone
- Most likely, it's because the reflection was no way near crystal clear.
- Consider that ancient mirrors (such as Perseus's metal shield) were made of polished metal and not glass.
- other stories inspired by this hat that makes its bearer invisible
- such as Annabeth's hat in Percy Jackson
- the one ring in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
- and Harry Potter's invisibility cloak
- and other things inspired by Perseus's wallet that can hold anything
- such as an inventory system in video games (e.g. Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Zelda, Diablo, etc.)
- the Bag of Holding item in Dungeons & Dragons
- and Mary Poppins' bag
- why Perseus would be able to safely use the mirror shield to see Medusa without turning to stone
- If time, we looked up artwork inspired by the story of Perseus (and Medusa).
March 13
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- The man who is best known for writing about this trend is Joseph Campbell, one of history's top experts on mythology.
- This segment of his Wikipedia page is quite interesting and important.
- This paragraph is a must-read.
- Especially since it mentions some hugely popular stories:
- The Lion King
- The Matrix
- Batman
- Indiana Jones
- Rick and Morty
- and in a couple paragraphs or so, Dan Brown's character Robert Langdon (The Da Vinci Code and other books)
- These are so popular because they follow this model that we expect for our heroes.
- Especially since it mentions some hugely popular stories:
- This paragraph is a must-read.
- If you were absent today, watch this short video that talks about this theory and gets started on the handout (linked below).
- This segment of his Wikipedia page is quite interesting and important.
- Just to name four famous heroes from recent pop culture,
- Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdeen, and Percy Jackson all...
- and have a lot of help, and from the least likely places, in some cases (e.g. Yoda).
- are living out of the way in a boring place where nothing important happens (e.g. District 12)
- are heroes that are important people (even connected to major figures, events)
- but they don't know it at the beginning of the story (e.g. Harry hasn't been told about his wizard heritage).
- Many of these characteristics (and those listed on the handout just below) are also true about super heroes:
- Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, etc.
- as well as real-life heroes:
- Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, etc.
- Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdeen, and Percy Jackson all...
- Save room on each line to add details about this story (Theseus) that are similar to other well-known stories.
- For today, we read p.208-212 (although most years we got to p.215).
- We also looked up the island of Crete to see where it is in relation to Greece (Athens, more specifically).
- If you were absent, watch this video that compares this story to The Hunger Games as well as George Washington (a founder of our nation, similar to how Theseus was the "founder of Athens"), as well as introducing a few other things outlined below.
- After that, we read the story (I read p.208-210 with the class or as far as we can get.
March 14
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
- Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
- For today, we read from where we left off (probably p.210) to the end of the story, p.223.
- As we went, students had opportunities to fill out (at least 9 of the 12 slots) the stages of a hero's journey on this handout (due today).
- We also talked a bit about how many of our concepts of government and justice come from Athens, especially through the story of Theseus:
- Much of this is on p. 215:
- Perhaps the best person to be the leader is someone who doesn't want to be leader.
- Check out the first few paragraphs in this article.
- Theseus resigns from the throne and sets up a democratic system.
- He maintains the office of commander in chief.
- Compare that with this wording from the US Constitution.
- He maintains the office of commander in chief.
- Theseus and Athens help the city of Thebes out when it's in a civil war.
- And the Athenians do not destroy or loot Thebes.
- Instead, they were there to set things right and then to go home.
- Compare that with how the USA helped to rebuild Germany and Japan after World War II.
- For Japan, take a moment to scroll through this part called "Initial phase" to see the overall goals.
- And the Athenians do not destroy or loot Thebes.
- Perhaps the best person to be the leader is someone who doesn't want to be leader.
- We may not always live up to our ideals, but it's interesting how similar these are to the story of Theseus.
- If time, we also looked up artwork inspired by the story of Theseus (and the Minotaur).
- Much of this is on p. 215:
- some other quick links for more information:
- King Minos
- Queen Pasiphaë (mother of the Minotaur)
- Ariadne
- the Minotaur
- the Labyrinth
- After finishing the reading, students were given the study guide for Theseus.
March 15 (two-hour delay due to Comet Connections)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Here's the handout we used in class.
- And it was true. Most of us did not know these things.
- We spoke a bit about how many of our traditions and cultural knowledge are built on things from a long time ago that we often don't know anything or much about.
- some additional points of interest:
- pictures of the green river (pic 1, pic 2)
- the Blarney Stone
- St. Patrick's blue (instead of green?)
- and if there's time and interest:
- St. Patrick
- St. Patrick's Day
- Which cities in the US have parades?
- more info. about the parades there as well
- Some people are unaware that the island of Ireland is split:
- the Republic of Ireland (Ireland)
- Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom, i.e. the UK, or what we often mean when we say "England" or "Britain")
- They fought over Ireland for about 30 years, up until 1998.
- not a summary
- thoughtful (should be interesting for someone else to read)
March 18
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Before starting the reading, we talked a bit about how quite a few cultures have heroes known for their incredible strength:
- Gilgamesh (from one of the oldest works of literature in the world)
- Samson (from the Bible)
- These first two are extremely similar to each other and to Heracles...
- Beowulf (English class in 11th grade)
- Superman
- the Hulk
- This one may be the most similar example since he has uncontrollable rage and then feels bad about what he did when he was angry.
- If time allows, it's nice to discuss early on how many students have seen the Disney version of this story.
- Some things are changed, perhaps most notably that in this movie Hercules is the son of Zeus and Hera, not Zeus and Alcmene
- For what it's worth, the Greek people don't really like how their history has been distorted.
- I started reading it aloud, and we got about a half way in together.
- caution: some nude artwork in this one
- Heracles (usually called Hercules, his Roman name)
- sometimes worshipped as a god
- originally named Alcides but renamed after Hera (even though she's not his mom) to appease her
- myth (explanation story):
- the Milky Way galaxy (here's a better picture) came into being when Hera tricked into breast feeding Heracles
- artwork from the famous scene with the snakes from ancient artwork and also the Disney version
- artwork from the scene of Hercules holding up the sky for Atlas
- more information about the 12 Labors of Hercules
- One theory for why there are so many stories about him (and why they're so similar to others, e.g. Samson and Gilgamesh) is that stories about Hercules may be stories about others that were attributed to Hercules to keep things simpler.
- another glance at a map of Europe to consider size of Mediterranean Sea and its relationship to Greece
- If needed, we talked a bit about why Hercules would have left this quest for the Golden Fleece (i.e. Jason and the Argonauts) to chase after his friend Hylas.
- Heracles seemed very distraught about losing Hylas.
- Here are some details that our book leaves out...
- Heracles seemed very distraught about losing Hylas.
March 19
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Avenue of the Sphinxes
- It's worth looking at pictures and trying to guess how many statues there are before looking that up.
- made over 2,000 years ago
- a stretch of road almost two miles long!
- over 1,000 statues!
- and we (the modern world) just found it less than 75 years ago
- before that, didn't even know it existed
- my point:
- There's so much we still don't know about the ancient world.
- They must have had either technology that helped them do this (over 1,000 statues!) or else so many people that didn't have to do other work (e.g. farming) in order for their society to flourish.
- There's so much we still don't know about the ancient world.
- I started reading it aloud and left off at the fight with the Calydonian Boar.
- Since most students don't know, it's worth pointing out how dangerous boars could be.
- Especially before modern weaponry (e.g. long-range rifles, hunting from helicopters, etc.)
- Here are some pictures that give a good idea of the size of these things and also their tusks.
- Wild boars are/were dangerous enough that special types of spear heads were invented to prevent the boar from attacking the hunter even after it had been speared.
- We spent some time analyzing some artwork inspired by this story:
- painting 1, painting 2, painting 3, as well as some other artwork in the Wikipedia
- Of particular interest is this one, which allows us to consider this example of how ancient myths have inspired and been adapted to look like the current time period and location of the culture retelling the story (in this case, the Middle Ages in norther Europe, it seems).
- Since most students don't know, it's worth pointing out how dangerous boars could be.
- the reading guide for Hercules
- the reading guide for Atalanta
- If time, we discussed some of the more advanced questions as well as whether or not this quote applies to her story.
March 20
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10
- By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- We briefly checked out the basics about the language Linear A, a language discovered on Crete (where Theseus supposedly killed the Minotaur) that we've never been able to decipher.
- It would be nice if we could find something like the Rosetta Stone to help crack the language.
- Here's a picture of that.
- joke: What if they guy carving it got to the end and made a mistake!?
- It would be nice if we could find something like the Rosetta Stone to help crack the language.
- We also quickly examined another story that many students are familiar with that has a connection to part of Theseus's story:
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
- Do a search for "Theseus" to locate the similarity.
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
- Then we made time to discuss a philosophical paradox commonly called "the Ship of Theseus."
- a short video clip about this idea
- my slides
- If time, this also includes background about how we get many of our cultural ideas and values from Athens/Greece.
- which is why Greek and Roman mythology and civilization is worth our time to study carefully
- If time, this also includes background about how we get many of our cultural ideas and values from Athens/Greece.
- more information about the Ship of Theseus
- By the way, the series finale of WandaVision featured a discussion about all this.
- You can find information about that specific episode here.
- By the way, the series finale of WandaVision featured a discussion about all this.
over ch. 9, 10, 11, 12
March 21 (half day)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10
- By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
spring break
April 01
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
April 02
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
April 03
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
We talked about the following topics as we went:
April 04
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
This is the handout we're using to read the play.
April 05
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10
April 08
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
April 09
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
April 10
SAT
April 11 (had a sub 4th hour)
Half of the students in 4th hour were testing all morning for the second day in a row, and I had sub for that hour as well.
April 12
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
April 15
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
April 16
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4
Aesop's Fables:
We read some more of Aesop's Fables (handout part 1b) and came up with possible "morals" for them.
April 17
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4
April 18 (4th hour somewhat disrupted by M-STEP)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
April 19
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
April 22
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
April 23
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
5.) "The Little Girl and the Wolf" (Thurber)
April 24
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
3.) Little Red Cap (the Brothers Grimm)
April 25
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Sleeping Beauty - different versions
upcoming:
April 01
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- stopped at bottom of p. 1078
- teacher note:
- In the past we've made it through p. 1079.
- We're shooting for taking this test on Friday, April 5 (Tuesday, April 9, at the latest).
- If you were absent, watch this short video that introduces the play as well as its vast influence.
- some of the background of the play
- This is the handout we'll be using to read the play in class.
- If time, we discussed some of the topics presented in the first couple pages:
- If you had to choose between your family and your friends, which would you choose?
- What about your family or your country?
- tragic flaw (in Greek, hamartia)
- also talked about anarchy and its derivatives (anarchic, anarchist)
- cf. monarchy (one person has authority) and oligarchy (small group has authority)
- if needed: protagonist, antagonist
- also talked about anarchy and its derivatives (anarchic, anarchist)
- If time, we also looked up the definitions on the bottom of p. 1067.
- teacher note: probably not worth it since they are defined in side notes
- We read the two paragraphs on the right of p. 1067.
- If time, we discussed some of the topics presented in the first couple pages:
- We read the prologue and finished scene 1.
- parts for today:
- Antigone, Ismene, Chorus, Choragus, Creon, Sentry
- parts for today:
April 02
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
- got to scene 3, line 80 or 95 (p.1091)
- parts for today:
- Antigone, Ismene, Chorus, Choragus, Creon, Sentry, and Haemon if we get far enough (scene 3)
- We talked a bit about the themes of the play so far:
- civil disobedience
- compare Antigone with other famous examples:
- Jesus
- Susan B. Anthony
- Mohandas Gandhi
- Rosa Parks
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Nelson Mandela
- compare Antigone with other famous examples:
- God's law (or gods' law) or natural law vs. man-made law
- What mathematical symbol would we (should we) put between these:
- God's law Man's law
- = < > ?
- What mathematical symbol would we (should we) put between these:
- Some other loyalties we have that ideally are in balance:
- family, extended family, local community, state, nation
- career, religion, political party (or other organizations)
- but if there's a crisis, we may have to decide where our deeper loyalties lie...
- Antigone puts family before community, god's law before man's law.
- civil disobedience
April 03
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
We talked about the following topics as we went:
- Creon's views on kingship and family
- basically dictatorship for both
- People are so afraid of the boss they won't tell him what they really think.
- Creon's exaggerations and his temper
- Haemon's foreshadowing
- a threat? Who else would die...?
- the different types of love involved in this situation:
- romantic (Antigone - Haemon)
- parent/child (Creon - Haemon)
- siblings (Antigone - Polynices)
- also patriotic (for their city)
- guilty of pride:
- Creon, for sure
- Antigone?
- karma/justice
- as with Oedipus the King, many warnings about pride (hubris)
- again, as with Oedipus the King, Teiresias accused of being bribed
- and again innocent of that
- Creon changes his mind about both burials:
- living (Antigone) buried alive (locked in cave) / should be un-buried
- dead (Polyneices) not buried / should be re-buried
April 04
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
This is the handout we're using to read the play.
- finished the play today / quiz tomorrow
- reminders from yesterday:
- as with Oedipus the King, many warnings about pride (hubris)
- again, as with Oedipus the King, Teiresias accused of being bribed
- and again innocent of that
- Creon changes his mind about both things:
- living (Antigone) buried alive (locked in cave)
- dead (Polyneices) not buried
- the Paean (song of thanks or as a request for help)
- gods help us!
- especially Dionysus (Iacchus)
- keep in mind that this play was written to be performed at a celebration in that god's honor
- gods help us!
- Notice that the deaths (and most action, really) occur off stage.
- We find out about the events via messengers or eyewitness reports.
- Why do you think that might be?
- Why on earth would they go bury Polyneices first?
- And how long would it take to do all that for him?
- wash body, burn body, bury body under a hill
- And THEN they go to set Antigone free...
- And how long would it take to do all that for him?
- so many suicides...
- Haemon's death a suicide or a murder?
- Creon certainly seems to blame himself.
- Eurydice blames him too.
- reminder: some options for studying:
- reread the play
- study guide
- graphic novel (caution: probably rated the equivalent of PG-13)
- quizlet
April 05
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10
- By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
April 08
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- This episode is actually related to a lot of things we've talked about in here.
- season 19, episode 16: "The Gods of Greece"
- Let me stress, I don't expect anyone to believe this alien theory.
- I don't believe it myself, necessarily.
- To be honest, I'm not sure what to think about any of it.
- What we care about here is these guys are exploring things that we still don't know, in this case related to the ancient Greeks:
- their history, architecture, legends, religious beliefs, etc.
- Troy (in the Trojan War) really existed and was found only because of the study of mythology and Greek literature.
- "Almost everything of the Western world has its roots in ancient Greece."
- I don't believe it myself, necessarily.
- jot down at least 5 things worth talking about (which we'll discuss tomorrow)
April 09
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
- Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- season 4, episode 13: "Wonders of the Ancient World"
- assignment:
- jot down at least 3 things worth talking about (which we'll discuss tomorrow)
- We at least watched segments 1, 3, and 5.
- If students were interested, we also watched segment 4 (which happened both hours today).
- segment 1: Baalbek
- segment 2: Teotihuacan (skipped)
- segment 3: Antikythera mechanism
- segment 4: geoglyphs
- segment 5: Kyaiktiyo Pagoda ("Golden Rock") (skipped)
- segment 6: Stonehenge
- quite interesting and possibly related:
- a recent find submerged under Lake Michigan: a 9,000 year old Stonehenge-like structure
- quite interesting and possibly related:
- Serpent Mound (southern Ohio)
- Herculaneum papyri
- scrolls damaged by volcanic eruption
- can't be read without damaging/destroying them
- today, using x-ray technology to scan them and read them
- one of my favorites: Sacsayhuaman
April 10
SAT
April 11 (had a sub 4th hour)
Half of the students in 4th hour were testing all morning for the second day in a row, and I had sub for that hour as well.
- So all I ask of the students who are here is for them to do something somewhat productive rather that just staring at their phones.
- options include the following:
- study for an upcoming quiz or test in any class
- work on an assignment for any class
- read a book
- play a card or board game with friends
- something else similar
- options include the following:
April 12
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- A previous time I taught this class, I overheard someone say under his/her breath something about how we're reading these children's stories in high school -- and just reading the same thing over and over.
- I pointed out how many college students read and analyze these stories this way.
- Actually, when I was revising the structure of this class, I got ideas from college classes.
- Look at Feb. 6, Feb. 8, and Feb. 22 as examples from this syllabus from a college class.
- We used this to introduce the idea of comparing the older versions of stories with some modern versions.
- I talked about how the changes in the stories reflect changes in society.
- e.g. women who need saving as opposed to women who save themselves
- We also talked about the popularity of fairy tales and how we see them all the time in recent movies and TV shows:
- movies:
- TV shows:
- Grimm: "a cop drama—with a twist ...[set in] a world in which characters inspired by Grimms' Fairy Tales exist"
- Once Upon a Time: "Henry discovers the other people of the town are fairy-tale characters."
- I talked about how the changes in the stories reflect changes in society.
- We talked about how fairy tales (like myths) reveal what a culture cares about.
- just a couple examples:
- from myth: We see how important the concept of xenia was to the ancient Greeks because it often was a factor in their myths.
- from folklore: We can see how gender roles have changed through the years.
- More specifically, we talked about how fairy tales have changed even in our own experience.
- We brought up examples of early Disney movies that include a beautiful but basically helpless young woman who needs a man to save her (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty).
- Then we compared those to more recent movies that include young ladies saving themselves, or at least playing a much more active role (Tangled, Frozen, Moana).
- More specifically, we talked about how fairy tales have changed even in our own experience.
- related:
- We talked a tiny bit about controversy from last year, whether the new Super Mario Bros. movie is "woke" or "anti-woke."
- from this year: controversy about the Barbie movie (anti-man?)
- the point: these are reflections on our current culture
- just a couple examples:
- We typically have a good discussion about modernizing and "sanitizing" these stories for modern American audiences (e.g. how Disney versions are often different from the "originals")
April 15
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, evaluating how each version interprets the source text.
- assignment: Take notes (at least five details) about the article and the podcast that follow:
- And we used his Wikipedia page to help fill in any blanks.
- We spent a couple minutes talking about any of his fables we're familiar with (e.g. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf").
- If you were absent, also watch this short video about the most famous author of fables, Aesop.
- We then listened to part of this podcast (start at 37:30 and stop at 48:15) for a couple reasons:
- Here's a backup link for the podcast in case the file gets moved (again).
- more information about Aesop and his influence
- proof that this topic is not (just) elementary, as it is discussed by a college professor
- These stories tend to target a certain vice:
- "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" - lying
- "The Tortoise and the Hare" - laziness
- also worth noting:
- At least two of the greatest teachers of all time were famous for teaching with stories.
- Aesop's fables
- Jesus' parables
- At least two of the greatest teachers of all time were famous for teaching with stories.
- a response to this article about Aesop as well as the podcast
- However, Mr. Bulgrien believes these would be effective even without telling the audience "the morals."
- brief class discussion about "The Crow and the Pitcher," "Belling the Cat," and "The Lion and the Mouse":
- If time, we briefly take a look at pictures of these stories.
- compare "The Lion and the Mouse" with Aslan and the mice at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Here's an explanation from SparkNotes:
- "Aslan explains that the mice can speak because of kindness they showed when they freed him. Aslan, like God, will reward all good deeds, even deeds by the poorest and lowliest creatures."
April 16
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
Aesop's Fables:
We read some more of Aesop's Fables (handout part 1b) and came up with possible "morals" for them.
- the Fox and the Stork
- If needed, here's a picture of a stork.
- Compare this story with the "messin' with Sasquatch" commercials.
- If time, here are some great clips of messin' with Sasquatch that illustrate the moral for this story.
- the Fox and the Grapes
- talked about the saying "sour grapes"
- the Fox and the Crow
- talked about why foxes are chosen as characters quite often, what kind of people they represent
- the Ant and the Grasshopper
- talked about the characteristics of ants that everyone is familiar with, same for honey bees
- more interesting:
- Is this too harsh?
- and compare it with panhandlers
- Do you give them money? (i.e. Do you save the grasshopper?)
- Or are you like the ants?
April 17
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
- From yesterday, the moral for the Fox and the Stork is very similar to the "messin' with Sasquatch" commercials.
- If time (just over 6 min.), here are some great clips of messin' with Sasquatch that illustrate the moral for this story.
- Work with a partner or two to come up with possible "morals" that fit these stories.
- After that, we discussed
- possible morals (refining them if some were sort of accurate but not quite there)
- It's interesting how similar they were some times, and how a few times they were a bit different but still relevant.
- possible symbolism
- dog = jealous (esp. for food)
- oxen = not very smart
- lion = dangerous, but not necessarily sneaky
- Notice it's not the lion who ruins things for the oxen by tricking them.
- They did it to themselves!
- Notice it's not the lion who ruins things for the oxen by tricking them.
- peacock = proud
- But the peacock isn't the "villain" in this story. It's the jay trying to fit in with the peacocks.
- possible morals (refining them if some were sort of accurate but not quite there)
April 18 (4th hour somewhat disrupted by M-STEP)
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- If needed, we went back to discuss possible morals for previous handouts of Aesop's fables that we didn't discuss enough yet.
- Writing an original fable.
- Not something you found somewhere else and copied for this assignment.
- Start with a "moral" in mind, and write a story that illustrates that moral.
- Possible morals include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
- Good deeds make even better things happen.
- Treat others the way you would have them treat you.
- Never give up.
- You can become nicer by learning from good examples.
- Be nice to nature and it will be nice to you.
- Don’t be selfish.
- You can’t keep doing the same thing forever.
- Treat nature kindly.
- Face your fears.
- requirements:
- It should be short, but it should be a complete tale.
- Use the ones we read and discussed in class as examples.
- It should include animals and/or natural objects (trees, Sun, etc.)
- Note: it may include people only if the people are minor characters (such as in the story of the Wind and the Sun)
- extra-credit opportunity:
- Read it in front of the class any day this week, and we will try to determine the moral (or at least a possible moral).
- Extra credit is based on reading it aloud, not on whether the class can determine a moral.
- It should be short, but it should be a complete tale.
- another suggestion: consider symbolic associations we have with animals when choosing your characters for your fables:
- ants, bees, squirrels (industrious, preparation)
- elephants (good memory)
- donkeys (stubborn)
- dogs (faithful, friendly)
- cats (selfish, independent, curious)
- hyenas (pranksters, mean)
- armadillos, turtles (slow, but also thick skin)
- owls (wise)
- eagle, hawk (keen eyesight)
- butterfly (transformation)
- sheep (followers)
- sloths (lazy)
- wolves (predators)
April 19
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, evaluating how each version interprets the source text.
- assignment: Take notes on the article itself (on the handout itself) and also on lined paper for all the stuff we add to it (such as in the links below).
- should have at least 10 things on lined paper when done tomorrow.
- We just got through the first two paragraphs because the people and topics mentioned in the article that are important or interesting to us:
- the Brothers Grimm
- "Freudian and Jungian analysis"
- Sigmund Freud
- id, ego, superego
- a useful and short clip about this
- Since there's time, I don't mind going into this a bit since most students haven't learned this before.
- We spent a little time talking about the part of our mind that we can't control, our unconscious mind:
- the "id"
- I mean, we can control it. That's what the ego does.
- But the id is the part of our mind that is our instincts and impulses that happen on their own.
- We spent a little time talking about the part of our mind that we can't control, our unconscious mind:
- If it helps, here's an interesting example to illustrate the id, ego and superego using Harry Potter characters.
- This is perfect since this article mentions Freudian analysis of fairy tales.
- This sort of analysis is somewhat common among fairy tale experts.
- Here's another example of a psychologist analyzing a fairy tale:
- Jordan Peterson talking about "Sleeping Beauty" (especially starting at 3:30)
- talking about the unconscious mind sometimes brings up the movie Inception.
- I think it's worth watching. Here's a trailer for the movie.
- Freudian slip (such as this example)
- We've talked about it enough already, but remember that it was Freud who suggested an existence of an Oedipus Complex.
- Such a theory might show up in fairy tales when we see a daughter whose father has remarried (i.e. an "evil step-mother).
- Now, there is a competition between the daughter and the step-mother for the man's affection (which is typically called an "Electra Complex").
- Such a theory might show up in fairy tales when we see a daughter whose father has remarried (i.e. an "evil step-mother).
- id, ego, superego
- Carl Jung (last name pronounced Young)
- known for many psychological theories
- interestingly, one of the first people to study the psychology of introversion and extraversion
- also concepts such as universal symbols often found in religious art, mythology and fairy tales across cultures
- known for many psychological theories
- Sigmund Freud
- Charles Perrault (last name pronounced Per-Oh)
- We'll read a bunch of his stories later, so it's good to know some basics now.
- It sure is interesting how different the Grimm version of Cinderella is from the Perrault version (which is more like the Disney movie).
- Grimm:
- no fairy godmother
- three nights of dancing
- more violent (stepsisters getting eyeballs pecked by birds)
- Grimm:
- Apparently the Grimm brothers' fairy tales were used by the Nazis to try to unite the people and to show supremacy over other nations.
- more about Karl Jung:
- known for many psychological theories
- interestingly, one of the first people to study the psychology of introversion and extraversion
- If time, we took a quick poll to see how many of us were which type of person.
- also concepts such as universal symbols often found in religious art, mythology and fairy tales across cultures
- These ideas seem to have led Joseph Campbell to his realizations about how so many cultures' myths are so similar.
- See March 20 and the activity about the twelve stages of the hero’s journey.
- These ideas seem to have led Joseph Campbell to his realizations about how so many cultures' myths are so similar.
- interestingly, one of the first people to study the psychology of introversion and extraversion
- known for many psychological theories
- And here's why this is important and interesting for our purposes:
- There is a lot of interpretation of fairytales/folktales by psychoanalysts, especially Freud and Jung.
- For evidence, skim over the search results for these terms:
- Someone who is somewhat famous for doing this today is Jordan Peterson.
- Check out part of this short video (starting at 3:30) of him talking about Sleeping Beauty for an example.
- There is a lot of interpretation of fairytales/folktales by psychoanalysts, especially Freud and Jung.
April 22
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.
- See April 18 for details.
- It's actually two stories, both short and somewhat similar to each other.
- We read over them here: "How some children played at slaughtering."
- And we had a discussion about the following topics:
- Are these kids' stories?
- They're about kids, but are they for kids?
- What are they telling us or teaching us?
- Be careful because kids will repeat what they see/hear?
- Why, exactly, do they not punish anyone in the first story?
- cf. the practice of trial as an adult
- Are these kids' stories?
- Another thing we often talk about is the diverse reaction in the stories and why that is:
- first story: a stranger witnesses the crime
- second story: a family member witnesses the crime, and killer and victim are both family
- It's interesting how these short tales can lead to some interesting discussion and realizations
- At what age are people "aware" or "mature" or "adults"?
- How does our society separate things by maturity?
- ratings for shows, movies and video games
- suspects put on trial as an adult or as a minor
- age requirements for buying certain things:
- alcohol
- cigarettes, vapes
- lottery tickets or other gambling
- or for doing certain activities:
- driving, renting a car
- getting a tattoo
- voting, joining the military
- age of consent for sex (e.g. statutory rape), marriage
- child labor laws
- Why do we do this, and most importantly, how do we determine where to draw the lines?
- Especially when there are multiple lines drawn (16, 18, 21, 25, etc.)
- cf. the saying "If you are not a liberal when you are young, you have no heart, and if you are not a conservative when old, you have no brain."
- And we had a discussion about the following topics:
- We did a Google image search for "little red riding hood" to see what came up.
- The point was to show the wide variety of images to reflect the wide variety of stories -- and to note the similarities:
- most significant: a young girl or young lady. Red is never an older woman (e.g. never 30+).
- variations on the Little Red Riding Hood story:
- First, we checked out some of the basics about Red Riding Hood here.
- I noted that there are a lot of variations, but there are some things that are in all or most of the versions
- going to grandmother's house
- going through the woods (secluded)
- the wolf usually sees Red before she gets to grandma's house
- there's a question and answer session or an exclamation and explanation session between the girl and the wolf (what big ears / to hear you)
- the wolf's request to get into bed with him
- I noted that there are a lot of variations, but there are some things that are in all or most of the versions
- First, we checked out some of the basics about Red Riding Hood here.
- I noted that there's a fairly obvious sexual interpretation based on the wolf's request to get in bed with him.
- For the most part, very few students have thought about the story in this way.
- For comparison, notice that he simply eats the grandmother, as opposed to getting her in bed with him.
- also possibly related: Peter Stumpp, a real-life werewolf?
- Notice he lived in the mid- to late-1500s, not long before the first versions of Red Riding Hood...
April 23
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.
- Take notes on the handout directly.
- Notes that apply to all versions of the story (e.g. background) should be on the back (blank) page.
- terms: bzou, making cables
- We talked about what the likely intended audience was (teenagers and up?).
- evidence:
- sexual interpretation (the girl removes her clothes, the request to get in bed)
- It's clearly more than just "don't talk to strangers."
- Especially since the bzou isn't a stranger to her.
- It seems people in town know it's a bzou ("the bzou").
- crude humor (the cat's comment, wet/crap the bed, making cables)
- sexual interpretation (the girl removes her clothes, the request to get in bed)
- evidence:
- many things to consider for this version:
- (line 2) Why at a crossroads?
- also symbolic of protagonist's decision
- good place for predator to set a trap
- (line 5) He seems to know her, and where her grandmother lives
- (line 12) Why make her eat and drink that?
- Perhaps to corrupt her.
- cannibalism of the grandmother
- See here (article from last class) for a possible explanation for this part of the story.
- cf. the notion of looking for girls who smoke since they are already deviant (more likely willing to do more)
- (line 12) And what's up with the cat calling her that?
- Is this evidence of blaming the victim (sometimes called slut shaming), especially considering what the cat says?
- (lines 14-23) taking off outer layers of clothes and then inner layers
- The predator has a plan, and he's patiently waiting (enjoying this?).
- (lines 24-33) This Q&A is in many versions of the story.
- Red is getting suspicious (finally).
- (line 35) What!?
- (line 2) Why at a crossroads?
- ending:
- Happy ending!
- Red saves herself.
- did not get eaten at all
- Notice that the bzou attacks only the weak (grandma, girl when alone), not an adult inside Red's house at the end.
- Happy ending!
- Here are some more details if you want further explanation about this version.
- 2.) Little Red Riding Hood (Perrault):
- details that stand out:
- Red:
- prettiest (older than just "cutest"?)
- still youngish (called "child")
- caring (sets off at once to help grandma)
- old enough to travel to another village alone
- wolf:
- (line 5) Old Father Wolf
- older (child predator) and male
- not willing to risk attacking when could be defended (wood-cutters nearby)
- (line 7) doesn't seem to know Red in this version
- (line 9) once he knows where to go, tells her which way to go, and makes a game out of it
- "Race ya there!"
- (line 14) a liar (says he is Red) but uses believable lies (the reason for knocking on grandma's door)
- (line 24) clever (uses same wording as grandma in paragraph 16 in order to trick Red)
- (line 27) definitely more than just eating her, which the wolf could do now that they are inside the cabin
- cf. how he immediately ate grandma / how he wants Red to get into bed with him
- (lines 29-38) makes excuses to assure the suspicious Red that nothing is wrong
- (line 39) Red gets eaten up.
- There isn't a happy ending.
- There is a point of no return, after which "it's too late," and no one could help her.
- (line 5) Old Father Wolf
- Red:
- Note: this version was intended for wealthier/royal families.
- Does this account for the differences?
- Also, this version has a moral that is pretty clearly about men and not about wolves.
- Specifically, men who act nice in order to hide their predatory nature.
- Young, polite women should be more suspicious of any men who are like the wolf.
- Here's some more detail on this version of the story.
- details that stand out:
5.) "The Little Girl and the Wolf" (Thurber)
- This one is a parody of the classical story.
- For this one to be really funny, one must be familiar with the original story.
- If time, we talked for a bit about how parodies may be funny on their own, but they are much funnier if the audience is well aware of the original subject of a parody.
- Compare with Saturday Night Live sketches, Weird Al songs, and parody movies (Scary Movie, Shaun of the Dead, Robin Hood: Men in Tights).
- If time, we also talked about whether girls (or children in general) have changed over the centuries, whether they really are not so easy to fool, as this version suggests.
- The wolf certainly could be compared to the types of sexual predators caught by the show To Catch a Predator.
- goes where victims are plentiful and those who might help victims are rare or distant
- pretends to be nice
- even pretends to be someone else
April 24
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
3.) Little Red Cap (the Brothers Grimm)
- It seems clear that this version was intended for all children, even young children.
- This one doesn't have a moral at the end, but it's pretty clear what it is, based on the mother's directions and Red's comment:
- "Never again will I leave the path... when my mother tells me not to."
- This one doesn't have a moral at the end, but it's pretty clear what it is, based on the mother's directions and Red's comment:
- We also noticed how Red not only talks to a stranger, but she gives a lot of detailed information about how to find grandma's house.
- It's interesting how in this version, Red and her grandmother are saved.
- We think it's because the main character's death may seem too harsh for small kids in the audience.
- This last paragraph -- about another story about Red and a different wolf -- goes on to show that she learned her lesson.
- When she follows her mom's advice and is wary of stranger, she's safe.
- We also discussed a possible interpretation involving the "death" of the childish and naïve Red and the "rebirth" of the older and wiser Red.
- She "learned her lesson," so she has a new outlook on life; she was "born" into a new perspective of the world.
- See a bit more about that take on the story here.
- We speculate that Perrault's warning to girls from noble families serves as a warning to them that if they are taken advantage of by a wolf.
- And that doesn't necessarily mean raped or assaulted
- It could mean a consenting relationship where they are taken advantage of.
- There is no going back after that, meaning their prospects of marriage during that time period were very limited.
- And that doesn't necessarily mean raped or assaulted
- The harshness of the ending would serve a different purpose here than the Grimm version:
- to scare girls into being more careful
- We had clues as to how old these three girls are -- plus, it's interesting that there are three of them this time.
- But where's the red? Or the hood?
- Is this really a "Little Red Riding Hood" story without those?
- Most students say yes, that the basics are still there (discussed below).
- We considered the audience and talked about why children would like this version:
- kids are trusted home alone (as it's the mother who goes on the journey in this version)
- kids outsmart the wolf
- kids save themselves
- the wolf is made to look like a fool by falling for the same trick three times
- "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
- What about three times?
- There's an interesting reversal here:
- The kids are the ones who ask to get into bed with the wolf (as they think it's grandma at the time).
- "as usual" means they often sleep in grandma's bed.
- More about grandma, just above that:
- "What nice, plump children," said the wolf.
- Is he talking to himself or saying this out loud?
- Is that something a grandma would say? (Maybe.)
- Many of us have seen cartoons similar to this, where the villain is getting hurt.
- Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Tom and Jerry, Itchy and Scratchy, etc.
- Actually, we talked about popular stories & movies that have similarities:
- Home Alone, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Stranger Things, etc.
- The point here is that this sort of thing is (still) very entertaining, and not only for children.
- Right away we noticed that there are three girls (duh) but also that they are older.
- old enough to live (and to work...) apart from their mother
- And there's no grandmother at all, just a mother.
- Many students notice that this one has a "Three Little Pigs" feel to it.
- The third one gets it right.
- Perhaps the youngest one being the craftiest is a detail that would appeal to younger audiences.
- Again, the girl and her mother are saved, this time by the whole town.
- We speculated, therefore, that this version was meant for the general populace, including young kids.
April 25
Learning Target: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
- We finished this unit by talking about how there is a wide variety between the many different versions,
- but we wanted to list how many things these stories all (or nearly all) have in common:
- girl(s)
- wolf (always just one wolf)
- the wolf is always crafty, sneaky, lying, etc.
- woods (away from safety)
- What would that be today? the Internet? social media?
- someone going to grandma's house
- a reason to go to grandma's house (basket, etc.)
- taking different routes to get there
- the wolf in disguise
- cf. a fake profile on social media?
- getting in bed with the wolf
- questions and answers with the wolf
- either the death or the rescue of Red
- either the death or the escape of the wolf
- help when others are aware of her death
- I pointed out how that's a reflection on our culture, which does not want to accept or allow such crimes to go unpunished.
- Compare that with cultures where a sexual assault is considered the woman's fault.
- but we wanted to list how many things these stories all (or nearly all) have in common:
- Theories included gender stereotypes and expectations about vulnerability, naivety, independence, etc.
- Additionally, audiences usually sympathize more with a female in trouble rather than a male (pretty much every movie ever).
- Connected to that, we talked about how many missing-persons cases that make national news involve a woman missing because of a man:
- Natalee Holloway
- Is this a real-life Little Red Riding Hood story?
- Natalee Holloway
- I can't think of any cases involving a missing man that made such national news long term.
- Connected to that, we talked about how many missing-persons cases that make national news involve a woman missing because of a man:
- should have notes (your thoughts) written throughout, at least 1 thing per page.
Sleeping Beauty - different versions
- In order to start getting ready to shift into the Sleeping Beauty stories, we talked a little bit about what we know already from that story.
- What do you know about the story of Sleeping Beauty?
- (If we have time) Brainstorm and try to write down at least 10 things -- the more things the better.
- Here are some pictures, if that helps.
- And quite often students have this story confused with Snow White...
- I showed what flax is used to make.
- And we watched a quick video about spinning wool on a distaff to see how it basically works so it'll make sense when we read about that kind of stuff.
- Try to average at least three things in each segment.
- If you were absent, watch this short video that introduces much of what follows.
- It seems that his stories include some of the oldest versions recorded of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
- We found something else interesting:
- A movie was recently made based on this guy's story collection. It's called Tale of Tales.
- I've watched it. It's interesting on its own, but also because these are some stories that we're not familiar with.
- Here's a trailer for it.
- We talked about how we expect these versions to be less familiar to us (at least compared to the Grimm fairy tales).
- notes from our class discussion:
- First, we figured this version isn't really for kids, based on the things that happen to Talia while she's asleep...
- Actually, these are probably the politest descriptions of sexual assault we've ever heard...
- paragraphs #4 and 14
- Actually, these are probably the politest descriptions of sexual assault we've ever heard...
- Other things we talked about include the following:
- some language issues that aren't kid friendly either
- another story with cannibalism
- similar to mythology:
- characters trying to avoid fate (e.g. Talia's father banning flax, hemp, etc.)
- Also, very similar to part of Oedipus Rex:
- Someone was commanded to murder a child or children and instead saved their lives.
- mentioned Medea
- the way the women are somewhat or totally powerless
- Talia especially
- But the queen as well takes her anger out on the other woman and the children and not her husband (at least directly).
- compare with Hera/Zeus
- We do note, however, that the queen at least has some power, as she orders some people around (secretary, cook).
- Is the queen the children's step-mother?
- She's not their biological mother, but she's married to their father...
- Notice how in this story and in other familiar stories (e.g. Snow White) the character is said to be dead but isn't really dead.
- Remember at the beginning of the folklore portion of this class how we read some articles about parents these days not reading the old fairy tales to their kids?
- At least some of us scoffed at the idea then, but that's probably because we're used to the Disney versions of these stories.
- This version, for example, with its sexual assault, adultery, (attempted) child murder and cannibalism, probably isn't something we would read to our young children either.
- Two more things that are very important for our purposes:
- the ending:
- The whole class agreed that the ending is quite problematic because the rapist not only "gets away with it," he essentially gets rewarded for what he did.
- His angry, spiteful wife is gone, replaced with a beautiful woman and some beautiful children.
- The whole class agreed that the ending is quite problematic because the rapist not only "gets away with it," he essentially gets rewarded for what he did.
- the moral:
- This version ends with this proverb: "Those whom fortune favors find good luck, even in their sleep."
- So we either have good luck or we don't?
- What about our actions, our effort, our will power, our morality, our whatever?
- It's just luck?
- So we either have good luck or we don't?
- This version ends with this proverb: "Those whom fortune favors find good luck, even in their sleep."
- These are terrible things for kids to think, aren't they?
- the ending:
upcoming: