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Ancient Greek Literature. By: Abdul Abbas Grade: 10 Section: 1. Introduction. Did you know ancient Greek literature influenced modern literature the most? Ancient Greeks were the first to use vowels in their language.
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Ancient Greek Literature By: Abdul Abbas Grade: 10 Section: 1
Introduction • Did you know ancient Greek literature influenced modern literature the most? • Ancient Greeks were the first to use vowels in their language. • Greek literature is known as the birth place of western intellectual life. • Ancient Greek literature, and people who contributed to literature, influenced modern society and the world.
Introduction II • Whether you know Greek literature or not, you should know it influenced modern literature.
Mythology • Ancient Greeks were polytheistic. • A body of stories about gods and heroes that tries to explain how the world works is called mythology. • Greek mythology has gone on to influence modern literature, art and film.
Ancient Greek Literature • 30% of the words in a ordinary dictionary comes from the ancient Greek language. • Ancient Greeks were the first to use vowels. • Our alphabet came from the Greek language. • For example: the word “alphabet” came from ancient Greek words “alpha” “beta”.
Ancient Greek Literature II • Ancient Greek literature had four major writings; epic traditions, lyric poetry, tragedy and comedy. • An example of the epic traditions are the Iliad and the Odyssey. • Lyric poems got its name from a group of individuals singing while playing the lyre. • Tragedies and comedies were dramas and used to honour Greek god Dionysus.
Ancient Greek Contributors to Literature • An ancient Greek called Homer is famous for his two writings Odyssey and Iliad. • Homer was a blind man and people would gather around too hear him sing epic songs. • He is still read today, almost 3,000 years later. • Another contributor was Theocritus.
Ancient Greek Contributors to Literature II • Theocritus was the creator of pastoral poetry. • He wrote mime plays. • Alexandria was a book and poem maker. • Goethe was a Greek man who made classical and romantic poems. • “Clearness of vision, cheerfulness of acceptance, easy grace of expression, are qualities which delight us” quoted Goethe
Ancient Greek Literature Influence to Modern Society • English grammar, punctuation and paragraphing came from the ancient Greek literature. • Greek literature influenced English writing most during the 18th century. • Roman, Latin and English literature was most influenced by ancient Greek literature. • Greeks created many genres such as tragedy, comedy, poetry and historic writing.
Ancient Greek Literature Influence to Modern Society II • The ancient Greek alphabet was the first to have vowels. • The vowels made the language easier to learn and speak. • Their poetry was made to allow man the chance to think and clear our minds. • Ancient Greek poetry was referred to medicine for the mind.
World Without Ancient Greek literature • A world with out ancient Greek literature would be very different. • Vowels would not be made which would make our languages much harder to learn and speak. • We would have many more letters. • There would not be any creative books for us to read. • There would be many languages in one small country.
World Without Ancient Greek literature II • Without ancient Greek literature our society would be less socially advanced – we base our writing, law, philosophy and civic codes on Greek culture and writing. • With no start to creative writings we would still be reading only historical texts and religious texts.
Conclusion • Ancient Greek literature, and people who contributed to literature, influenced modern society in writing, the alphabet, government, philosophy, drama and civics. • Remember Greek literature is known as the birth place of western intellectual life. • Don’t forget whether you know a piece of Ancient Greek literature or not, you should know it influenced modern literature.
Work Cited • Books Frey, Wendy, and Diane Hart. History Alive! Palo Alto, CA: TCI, 2004. Print.Internet "Ancient Greek Literature - History for Kids!" Kidipede - History and Science for Kids - Homework Help for Middle School. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/literature/greeklit.htm>. "Homer." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MINOA/HOMER.HTM>.