The Odyssey – Intro & Book I

1. The Odyssey – Intro & Book I

2. The Odyssey – genre and author • The Odyssey was written by a guy named Homer. He was a blind poet. • Many think that his epics are actually the combined work of several poets. • The Odyssey is an epic poem. • An epic poem is a long narrative poem about a hero’s adventures. • Narrative = tells a story.

3. The Odyssey was composed in Greece, around 800 B.C.E. How long ago was it? When and where?

4. The Iliad • Homer’s other famous epic poem is The Illiad. • The Illiad presents an episode from a Trojan War. • The war began after Paris, a prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen from her husband, the king of Sparta. • Her husband Menelaus wanted his wife back. • Odysseus was one of his soldiers, and he went to Troy to besiege the walled city. • He came up with a master plan – Trojan horse. • Troy was conquered!

6. Main character: Odysseus. The Odyssey deals with Odysseus’ adventures as he makes his way home from Troy. The story is full of fantastic elements – interference of gods and goddesses. The Odyssey

7. The events in The Odyssey… • … occurred long before Homer’s lifetime. • The values and beliefs, however, were still important in Homer’s world.

8. Storytellers • Epics were not written down and read. • They were told by a master storyteller and passed on to other people verbally. • What problems do you see in this method?

9. He was a poet with a golden voice who sang his or her great tale in verse (in poetic form). Many of the story’s details were created as he or she sang the story. This is also called improvisation. Master storyteller

10. Lit. terms you need to know • Epic poem. • Epic hero. • Epic simile. • Epithet. • Onomatopoeia. • Hyperbole. • Personification. • Alliteration. • Imagery. • Oxymoron.

11. Epic hero is a larger-than-life figure, usually male. Epic heroes take part in long, dangerous adventures and accomplish great things. They show a lot of courage and superhuman strength. Since they are human, they also show some human flaws. Epic hero

12. Epic simile • A simile is a comparison between two things using “like” or “as.” • Epic simile is an elaborate, very detailed version of a simile. • Homer often used several lines for his epic similes to describe things in great detail. • Epic similes described a character’s thoughts and feelings.

13. Epithet • Brief, descriptive phrases that helped to characterize a person or thing. • Adjective + noun. • Examples: “master mariner,” “old contender,” “wine-dark sea.” • Epithets helped the storytellers remember the words.

14. Onomatopoeia • Definition: • Words that imitate sounds. • Examples: • boom, meow, crash, sizzle, crunch and buzz.

15. Alliteration • Definition: • When two or more words in a poem begin with the same sound. • Examples: “It sounds so sweet…”

16. Personification • Definition: • Giving human qualities to an object or animal.

17. Oxymoron • Definition: • Oxymoron is putting two contradictory words together. • Examples: • hot ice, cold fire, wise fool, sad joy, military intelligence, eloquent silence. • Oxymoron poem link. • Funny oxymorons: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/oxymorons.htm

18. Hyperbole • Definition: • Hyperbole is an extreme (“over the top”) exaggeration. • Link to examples.

19. Epic hero’s qualities • Think of a superhero that you know. • With a partner, brainstorm the qualities of a hero – both strengths and weaknesses! • Create a word web.