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Homer’s Odyssey: A Brief Introduction

Homer’s Odyssey: A Brief Introduction. Ms. Geller’s Fabulous Freshman Lit Class Fall 2013. Who Was Homer?. Rhapsode : Traveling poet/storyteller; ancient Greek entertainment Probably lived sometime before the 8 th century B.C.E. Believed to be blind (Greek homerus = blind)

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Homer’s Odyssey: A Brief Introduction

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  1. Homer’s Odyssey: A Brief Introduction Ms. Geller’s Fabulous Freshman Lit Class Fall 2013

  2. Who Was Homer? • Rhapsode: Traveling poet/storyteller; ancient Greek entertainment • Probably lived sometime before the 8th century B.C.E. • Believed to be blind (Greek homerus=blind) • Oral tradition: Greek alphabet was still developing. Most people were illiterate and accustomed to hearing rather than reading stories • Adventure tales of heroes and gods; audiences believed they were true

  3. Homer’s Compositions • Iliad: Story of the Trojan War • Odyssey: Story of the hero Odysseus’s ten-year journey home from war • Some controversy exists among historians as to whether both epics were written by the same person

  4. Epic Poetry • Long narrative poem, often about the adventures of a legendary hero • Steady rhythmic pattern (meter) made the poems easier for the rhapsode to remember • Action includes extraordinary or superhuman deeds, gods and monsters, and elements of the supernatural • Purpose is not only to entertain, but to teach and inspire • Convey the values of a culture

  5. Epic Narration • Narrator begins by “invoking the Muse,” asking for divine guidance and inspiration • Tale begins in medias res (“in the middle of things”) • Formal tone and style • Figurative language and vivid, often graphic descriptions bring the narrative to life

  6. The Epic Hero • Larger-than-life figure from history or mythology • Often aided by the gods, but does not have “superpowers” • Has a flaw that can lead to catastrophe; in Odysseus’s case, hubris (arrogance)

  7. The Epic Hero • Odysseus: King of the Greek city-state of Ithaca • Legendary general who came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse, winning the Trojan War for the Achaeans • “Formidable for guile;” known as much for his cleverness as for his strength in battle • Son of Laertes (patronym) and Anticlea; husband of Penelope; father of Telemachus

  8. Setting • Around the 1200’s B.C.E. • At sea and on various islands in the Mediterranean

  9. In Medias Res… • When the epic begins, Odysseus is at the palace of King Alcinous, about to embark on the last leg of his journey home. • He tells the story of his adventure over dinner at the king’s banquet table. • Point of view shifts from third person to first and back again.

  10. Your Task • Choose one of the following topics and respond in a well-developed paragraph of at least eight sentences on the back of your note sheet. • A modern-day hero… • A seemingly impossible challenge and how I overcame it… • The aspect of my personality that most often gets me in trouble…

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