Lesson 3

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • “The Odyssey,” from the introduction to The Odyssey (pp. 8–11), Bernard Knox, Penguin Publishing Group, 1996
  • “Women and Men,” from the introduction to The Odyssey (pp. 49–58), Bernard Knox, Penguin Publishing Group, 1996

• • The Odyssey, Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Publishing Group, 1996

Materials

Tools

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• Vocabulary Journal

Question Sets

• The Odyssey: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• The Odyssey: Section 3 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

Activity 1: Discuss

We will review the homework assignment by discussing Knox’s description of the order in which The Odyssey is told.

Step 1

Discuss with a partner your response to the homework question:

1. What is Knox’s claim about the order in which The Odyssey is presented?

Then, discuss these additional questions:

1. How does beginning the poem with the Telemacheia (the first four books) benefit the overall narrative of the poem?

2. How does it detract from the overall narrative?

Step 2

Discuss the following questions with the class:

1. How does the nonlinear plot structure of The Odyssey compare to how the poem would read if it were presented in a linear plot structure?

2. Why might Homer have chosen to structure his poem in this way, especially if it is being told orally?

3. What is the impact of the nonlinear structure on the poem’s meaning and overall narrative structure?

Step 3

On page 8 of the introduction, Knox refers to the first four books of The Odyssey as the Telemacheia.

1. Why might this section of The Odyssey deserve its own name?

The German word Bildungsroman is sometimes used in English to mean a novel describing a young person’s coming of age (bildungs means educational, and roman means novel).

2. How does the Telemacheia fit (or not fit) with the concept of the Bildungsroman?

3. What other examples of a Bildungsroman exist in books or movies?

The Greek word nostos is a theme used in Ancient Greek literature to describe an epic hero returning home via the sea.

4. What are the advantages of starting a story that describes a nostos in this nonlinear way?

5. What are the disadvantages of not beginning the story with a nostos?

Write down your ideas in your Learning Log.

Activity 2: Discuss – Present

We will organize the major events of The Odyssey in the order of their telling to better understand Homer’s purpose.

Step 1

Reread the first 12 lines of Book 1 of The Odyssey. Then, turn to a partner and discuss the following questions:

1. What does Homer mean in Lines 11 and 12?

2. How does this statement to "the Muse" affect the narration of the poem?

Step 2

In pairs, share your list of major events up to this point in the poem, which you completed for homework. Note similarities and differences and come to an agreement about the order of events. There is a good chance that your partner will have identified some events that you have not; if so, add them to your Learning Log in the order of their telling.

Step 3

As a class, organize the events as they are presented in the poem based on the pair discussion.

Activity 3: Discuss – Present

We will analyze the power dynamics within each major event of Odysseus’s voyage.

Step 1

In this activity, you will summarize an event from Odysseus’s voyage through an informal presentation in a small group.

With your group, briefly discuss the event your group has been assigned. Make sure you have a full understanding of the characters, what transpires, and where the event happens chronologically within the poem, not necessarily where it is described within the plot of the poem. Next, make a sign representing the power dynamics that take place in your event; decorate it with symbols or pictures that communicate the power dynamics between Odysseus and the characters he encounters. Write down the important facts on the back of the sign—you can use these as reference when you are presenting.

Discuss ways to communicate to the rest of the class what transpires during your event—either visually, through informal dialogue, or in pantomime. Pay particular attention to the power dynamics that occur within the event and be sure to convey those power dynamics thoughtfully.

Step 2

Present your event using your sign and the informal dialogue or pantomime you have decided to use.

Step 3

As a class, discuss the following question:

1. What is Odysseus’s most important power—the power that enables him to get back to Ithaca? Support your response with evidence from the text.

Share your thoughts with the class. Write down any relevant observations about Odysseus’s character in his Character Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will read and discuss a section of Knox’s introduction about the female characters in The Odyssey.

Step 1

Read and annotate pages 49 and 50 of the introduction to The Odyssey and then answer the following questions:

1. How does Penelope wield power compared to the other female characters? How is her use of power different from the other female characters?

2. In what ways does she show strength? How is her strength subtle and nonphysical compared to the other female characters?

Turn to a partner and share your responses.

Step 2

Write a response to the questions in your Learning Log.

Activity 5: Read – Write

For homework, we will read the beginning of Book 13 and skim the rest.

For homework, read and annotate Book 13, Lines 1-212, considering the following questions:

1. What is Zeus’s response to the Phaeacians’ observance of xenia?

2. Why does he react this way?

Enter important observations about Zeus on your Character Note-Taking Tool for Zeus.

Then, skim the rest of Book 13 and mark important events. Continue to add unknown and interesting words to your Vocabulary Journal.