Week 8 Syllabus: February 26

ODYSSEUS IS THE MOST UNLIKELY OF HEROES. When we meet him, he is isolated and sobbing daily, wishing for death in lieu of being trapped with a beautiful goddess on a paradise island. When he returns to land after drifting at sea for 20 days (and nearly drowning in the process), he is literally naked and afraid, hiding under a pile of leaves for warmth and safety. THIS is our hero? Pay attention to the difference between Odysseus as the hero we meet and Odysseus the hero described in the books 9-12 flashback.

TUESDAY, February 27

• Starting with independent reading, SSR.

• 5 minutes of studying for quiz on book 5, followed by the 16 question quiz.

• After collecting homework, we will preview the book 6 homework.

• Reading and annotating book six together, modeling annotation technique.

• HW: Study book six, completing the homework for class tomorrow in preparation for the quiz.

WEDNESDAY, February 28

• Before taking the quiz, we will review the resources available to you here, in class, elsewhere on the internet. USE THESE! They will help.

• Quiz on book 6.

• Ending class with SSR.

• HW: Read the summary of book seven online (audio summary is in Lombardo files), and then read and annotate book eight.
  
  There are four parts to this chapter: 1) Demodocus sings about how Hephaaestus’ wife, Aprodite, gets caught having an affair with Ares; 2) After a bath, Nausicaa and Odysseus have a private chat filled with innuendo; 3) Demodocus sings about the end of the Trojan War, causing Odysseus to cry; 4) King Alcinous stops the story-telling and sining, and tells a story about a prophecy that the island of Scheria would one day transport home a man hated by Poseidon, and as a result the sea-god would build mountains around the island, forever cutting them off from the sea.

FRIDAY, March 1

• SSR.

• Mr. Easton’s recorded introduction to these film clips.

• Watching some film clips of Chuck Noland (get it…NO LAND?), a man who becomes stranded on an island, who attempts to escape from it, just like Odysseus escapes from Ogygia island and Calypso:

  • Trapped on an island;

  • Effect of isolation on mental health;

  • Leaving the island;

  • Lost at sea and giving up hope.

• Small group work on book eight, analyzing the chapters’ main theme: love interrupted! What should the reader realize about Odysseus, based on how he responds to these four parts in the poem?

• HW: Complete the worksheet on book 8. We will have the quiz on Tuesday.