Week 3 Syllabus: April 8
ODYSSEUS RETURNS TO ITHACA, not as a victor from war, but as a frightened, humble man. Unlike Haroun, who falls asleep and dreams his way into his hero-journey, Odysseus falls asleep at the end, and awakens on Ithaca with Phoenican treasure. He only learns he has returned home when Athena reveals herself, and tells him where he his. Odysseus lacks agency (or control) of his destiny. Q: How, then, will he overthrow the suitors? A: Not without a lot of help—from his son, his servants, his father and his wife. Even the great King Odysseus cannot save his kingdom without those around him.
TUESDAY, April 9
Starting class with our 20 minutes of SSR.
What is the correlation between a) written notes in the margins, b) worksheet assignments that require you to re-read, and c) results from the quizzes? Lecture on the importance of writing as a form of thinking.
In partners, reviewing your annotations and homework for books 13-18.
HW: Study for the quiz tomorrow. It will cover books 13-18, and will be twice as long as our previous quizzes.
WEDNESDAY, April 10
Quiz on books 13-18
HW: Read and annotate book 19 in preparation for class tomorrow.
FRIDAY, April 12
We’re starting with 20 minutes of review of book 19, re-reading it silently. That will be our SSR for the day.
Returning to partners
Ending class with our quiz on Book 19
HW: Read book 20 in Homer’s Odyssey. We finish the epic poem next week!