Syllabus for Week 6, April 28
THE WORLD IS A DANGEROUS PLACE, AND around every corner lurks death. Like Sindbad the Sailor, Odysseus’ journey includes mysterious caverns, horrific monsters, and powerful gods who threaten his very existence. Yet Odysseus endures. In books 9 and 10, our focus for reading this week, we will see our hero confront a one-eyed giant, escape a multi-headed serpent, and evade a sea-gulping beheamoth hidden below a whirlpool. Each encounter includes some form of social or moral lesson. Pay keen attention to these morality tales, and what the reader should generally learn about listening, leadership, and humility before god.
TUESDAY, April 29
Starting in small groups, adding quotes from book 8 to the Nausicaa/Odysseus worksheet, in order to review for…
Quiz on book 8.
Starting worksheet on book 9.
HW: Finish the worksheet on book 9. If you are behind on reading, catch up tonight!
WEDNESDAY, April 30
Taking a break from reading to watch a modern example of the island trope (young, inexperienced people explore a mysterious island, unsuspecting and foolishly stumbling into danger).
The scenes from Killer Mermaid portray the siren’s island’s as an abandoned fortress, in the basement of which resides a deadly siren who lures men to their unsuspecting death.
Watching a film version of the cyclops scene, where we see Odysseus and his men also exploring a dangerous island, unwittingly stumbling into danger.
HW: Finish reading and annotating book nine, and finish the cyclops worksheet.
FRIDAY, May 2
Collecting the worksheet on book 9.
Quiz on book 9.
Reading book 10, and completing a worksheet on the same.
Short lecture, introducing book 11.
HW: Read book 11, and annotate for the lessons Odysseus should learn from all the shades (ghosts) of people he knows and encounters in the Underworld.