Week 10 Syllabus: March 11
ODYSSEUS SYMBOLIZES THE TRANSITION BETWEEN the warrior hero and the thinking hero. The warrior is concerned with forces of nature, right versus wrong, deals in brute force. The thinking hero is more concerned with forces of social order, strategy, issues of social justice. This is Odysseus’ essential transformation: the warrior must die, lose his ego and bravado, and the reasoned husband, father and king’s heart must be reborn if order is to exist on Ithaca. How will this be accomplished? Will Odysseus complete this transformation?
MONDAY, March 11
Careful reading of book 21, the slaughter in the great hall. The helpers to Odysseus on his hero journey play a key role in this chapter. Pay attention to what the swineherd, cowherd, and the nurse do to help Odysseus rid his palace of the suitors and their ilk.
Watching the penultimate section of “The Greeks: Crucible of a Civilization,” wherein we will see Pericles plan to defeat the Spartans fail miserably.
HW: Go back and find one chapter that you have not annotated well, and re-read and annotate it.
WEDNESDAY, March 11
Finishing the documentary. The death of Socrates and the fall of Athenian empire, and setting the stage for the second half of the Classical Age.
HW: Gather together your Greek mythology notes, as you will hand these in during class on Friday. Staple these together, and print out any typed notes (if you typed them). I’d like to review these as a whole.
Friday, March 8
The dramatic ending before the actual ending, book 21, known as the test of the bow, or death in the great hall. We will read and annotate this together.
HW: Review and complete annotations for any missing chapters in your book.