Homer
~Kimberley Tucker
What We Know
1.He was Greek.
2.He was probably blind.
3.He wrote The Illiad and
The Odyssey, companion epics.
Greek
Although we do
not know exactly
where Homer was
born, he was
definitely Greek.
Blind
There is a tradition
that Homer was
blind, and an
ancient bust shows
him to be so.
However, it is obvious by
his descriptive writing that
he was able to see at some
time in his life.
Author
Homer composed the two
companion epics The Illiad and
The Odyssey sometime between
900 and 700 B.C.
The Illiad
The
Illiad is the
story of the
Trojan War,
which occurred
about 1200
B.C.
The Odyssey
The
Odyssey is
the story of the
Greek hero
Odysseus’ return
from the Trojan
War around
1200 B.C.
Oral Literature
These stories were
passed down from
generation to
generation orally:
they were told over
and over again.
Bards or rhapsodes
traveled telling
these stories for
entertainment.
What is an epic?
A long narrative poem with a central
hero whose heroic deeds are
celebrated and whose virtues are
heightened by the aid of supernatural
forces or beings.
Yes, you must know this!
Trojan War
The war was between the Greeks (Argives,
Achaeans, Mycenaens, & Danaans) and the
Trojans.
Troy Controlled the Dardanelles water route
and land route across Asia Minor.
Paris, the Trojan prince, kidnapped(?) Helen,
wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, but only
after Aphrodite had given her to him because
Paris judged her to be the most beautiful.
Heinrich Schliemann, a retired American
businessman found what is believed to be the
ruins of Troy.
Main Objectives in
Reading
Learn characters, places, gods, &
stories from The Odyssey.
Learn to recognize epic characteristics.
Understand the Greek code of
hospitality towards guests.
Learn to recognize epic hero
characteristics as shown by Odysseus.
Learn to recognize an epic.
Epic Characteristics
Invocation to the
Muse
In Medias Res
Council of the Gods
Epithets
Superhuman Hero
Vast Setting
Gods Mingle with
Man
Side Stories
Long Speeches
Nationalistic
Epic Similes
Formal Language
Yes, you must know
these, too!
Sing, Muse, of that wanderer who sundered The sacred walls of Troy and traveled
Many sea-lanes while struggling for his Life and his men's return. His men, who In their
folly slew and consumed the holy Cattle of the Sun, Hyperion, who Therefore spurned
their journey home. Now, Muse, begin the tale of that man Of many masquerades.
Sing to us how he, Bereft of hearth and home, pined for his wife In hallowed Calypso's
cave, the divine Nymph, Eager him to wed and bed, but when The circling seasons ran
their wheel, they spun The thread for his return to Ithaca. Yet the gods determined
that he would not Find his peace at home until all the gods Took pity upon him. At last
all did, Save Poseidon, who grimly blocked the noble Wanderer until the man of
masquerades Finally reached his native land, there to Find grim designs waiting for his
return. Sing, Muse, of that man of men and tell me The story of the man whose own
wisdom And trickery wounded him and caused him To languish far from the loving
arms of His wife. Sing to me the story of that Wanderer who sacked Troy and
sundered her Heaven-built walls, only to be forced to roam Uncharted seas and visit
strange lands Where he faced many grueling trials. Sing to me of his great adventures
among nations Of all manners, minds, fashions, and traditions. Sing to me of a man,
abandoned by the gods After his men slew the sun god's sacred cattle, Who still proves
himself worthy of song and story. Sing, O Muse, of him in his glory. How after ten
Long years at Troy trying to storm the many-Towered city of Ilium, the gods Denied
Odysseus return passage Home to his loving wife while other Comrades were led to
safe haven where They sleep free from the horror of war and The sea. Tell me how the
Nymph Calypso, Yearning for his love, trapped him by magic In her caves, making him
her lord and spouse. Sing, Muse, why Poseidon, the god of the sea-- Despite destiny -blocks his passage home. Explain why Poseidon spurned Zeus's council Determining
Odysseus's fate and Sped to Ethiopia at the end Of the earth, feasting at his festival
While the other gods obeyed the summons Of mighty Zeus. Let us listen to Zeus's
words:
Invocation to the Muse
Ancient Gods - The Family Tree
Works Cited
Adventures in Reading. Austin: Holt,
Rhinehart, and Winston, 1996.
Some Characters
Polyphemus
Calypso
Circe
Laestrygonians
Greeks in Horse
Odysseus’ Journeys
Trojan War (10 years)
Cicones
Lotus-Eaters
Cyclops
Aiolus
Lestragonians
Circe
Hades
Sirens
Scylla & Charybdis
Hyperion’s Island
Calypso’s Island
(7 years)
Phaecia
King Alcinous’ Palace
Ithaca
*Backflash
Odysseus & Penelope
Both Have Guile
Odysseus
Trojan Horse
Cyclops
Adventure
Ithaca
Penelope
Shroud
Bed
Axes
Odysseus & Penelope
Strong:
Mentally & Emotionally
Loyal: Never Give Up
Calculating: Use Head Over Their
Hearts
Cyclops & Suitors
How do they compare?
Pride
Cyclops – He thinks he is equal to the gods.
Suitors – They think they are equal to a king.
Blind
Cyclops – He is one-eyed & then blinded.
Suitors – They are close-minded & blinded to the
truth that Odysseus will return.
Unity ( or lack there of)
Cyclops – They live with no government, every
Cyclops for himself.
Suitors – They are living in chaos.
What does Odysseus learn
through his adventures?
Put his head over his heart.
Be cautious.
Trust his men.
Control his pride.
Conquer his vanity.
Be patient.
How does Homer create
suspense?
Dramatic
Irony
Prophecies/Omens
Law of Retaliation
Double Plot
In Medias Res