I had so much fun last class! I was so impressed with your costumes, your poems, and your storytelling. Thanks for coming prepared and making it an incredible class. Now that we’ve met the gods, this week we will meet some of the human (or part human) Greek heroes. We’re going to introduce ourselves to three different heroes this week. I’d recommend starting early and reading/listening to a different hero each day to get the most out of everything!
Homework
- As you read and after you read or listen to each story, jot down some notes, pictures, bullet points, lines of epic style poetry, something to help you keep each hero straight. Write down what is heroic and what is less heroic about each. Each story, whether read or listened to, has a written version, on the website or in the book, so be sure to mark or copy down quotes that express or inspire the thoughts you want to share or talk about. In class we will sort through our different thoughts and I’ll have you hold up your notes page/pages. Remember that when the versions of the stories differ, none of these stories “happened,” but rather people chose to tell the story in different ways. Why do you think different authors choose one or the other version/ending?
- First, Perseus. See the directions for what to do under the Perseus heading below.
- Second, Heracles(Hercules). See the directions for what to do under the Hercules heading below.
- Third, Theseus. See the directions for what to do under the Theseus heading below.
- TIMELINE: HERE is a link to my slide show from the first class, as promised! Sorry I didn’t do that last class. Add whatever you didn’t add during the first class to your timeline that you would like to. You could add the super old authors, the new(er) authors, and/or sketch any of the artwork, books, or architecture in the “century artifacts” spots. Add whatever you would like to remember.
Perseus
Read Perseus’ story in MYTHOLOGY: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton, on pages 153-161. This is the longest bit of reading this week, by far, so read this one early and it’s all downhill from there! Even if it feels a little dense, keep going. I want to see you all in class this week, and Casey wants to see you all at Masters! . . . (including you, Hazel and Eliza! 😉
Heracles(Hercules): Greatest Hero of Greece
Listen to Heracles'(Hercules’) story HERE. (Scroll down to story 22 in the second box down on the page). Read along in Stories From Greek Mythology on pages 218-223. Also read this bit from MYTHOLOGY about Hercules, starting on page 174 at “Hercules was the strongest man . . .” and ending on the next page, 175, after ” . . . would have been the perfect hero.”
Now watch this song clip from Hercules. I love this movie. Really clever and full of heart. Sure, they made their own version of the story, somewhat different from any of the others that had been told, but I do like the Hercules character that they created and benefit from watching and thinking about his qualities and strength. With these early, archetypal stories, each new telling is full of opportunity. “What if we took that famous story, and changed this part? What would happen next?”
Theseus: The Great Athenian Hero
Listen to his story HERE, then read a bit more about the different versions of Theseus’ story and his later life in MYTHOLOGY, starting on page 166 at the second to last paragraph “On the way there they put in . . . ” and ending on the next page, 167, after “. . . and took him to Athens.” Lastly, for something a little different, read the poem on the photographed pages below.
Brave Boy Rap by Tony Mitton
See you in class! Bring your books and your notes.
