Gods, Heroes, and Monsters--Oh My!

The adventures continue this week with the story of Perseus and the Medusa.  Similar to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, this is a tale of a hero's quest.  Both protagonists were given gifts from the gods, but had to find the wisdom to use them appropriately.  Both heroes also had to face their inner fears and self-doubts to find the courage and strength to overcome  obstacles, themes familiar to all of us modern mortals.  We are contemplating the god(desse)s as weavers of fate; they inspire multiple facets of a mortal's persona and also weave their fate and destiny.  The ancient Greeks believed that the closer the gods got to you, the more you would become yourself.  

In discussing the stories, we are honing in on strong visual imagery of settings and characters.  Students will begin a creative writing activity of their choice in which they will exercise their descriptive writing skills.  One option is to assume the persona of Persephone and/or Hades and write diary entries based on their experiences in their story.  Another option is to pretend to be Perseus writing a travelogue of his journey, chronicling the places he passed through and the characters he met.  Explicit instructions and brainstorming organizers for each are linked below.

At the end of the week, we will play with the Greek alphabet, writing our names and translating some Greek root words from Greek to English. 

Homework:  

Mon/Tues:  reading pgs. 22-38 for Wed. (chart as read)

Wed:  reading/chart pgs. 39-53 due Mon. 5/14

Tues-next Mon:  Creative writing draft (Persephone diary or Perseus travelogue) due Tues. 5/15

Perseus' Travelogue

Persephone/Hades Diary

Persephone/Hades diary brainstorming organizer