Jan 29th

Opened today with a Journal entry: What comes to mind when you think of Achilles?
-Achilles: hot headed, self-centered/ selfish
*Is he really a hero?
*selfishly motivated
*Keleos
*All heroes' must have a weakness, thus his heel.
*When in trouble he cries to his mom
*Greatest warrior of the Trojan War
*His strength is his greatest weapon.
Does a hero have to be selfless?

January 28th

-Proem: The opening states of Achilles' Rage
-Achilles is immortal except for his heel (dunked into the river Styx.)
-Invocation of the muse (9)
-In media res: in the middle of things.
-Mentions the will of Zeus
-Achilles' is fighting with Agamemnon
-A plague has fallen upon the Greeks/Achaeans/Argives
*Apollo caused the plague because Agamemnon took Chrysies (Chryses' daughter).
-Calchus (seer, prophet)
*told Agamemnon how to appease Apollo, to take back Chrysies.
-Agamemnon prefers Chrysies to his own wife
*Will give her back if he gets a "prize" in return (Breseis)
-Achilles threatens to kill Agamemnon
*Athena intervenes to stop him (from Hera)
-Achilles allows the carries take Breseis
*Agamemnon will suffer later, I will not help
-Patroculus: Achilles friend
-Thetis + Achilles
*Calls upon his mother for help
*asks her to go to Zeus
*Thetis reminds Zeus that he owes her a favor.
* To send bad fortune to Greeks
*Gods are gone for 12 days
*Its sad because Achilles is going to die young, and he is so angry. (Thetis)

January 27th

The Trojan War

-The Golden Apple started the Trojan War, at Thetis + Pelius wedding. (Achilles parents)

-Eris (Goddess of strife) crashes the wedding and rolls the Golden apple

-Apple of discord says "for the fairest."

-Hera, Aphrodite, Athena dispute who deserves the apple

-The other gods find Paris (random mortal who knows nothing of the gods)
Paris: youngest son of King Priam, shipped off to the wilderness because of a prophecy that he will lead to the downfall of troy. A Knucklehead.

-Hera offers him power

-Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman
Athena offers him wisdom

-Picks the most beautiful woman, Helen of Troy

-Menelaus is Helen's husband: becomes very angry

-Pact of Tyndarius: Helen's father Created by Odysseus

-Penelope would marry Odysseus would –other suitors must protect Helen

-Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus was main king of Greece

-They go to rescue Helen- the Greeks (Agamemnon) wage war

-Ready to set sail, Artemis (goddess of the hunt) insists the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Agamemnon's daughter.

-Clytemnestra: Agamemnon's wife does not take the sacrifice well.

-Odysseus pretends to be crazy by plowing the beach but his baby is dropped in the way so he stops. Thus, he was proven not crazy

-A short film about the Mythology of Greece followed these notes

-Myths: tales of supernatural things that still give humanity a moral or understanding of aspects of life.

-Legend: based in fact with human characters

Greek Mythology includes both Legend and mythology but create very useful stories.

January 26, 2010

*Started today with a Journal Entry:

-What are your goals for the class?

-Why read the epics?

Good views on the world

Entertainment

Learn about the beginnings of western society

Collection of morals (or maybe lack thereof)

Classic Literature- Critical pieces to be read

Referenced a lot

Literary allusions and art allusions

Archetype; classic example, or universal symbol

-What about the mythology appeals to you?

*Who's who on Mount Olympus pre-test

*Then we observed some of the artwork that students of past have done for their presentation of their myths and some final projects.