lit devices: types of writing 2

myth: a traditional story that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon or justify a certain practice or belief of a society example: Icarus and Daedalus

narrative: an account of events; anything that is narrated

nonfiction: an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact credit

novel: a lengthy fictional story with a plot that is revealed by the speech, action, and thoughts of the characters example: Grendel

novella: a prose work longer than the standard short story, but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel example: Heart of Darkness

oral tradition: the transmission of material by word of mouth and memory; materials such as the folk epic, the ballad, folklore, proverbs, and many songs that originated among illiterate, semiliterate, or preliterate people were presented aloud to their audiences and transmitted by memory rather than in writing example: Beowulf

parable: a short, descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral example: The Prodigal Son

parody: a form of literature intended to mock a particular literary work or its style; a comic effect is intended example: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

persuasion: one of the major types of composition whose purpose is to convince others of the wisdom of a certain line of action

poetry: an imaginative response to experience reflecting a keen awareness of language; there are many elements used in writing effective poetry example: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

prose: the term is applied to all forms of written or spoken expression not having a regular rhythmic pattern

satire: a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing, the subject of the satiric attack example: A Modest Proposal

science fiction: a form of fantasy in which scientific facts, assumptions, or hypotheses form the basis, by logical extrapolation, of adventures in the future, on other planets, in other dimensions in time or space, or under new variants of scientific law example: 2001: a Space Odyssey

short story: a brief fictional work; it usually contains one major conflict and at least one main conflict example: The Most Dangerous Game

tragedy: a literary work in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and by forces beyond his or her control example: Othello

Daily Agenda 2/7

Today's Agenda ~

* New unit, new seating chart
* Respond to journal topic (1 of the 3 listed) in about 150-200 words

• Do you believe in guardian angels? Explain and give examples.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses? Describe them and how they affect your life.
• Have you ever wanted to know what peope said and thought about you when you weren't around? If you could disguise yourself in some way and be around people you know, how would you carry it out? Describe your ideal disguise and a scenario that you could imagine would take place if you could be a "fly on the wall."

First and second person do not matter in this response; be verbs and other grammar areas do.

* Read background notes; take notes
* Copy down boat; can be added to your notes
* Discuss Greek background

Daily Agenda 2/6

Today's Agenda ~

* Watch the myth of Icarus and Daedalus on the Jim Henson Storytellers DVD.
* Shortened schedule due to 1/2 day.

Daily Agenda 2/5

Today's Agenda ~

* Meet in library
* Watch myth of Theseus and the Minotaur on Jim Henson's Storytellers DVD
* Write a 2-paragraph response: summarize the episode and write a personal response to it

Daily Agenda 2/4

Today's Agenda ~

* Meet in library
* Notes on Greek mythology
* Icarus and Daedalus poems, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" and "Musee des Beaux Arts" about the painting
* Discuss poems
* Write your own poem

"It's Greek to Me" questions

1. According to Foster, there are three kinds of myth. What are they?
2. What kind of myth is "so much a part of the fabric of our consciousness, of our unconscious really, that we scarcely notice" (Foster 66)?
3. Explain, in a sentence or two, the myth of Daedalus and Icarus.
4. Who is the main character or focus of The Iliad?
5. Homer gives us four great struggles. Name them.

Background Notes on The Iliad, The Trojan War, and Achilles

Say what?! How do you pronounce all these crazy Greek names?!??

People (or in this case, gods and goddesses) become rulers (generally) one of three ways: appointment, usurption, or heir to the throne. According to Greek myth, all life descended from two beings: Gaia (the earth) and Uranus (the sky). From these two beings descended the twelve Titans, a group of gods and goddesses. Uranus didn't care much for his children so he imprisoned them in Tartarus (the Greek version of the underworld). One of his children finally overthrew him and imprisoned him; his name was Cronus.

Cronus married Rhea, another Titan but soon learned from his parents that his father's curse would fall upon him as well: one of his sons would overthrow him. In desperation, Cronus swallowed each of his children as they were born. Rhea finally wrapped a stone in a blanket after giving birth to Zeus and in this way, Zeus grew up and overthrew his father Cronus. He released all of his brothers and sisters, the Olympians, who later ruled the Greek heavens called Mount Olympus.

Although married to Hera, Zeus had many extra-marital relationships. In one myth, Zeus and his brother Poseidon both wanted to begin a physical relationship with a sea goddess named Thetis, but the other gods warned that a son born from Thetis would become greater than his father. Keeping in mind his unstable family history and thus heeding this warning, Zeus avoided Thetis and married her to a mortal, Peleus. source

No one wants 'rain on their wedding day.' So Zeus arranged for a wondrous ceremony, inviting everyone except Eris, the goddess of discontentment. Unwilling to forget Zeus's slight in leaving her out of the festivities, Eris rolled a golden apple among the guests with an inscription: for the fairest. Hera, (Zeus's wife and sister), Aphrodite, (Zeus's daughter and sometime lover), and Athena (Zeus's daughter) each desired the prize. Like any man wise enough to foresee the trouble this could bring, Zeus refused to get involved in the argument and appointed Paris, a mortal, to choose the winner of the golden apple. source

And like any woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, each goddess resorted to bribing the human with wondrous gifts: Athena offered success in war and notoriety; Hera offered power and riches; and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on Earth. Needless to say, Paris chose Aphrodite and ultimately caused the downfall of one of the world's most powerful cities, Troy. The only problem: Helen was the most beautiful woman on Earth at the time. And she was also already married. source

Helen was married to Menalaus, king of Sparta, and brother to Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Paris visited Menalaus with his cousin, Aeneas, and unsuspecting of Paris's plan, Menalaus welcomed the guests. Leaving for a funeral, Menalaus left Helen under the care of Paris for several days. During this time, Aphrodite caused Helen to fall in love with Paris and the two sailed off for Troy. Speculation about whether Helen was a willing participant still exists today. Nevertheless, she infamously became known as "the face which launched a thousand ships" and the cause of the Trojan War. source

Only desiring the best warriors and leaders, Menalaus and his brother Agamemnon sought out Odysseus, king of Ithaca and known for his prowess and cunning, and Achilles, known for his godly strength. Odysseus knew this war would last a very long time and only cause him trouble, so he avoided being recruited by acting like a madman. The ploy didn't fool the leaders and Odysseus joined the war effort to return Helen to Sparta. Achilles, donning the magical armour crafted by the god Hephaestus, willingly joined the war effort. Before leaving, Thetis, his mother, warned Achilles not to kill the son of Apollo, or else he would die by Apollo's hand. Achilles later does not heed his mother's warning. source

On their arrival at Troy, the Greeks sought a peaceful end to the problem and asked for Helen's return. The Trojans refused, thus starting the war which lasted ten long years. source

The Iliad takes place during the ninth year of the Trojan War. Over the years, the Greeks conquered many neighboring cities and took women as 'war prizes.' Agamemnon took Chryseis, the daughter of a Trojan priest of Apollo, and Achilles took Briseis. Ignoring the requests of her father, Agamemnon refused to give up his war prize. Chryseis's father appealed to Apollo for help, and the god struck the Greeks with a powerful plague, wiping out hundreds of men. Finally, a soothsayer revealed the cause of the plague, and Agamemnon reluctantly surrendered his war prize in exchange for Achilles's instead. This action caused Achilles to withdraw from the war effort and pray to his mother for help. Thetis asked for help from Zeus, and the god agreed to curse the Greeks for their actions against Achilles. Achilles's withdrawal from the war efforts devasted the men both physically and mentally. The Greeks had few successes. source

Seeing success on the Trojan side, Hector, a Trojan prince, offered sacrifices to Athena in thanks for her support but Athena refused the gifts, still sore about Paris choosing Aphrodite over her. source

Nestor, another Achian, finally tried to persuade Agamemnon to apologize to Achilles. The king agreed to return the war prize and also offered gold and riches; however, Achilles still would not accept. Agamemnon seriously considered abandoning the war and going home. A devastating day nearly ended everything when Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Diomedes, three strong Achian leaders, were severely wounded during a battle. Patroclus, a companion of Achilles, finally had enough. He approached Achilles and begged him to rejoin the war efforts. Achilles still refused, but allowed his companion to wear his golden armor and fight in his absence. source

The sight of the man they thought was Achilles renewed the Achians' spirits. Patroclus fought in Achilles absence and greatly helped the war effort. However, Apollo struck and stunned him and Hector took his life. Hector also took Achilles's golden armor off of Patroclus and wore it like a war prize. Angered and taking Athena's advice, Achilles scaled a wall on the battlefield and shouted three times; the sun shining against his body made him look like a god and spooked the Trojans, ending the battle for the day. In grief over his lost friend, Achilles rejoined the war effort, destined to kill Hector in single combat. source

Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses, involved in the war, began turning on each other. source

Achilles and Hector finally met on the battlefield. Hector said if Achilles should die, he would release his body and allow for a proper burial, asking that Achilles do the same. Achilles refused and fought the Trojan soldier, killing him. Achilles stripped the armor from Hector and drug his body from behind his chariot around the walls of Troy. Finally, he mourned the loss of his dear friend Patroclus for twelve days. source

Meanwhile, Priam, king of Troy, snuck into the Achian camp and begged for the release of his son, Hector's body. Heeding the requests of the gods, Achilles released the body and allowed Priam and Troy twelve days to mourn the loss of their leader. source

Toward the end of the war, Achilles suffered his fatal wound from Paris. Guided by the archer god Apollo, Paris shot an arrow and hit Achilles in the only spot not covered by the armor, his heel. The Achians built a great funeral pyre to honor their fallen hero, and his golden armor went to Odysseus. source

It was Odysseus who devised the plan to build the great horse and offer it as a war prize to the Trojans. Odysseus and a select group of men would hide inside the horse and the rest would sail away in their ships, hiding behind a nearby island. The plan worked. Although soothsayers tried to warn the Trojans otherwise, the foolish ones dragged the wooden horse inside the city gates and celebrated their assumed victory. Odysseus and his men descended from the horse in the middle of the night and took the city by surprise. By early morning, Troy fell. Finally, the ten-year war came to an end. source

Standard 1, Reading

Standard 1, Reading: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development

Students apply their knowledge of word origins (words from other languages or from history or literature) to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading and use those words accurately.

Vocabulary and Concept Development

10.1.1
Understand technical vocabulary in subject area reading.
Example: While using a word-processing program on the computer, learn new terms and special meanings for words from the manual and online help feature: control, enter, insert, format, font, template, page break, file, and folder.

10.1.2
Distinguish between what words mean literally and what they imply, and interpret what words imply.
Example: Understand descriptive phrases when reading, such as A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world (George Santayana) or We must be the change we wish to see in the world (Gandhi).

10.1.3
Use the knowledge of mythology (Greek, Roman, and other mythologies) to understand the origin and meaning of new words (Wednesday/Odin, Thursday/Thor).
Example: Use the myth of Narcissus and Echo to understand the word narcissistic. Use the myth of Procrustus to understand the word procrustean.

10.1.4
Identify and use the literal and figurative meanings of words and understand origins of words.

Student Work (Poems)

If you comment, please be kind to one another. Also make a note of the literary devices you find.

There was a man of old
He thought he was quite bold
When he was politely asked
To take upon a task
He turned and walked away
And tried to make a get-a-way
But when he was found
He thought he'd surely drown
The Maker sent a whale
To save him from his doom.
He was spit up from the whale
and given one more chance
For his enemies currently dwell
Right over the big, rocky fence.
He overcame his fear
And understood why the message was so dear.

~ Jerad

* * *

Three brothers
gaining independence from one another
became closer by moving apart.

A bully come along to ruin the day
He huffs and puffs
and destroys the well-made homes
of two of the pigs.

At the end of the day the wolf goes
home with nothing
The pigs gain a never ending bond.

~ Allyson

* * *

A simple man,
carrying a heavy burden,
runs away like a child
from such a simple command

Afraid of what may happen
in the chilling city of Ninevah,
he quickly tries to hide from God,
but that he cannot do.

A fierce storm quickly brews,
Jonah knows he is to blame,
he is thrown into the ocean,
and swallowed by a fish.

In the cold, damp belly
of such an enormous creature,
he miraculously survived
and knows what he must do.

He asks for God's forgiveness,
begging to come out alive
God protects him from all harm
Jonah now press on to Ninevah.

~ Molly

* * *

David was a person who was not expected to win his battle
He went up against a huge man two times his size,
and very powerful.

When David pulls back his little slingshot with his pebble
that was not the biggest rock ever seen, not many thought
he would win, yet David knew there was no way Goliath would
defeat him. So when David shot his pebble he aimed
just right so it would his Goliath.

After David won everyone came to congratulate him.
Everyone cheered and were amazed that little David
had beaten big Goliath.

~ Robert

* * *

Candyman

A man so frightening that has just popped up
He stands behind you
And says take a look
Seeing that his face and body is strong from head to toe

You tell him to get away from you
and let you go
The number three is alive like him
Depending on someone to say his name three times

His hook is as pretty as a woman
his face bubbled, twisted, and shot
It's so quiet you can hear his heart beating over yours
calling his name was a mistake
Now you shall live no more.

~ Sam'Mesha

* * *

The sound of earth shut to sleep
With proclaim of rain fear swept few hearts
Calming rain in rage to bring the change
Hope was found by those who sought in pairs
Water cast from above raising the tide
Isolating a craft of the proven
Few innocent to follow the path
Word could not change the way of the tainted
The pure sent out to test the land
A green twig was brought to end the power
Alteration was swift with forty days
Ceased by walls of rainbow's glory

~ Caleb

* * *

A little boy, his teeth bare
Like fangs, in his quiet home where
He was sent to his room...
Without any supper.

Alone in his room
All angery and flustered
His walls melted away
Away with the clutter

He sailed away to
That island where
the Things took him in
Made him their king
And waited for the Rompus to begin.

The boy longed to go home
To his room, to his supper.
To his bed, to his Mother.
He sailed away, away, away

To his room where he sat
and ate his supper
And it was still hot

~ Joe

* * *

He fell, an unusual victim
whether from accidental or
purposeful means --
a big man,
egg, yoke, shell, and
all, splattered after
the great fall, those
men helped, along
with their animals; it happened
so quickly, so little pain, it
happened when Humpty splattered
his brains.

~ Zach

* * *

A beautiful woman, stuck with a beast
cast from his good looks and reign.
The beast is harsh and cruel.
The pretty little Belle is sweet and mature.
Slowly but surely,
they fall in love
neither realizing it until the right time.
Belle saves her beast and breaks the spell
A beautiful woman, stuck with a beast
who is not really a beast anymore.

~ Leandra

* * *

A golden-haired beauty
invaded their space
and ate their food.
Under the covers of the little one's place
she slept.
The owners came back ready to eat
Their bowls lonely free from their burdens.
Creeping up the stairs she is sound asleep not
knowing her fate.
Chaos as she scrambles to get to the door.
Flying down the stairs she runs out of the house.

~ H. Hunter

* * *

A man who fed the nation
Planted seeds across the land
A farmer and traveler
No one knew his real name

With a bag of seeds
and a planting hand
he gave our country
something to eat

Red or green yet
still delicious.

~ Abraham

* * *

A mermaid princess awaits
in her life
under the sea.

She is looking
for love
which she doesn't seem to find.

Until one day
she finds a man
a human man she loves

The two meet in a new shape
and form of her presence.

But this love may not last
for this princess has a spell
cast upon her
she has to receive a kiss before the
sunrise of the third day.

This beautiful princess
does not know if she will make
but under the power of love
and her father's magical staff
she and her prince live
happily ever after.

~ Lexie

* * *

Running around in circles has
gotten me no where
playing my horn has not
given them anything to worry for
I have great faith, I know, this
city will fall and every man
in it will run with despair and regret
Fearing for their lives, they
should, I would
Everything is possible now.

~ Jared

* * *

There once was a girl with blonde hair
she had many cares.
For Cinderella was the servant of the house
She became friends with a mouse.
Once she met her fairy godmother
Cinderella got a pretty dress, then another.
She arrived in a pumpkin that turned into a carriage
For she was going to be married.
That night, Cinderella found her Prince Charming
The bell at midnight was very alarming
She lost her prince, along with her shoe
He had to find out who the shoe belonged to
Once the Prince had found Cinderella, he was to marry her
And they lived happily ever after.

~ Talley

* * *

A curious girl
with blue eyes and gold locks
her hair was an umbrella over her head

she took a walk thorugh the woods
coming across a cabin
she smelled soemthing good
she was terribly hungry.

It looked so good
tasted so nasty
she decided it didn't make her happy.

Tired, but awake with fright
the bears came in to sleep through the night
their beds were messy
they were mad
the girl ran out terribly sad.

~ Rachael

* * *

* No human father, a boy was born
In maturity his teachings met grief and scorn
With his adversaries trivial, and competition abroad,
His only backing was the one true God.
He faced a jury of his worst enemies,
though none found him guilty of a single atrocity.
Still cursed to face a death on the cross,
his last breath would be a prophecied loss.
Question, jeered, and stabbed, enduring fatal bother;
ironically still, he muttered, "Forgive them, Father..."

~ Nate
* line changed per Feller


* * *

Basically a slave
to her own family
her stepmother and stepsisters

she worked her fingers to the bone
scrubbing, dusting, and squeeging everything squeaky clean

one miraculous day
she was rescued by her savior
all because of a glass slipper that was destined to fit her
foot perfectly.

She was no longer treated like dirt
she lived happily ever after.

~ Alexa

* * *

The quick descent
by the incline of ignorance
that took him from this world

The weight of one boy's
Pride: brought him down
from mortal heaven
added the lament of Icarus

The water holds
his body filled with greed
for a father's acknowledgment.

~ Josh

* * *
A creature that walks among fish
and breathes air in but
is stealthy in its was of never being seen

People drink from its home
and fear the sound of his waves
its shadow in the fog
makes them seek the mystery

A giant in an unlikely place
waits for the day
when the hunt ends and their
hunger is filled by satisfaction.
Because seeing is believing.

~ Jacob

* * *

The most unexpected conqueror
just a boy, so young and small
launched a wee-little pebble
and watched the giant fall

The rest of the terrified army
wobbling from head to feet
stood in awe and amazement
as they saw David's magnificent defeats

Faith that could move mountains
in the One that watched from above
gave a boy so young
the strength to show God's power and love.

~ Paige

* * *

A fair girl
leaves life behind and takes a chance;
a house with little, short beds beckons.

Among them she wakes
they hesitantly accept her.
The girl who cleans with the animals.

The mean one turned witch
comes with good fruit
the fruit poisons her.

Dead she lies in a clear coffin
the little men bury her
crying with their little eyes.

Her true charming can only wake her
As he does with a gentle kiss
Happily ever after again.

~ Collins

* * *

Wathing the simmering cinders soar
She waits to be the one not left sweeping
Left weeping in her life's chair
Wanting only her Prince back in her arms
Flying over the marble ballroom floor
Falling in love with blue oceans of wonder
with a structured dance
In her white gown
Onyxed and morphed back to rags
pumpkin and mice
great way to start the day
she remembers her single moment of happiness
just as he walks through the transparent door
Transparent shoe of discomfort
cinders turn cold
ugly faces stay ugly
yet she only sees the light
turned on by a name
Happily ever after awaits.

~ Aysia

* * *

An unexpected couple
one caring, conceded, cruel beast
paired with a lovely woman.

An unexpected couple
they meet and loathe one another
differences mask their similarities

An unexpected couple
they learn to approve
they learn to love

An unexpected couple
with obstacles defeated
a beauty and a beast plunge into love.

~ Sadie

Sample Poem

Instructions:
Write a 10+ line poem about a myth you know. Remember, a "myth is a story that matters."
Include three literary devices. Rhyme and rhythm do not count toward your three, though you may use them in your poem.
Draw a picture to illustrate the poem, if you want.



An unlikely hero
shot an arrow from his
unskilled shepherd's hands
as interfering gods watched

a sharpened stone,
a piece of twig, some feathers,
pierced and destroyed
a son of a goddess

it haunts battle grounds
stained crimson from the unprotected
ankle, a weapon
so simple, yet so strategically aimed.

Icarus and Daedalus Help

The Complete Story of Daedalus & Icarus, according to MythMan

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

About the Painting

Musée des Beaux-Arts

Poetry Pages (many outside links)

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, painting

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

"Landscape With the Fall of Icarus"

According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring

a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry

of the year was
awake tingling
near

the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself

sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax

unsignificantly
off the coast
there was

a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning

-- William Carlos Williams

Musee des Beaux Arts

"Musée des Beaux Arts"

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the plowman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

-- W. H. Auden

Odyssey Notes, Invocation

• Homer is the author
• Homer was blind
• Homer prays gods will tell him what to say
• Homer gives overview of whole story

Odyssey Notes, Trojan War

• War started over jealousy
• Greek gods were having a wedding party, but Eris, goddess of strife (displeasure), wasn’t invited
• Eris thought: I’ll show them
• She sends a golden apple rolling into party with a label: “to the fairest”
• Everyone thinks it belongs to them
• Three goddesses fight over the apple: Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite
• They want Zeus to decide who’s the fairest; he won’t
• Zeus sends Hermes to find a human to decide
• The goddesses try to bribe Paris, the man
• Athena offers: success in everything; best in war, best athlete, best artist
• Hera offers: power – the most powerful man on earth
• Aphrodite offers: the most beautiful woman on earth
• Paris chooses Aphrodite
• Problem is: the most beautiful woman is Helen
• Helen is married
• Paris thought: oh well – finds Helen (a Greek), and takes her back to Troy
• Helen’s husband = not happy, wants to start war
• Thus, the Trojan War begins
• Odysseus didn’t want to go to war
• O pretended to be crazy
• His plan didn’t work; had to go fight
• War lasted 10 years
• Troy was heavily armed; had walls around city
• O came up with plan: pretend to surrender
• Built giant horse as “gift” to people of Troy
• Other Greek ships sailed away
• Trojans thought Greeks went home
• Trojans took giant horse into city and celebrated
• Greeks came out of horse at night and sacked the city
• Greeks won the war
• Poseidon was originally on the Greeks’ side, but O made him mad – he had too much pride