Creating Your Own Odyssey

Transcription

1 Freshmen English Project Creating Your Own Odyssey After a semester of writing development, it s time to put it to use. This project will show how well you can take Homer s ideas of a man s bravery, a boy s immaturity, and a family s reunion and move them into the future. THE PROJECT In the following weeks, as we read through Homer s Odyssey, you will write your own odyssey. All of the same elements of the actual story should be included, but the characters, locations, and situations will be totally up to you. Because you choose these elements of the story, a great deal of research will be necessary in developing your story. Creativity will be very helpful in this assignment, and I wish you the best of luck. Use the following requirements and hints to help you in your quest. 1. The Hero. Create a hero or heroine that should be similar to Odysseus, but who can have other qualities and characteristics that you choose. Use the notes from Homer s story to help you map out your hero/heroine. This character may be modernized or you may create a hero/heroine that matches some other time period in history. 2. The time period and location. Choose a conflict or war in history that you would like to explore. Your story should take place in that time period and should reflect that period s cultures, beliefs, and social customs. e.g. You may set your odyssey in France during the French Revolution or in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. See Page 7 for a list of wars. 3. The Epic. This story should contain all of the elements of the epic adventures as we have discussed in class. Use your notes and other resources to help guide you. 4. Length. The odyssey you create will include your typed pages, illustrations, map, and worksheets for a total of around twelve (12) pages in a one-half-inch three-ring-binder. Your entire project should be well organized, neatly written and illustrated. 5. Theme. Your odyssey should be centered on a theme of your choosing. Much as The Odyssey centers on a son s development into manhood, a father s return home, and a king s reclaiming of his land, your odyssey should have a central idea upon which the hero/heroine acts throughout the story. As this is the main point of your story, it should be developed first. Note: Other assignments may be included in this total package, with point value adjustments to the final score. Page 1 of 8

2 Overview of Your Odyssey Project Expository Writing Utilizing expository paragraphs (two to four sentences), complete this questionnaire about your character and the heroic journey he/she embarks upon. Then, type up a final copy for your group. 1. What country did you choose and why did you choose it? 2. What conflict/war was your character involved in? Dates? 3. What is the climate of your country? 4. What is the topography of your country? List mountains, rivers, major bodies of water, deserts, etc. 5. Name the geographical locations that you chose for your story: cities, towns, ports, bodies of water, etc. 6. List the types of transportation used during the time of your country s conflict. Page 2 of 8

3 HERO/HEROINE ANALYSIS SKETCH Descriptive Writing PHYSIOLOGY 1. Gender 2. Age 3. Height and weight 4. Color of hair, eyes, skin 5. Posture 6. Appearance 7. Defects 8. Heredity SOCIOLOGY 1. Societal class 2. Occupation 3. Education 4. Home life 5. Religion 6. Place in community PSYCHOLOGY 1. Values, beliefs 2. Personal goal 3. Temperament 4. Attitude toward life 5. Abilities 6. Qualities 7. Weaknesses or temptations Once you have finished this rough outline of your hero s character, choose one person in your group to write it up as a rough draft by tomorrow. Remember to use as many details and descriptive words as possible, paint a picture. This will be the basis upon which your hero/heroine is developed for your odyssey. As a group, edit the rough draft. Then one person types up the final description of your character. (See page 4 for an example of this part of the project.) Provide an illustration of your character. Page 3 of 8

4 Sample Writing: Hero Analysis Sketch Group Member Names.. Freshman English Teacher s Name Write out the date Tom Buchanan, in riding clothes, was standing with his legs apart on the front porch. He had changed since his New Haven years. Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of a body built for adventure - he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage - a resolute body. Life for Tom resided in a resolute belief in divine guidance. Although, in his mind, he had determined that anyone could determine their own destiny, morality had been established by divine fiat: irrevocable and penetrating every atom in creation. Therefore, a quiet calm and gentleness flowed deep within his soul providing a balanced dynamo for his publicly dominating personality. His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he displayed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward the people he liked - and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts. Page 4 of 8

5 GODS, MONSTERS, AND TEMPTATIONS Narrative Writing List the sequence of events that form your hero s journey. Once this has been accomplished, one member of your group will choose one event to narrate. The event s narration should be multiple paragraphs, but limited to one page (similar to Hero Analysis Sketch example on Page 4). Provide an illustration of the major conflict in the event. Adventure Your odyssey 1. Conscripted to fight in the 1. Trojan War / background 2. Hero is a war soldier who 2. does battle with his wits 3. Journeys home 3. by ship 4. Battles Cicones Eats Lotus flower, and 5. meets Aeolus 6. Fights Polyphemus Is tempted by Circe 7. and Calypso 8. Encounters Poseidon, 8. Teiresias, and Zeus 9. Meets and escapes from 9. Scylla and Charybdis 10. Homeland is taken 10. over by strangers 11. Dog lives on 11. garbage heap 12. Son is insulted, 12. challenged 13. Hero claims 13. his home Page 5 of 8

6 MAP GUIDELINES 1. Always use pencil first! Then, write over the pencil in black ink. Last, erase all pencil marks. 2. Double check spelling. Proof read carefully before you ink your work. 3. Use a ruler to keep your writing straight. 4. Always label horizontally. 5. Label continents, countries, and cities differently. 6. Shade neighboring continents and/or countries different colors. 7. Shade evenly with colored pencil. 8. Keep labeling size consistent. 9. Shade in one direction only. 10. Enlarge carefully and accurately. 11. Use an atlas. 12. Do not abbreviate. 13. Penmanship counts. 14. Keep your map clean. 15. Wrinkle Free! 16. Keep your writing small. 17. Use your class time or you will lose it. Grading is based on accuracy (enlargement of label placement), neatness (penmanship, shading, etc.), and FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. Page 6 of 8

7 POETRY & YOUR ORIGINAL ODYSSEY T I M E Thought, Theme, or Topic Imagery, Imagination, or Impression Metrics, Movement Emotion, empathy, and emphasis of tone Characteristics A carefully constructed composition in which each word is important. Many words have multiple meanings. Creative use of figurative language: imagery, simile, metaphor, personification, tone, sounds, irony, symbol, pattern, and details. An illustration! Construction Your hero is the main focus of your poem. Reflective summary of your group s odyssey Told from the perspective of a god or goddess Free verse that uses figurative language Two ten line stanzas that reflect the hero s emotion or mood Do not forget the illustration! Famous Wars in History Suggested List of wars to choose from for your odyssey and map Civil War Revolutionary War Korean War Vietnamese War Spanish-American War WWI WWII Persian Gulf War French Revolution Celtic Wars 100 Years War Cold War Moslems Serbs Ireland/Britain (Protestant Catholic) Afghanistan Israeli Arab Conflict Vikings (Norse) Boxer Rebellion Crusades War of the Roses Page 7 of 8

8 Grading Sheet: Create Your Own Epic -- Binder Evaluation List Group Member s Names I. Title Page Title, member names, period Creative, colorful illustration II. Table of Contents Formatted correctly (follows the Grading Sheet example for numbers and titles) Contains all elements of the packet III. Overview /2 to 2 page description Clearly shows connection between story and history Six Traits of Writing IV. Hero Analysis Sketch page description, multiple paragraphs Describes epic qualities Fits your time period Six Traits of Writing Illustration on a separate page V. Gods, Monsters, Temptations page narration of one event Effective narration of the conflict Six Traits of Writing Illustration of the hero s conflict on a separate page VI. Map Shows where the adventure takes place Charts the hero s travels in sequential order Neat, colored, easy to read VII. Poem Minimum of 20 lines, two stanzas Contains at least two similes or metaphors, and personification Reflects the hero s emotions or moods Six Traits of Writing Illustration VIII. IX. Deductions Late Sloppy Scoring Project Score / 170 Individual Attendance and Participation / 100 TOTAL / 270 Page 8 of 8