Friday, March 7, MOTIF - BLAME

Objective: By the end of class, students will write a cohesive short essay explaining the motif of BLAME OR RESPONSIBILITY in the Odyssey.

Do Now

Telemachus is "lost" without his father. What are some emotions that you think he is feeling. Do you think he is angry and if so, at whom? Who does he blame for his problems?

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ESSAY ON BLAME /RESPONSIBILITY - total of five paragraphs

thesis statement to be included in opening paragraph

So far, we have seen that Odysseus always blames his problems on someone else. He only takes responsibility for his successes, not his failures.

Then choose three of the five examples below to show that this is true. Each one of these should be a paragraph:

a. Blames Athena in beginning because she didn't help him stay home and not go fight in Troy.

b. Blames Posiedon for not being able to get home.

c. Blames his crew for opening he bag of wind (was it really all their fault?)

d. Blames Circe for staying on her island for 5 years.

e. Blames gods for letting him fall asleep on island of Helios.

Remember that his blaming others is a very HUMAN reaction, but he does not realize this because he still thinks he is as good as the gods.

In the conclusion, address what he could have done differently in each case to avoid the disasters that he blamed on the gods.

Exit Pass

Has Odysseus learned anything yet? What about Telemachus? How are they alike? How are they different?