Acting Out Class Summary 3/25/13

We kicked off our last mythology class by reading aloud the bio-poems that the students had written for last week's homework. All students presented poems and generally followed the bio-poem prompts. All were well-written and a few were extraordinary. Nice work, team!

We then spent considerable time analyzing and discussing the themes within The Odyssey, particularly revolving around the so-called "Search for Odysseus." We touched on ideas and concepts such as self-doubt, negativity, identity, and traditional vs. modern parent-child roles and relationships. Good stuff, no? The students never fail to impress us with their maturity and insight on these topics and Susan and I have very much enjoyed this time spent in "free discussion."

Following on our poetry theme from last week, we tied three modern poetry pieces to The Odyssey: "Penelope" by Dorothy Parker, "Ithaka" by Constantine Cavafy, and "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I attempted to read some rather poignant material to the students along with the poem, "Ithaka," but failed miserably in that attempt, and was thankfully rescued by Mrs. Martz. I copy the poem here, along with some of the background text, as it expresses to all of you what's in my heart as I leave my New Jersey home behind.

"Many people compare life to a journey -- an odyssey -- and like Odysseus' journey, life is filled with many twists and turns and changes of fortune. When we reach the end of our life, we want to look back and appreciate the trip. We will remember the stops we made along the way, the occasions that we took time to have fun amid a hectic schedule. We will remember past friends and loved ones whose voyages diverged from our own. We will remember the many obstacles that we overcame along the way -- that, in the end, made us a better person. If we can look back on our journey fondly, then the next journey will not be so frightening, the one that leads into uncharted waters." 

Zachary Hamby from "Greek Mythology for Teens"

Excerpt  from "Ithaka" by Constantine P. Cavafy

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery...

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
 
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
 
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean. 

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We closed our wonderful class with a final reading of "Searching for Odysseus." The students continue to make progress in many areas including, expression, diction and movement. Next week, Hamlet!

Homework

For homework, students will go on a Shakespeare Web Quest to find out some basic background information on The Bard before diving into Hamlet. Handouts with instructions were given to visit three different web-sites. Go to each site when instructed and read the information given in that site. Then, answer the questions asked. You many need to go beyond the first page of a site to find the information.

Next week, I will be passing on Susan's reflections from class and posting the homework assignment (I'm sure the students are glad I will still be available for that task :>).

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