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Essential Questions:

1. What makes a hero?

2. How do our strengths make us who we are?

3. How do people change by overcoming obstacles?

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Siren Song

BY MARGARET ATWOOD

This is the one song everyone

would like to learn: the song

that is irresistible:

the song that forces men

to leap overboard in squadrons

even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows

because anyone who has heard it

is dead, and the others can't remember.

Shall I tell you the secret

and if I do, will you get me

out of this bird suit?

I don't enjoy it here

squatting on this island

looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs,

I don't enjoy singing

this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,

to you, only to you.

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

at last. Alas

it is a boring song

but it works every time.

Margaret Atwood, “Siren Song” from Selected Poems 1965-1975. Copyright © 1974, 1976 by Margaret Atwood. Reprinted with the permission of the author and Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Siren Song by Margaret Atwood | Poetry Magazine

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This epic poem by Homer follows the story of Ithacan King and war hero, Odysseus, on his long journey home. Odysseus and his crew set sail after his cunning ploy with the famous Trojan Horse and encounter many monsters and obstacles along the way. They blind a Cyclops, get cursed by Poseidon, break open a bag of wind, get turned into pigs, survive Sirens, and so much more! This classic 9th grade text teaches students about the Hero's Journey.

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1. From Book X, Odysseus goes back to save the men turned to pigs on Aeaea: "But I shot back, ‘Eurylochus, stay right here, eating, drinking, safe by the black ship. I must be off. Necessity drives me on.’"

This quote shows Odysseus's loyalty and leadership. He goes to Circe's palace alone in order to not leave his men behind instead of fleeing the island as Eurylochus suggests. This ties into the characteristics of a hero.

2. From Book IX, Odysseus's strategic plan to escape Polyphemus's Cave: "And now I ordered my shipmates all to cast lots— who’d brave it out with me to hoist our stake and grind it into his eye when sleep had overcome him? Luck of the draw: I got the very ones I would have picked myself, four good men, and I in the lead made five …"

This quote demonstrates Odysseus's bravery and skill. This relates to the second essential question: How do our strengths make us who we are? Part of what makes Odysseus who he is and a good leader is his ability to be witty and strategize.

3. In the end, Athena commanding the men abandon their violent ways: "'Hold back, you men of Ithaca, back from brutal war! Break off—shed no more blood—make peace at once!'”

This quote relates to EQ 3: How do we change by overcoming obstacles? For two decades, Ithaca has been overrun by violent, power-hungry suitors. How can they be different after Odysseus's return?

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We Were Here by Matt de la Peña - Companion Novel

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We Were Here by Matt de la Peña - Companion Novel

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Summary from Matt de la Pena's website:

"The story of one boy and his journey to find himself. When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home – said he had to write a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live. From the streets of Stockton to the beaches of Venice, all the way down to the Mexican border, We Were Here follows a journey of self-discovery by a boy who is trying to forgive himself in an unforgiving world."

This novel also teaches students about the Hero's Journey in a more modern setting with more relatable characters. This novel focuses on some of the most heroic qualities: forgiveness, redemption, and self-discovery.

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Walter Murdoch (1874–1970). The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse. 1918.

The Last Hero

We laid him to rest with tenderness;

Homeward we turned in the twilight’s gold;

We thought in ourselves with dumb distress—

All the story of earth is told.

A beautiful word at the last was said:

A great deep heart like the hearts of old

Went forth; and the speaker had lost the thread,

Or all the story of earth was told.

The dust hung over the pale dry ways

Dizzily fired with the twilight’s gold,

And a bitter remembrance blew in each face

How all the story of earth was told.

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Walter Murdoch (1874-1970). The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse. 1918.

W E laid him to rest with tenderness;

Homeward we turned in the twilight's gold;

We thought in ourselves with dumb distress-

All the story of earth is told.

A beautiful word at the last was said:

A great deep heart like the hearts of old

Went forth; and the speaker had lost the thread,

Or all the story of earth was told.

The dust hung over the pale dry ways

Dizzily fired with the twilight's gold,

And a bitter remembrance blew in each face

How all the story of earth was told.

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103. The Last Hero - Collection at Bartleby.com

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103. The Last Hero WE laid him to rest with tenderness;Homeward we turned in the twilight's gold;We thought in ourselves with dumb distress-All the story of

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Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

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Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

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Children's Literature, Illustrated Book

This hero story follows the five Haudenosaunee Nations and their journey toward peace. Hiwatha, and Onondaga Nation member (who also spent time in other tribes) posses the gift of storytelling. He is approached one day by a mute Peacemaker (shown above). Together, they travel to the five nations to bring peace to all and end the inter-tribal wars. This children's book uses art, images, symbolism, and a brief journey to demonstrate the components of the Hero's Journey. (I have this picture book displayed in my room the whole year and it garners lots of interest. Once we finally read it, students are mostly invested.) This text touches on all three essential questions about what makes a hero, how we find identity in our strengths, and how we can change.

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Hiawatha and the PeaceMaker by Robbie Robertson read aloud

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Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace & Informational Texts

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Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace & Informational Texts

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We will read an abridged version of the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and read several information texts about the Haudenosaunee Nations. This will provide a larger context for Hiawatha's heroic journey.

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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Movie (2010)

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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Movie (2010)

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The popular Percy Jackson series is to Gen Z what the Harry Potter series is to Millennials. While we wouldn't have time to read the book(s), we could watch scenes from the movie and discuss what parallels we notice between it and The Odyssey. We would examine what they can recall about Greek myths as well as the gods and goddesses.

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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - HD Trailer

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I love using this particular image as a bell ringer or closing activity after reading Book IX of The Odyssey. This exact moment occurs right after the incident of hubris--Odysseus and his crew almost get away unscathed, but Odysseus's hamartia gets in this way: he must tell Polyphemus his name. Polyphemus then prays to his father, Poseidon, and Ody's crew is cursed. I then ask the students to write a short narrative describing a time when they displayed hubris and it had negative consequences.

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I use this image as a bell ringer typically. I will have it displayed on the board with a two-minute timer. I ask students to write down as much information as they can from the scene, and I ask them to guess what episode it may be from the Odyssey. I use this before we read book XII, so students are making predictions. (Before beginning The Odyssey, we go over the main characters and monsters, so students will have some idea.)

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1. “That’s the weirdest thing, by the way. That every person you come across lays down in a bed, under the covers, and closes their eyes at night. Cops, teachers, parents, hot girls, pro ballers, everybody. For some reason it makes people seem so much less real when I look at them.”

This quote demonstrates our main character's realization that everyone has experiences in common. I think this connects thematically and in a roundabout way to EQ 1. Heroes are everyday people, and everyday people can be heroes.

2. “But not just alive like I was yesterday and the day before. Alive like I knew I was alive. Like I could feel the breaths coming into my chest. And I knew I was the person inside my own body.”

This quote comes at the end of the novel and brings about the final stage for our hero. This shows how he has changed and reached self-discovery/self-actualization. He is not the same person he was before his journey.

3. “But when you read books you almost feel like you're out there in the world. Like you're going on this adventure right with the main character. At least, that's the way I do it. It's actually not that bad. Even if it is mad nerdy.”

This quote comes from a side character (as assistant, if you will) and I incorporated it because it is spot on for a Hero's Journey unit. It mentions adventure, tagging along with a main character, and it relates the experience back to the reader.

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On their Odyssey Anticipation Guide, there is an absolute statement with which they must agree or disagree: "A hero never leaves a man behind." This clip from Forest Gump relates to that statement. We would first watch the clip where Forest saves Lt. Dan in Vietnam, and discuss his heroism. Next, we would watch the scene (sans the explicit content) where Lt. Dan says he wishes he would have died than lose his legs. This would prompt us to discuss the possible negative benefits of "heroic" acts. Do they actually serve others or ourselves?

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Forrest Gump: Saving lives in Vietnam (HD CLIP)

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I chose each of these poems because they connect to Homer's Odyssey thematically. "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood gives a voice to the Sirens we encounter in Book XII and helps characterize who they are. We can read this during or right after Odysseus's men pass by them; reading the poem will also help students better understand the lure of sirens and why Odysseus is tied to the mast of the ship and his men plug their ears with wax.

I chose Murdoch's "The Last Hero," because it connects to the overarching theme of heroism. How are heroes treated or described in our society? How and why do we mourn heroes? How do we remember them? We would read this poem before we read the episode in which Odysseus's returns to Ithaca with zero soldiers by his side. I would ask the students to consider if his crewmates were heroes and how might they be remembered (or if they will be).

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What Makes a Hero? Matthew Wrinkler - TED Ed

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What Makes a Hero? Matthew Wrinkler - TED Ed

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This TED Ed video is a MUST to introduce the unit. This is the first thing I will show to my students to introduce the hero's journey. This is directly tied to our first Essential Question: What Makes a Hero? I usually begin with that question as a quickwrite and discussion, followed by this video. Following viewing the TED Ed, we go into "Clock Notes" over the Hero's Journey template.