You get a break on Monday--but here goes
Tuesday and Wednesday
Reading quiz on "The Odyssey" up to book 14.
Turn in. Anyone who still has to take the vocabulalry test may take it in class that day unless you have made other arrangements with me. If you need to make other arrangements, e-mail me at home: seelosen@comcast.net.
Work on projects, which are still due on Feb. 27/28 or continue reading "The Odyssey." For Thursday/Friday, books 15 & 16 will be due. Expect a reading quiz then or on Monday/Tuesday, when you should have read through book 20.
If you are good, and I mean, really good, you will begin watching "O Brother, Where Art Thou," a Coen Brothers-directed movie based on "The Odyssey," the Bible, and the American myth of the anti-hero/rebel. It stars George Clooney and the music is awesome. Look for the following elements: Elements of "The Odyssey." There is an Odysseus (with his other name, Ulysses--Ulysses Everett McGill, to be complete), who, like our hero, considers himself a great tactician. He is also obsessed with his hair and a hair product called Dapper Dan, a kind of hair gel that cannot be found any more, probably because its primary ingredient was seal oil. It probably stank. Everett and two other buddies escape prison for a supposed treasure that Everett has buried at the old homestead, a house that will soon be under water because the country is doing this in order to make all of America have access to electricity.
There is a Poseidon figure, one who is part Poseidon, part devil.
Everett is married to a Penelope, called "Penny," and she has a lot more spirit than the Greek version. She is played by Holly Hunter.
Early in the movie we meet a blind seer. Do you remember his name in Homer's version?
We also meet a Cyclops (played by John Goodman, wearing an eye patch), and some Sirens/Kirke seductresses. There are also cows. Remember Helios. And there's a guy named Menelaus. He runs a radio station, which looks a lot like a real one here on the south side of Richmond (off German School Road). Now, Odysseus in this story has daughters, rather than a single son, but it's still important for him to get back to them.
In terms of American mythology, we first meet a character called Tommy Johnson, modeled after famed blues guitarist, composer, and performer Robert Johnson, a brilliant musician who died before he was thirty (killed by a jealous spouse). Rumor has it that Robert Johnson received his great musical gifts because he met the devil at the crossroads and sold his soul in exchange for the gift. Many contemporary musicians acknowledge Johnson as their inspiration and there have been several tribute albums done in his name.
Another Amercian archetype is the gangster that we sort of root for--the anti-hero. We have a long history of this--Butch and Sundance, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Bonny & Clyde. In this case, and because the movie takes place in the 1930s (during the Great Depression and Prohibition), it's Baby-Face Nelson.
Pappy O'Daniel is a real historical figure, based upon someone by that same name but also (probably) on famous Louisiana politican, Huey Long.
Thursday/Friday
Possible quiz on the two chapters--but more likely, finish the movie and then work on your projects--still due on the 27th and 28th (or whatever the last Wednesday/Thursday is of the month of February). There will definitely be a quiz on Books 15-20 on Monday/Tuesday, so make sure that you keep up with your reading.
