The Elements and
Reality of Poetry
Begin
Student
Teacher
Indiana Department of Education
Standards
8.RL.3.1 Compare and contrast the structure of two
or more related works of literature, and analyze
and evaluate how the differing structure of each
text contributes to its meaning and style
8.RL.3.2 Analyze a particular point of view or
cultural experience in a work of world literature
considering how it reflects heritage, tradition,
attitudes, and beliefs
Objectives
Learning Objectives
1. Students will be able to identify and utilize
literary devices without any help
2. Students will be able to summarize the
differences and similarities between structures in
epics without any mistake
3. Students will be able to identify the historical
significance in several texts without any mistake
Directions:
1. Use the arrows to move through the activities
2. Click on the highlighted words to view terms and
other activities
4. Take notes on terms and concepts that you find
difficult to understand
3. Make sure to work through all of the activities
Lets begin!
Renaissance
Meet the Greeks
20th Century
Final
Test
Introduction to the Greeks and
their Literature
Greek literature is the basis for later western literature that
was developed
Some examples can be found in certain plays by
Shakespeare, epics by Matteo Maria Boiardo, and even
referenced in modern poetry such as Ezra Pound
Homer and Greek Literature
Homer was a major Greek poet who scholars do not
know much about
However, what we do know is that he wrote the two
major epic poems, the Illiad and the Odyssey which
were really influential in western literature
What is an epic?
According to Dictionary.com, noting
or pertaining to a long poetic
composition, usually centered upon a
hero, in which a great series of great
achievements or events is narrated in
elevated style.
Homer and epithets
Epithets are names that give the reader an
idea of what the gods of Greek mythology do
such as:
Zeus, shepherd of the clouds..
So what does this epithet tell us?
Zeus
Well..
This epithet tells us that Zeus is in control of
the sky and clouds which could mean a
number of things such as:
Rainmaker, storm maker, presider of Mount
Olympus
Each god and goddess also have
more than just one epithet!
Zeuss epithets: Zeus Xenios (protector of guests),
Zeus Ktesios (Zeus, guardian of possessions in a
household)
Poseidon: Poseidon Hippios (creator of horses),
Poseidon Soter (savior of sailors)
And the list goes on and on with multiple gods!
Now its your turn!
What does the epithet Poseidon, the great
earth shaker imply?
A. God of earthquakes
B. God of thunder
C. God of houses
You are getting closer, try again!
Back to
quiz!
You are correct!!
Back
to
quiz!
If you guessed that he is a god of
earthquakes then you are correct!
If you did not have that answer just
remember:
Epithets usually have something to do
with the gods power pertaining to the
natural world!
Poseidon
Why were these epithets
important to the ancient Greeks?
The ancient Greeks worshipped the gods that
writers, like Homer, referred to.
They would throw festivals and ceremonies in
honor of them, too!
What would your epithet be??
For example, mine would be: Greg, master of books because of my skill in literature
You can make it anything you want!
Euripides and Personification
In Euripides play Alcestis, he personifies death as
an actual character who comes to take away the
Kings wife. Heracles then wrestles with Death to
get his wife back for him
Heracles fighting Death
What is personification?
Personification is when an author attributes
human characteristics to intangible
ideas/things or animals
Back to
Euripides!
Which one these is an example of
personification?
A. The sun was as bright as a candle
B. The barn stared at me solemnly, like I had
done something wrong
Sophocles and Greek Society
In Sophocles play Oedipus the King, he portrays how the
Greeks felt in relation to their Gods
First, lets get a synopsis of the play:
Sophocles and Greek Society
Now that you know a little more about Oedipus,
lets look at how Sophocles portrayed the
relationship between the ancient Greeks and their
gods
Take a look at these two short passages:
Tiresias: I serve Apollo. I dont need Creon to speak for me
in public
Oedipus: Drive me out of Thebes, in exile
Creon: Not I. Only the gods can give you that
Think about what this passage means in terms of how
Greeks saw their relationship with the gods.
What does it mean?
What this portrays is a society that took what their
gods said very seriously.
It also means that they took extreme precautions
when it came to getting advice and instruction
from their gods (the most popular god to get
advice from was Apollo!)
Apollo
Home
That is not correct,
Keep trying!
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quiz
That is correct!
Sophocles
Intro to the Renaissance
The Renaissance was essentially a
comeback for Classical Literature
The Renaissance also developed a new way
of playwriting and poetry (such as the
sonnet)
Matteo Maria Boiardo Similes
Orlando Innamorato, an epic written by Boiardo,
uses many similes, such as:
He rode back- happy, confident- like one whod
been released from prison
He hissed as if he were a serpent
Write your own simile!
Pssstt Remember to use like or as
Boiardo and Imagery
Boiardo wasnt just good at similes, he was also
wonderful at imagery especially in the fourth
canto (chapter) in Orlando Inammorato
Click to see
what I
mean!
In canto 4 of Orlando Innamorato, Boiardo
describes the images in a fierce battle that
include elephants and giraffes that soldiers
ride on and heres an idea of how that
would have looked:
What is a simile?
A simile is a figure of speech
comparing two things using like
or as
Back
Boiardo and the Epic
The epic, in the Renaissance, was not the most used form
of writing. However, the comparisons in structure of
Boiardos Orlando Innamorato and Homers Illiad is pretty
extraordinary!
Orlando
Illiad
Innamorato
What is imagery?
Imagery is visually descriptive or figurative
language
Back
Shakespeare and Allusion
Shakespeare is sometimes referred to as the
master of allusion!
For example, in numerous plays, Shakespeare
loves to allude to Greek and Roman mythology!
What is an allusion?
An allusion is an indirect reference to a
historical event, novel, poem, parable, etc.
Back
Much Ado About Nothing
(Allusions)
Fetch you a hair off the great Chams beard, do
you any embassage to the Pigmies, rather than
hold three words conference with this harpy
In this passage, Benedick (one of the main
characters), compares Beatrice to a harpy which is
a mythological creature
Harpys
Creatures who have a females head and the body
of a bird. They are especially known for giving
people a hard time
Shakespeare and Scansion
Before we begin, lets learn a little bit about
scansion and the iambic pentameter!
Lets practice with scansion!
Click on the syllables that have a stress in
these lines.
Line 1: I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy
Line 2: The pleasant garden of great Italy
Applause = correct Arrow sound = not correct
Home
Hint!
Hint: Remember, in iambic
pentameter the stresses go on
the even numbered syllables!
Back
Intro to 20th Century Poets
The 20th century poets have defined modern
contemporary poetry as well as looked for
inspiration in Greek mythology and literature
Ezra Pound and Comparisons
Ezra Pound was part of the imagist
movement in the early 1900s
Although his work is less known than
Shakespeares, Ezra Pound used a similar
element that Shakespeare used in his plays
So what is the element
Shakespeare and Ezra Pound both
used?
The element is allusion!
Remember: An allusion is an indirect
reference to a historical time, another
poem/novel, or just about anything!
Lets take a look at Ezra Pounds
allusion:
Here let thy clemency, Persephone, hold firm,
Do thou, Pluto, bring her no greater harshness.
So many thousand beauties are gone down the Avernus
Ye might let one remain above with us
Click on the highlighted words to find out the allusion!
Persephone and Pluto
Persephone and Pluto, in Roman Mythology,
are husband and wife who control the underworld.
They have a complex story:
Back
Avernus
Avernus is a lake in the underworld and
technically the whole underworld in Roman
Mythology
Avernus
Back
Calypsos Island
Another famous poet by the name of Archibald
MacLeish uses allusions to Greek literature, like in
his poem Calypsos Island he
Calypso
refers to Calypso, a nymph
goddess, who seduces
Odysseus to stay with her for
seven years
Calypsos Island
I know very well, goddess, she is not
beautiful
as you are: could not be. She is a woman,
mortal, subject to the chances
MacLeish puts himself in the shoes of
Odysseus and writes as if he has been
seduced by Calypso to stay with her and
ignore his homecoming!
So why is allusion in important?
Allusion is important because
1. It is a way of understanding a poems
metaphors/similes
and
2. In English Literature, allusions are always made
Home
Final
Test
Final
Assessment
Begin!
1. How does poetry (or literature in general)
seem to connect historically?
A. It doesnt
B. Poetry can reflect how society felt in
which the time they lived in
C. Through the use of similes and
personification
2. In what ways did Sophocles portray
society in Oedipus the King?
A. He portrayed everyone in ancient Greece
as blind through Tiresias
B. He portrayed all men as common
knowledge
C. He portrayed how society felt about their
relationship with their gods
3. Why are allusions important to
understanding literature?
A. They make it easier to understand the
context of poetry and plays
B. Allusions are not important
C. They provide emphasis on simile
4. In what ways Boiardos and
Homers epic similar?
A. Structure
B. Metaphor
C. Time period in which they were
written
5. Short Essay: How does history
and literature coincide with one
another?
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