Lesson Overview:

This lesson examines specific areas of ancient Greek influence on Western thought and culture. Students consider processes through which ancient Greek influence has been infused and sustained in the Western ethos. Through research on diverse topics, students collect information that documents the nature and depth of that influence. Students then make an assessment of ways Western ideals resonate ancient Greek ideals.

Length of Lesson:

Four 45-minute periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• construct an analysis of basic perceptions of diverse aspects of Western thought and culture.
• reflect on the processes through which the philosophical outlook and cultural values and patterns of ancient Greece have been infused and sustained as a strong influence on Western thought and culture through the ages.
• trace a range of sources to assemble knowledge and document specific evidence of the expansive and deep influence of ancient Greece on the shaping of diverse areas of Western thought and culture, particularly in America.
• identify ways ancient Greek influence resonates in the attitudes, values, and outlooks defined in the perceptions of ideals articulated in Assignment 1.
• compose, in writing, an assessment of the impact of ancient Greece influence on personal attitudes, values, and outlooks.

Supplies:

• Notebook for note-taking

Instructional Plan:

Assignment 1

Re-introduce the word "ethos" (introduced in Lesson 1). Share, again, a dictionary definition of the word, for instance: "the spirit of a people, a civilization or a system as expressed in its culture, institutions, ways of thought, philosophy and religion." and/or the distinguishing character or tone of a group."

Use the definition of the word "ethos" as a springboard for exploring students’ perceptions of the "ethos" of modern Western culture, particularly as the Western "ethos" is filtered through the lens of America’s vision.

Pass out the following worksheet Perceptions Of The "Ethos" Of Modern Western Culture to the students. Divide the class into small groups of three. Divide the following topics up between the groups. Ask each group to discuss and negotiate a written list of their best ideas about prevailing Western attitudes held or "best practices" followed for each assigned topics below.

• design of government
• law as a societal force
• a good person
• a noble person
• a good leader
• a good citizen
• a good athlete
• the "good" life
• class structure
• role of women
• value of education
• outlook on what should be included in educating children
• the process of rituals (funerals, weddings, coming of age, bestowing honor, etc.)
• justifications for going to war
• a "true" patriot
• concept of a hero
• concept of "heroic"
• concept of the "other"

Have students share the lists in large group format. Encourage students to save their notes for use as "measuring sticks" of ancient Greece influence on Western thought and culture as they go forward in their examination of ancient Greek sources.

Assignment 2

Initiate an open discussion in which students share their conjectures about (a) specific processes through which ancient Greece influence has been infused and sustained in Western thought and culture.

Some possible responses include (a): the Greeks were ambitious writers; many Greek manuscripts have been recovered, some found in archaeological digs; Greek manuscripts also have been found in Egyptian tombs (students interested in history might want to pursue this topic); artifacts such as ruins of Greek temples, sculptures, coins, vases; manuscripts retrieved in Roman invasions and hidden in monasteries as Christianity took hold ; the mission of the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great, to educate young males in his country, promoting Ancient Greek sources as an important part of that education; the rise of Medieval universities, underscoring formal education as a prime value and creating an environment which valued and expanded access to ancient Greek thought, lore, the great dramas of the Greek Tragedians, and achievements in science, medicine, architecture and the arts ; the re-embodiment of ancient Greek forms of art, philosophy, and idealism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Chaucer, Boccaccio, Dante, Shakespeare, etc.; Raphael; Michelangelo, Bottocelli, etc.); the drama of the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii, although in Rome, kindling renewed interest in the Ancient World; the impact of the intellectual movement of Neo-Classicism (18th century) with its attention to embedding Greek sources in the education of the young, Greek revival in architecture and art, and its focus on order, balance, symmetry, scientific inquiry, and democratic principles; the intellectual movement of Romanticism (19th century), with its drive against tyranny and celebration of freedom of the individual and its belief in the Sublime, a "Master Intellect", as a definition of the spiritual world - both movements drawing heavily from ancient Greek sources for inspiration and modes of design and expression; ancient Greek images, symbols and themes that permeate Modernist literature and art (for instance, William Butler Yeats’ poetry; Matisse paintings; James Joyce's Ulysses; O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra; Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending)

(b) some aspects of ancient Greek influence that have had special impact on the shaping of the Western "ethos", particularly that of America.

Some possible responses for (b): (depending on grade level and previous work in ancient Greek sources): the incredible range, rhetorical astuteness, and intellectual richness of Greek philosophical thought; the model of honoring individual worth and the valuing of freedom; the compelling narratives of Greek myths, particularly those that project "heroic" vision and life’s "lessons"; the aesthetic beauty of the architecture, vases, coins, paintings, and sculpture; the skill in engineering design (building of temples, etc.); the magnetic draw of the formal patterns and imaginative and universal themes of ancient Greek literature, especially the haunting themes and forms of the three great Tragedians; Homer’s written narratives culled from oral tradition that read like history and speak to man’s desire to learn about the past)

Assignment 3

To help students grasp the far-reaching influence of ancient Greece on our modern Western culture, assignments may be given on topics that appeal to students’ special interests while forcibly documenting the range and depth of ancient Greek influence.

The mode of follow-through on the topics may be varied. Options may include:

• a formal research paper.
• a formal oral presentational student prepared "lesson," in which the student "teacher" draws on the members of the class to inductively uncover specifics ways an ancient Greece source has been used as the centerpiece of a chosen topic.
• the development of a film or CD.
• a "live" performance.
• the development of a design for a Web "interactive" or the actual development of a Web "interactive."

Suggested topics:

Advise students that, in addressing the assignment, they could incorporate the whole "bank" of their chosen topic or limit coverage to one or more of the suggested sub-topics.

Operas based on ancient Greek myths and legends, for example, C.W. Gluck’s (18th century) and Richard Strauss’ operas (20th century)

• identification of the myth in a selected opera(s)
• explanation of the structural development of the myth in the opera
• comparative analysis of how the articulation of the narrative of the basic myth, the nature of the characterization, and the tone quality of the music and lyrics reflect the cultural tone of the two different centuries (linear? non-linear? harmonious? discordant?)

Balanchine’s choreographic "masterpiece"—his ballet, Apollo

• identification of the specific Apollo myth Balanchine develops
• an account of Balanchine’s structural development of the myth
• a student performance of a vignette of the choreography (could be adapted from watching a video or CD performance of the original ballet)
• an explanation of the implication of Balanchine often being referred to as "Ballet’s Apollo"

Greek myths and legends as inspiration for Modern Dance choreography

• research on the wide range of Isadora Duncan’s use of Greek sources as inspiration for her choreography; an account of how she closely studied figures on vase paintings, statues, friezes, etc. to help her craft innovative movements; her dance roles in Gluck’s operas, particularly Orpheus
• research on Martha Graham’s use of themes and narratives of Greek tragedies, such as Oedipus Rex and Clytemnestra, to develop her choreographs, especially her psychological profiles such as that of Jocasta, (she called these profiles "interior landscapes")
• a student performance of a vignette of one of Graham’s "interior landscapes" (adapted from a study of a video or CD of Night Journey and/or Clytemnestra)

Intellectual origins of the Founding Fathers

• an overview of the content of Thomas Jefferson’s library (as a student in Williamsburg, Virginia, and in his original collection at Monticello; relationship of Jefferson’s Library to the Library of Congress
• a survey of titles of ancient Greek sources in the Harvard Classics
• an account of ancient Greek sources in curriculum based on the "Great Books"

Background on the Hippocratic oath that doctor’s take

• the content of the oath
• background of Hippocrates
• some analysis of the central mission of the Oath

The concept of "polis" as a system of governing

• explanation of the basic concept (all individuals in community involved; rule of the majority; rule by law)
• some historical background of the concept (Plato; Aristotle)
• the idea of law as an extension of ideal divine will
• an analysis of how the concept of "polis" is reflected in the American system of government (possible responses: Federalism-"two-pronged" units, state and national, with discrete powers; "grass-roots" political activity and organization (councils, supervising boards, etc.); a nation of laws "under God"; leaders selected through the election process; the processes of political parties (primaries; nominating conventions)

Greek influence in visual art

• a study of examples of a work(s), by master painters, in which the central focus is based on an ancient Greek myth, legend, deity, or a celebrated figure: as example, the paintings of Poussin; Michelangelo; Raphael; Botticelli (Note: Isadora Duncan built a famous choreograph based on Botticelli’s La Primavera); El Greco; Goya

Horatio Greenough’s sculpture of George Washington

• the basic nature, detailed description of the sculpture
• the history behind why the sculpture was crafted in that mode
• an account of where, when, when not and why not there has been a display of the sculpture

Evidence of Greek influence in architecture

• of ancient Greek architecture, for example, Washington, D. C.; Philadelphia
• a "virtual" (or actual) trip through a city in which numerous central buildings are replicas; a visit to a hometown building—for instance, an old post office, courthouse, or civic center building—that reveals strong evidence of ancient Greek influence in the architectural design
• a specific analysis of the ancient Greek influence on the design of the building

An exploration of the mythical and historical "roots" of the modern Olympics (http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~clase116/dial11_notes.html {Sections 12c and 12d} are excellent sources for helping students gather information on this topic)

• relationship of the myths of Herakles and Hera to the Olympics
• an account of Herakles as the "founder" and the first participant in all Olympic events
• background, including political implication of The Peloponnese (Olympia) as site of the ancient "Festival of the Olympics"
• ancient Greek perception of an Olympic "hero" (athlos)
• explanation of specific rituals observed in the ancient Olympics, for example, background of the stadion (stadium run); details of the nature of the libation (sacrifice); the lighting of the fire at the Altar of Zeus
• a tracing of the evolution of the torch runner from the contest in Plato’ s Academy through to the present-day Olympic ritual

Share responses in the large group, as time will allow. If school has computer-networking capabilities, formal papers and summaries of research could be "published" on the School Web site. The "posting" could serve as material for a quiz or essay assignment. Suggestions for special assignments or projects:

For the student:

1. Develop a personal essay, entitled " The ancient Greek in Me", in which you share a "soul-searching" account of how something you value in an area of your life is guided by an "ideal" that aligns with an "ideal " handed down from ancient Greece.
2. Develop a poem (or vignette of prose explaining the implication of the quote) in which the 19th century English Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, bases the governing theme on the following comment:

"We are all Greeks"

Consider using as "starts" of stanzas for a poem, or as the structural frame of a prose development:

"I look around me and...."
"I look within me and....."

3. Students interested in dance could be encouraged to develop an original choreograph of the narrative of a myth or an original choreograph of what Graham calls an "interior landscape" of a Greek character from a myth or Greek tragedy (Antigone, for example)

Assessment:

Assess students on:

• active contributions in problem-solving activities.
• evidence of serious and cooperative participation in research and collaborative assignments (a student-generated peer evaluation rubric for small group collaborative assignments perhaps could be helpful).
• substantive contributions to class discussion, reflecting serious engagement in completing assignments.
• range and depth of analysis in content of oral presentation.
• quality of organization, rhetorical skill, and poise in oral presentation.
• quality of creative thinking and evidence of serious effort in preparing projects for presentation or performance.
• serious and productive engagement in all class activities, including listening, note taking, sharing, and required formal responses.

Sources:

Print:

• Chujoy, Anatole. Dance Encyclopedia. Simon & Schuster; Rev. and enl. ed edition, 1967
• Gordon, Edward J. et al, ed. Understanding Literature. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1967
• Grosvenor, Melville Bell, editor-in-chief, and National Geographic Society Book Service staff. Greece and Rome: Builders of Our World. Washington, D. C.: National Geographic Society, 1971.
• Hale, William Harlan, author and editor-in chief, and American Heritage staff, eds. The Horizon Book of Ancient Greece. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co, /Bonanza Books, 1984.
• Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942.
• The International Encyclopedia of Dance. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998
• Jowitt, Deborah. Time and the Dancing Image. Berkley: University of California Press, 1988.
• Lombardo, Stanley, ed. The Essential Homer. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 2000.
• Lawall, Sarah, and Mack, Maynard et al. eds. The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002
• MacKendrick, Paul L. The Greek Stones Speak, Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1982.

Authors:

• Jayne Karsten, English, Grades 9-12
  The Key School
  Annapolis, MD US