Units:
Mr. Raza's Favorite Epic Poems:
Greek:
Roman:
Indian:
Mesopotamian:
Anglo-Saxon:
Italian:
English:
Epic Poems:
Image from Kean University's production of The Odyssey
The epic poem is a format used across numerous cultures and typically depicts adventures that involve some combination of humanity and the gods.
In this course, we read excerpts of The Odyssey by Homer. The Odyssey depicts Odysseus's ten year journey to return home after The Trojan War.
Unfortunately, we don't have the time to properly explore epic poems from other cultures as a class.
However, it is critical to understand that this technique of story-telling is universal and includes some of the most powerful stories about humanity.
On the left hand side are links to the full-text translations of several of my favorite epic poems. Browse through them and think about which one of these you would like to use for your research presentation in this unit.
Image from http://post.jagran.com/Ravanvadh-banned-in-Ayodhya-for-security-1317897107
Many of the epic poems listed on this page have excellent cartoons made about them. Growing up in India, I used to watch the cartoon version of The Ramayana every year during the Indian festival of Ravan-vadh.
During this festival, Indians (mainly Hindus) celebrate the defeat of the villain Ravana by burning huge statues of Ravana.
It turns out YouTube has a copy of The Ramayana cartoon I used to watch as a child, and I've embedded it below for you.
The Ramayana Animated Movie