Unit of Study:            Semester 1, Quarter 2 Required Text Homer’s Odyssey

Lesson Title:              Developing a Cultural Lens 

Subject Area(s):         English/Art

Grade Level:              10

Author:                      Cody Therrien

County:                      Montgomery

Length of Time(s):    Four to five 50-minute class periods

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Abstract and Background:

Homer’s Odyssey is one of the oldest written records that exist today. It is often called the first novel and as such provides us with an archetype for every story that has ever been written since its creation, circa 500 BCE. Odysseus, the hero of the story, in his long and detoured trip back to his beloved Ithaca, encounters many obstacles and visits many strange lands. Monsters, giant cannibals and a primitive tribe who drugs his men with a lotus flower so that they forget their family and homes, populate the new worlds he discovers. Because of the seemingly fantastical nature of this story, students often have a very difficult time relating to it and understanding that, to the ancient Greeks, this was more than just an entertaining tale and was not always viewed as completely fictitious. To the ancient Greeks and their understanding of the world a 10 foot one eyed man eating monster living on some uncharted island was completely plausible.

In an effort to bridge a gap of 2500 years of human discovery and understanding, I will use the relatively modern adventures of the early Spanish explorers to the new world. Like Odysseus, sacker of cities, Hernando Cortez sailed to new lands and discovered unknown countries. In his travels, he expected to encounter many of the same types of fantastical people and creatures encountered by Odysseus. What they found was no less fantastical and sometimes, nearly as monstrous. Other times, it is clear that the most bloodthirsty monsters were the Spanish themselves.

Students will literally build their own cultural lens through a study of Cortez’ exploits and the subsequent subjugation of the Mexica identifying the values that shape their view of the world. Through exposure to the travel logs of early Spanish explorers and introduction to the events and themes of the Mexica conquest they will begin to evaluate the ideas of forced conversion and economic servitude among others. Through journaling and classroom discussion they will begin to understand that there are multiple perspectives on many of the issues surrounding the conquest. For instance one might see the forced conversion as a positive soul saving event while others would see it as abuse of power. They will then begin to identify and frame their view of conquest by symbolically representing their beliefs and describing them in writing.

Finally students will decorate a paper shaped like a magnifying glass with symbols and pictures that represent their core beliefs on themes surrounding the conquest of the Mexica. This will be accompanied by a written work describing each of their overall view of the conquest and how the symbols on their cultural lens relate.

Materials:

Excerpted travel log of Bernal Diaz
Teacher Prepared Power Point on the Mexica focusing on:
Forced Conversion
Technological advancement/"Primitive" culture
Human Sacrifice and Cannibalism
War and Conquest
Slavery (ecomiendas)
Promethean Board (for visual aides and Power Points)
Etching “Interview Between Cortez and the Embassadors of Montezuma,” History of Hernando Cortez,1855, From The Library at The Mariners’ Museum, F1230.C8.A1.

Standards/Learner Outcomes:
           
Fine Arts Standards:

II.1.HS1.a. Create an artwork that explores a cultural or social issue.
II.4.HS1.b. Use a study of historical periods to identify shared underlying philosophical values and cultural ideals.
           
Content Standards:

1.10.5.1—Refine and extend comprehension skills through exposure to a variety of texts, including traditional print and electronic texts.
a. Listen to critically, read, and discuss texts representing diversity in content, culture, authorship, and perspective,
including areas such as race, gender, disability, religion, and socio-economic background.
4.10.2.1—Write to express personal ideas using a variety of forms including poetry, drama,
narration, description, and personal essay.

Keywords/Vocabulary:

Conquistador
Cannibal
Motivation
Conversion
Primitive
Assimilation
Cultural Lens
Xenia
Aztec
Mexica
Odyssey
Ecomiendas
Intrinsic

Scope and Sequence:

Day 1
Students will respond to the Etching of Cortez’ meeting with Aztec ambassadors.

They will quick write responses to the following questions: What do you know about the events depicted in the painting? What symbols and objects are evident in the etching and how do they relate to the larger work? How might the Aztec’s in the painting view the Spanish? How might the Spanish view the Aztec? Discussion will follow.

Students will be introduced to the idea of a cultural lens through which people evaluate new information. Since we will be Reading Homer’s Odyssey a story set in a very different culture and time student will need to be aware of the cultural values and perspectives that make up their own unique cultural lens.

Day 2
Students will read excerpts from the Bernal Diaz document about the arrival of Cortez in the Mexica Capital. Time will be allotted for discussion and questions.

Day 3
Students will view and take notes on a Teacher created Power Point depicting the major themes of the Spanish conquest. The be organized and focused under the themes of:
Forced Conversion
Technological advancement/"Primitive" culture
Human Sacrifice and Cannibalism
War and Conquest
Slavery (ecomiendas)
Special attention will be given to the cultural perspectives of the of both the Aztec and Spanish. For instance, the Spanish saw Catholicism as the one true faith while the Aztec a religion of their own. The students will write down their own personal beliefs about each of the above themes. These beliefs will later be evaluated by the students and incorporated into their own cultural lens.

Day 4
Students will respond to the following questions tied to the themes from the power point  in their journals? In your opinion….

Is it right for one faith to impose its beliefs on others?
What is a primitive culture as opposed to an advanced one?
Are practices such as cannibalism and human sacrifice intrinsically wrong or does it depend on cultural perspective?
Is war and conquest ever justified?
Is slavery intrinsically wrong or is it a matter of cultural perspective?

Students will then be introduced to the Cultural Lens art Project which they will have time in class to work on the next day.

Day 5
Students will be given time in class to craft their cultural lens. It, along with the accompanying descriptions of the symbols used will be due the following Monday.

Assessment:

Students will create a literal cultural lens mad eof paper or poster board that symbolizes their own personal views on the conquest. It will have at least one symbol and accompanying analysis for at least 4 of the 5 themes discussed in the power point. On a separate sheet of paper and in essay form students will be required to analyze their beliefs and each of the symbols they created or pictures they created.

Guiding questions for the assignment include:

Why do believe what you believe about the slavery or human sacrifice?

Where do your beliefs come from?

How does the symbol or picture you created relate to your beliefs?

Are your beliefs consistent with those of the society you live in or are they different?

What experiences have you had to frame these beliefs?

Example of symbols used and accompanying analysis might include:

A symbol or picture of an American flag or an eagle. The student might respond with "Encomiendas are bad because I believe that all people should have rights and freedom to move about and work where they wish."

A symbol picture of two pepole holding hands mgiht be accompanied by the statement "Human sacrifice is wrong because all human life is valuable."

or on the other side:

I am a Christian and Cortez did save the souls of those he conquered by bringing them the words of Christ. The student might then include a symbol of a cross of the Virgin Mary.

The Aztec were very primitive, they had no iron or ships and Cortez brought technology that advanced their culture: This might be represented by a telescope, cannon, or iron sword.

Closure/Reflection:

The idea of a cultural lens will be used as we read the Odyssey and begin to connect and define what the Greeks 
thought as a heroic paradigm with our own modern conceptions.  I can refer back to it when Odysseus does things that seem unheroic to my students.
For instance: “You are judging Odysseus' infidelity through your own cultural lens. The Greeks had a very different way of viewing marriage and family.
Odysseus had no intention of abandoning his wife and thus would have been viewed as a good husband regardless of flirtations.”