Ethos Education

The Odyssey: What Kind of God?

by

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Pupils will:

  • Explore how the film “The Odyssey” portrays the character of the gods, as rather capricious and self-interested, and consider Odysseus’ response of defiance towards them.
  • Investigate biblical teaching on God’s character as steadfast and loving.
  • Compare and contrast these two portrayals of the divine, and consider how a person’s understanding of divine character might impact their life choices.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Pupils will:

  • Identify and articulate contrasting understandings of divine character, drawing on both the film and the Bible.
  • Recognise how the perceived character of the divine shapes people’s responses.
  • Reach and justify their own view on how far a person’s beliefs about the divine might influence real-life choices.

SUPPORTING VALUES EDUCATION

This lesson explores mutual respect and tolerance by inviting pupils to consider contrasting and contested understandings of the divine with openness and care. It explores individual liberty by considering how a person’s beliefs about the character of the divine might shape the choices they make in their own life. It supports pupils’ spiritual and cultural development by engaging thoughtfully with classical mythology and Christian belief as different ways of approaching ultimate questions.

FILM CLIPS: “The Odyssey” (Universal Pictures) Certificate: 15

Official Trailer (2min 30sec) (N.B. The trailer contains a mild expletive at 1min 9sec. If you want to avoid this you could start the video at 1min 10sec, when Penelope turns around.)

BIBLE

  • 1 John 4:8-10 (NIRV) “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Here is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world. He sent him so we could receive life through him. Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins.”
  • Matthew 7:9-11 (NIRV) “Suppose your son asks for bread. Which of you will give him a stone? Or suppose he asks for a fish. Which of you will give him a snake? Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

STARTER

  • Propose a “thought experiment” (a technique, often used by philosophers, whereby imagining a hypothetical situation enables exploration of an idea or question).
  • Start using The Odyssey: What Kind of God? PowerPoint from here.
    • Slide 1: (Display the image without explanation.)
  • Ask pupils to imagine themselves in that situation, aboard a small wooden ship in a storm that looks like it could drown them at any moment.
  • Pose the following questions, taking a few responses after each one:
    • In that moment, how might you feel?
    • If you believed some extremely powerful being had caused this storm, how would that change how you felt?
    • If you believed that some extremely powerful being could help you, what would you hope they would do?
  • Slide 2: Explain that the image was from the film, “The Odyssey”, and that in the story, this storm is caused by Poseidon, the god of the sea, who is punishing Odysseus. Explain that today’s lesson is going to explore the character of the gods in that story and how that compares to the character of God as described in the Bible.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

  • Give pupils a brief introduction to the story: after ten years of war, the Greeks finally took the city of Troy by trickery, hiding soldiers inside a giant wooden horse. Odysseus must now get home to Ithaca, with his men. Along the way he faces monsters, temptation, and gods who intervene with human lives for their own reasons.
  • Explain that pupils are about to watch the trailer of “The Odyssey”, and that they should look out for how the gods behave towards people.
  • Play Official Trailer (then move straight to Slide 9)
    • If you cannot play this YouTube video, instead display The Odyssey: What Kind of God? PowerPoint and use the following script:
      • Slide 3: Ithaca (Odysseus’ kingdom) has fallen into crisis. In his absence, arrogant suitors have moved in, hoping to seize the throne for themselves.
      • Slide 4: Telemachus (Odysseus’ son) is determined to defend his father’s legacy. Penelope (Odysseus’ wife), who has waited faithfully for years, warns him just how dangerous these men are: “Do you think life goes back to the way it was? That world is gone.”
      • Slide 5: Odysseus travels home where he will bring vengeance on those who have wronged his family.
      • Slide 6: The journey home is filled with danger. Storms batter Odysseus’ ship, and disaster strikes his men again and again.
      • Slide 7: Odysseus questions the gods: “You gods don’t speak in ways we understand.” The goddess Athena replies, “Who doesn’t understand pain or blood?”
      • Slide 8: Odysseus refuses to submit, saying: “Then I defy the gods.”
  • Slide 9: showing Odysseus’ words, “You gods don’t speak in ways we understand,” and Athena’s reply, “Who doesn’t understand pain or blood?”
  • Ask: What do you think this might reveal about how the ancient Greeks believed the gods behaved towards people?
  • Explain that this exchange is just one moment in a story full of encounters between Odysseus and the gods. Let’s look at three more, and consider Odysseus’ response.
  • Slide 10: Trapped in a cave by the giant cyclops Polyphemus, who begins eating his men one by one, Odysseus blinds the giant to escape. Polyphemus’ father, the sea god Poseidon, is enraged, and sends storm after storm to punish Odysseus.
  • Slide 11: The goddess Circe, viewing Odysseus’ men as greedy and gluttonous, turns them into pigs. (Teacher note: strictly speaking Circe (and Calypso, see below) is a minor goddess or nymph. It would be distracting to delve into the mythological divine hierarchy, but worth being aware in case it arises.)
  • Slide 12: Shipwrecked and half-drowned, Odysseus is found by the goddess Calypso, who lives alone on a remote island. She attaches herself to Odysseus and holds on to him, even though he has a wife and son at home. (Teacher note: In Homer’s original story Calypso abusively keeps Odysseus as an unwilling sexual partner. It would be distracting to raise this, but worth being aware in case it arises.)
  • Slide 13: showing Odysseus’ words, “Then I defy the gods.”
  • Ask: Is that an understandable response, given what we’ve just seen about how the gods behave in this story?
  • Give everyone a copy of The Odyssey: What Are the Gods Like? worksheet.
  • Once pupils have completed the worksheet, take feedback and discuss as a class. Draw out which of these five words best describe the gods in this story, and what they think about Odysseus’ response. Encourage them to evidence their view from the story. Explore any disagreements between your pupils’ views.
  • Explain that many ancient religions, which provide context for this story, pictured their gods as powerful, unpredictable, and to be feared or appeased rather than trusted and loved.
  • Explain that Christians believe that the Bible paints a rather different picture of God’s character.
  • Slide 14: read aloud 1 John 4:8-10 and Matthew 7:9-11.
  • (Teacher note: The following compare/contrast activity is intended to be balanced and respectful of a wide variety of views, it is not intended to force a particular perspective.) Referring to the Bible passages on Slide 14 and the pupils’ completed worksheets, lead a whole-class discussion comparing and contrasting the God described in these Bible passages with the gods portrayed in “The Odyssey”. Possible questions to use as appropriate for your class:
    • To what extent do the five words from the worksheet (powerful, unpredictable, vindictive, caring, and trustworthy) describe the God shown in these Bible passages?
    • What is the same, and what is different, between the gods we see in “The Odyssey” and how God is described in the Bible?
    • What might be a reasonable response to God as described in the Bible?
    • Would it matter, to how someone lives their life, whether they believed in “The Odyssey” depiction of the gods, or the biblical description of God? Why, or why not?
  • As appropriate for your pupils, draw out that Christians believe that God is consistent, reliable, generous, and loving. They see this as contrasting with the capricious and self-interested gods such as in “The Odyssey”. Unlike Odysseus who sought to defy the gods, Christians seek to respond by loving and obeying God.

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING

  • Give everyone a copy of The Odyssey: What Kind of God? Comparison Worksheet.
  • Give pupils time to complete the worksheet individually.
  • Take feedback from a few pupils on the character traits they identified and their thoughts on the impact this would have on believers. Encourage a range of viewpoints, and remind the class there is no single “correct” answer to the impact question.

YOU WILL NEED:

Copyright. Film clips, images, posters, and other promotional materials remain the copyright of their respective rights holders and are used here for educational purposes in connection with study and discussion related to the film. Film materials are reproduced here, and provided for use in educational establishments, under relevant UK educational copyright exceptions (Sections 32 and 34 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) and/or fair dealing provisions where applicable.

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