Book Recommendations:
1. D’aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths:
D'Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962. Print
D’aulaires’ book introduces the concept of power and control within families and of dictatorships over lower ranked people. Through an introduction of the lineage of the gods, D’aulaires’ shows the length an individual will go to in order to hold power. Even sons killing fathers to gain power. In the book, the titan, Kronos, must slay his father in order to take power. In turn, Kronos’s son, Zeus, kills him to take the throne. He shared power with his relatives, all gods with a purpose and power while watching over the world. The mortal descendants of Zeus and the other gods became the heroes we still hear about today. The book provides moral lessons for children in the story of King Midas who was granted a wish where everything he touched turned to gold, even his daughter. Heracles holds great strength, but that that strength comes at a price of killing people he
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The Adventures of Odysseus:
Lupton, Hugh, Daniel Morden, Christina Balit, and Homer. The Adventures of Odysseus. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot, 2006. Print.
In the Adventures of Odysseus, the narrative points to the fact that even those individuals who appear to be untouchable or immortal have fundamental flaws and that pride and hubris make them vulnerable. Odysseus is a famed warrior who has been away from his home for 19 long years due to the Trojan War and a troubled journey home. His adventures include fighting a mighty Cyclops, outwitting the sorceress, Circe, and traveling to the land of the dead. When the Gods finally smile down on him and help him find his way home, he faces more hardships, for there are many suitors of his wife that would kill him if they knew who he was. Throughout the story Odysseus shows strength and fortitude through his hardships, but again and again his pride leads him