Mini-Lesson on “Persephone”

By Mrs. Hoegh

Journal

Describe the relationship you have with your father or mother. How would he/she respond if you were “taken”? What steps would they take to get you back?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ02_Uzf7So&feature=fvwrel

Basic Information--Characters

Persephone (daughter of Zeus and Demeter, wife of Hades, goddess of spring)

Demeter (goddess of agriculture)

Hades (god of the underworld)Zeus (king of the gods, ruler of

mankind

Basic Information--Setting

Earth

The Underworld

Basic Information—Plot

Hades has fallen in love with Persephone, Zeus’s daughter, and wants to make her his wife. Zeus knows Demeter would never allow this so he plots with Hades to figure out a way to make this work. As Persephone is out in the fields one day, she is distracted by a beautiful flower which traps her and she is taken to the underworld to become Hades’ wife. Demeter heard her daughter scream and figured out what happened.

Basic information—Plot

Demeter went into a serious depression which effected the earth, creating famine. Zeus knew this couldn’t happened so he sent Hermes to plead with Hades to send Persephone back. Hades allowed it; however, since Persephone ate seeds from the underworld she must remain there three months out of the year revealing the explanation of the seasons.

Message From the Story

To Everything there is a Season

To everything there is a season,a time for every purpose under heaven.A time to be born and a time to diea time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planteda time to weep and a time to laugh;a time to mourn and a time to dancea time to lose and a time to seeka time to rend and a time to sewa time to keep silent and a time to speaka time to love and a time to hatea time for war and a time for peace.

Message From the Story

"This myth directly invokes your relationship with your adolescent daughter as you brave her exciting but terribly risky passage to becoming a woman."

Application of the Message

Many mothers feel they are losing their daughters during adolescent years

If we hold on to our children too tightly, if we weave our lives totally around them, we are then at a loss when they mature and become independent

Though there are times of great sorrow there is also great joy to be found

We learn to live through the ups and downs, the sorrows, heartaches knowing it’s possible to reach for the light again

Application of Message Continued

We need to stand firm for what is good and right, even in the face of adversity when powerful forces are aligned against us

We can't go back.For everything there is a season.And there is a time for letting go.

Connection to Current Event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-P2BrwTGqg

Assessment Questions

Include a question about summarization. Provide a 1-2 sentence summary over Zeus’s motive to help

Hades.

Include a question about a character’s conflict. Example—What motivates Hades to capture Persephone?

Include question to include support of theme/message. Example—Provide an example that supports the message

discussed in the lesson.

Include another question to support theme/message. Example—Provide another example that supports the theme

discussed in the lesson.

Assessment Questions

1. (Knowledge) What is Demeter goddess over and what is her relationship to Persephone?

2. (Analyze) What motive does Hades have for taking Persephone?

3. (Analyze) Compare and contrast the personality traits of Hades and Zeus.

4. (Analyze) Predict what would have happened if Persephone wasn’t returned to Demeter?

5. (Evaluate) Determine what Hades’ life is like when Persephone is with Demeter. Explain.