The Song of Achilles

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The characters and stories of Greek mythology are pervasive in contemporary literature. Do you know any Greek myths? Describe the characters as well as the plot. What are the effects of Greek mythology on modern society, arts, and culture?

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on the class level, students may be well-versed in Greek mythology; however, if they are not, this question might be used as an opportunity to both ground students in the concept of a myth and introduce some popular myths to the class. Regarding the latter, students may be surprised to learn how many stories, characters, and aphorisms they already know that can be attributed to Greek mythology.

• Britannica provides a brief overview of Greek mythology.
• Greektravellers.com covers “30 of the Most Famous Tales from Greek Mythology.”

2. Consider your prior knowledge of the Trojan War. Where was it, and who fought in it? What was the motivation for fighting it? Which famous epic poem immortalizes this war? What do you know about Achilles, one of the war’s heroes?

Teaching Suggestion: The latter part of the novel focuses on the Trojan War, which Homer tells in The Iliad. This question is an opportunity to introduce and discuss this epic poem with students, mainly since Miller uses this poem as the root of her novel. Additionally, this question may serve as an introduction to Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey.

• University of Cincinnati shares information regarding the mythology of the Trojan War.
• History.com shares a brief overview of the Trojan War.

Short Activity

One of the primary elements of Greek mythology is the involvement of the gods and goddesses in human lives. Working in small groups, select one of the gods or goddesses of ancient Greece and investigate the following questions utilizing scholarly resources:

• What is the history of this god or goddess?
• What is their temperament?
• What are the relationships they have with humans?

Share your findings and 2-3 corresponding visuals that depict this god or goddess (e.g., famous paintings, sculptures, or drawings,) with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: Miller references different gods throughout the novel, particularly in references to the themes of The Immutability of Fate and What It Means to Be a Hero. While students should select the deity which interests them the most, gods and goddesses explicitly referenced in the novel might be given some priority; these include Apollo, Artemis, Athena, and Zeus, along with demi-gods Hercules and Perseus.

• Greektravellers.com provides an in-depth compilation and explanation of Greek mythology’s various gods and goddesses. (Note: Students will most likely be familiar with, and should mainly focus on, the section on the Olympian gods.)
• This resource from California State University Northridge breaks down the different gods’ involvement in the Trojan War.

Differentiation Suggestion: For visual learners, a graphic organizer may be helpful to keep their ideas organized. For more advanced classes, this activity could be refocused to examine how a particular god or goddess intervenes in the lives of Patroclus and Achilles. In this vein, this activity might benefit students during or after reading the novel, as students will be able to make connections with textual examples.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What do you think it means to be a hero? Who is a hero in your own life? Why do you consider this person to be a hero?

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider the theme of What It Means to Be a Hero in their own contexts. For a more well-rounded discussion, students may use the resource below to compare their understanding of the term “hero” to the use of the term in Greek mythology.

Harvard Professor Gregory Nagy provides a short synopsis of his book, discussing what it means to be a hero in Greek mythology.