Greek Myths in the Present Day: Advertising



Greek Myths in Advertising

References to Greek myths are prevalent in our society and around the world. One place that they are often referenced is advertising. Companies use the public’s knowledge of Greek mythology and the associations they have with it to sell their products. Today, you will be looking at the advertising on the internet for some different companies and organizations and exploring the references they contain to Greek mythology. You will also be creating your own ad for a product you create relating to a Greek god or goddess.

Part One: EXPLORING ADVERTISING

Our culture is filled with references to Greek mythology. Companies use our associations with certain gods and goddess to help sell their products. For example, let’s go to . Nike is the goddess of victory. She is often pictured as winged and carrying a wreath or palm of victory. (Her Roman is Victoria.) The company Nike is suggesting that people who buy their shoes will fly faster around the track and be winners.

Go to each of the following websites and look for the connection between the product being advertised and its reference to Greek mythology. For each of the following products, answer these questions in complete sentences.

A. What is the product being sold, the service being offered, or the idea being represented?

B. Who or what reference is used? Briefly describe the god, goddess, character or event. (If you are having difficulty, refer to Table One to determine the mythological reference.)

C. What connotation (the emotional associations of words) do they want the consumer to associate with their product? Explain why the advertiser has chosen to use that particular reference to mythology to sell their product, services, or idea.

Part One: WEBSITES

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Part Two: CREATING AN ADVERTISEMENT

1. Design your own advertisement for a make-believe product based on one of the Greek gods or goddesses in Table Two.

2. Your company's product must have some reference or association to the mythological figure you have selected.

3. Your advertisement should contain the following: a visual image, the product’s name, and a slogan. Additional creative content is encouraged.

4. You will also need to write a paragraph explanation. Your explanation should include how your image and slogan relate to your particular god or goddess. It should also discuss what particular connotation you want consumers to associate with your product.

EXAMPLE:

|DEMETER is the goddess of grains, crops and agriculture. I have | [pic] |

|chosen her symbol, the sheaf of wheat, to promote my natural food |We Help Children Grow Strong! |

|company where all products are organically grown. I am trying to | |

|use Demeter's association with the earth to advertise the goodness| |

|of the foods I sell. | |

|  | |

Part Three: RUBRIC

_____ / 20 Thoughtful answers and complete sentences used to complete Part One.

_____ / 20 Created ad contains a visual image, a product’s name, and a slogan all of which make reference to your specific god or goddess.

_____ / 10 A well thought out paragraph that explains how the image, product’s name, and slogan relate to the god or goddess, as well as an explanation of the connotation that you want consumers to associate with your product.

_____ / 5-10 EXTRA CREDIT: One to five advertisements found in the Record-Eagle that relate to Greek mythology (Cut out and stapled to your questions). This can only be completed in class during Project Friday after the rest of the project is completed.

Table One

|Mythological Figure or Concept| Story or Role in Greek or Roman Mythology |

|ZEUS |ZEUS was the most powerful ruler of all the gods and lived on top of|

|(JUPITER) |Mount Olympus. He is often associated with the lightening bolts that|

| |he hurled through the sky when he lost his temper. The eagle, a |

| |symbol of power, has often been used to represent Zeus. |

|HERA |HERA was Zeus' jealous and proud wife. A symbol often associated |

|(JUNO) |with her is the proud peacock with many colors. |

| POSEIDON |POSEIDON, brother to Zeus, was another strong and powerful god who |

|(NEPTUNE) |ruled the seas. His moods changed as often as the ocean tides. A |

| |symbol often associated with Poseidon is a three pronged fork called|

| |a trident. |

| ARES |ARES , son of Zeus and Hera, was the god of war and an instigator of|

|(MARS) |fights. He personified the bloody and brutal battle. He was very |

| |unpopular among the Greeks. |

|APHRODITE |APHRODITE,the beautiful goddess of love, was born from the sea. |

|(VENUS) | |

| ATHENA |ATHENA , the goddess of wisdom, was believed to have been born from |

|(MINERVA) |Zeus's forehead. She was also the defender of the just cause. |

|ARTEMIS |ARTEMIS was one of the principle goddesses of Greek mythology. She |

| |was the twin sister of the god, Apollo, and she was the goddess of |

| |the moon. She was the chief hunter to the gods . Atremis was also |

| |the protector of young women. |

| THE |SIRENS, in Greek mythology, were sea nymphs with the bodies of birds|

|SIRENS |and the heads of women. They had voices of such sweetness that |

| |mariners who heard their songs were lured to their deaths when they |

| |jumped from cliffs onto the rocks where the nymphs sang. |

|HERMES |HERMES, messenger of the gods, was the son of Zeus. As the special |

| |servant and courier of Zeus, Hermes had winged sandals and a winged |

| |hat and bore a golden Caduceus, or magic wand. He was also the god |

| |of commerce, and the protector of traders and herds. |

| CUPID |CUPID, son of Aphrodite, was depicted as a winged youth. Sometimes |

| |he carried a flower, but more commonly the bow and arrows, with |

| |which he shot darts of desire into the bosoms of gods and men. |

| ATLAS |ATLAS fought in the war against the Olympic gods. As punishment, he |

| |was condemned to bear forever on his back the earth and the heavens,|

| |and on his shoulders, the great pillar that separates them. |

| KING |KING MIDAS was a king in Greek mythology that was granted one wish. |

|MIDAS |He wished that everything he touched turned to gold. At first, he |

| |was overjoyed at the thought of being the richest man in the |

| |universe. However, he soon realized that his wish had negative |

| |consequences, for his food and water turned to gold. In some |

| |versions of this story his daughter dies when he touches her, and |

| |she is transformed into a gold statute |

|THE |The famous Greek hero, Odysseus, spent ten years after the Trojan |

|ODYSSEY |War attempting to make his way back home. His journey was an |

| |exciting adventure filled with trials and tests. The name of the |

| |book that tells his story is called The Odyssey. |

Table Two

| APOLLO | APOLLO, son of Zeus, was the god of the sun. He |

| |was also the god of poetry, music and song. |

| |Apollo was a gifted musician, who delighted the |

| |gods with his performance on the lyre. Apollo was|

| |the special protector of young men. |

| HEPHAESTUS |HEPHAESTUS, in Greek mythology, was the god of |

| |fire and metalwork. As the artisan of the gods, |

| |Hephaestus made their armor, weapons, and |

| |jewelry. |

| IRIS |IRIS, in Greek mythology, is the goddess of the |

| |rainbow. Iris left Olympus only to convey the |

| |divine commands to humankind, by whom she was |

| |regarded as an adviser and guide. Traveling with |

| |the speed of the wind, she could go from one end |

| |of the earth to the other, and to the bottom of |

| |the sea or to the depths of the underworld. She |

| |was represented as a beautiful maiden, with wings|

| |and robes of bright colors and a halo of light on|

| |her head, trailing across the sky with a rainbow |

| |in her wake. |

| AEOLUS |AEOLUS, in Greek mythology, was the keeper of the|

| |winds. The god Zeus had given him the power to |

| |still and arouse the winds. When the Greek hero, |

| |Odysseus, visited Aeolus, he was welcomed as an |

| |honored guest. As a parting gift, Aeolus gave him|

| |a favoring wind and a leather bag filled with all|

| |the winds. |

| HESTIA |HESTIA, goddess of the hearth,was the eldest |

| |daughter of the Titans. Hestia was the peacemaker|

| |in the sometimes tumultous world of the gods. She|

| |was believed to preside at all sacrificial altar |

| |fires. Prayers were offered to her before and |

| |after meals, and most cities had a common hearth |

| |where her sacred fire burned. |

Jason Kwiatkowski

CEP810

Model Lesson Plan

Objectives:

• Have students see how Greek mythology and culture is prevalent in modern society.

• Have students see how advertisers use Greek mythology, and other cultural stories, to sell their products.

• Have students learn to use Microsoft Publisher.

Technology Standards:

T.PT.08.b1

• Students use collaborative tools to design, develop, and enhance materials, publications, or presentations

T.PT.08.a2

• Students use a variety of technology resources, including the internet, to increase learning and productivity

T.PT.08.a1

• Students apply common software features (e.g., thesaurus, formulas, charts, graphics, sounds) to enhance communication and to support creativity

T.BO.08.b3

• Students use a variety of technology tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, grammar-checker, calculator) to maximize the accuracy of technology-produced products

T.PT.08.a4

• Students use available utilities for editing pictures, images, or charts

T.PT.08.a3

• Students explore basic applications that promote creativity (e.g., graphics, presentation, photo-editing, programming, video-editing)

Language Arts Standards:

L.RP.08.07

• "Interpret and analyze the various ways in which visual image makers (e.g., graphic artists, illustrators) communicate information and affect impressions and opinions."

R.CM.08.01

• "Connect personal knowledge, experience, and understanding of the world to themes and perspectives in the text."

R.CS.08.01

• "Evaluate the appropriateness of shared, individual, and expert standards based on purpose, context, and audience in order to assess their own work and work of others."

.08.03

• Present their work in standard American English if it is their first language (students whose second language is English will present their work in their developing version of standard American English).

W.PR.08.01

• "Set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors’ styles and patterns when writing narrative or informational text."

W.SP.08.01

• Use correct spelling conventions in the context of their own writing.

Materials:

• One copy of Greek Mythology in Advertising per student

• One computer with internet, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Publisher per student.

Procedure:

(By this point in the year, we have already read many Greek myths and discussed them in detail.)

Opening: I will begin by asking students where they have seen references to Greek mythology in their own lives. I will have some of them share with the class. I will eventually steer the conversation towards businesses or products that make some reference to Greek mythology. Specifically, I will bring up the example of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. We will discuss how Nike, the shoe company, uses the reference to Nike, the Greek goddess, to sell their shoes.

Explain Assignment: I will explain to my students that we are going to be looking at how companies use Greek mythology to sell their product. I explain how they are going to follow the links to specific websites. Once they are at the website, they need to type their responses to three questions in Microsoft Word. I will pick one of the examples and go through it with them using the LCD projector and screen. If students have trouble making the connections, I have attached Table One to their assignment. Table One gives them clues to the connections between the ads and Greek mythology.

• What is the product being sold, the service being offered, or the idea being represented?

• Who or what reference is used? Briefly describe the god, goddess, character or event. (If you are having difficulty, refer to Table One to determine the mythological reference.)

• What connotation (the emotional associations of words) do they want the consumer to associate with their product? Explain why the advertiser has chosen to use that particular reference to mythology to sell their product, services, or idea.

Before I let them start, I will explain the second part of the assignment. The second part requires them to create their own advertisement for a fictitious product that is based on a Greek god or goddess. These ads need to have a product name, a related image, and a slogan. In addition, they need to write a paragraph explaining how their ad relates to the specific Greek god or goddess they chose. I explain that they will be using Microsoft Publisher to create their ads. I tell them that I will walk them through the basic ins-and-outs of the program after they have had time to work on the first part of the assignment.

Work Time: Students have approximately one hour to begin, and hopefully finish, the first part of the assignment.

Explaining Publisher: At this time I will get all of the students’ attention and ask them to log on to Publisher and to wait at the opening screen. I then proceed to walk them through opening a new document, adding image and text boxes, and cropping and resizing images and text. I usually quickly mention a few of the other possibilities, but leave it up to them to explore if they have the extra time and the curiosity. Again, I cut them lose to finish part one and begin part two of their assignment.

Presenting: When the class has finished creating their Publisher documents, they will present them to the class using their explanatory paragraphs to guide their presentations.

Technology Backup Plan:

I can save a screen shot for each web link, so if the internet is down I can pull up the screen shots on the LCD screen and we could discuss them as a class, or I could give them five or ten minutes to complete the sentences for each one.

If the whole network is down, I can give handouts of the screenshots I mentioned above and have students write out their sentences instead of using Word. Also, I could have students draw their advertisements with colored pencils on construction paper instead of using Publisher.

Jason Kwiatkowski

CEP 810

Model Lesson Plan Reflection

“Greek Mythology in Advertising” is a lesson plan using the internet and other technology that I created to help seventh and eighth grade students see how Greek mythology is something that is still a part of their modern world. I also wanted them to think about how advertisers use cultural artifacts and peoples’ connotations with them to sell their products.

I think this lesson has many benefits. Most students love surfing the internet and see it as a new or modern activity, so I wanted them to see how Greek mythology was still being used by companies and organizations on something as new and fresh as the internet. I hope that this will help them have a deeper appreciation for the importance of Greek mythology and culture on the world.

Having students think about how and why companies advertise was another goal. Since most students go on the internet, I hope they will be more engaged by analyzing and discussing examples from the internet, instead of some outdated magazines or newspapers. In other words, I wanted to meet them on their own turf.

This assignment might also pose some challenges. First, it requires a good internet connection. Our school does have a good connection, but if it is receiving heavy use, the whole internet portion of the lesson could take a long time and become ineffective. Second, I will need to be very observant when students are completing the internet portion of the lesson, so students don’t get sidetracked while on the internet and head towards some nonacademic sites. Finally, part of the lesson has me teaching students how to use Microsoft Publisher. Some students will probably have used this program before, while others will be technologically challenged. I will need to be sensitive to the slow learners while also helping the students who are advanced users.

Using the internet and Microsoft Publisher will help me reach my goals for teaching this lesson in a variety of ways. I have many technology related goals that I am helping the students reach throughout this lesson. Using the internet and Publisher are directly related to these. For instance, using the internet helps students “use a variety of technology resources, including the internet, to increase learning and productivity.” Also the advertisements that students create in Publisher help them to “explore basic applications that promote creativity.” Using this technology also helps my students reach some of their standards for language arts. The following is one language arts standard that is reached using the mentioned technology: “Interpret and analyze the various ways in which visual image makers (e.g., graphic artists, illustrators) communicate information and affect impressions and opinions.”

If, or when, I have more time to adapt this lesson further, I would go into more detail on the different techniques that advertisers use and ask students to go more in depth when analyzing the advertisements on the internet. I might also ask them to think about ways that the internet has changed advertising. I believe this would help students be more thoughtful about the ways that advertisers market their products today and how they might continue to do so in the future.

Overall, I think this lesson will do a good job using the internet and technology to help students reach the standards while increasing their intrinsic motivation.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download