Epic – long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds.

May deal with various subjects such as myths, heroic legends,

histories, edifying religious tales, animal stories, or philosophical or moral theories. Its function is to stir the spirit of
warriors to heroic actions by praising their exploits and supplying them with models of ideal heroic behavior.

Homer – blind poet of Greece. Author of two epics the Iliad and the Odyssey; these depict the complete life of the
ancient Greeks in action and these are great epics. Its theme is the affirmation of the truth that one’s fate is the
result of one’s actions.
The Iliad – showcases the passions found in and the cruelty of war. It is a story of love and heroism.
The Odyssey – speaks of great adventures

Mythological Background of the Iliad:

-Zeus, the father of Gods, seemed to have realized that the Earth was getting overcrowded. To solve the problem of
overpopulation, he devised a great war that would sweep like a conflagration over Greece. This was the Trojan War.
(Mythological cause of Trojan War)
-A minor goddess, Thetis, was married to a mortal Peleus.
-Out of this marriage, Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, was born.
-Eris, the goddess of mischief, wasn’t invited to the marriage, so she threw a golden apple with the note: To the
fairest of the goddesses.
-Three goddesses gathered, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Zeus showed the three to the prince of Troy named Paris.
-The three bribed. Athena promised wisdom, Hera promised power, and Aphrodite promised the most beautiful
woman. Paris gave the golden apple to Aphrodite.
-Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world is already married to Menelaos, king of Sparta. With the help of
Aphrodite, Paris abducted Helen and took her to Troy where she remained until the end of Trojan War.
Agamemnon, King of Mycenaea, was the general of Greeks.
-Many adventurous Greek heroes joined the Greek expeditionary forces. Among then were Achilles, the greatest
and bravest of the Greek heroes. Odysseus, the clever and witty warrior, Diomedes, the bold one, Nestor, the
prudent old man, and Aias, the giant.

Iliad (The Trojan War)

-Fairest woman in the world was Helen. Such was the report of her beauty that not a young prince in Greece but
wanted to marry her. When suitors assembled, King Tyndareus, was afraid to select one. He therefore exacted first
solemn oath, if any wrong was done to chosen through the marriage. Tyndareus chose Menelaus, brother of
Agamemnon, and made him King of Sparta.
-Paris gave golden apple to Aphrodite. She led him to Sparta. Each was bound to not harm each other. Paris broke
that sacred bond. Menelaus trusting completely to it left Paris in his home as he went to Crete. Menelaus home,
Helen gone. He called all Greek, two of the first rank missing: Odysseus in romantic adventure then his son plow
then he reluctantly joined, Achilles was kept back by his mother, sea nymph knew that Achilles will die if he go to
Troy, therefore was sent to court of Lycomedes, but disguised, joined army.
-They met at Aulis, place of strong winds and dangerous tides. Army desperate, Calchas, declared that the gods has
spoken to him: Artemis angry, her hare was killed, only way to calm her is to sacrifice royal maiden, Iphigenia, eldest
daughter of Agamemnon. They sailed after the north wind ceased. They reached mouth of the Simois, Prostesilaus,
first to leap ashore bravely. Oracle said who landed first would die first. Greeks paid him honor. Greek army and
Trojan city both strong. King Priam and Queen Hecuba, had many sons to lead the attack and defend. Hector, no
man anywhere was nobler or brave, the champion of Greeks, Achilles.
-For 9 years victory wavered, no side gain advantage, quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, reason was
Chryseis. Achilles called assembly of chieftains to find a way to appease Apollo. Chryseis given back to father, Briseis
given to Achilles in trade. Thetis was angry as Achilles, she asked Zeus to give success to Trojans. Olympus was
reached by the war. Paris’s side is Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis. Greek’s side is Athena, Hera, Poseidon. Zeus
wants Trojan but doesn’t want to suppose Hera. Zeus plan, he knew that Greeks without Achilles were inferior to the
Trojans, he sent dream to Agamemnon that he get victory when he attack, Achilles stayed. Paris and Menelaus faced
each other. Aphrodite helped Paris on the fight. Paris ran. Trojan ranks hated Paris. Greek army victor, bidding to
give Helen back. Pandarus shoot an arrow to Menelaus, war is back. Greek side, Achilles gone, 2 greatest were Ajax
and Diomedes. Trojan side, next to Hector, Prince Aeneas, died to Diomedes. Aphrodite wants to save her son,
Aeneas, but got wounded by Diomedes knowing she was a coward goddess. Aphrodite stayed away from the battle.
Aeneas healed by Artemis, saved by Apollo. Diomedes and Athena vs Hector and Ares. Ares got speared at heart.
Wanted Hector’s mother to give Athena the most beautiful robe but was declined.
-Hector final goodbye, Andromache told him to not make her a widow. Hector can’t be a coward. Zeus himself went
down to help Trojans, Greek went hard cause Achilles far. Greek was made back to the ships. Nestor made
Agamemnon guilty cause he made Achilles mad. Odysseus go to Achilles. They went back to battle. Hera wants to
seduce Zeus, poured sweet sleep to forget Trojans. Favor back to Greeks. Ajax hurled Hector to the ground, Aeneas
lifted him and bore him away, Hector gone, Trojans far back to ships. Hector knew it was Hera. She said its all
Poseidon, cause she begged to make Poseidon help the Greek army as an excuse to Zeus. Iris was sent to Poseidon
for him to withdraw. Now Trojans is back and Greeks are turned back.
-Apollo saved Hector. Trojans want to sent ships on fire. Greeks hopeless only thought of dying bravely. Patroclus
said that Achilles can keep his anger as his countrymen go to ruin. Achilles gave his armor and men but he cannot go
as he is a man dishonored. Patroclus faced Hector. Patroclus has fallen. Achilles want to avenge Patroclus, Thetis did
not hold him back as he was ready to face death. Achilles delt shame as he see his comrades badly wounded. They
are ready to attack. Hector was appointed that he should die. Great river Xanthus, Scamander wanted to drown
Achilles. Gods were fighting now too. Zeus laughing on Olympus as the events, Athenas vs Ares, Hera vs Artemis,
Poseidon vs Apollo. Hector’s parents crying to tell him to save himself but he did not flee. Achilles beside with
Athena, Hector alone. Apollo left him at his fate. Hector said that if he kills Achilles, he would give back the body and
wishes for him to do the same but Achilles declined. Hector died having a spear at throat. Last breath he prepared
for Achilles to bring his body back to his parents but Achilles said he would rather devour his raw flesh for the devil
he made.
-There was an abuse on the underworld for Hector as it displeased the immortals except, Hera, Athena, and
Poseidon. Zeus told Priam to go to Achilles to redeem Hector’s body. Priam met Hermes and led him to Achilles tent.
Priam begged to Achilles and he gave back the body. Priam went back home mourning on the body. 9 days they
lamented him, they laid him on a lofty pyre and set fire on it. And that was the funeral of Hector, tamer of Horses.

Persuasive Texts – aim to convince the reader or the listener to agree to an opinion or take action on something.
*To do this successfully requires the use of content and language features that encourage the reader to think, feel,
and respond.
Content Features:
1. Informative Title – it states the viewpoint
2. Interesting Opening – this is to engage the reader in the text
3. Clear Reasons – justify why
4. Facts and arguments – these support your claim or reasons.
5. Ending that requires a response – written to support the viewpoint or to prompt someone to act on something.
Language Features:
1. Present tense
2. Action words show what is happening and call someone to action
3. Rhetorical questions don’t need to be answered but are asked for effect
4. Exclamation points
5. Emotive words that appeal to the feelings
6. Modals shows degrees of certainty
7. Words carefully chosen
8. Connecting words utilize link ideas
9. Expressions that emphasize
10. Sometimes, especially in advertisements, there is a touch of humor

Introductions need to be clear and summarize the main message. The writer may use a title that is bold, inspiring, or
controversial. They must engage the reader and their emotions so that they want to keep on reading.
Some interesting ways to grab a reader’s attention in persuasive texts are to:
▪ use a title with powerful language (Government fails to solve environmental disaster)
▪ start the introduction with a rhetorical question (What’s so good about dogs?)
▪ start the introduction with highly emotive language (It is obvious that people have been ignoring playground safety
for far too long.)
▪ start the introduction by using personal pronouns to involve the reader (I am certain that you wouldn’t agree with
the ridiculous idea that cats make better pets than dogs.)
▪ start the introduction with a clear statement of the topic (Each year countless animal species are added to the
world’s endangered list.)

Function/ Modal Verbs

>Ability(can) >Permission(may, might, can, could)
>Prohibition (must not, cannot) >Prediction (will, shall, may)
>Duty escapable obligation (should) >Obligation inescapable (must)
>Request; Offer (can, will) >Possibility (can, cannot)

Expressions that emphasize

>underscore >point out >what we need >affirm
>impress upon >significant >draw attention to >make a point of
>pinpoint >play upon >assert >make clear
>emphatically >take note of >to stress >make much of

Transitions are words and phrases that serve as bridges from one idea to the next, one sentence to the next, or one
paragraph to the next. Without transitions, your writing does not flow smoothly. It can also be compared as the glue
that holds your ideas together. In my opinion, for this reason, in most cases, apparently, I believe, indeed, again,
with this in mind, another key point, surprisingly enough

The content and language features are conveyed or delivered through Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion:
1. Ethos refers to appeal to credibility. By definition, it is the ethics or morality of something. It is used in writing to
convince the audience of your good moral character or credibility. To get credibility, the audience needs to first
determine whether you are up to good intentions or have a better and strong understanding of the subject matter.
As such, it is up to you as a writer to present yourself as trustworthy. Character of the speaker
2. Pathos refers to appealing to a person by influencing his emotions. Pathos is involved in the strategy of convincing
the audience by invoking feelings through their imaginations. Emotional influence on the audience
3. Logos refers to an appeal to reason based on logic. Logical conclusions come from assumptions and decisions
derived from weighing a collection of solid facts and statistics. Logical and sound reasoning.

Conclusion is a final opinion, decision, or understanding you reach through a close reading of a text and connecting
pieces of information. You draw conclusions from a set of details by looking closely and carefully at the details in a
text and connecting them. An author does not always state everything explicitly in a text. Sometimes you must go
deeper to reach an understanding of a topic or text.
How to draw conclusions from a set of details:
Ask yourself: • Do these details relate to one another?
• What clues are in the details?
• What is being said that is not explicitly stated?
• How can I piece this information together to come to a conclusion?
• Can my own experiences add anything to my understanding?

Resolving conflicts requires effective communication. Meanwhile, effective communication entails active listening
and understanding. However, the reality is that people pay less attention to listening and tend to focus on speaking.
Listening is an exercise in thinking. A student listens, gathers information through the auditory “input“, and
continuously selects and organizes what he or she hears into a pattern or structure of closely related thought. Key
words and phrases are listed and used as cues to signal the major ideas to which the minor ideas are connected. In
today's high-tech, high-speed, highstress world, communication is more important than ever, yet we seem to devote
less and less time to listen to one another. Genuine listening has become a rare gift—the gift of time. It helps build
relationships, solve problems, ensure understanding, resolve conflicts, and improve accuracy.

Here are the tips from Dianne Schilling of Forbes Women for you to listen effectively:
1. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.
2. Be attentive, but relaxed.
3. Keep an open mind.
4. Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
5. Don't interrupt and don't impose your "solutions.“
6. Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.
7. Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
8. Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
9. Give the speaker regular feedback.
10. Pay attention to what isn't said—to nonverbal cues

Analytical listening is about the ability and the capacity to properly analyze what is being said. This not only means
understanding what the other person is saying and what they mean to say but also being able to divide difficult
questions into separate parts to get to the core.
You can use the LSD technique. It stands for Listening, Summarizing, and Digging Deeper
Listening - Concentrate fully on other’s story.
Summarizing - Summarize what one is saying.
Digging deeper - Get down to the message by giving yourself time to let the information sink in and understand
what you just heard.

1. Among the following traits or qualities, which can best resolve conflicts to avoid violence? respect
2. Among the macro skills, which one is foremost needed in resolving conflicts? listening
3. What truth do the Greek epics, Iliad and Odyssey, affirm about one’s fate? It is the result of one’s action.
4. Which of the following is not true about Homer? He plays a major role in the epic the Iliad.
5. What is the mythological cause of the Trojan War? The desire of Zeus to solve the problem of overpopulation
resulted in a great war that caused thousands of deaths.
6. You will deliver your persuasive text and tell your audience that you are the magna cum laude of your batch. Ethos
7. Which of the following does not make an effective persuasive text? Make a statement investing a strong belief
about an issue, as if it is true, though it may not be.
8. The study published on November 6, 2019, in the journal Psychological Medicine, found that smokers had nearly
double the risk of developing depression or schizophrenia compared with people who didn’t. Logos
9. This type of literature functions to stir the spirit of warriors to heroic actions by praising their exploits and
supplying them with models of ideal heroic behavior. Epic
10. He was known as the blind poet of Greece who wrote the Iliad. Homer
11. She was the most beautiful woman in the world of antiquity and known as “the face that launched a thousand
ships”. Helen
12. This is the ability and the capacity to properly analyze what is being said and also being able to divide difficult
questions into separate parts to get to the core. Analytical Listening
13. It is defined as a macro skill that helps build relationships, solve problems, ensure understanding, resolve
conflicts, and improve accuracy. Listening
14. It is an impressive persuasive device to get the readers to thoughtfully consider something through asking
questions when no real answer is expected. Rhetorical Question
15. This refers to a persuasive technique that aims to convince an audience by using logic and reason and includes
the citation of statistics, facts, charts, and graphs. Logos
16. Helping verbs used to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability, etc. Modal Verbs
17. It is a final opinion, decision, or understanding you reach through a close reading of a text and connecting pieces
of information. Conclusion
18. These are clues in a text that you can piece together to draw conclusions. Set of Details
19. How does the author share his/her opinion about an issue through persuasive text? Support his/her opinion
with facts.
20. “Do we not hurt ourselves by using these gadgets and digital screens all day long without thinking about the
effect it will bring?” Pathos