CALYPSO The Beautiful Nymph Or A Style of
CALYPSO The Beautiful Nymph Or A Style of Music
Life's Distractions �Distractions can be considered great coping mechanisms in the fast-paced world we live in, but sometimes distractions aren't asked for or even wanted. On the island of Ogygia, Odysseus was held captive for more than seven years by a beautiful sea nymph, Calypso, and while the distraction may have been pleasant at first, her selfish desire for his companionship quickly turned sour.
Calypso with a capital “C” �Calypso, with a capital “C” , names a goddess of mythology �A daughter of the Titan Atlas �Inhabits the island of Ogygia
�The island is described as having luxurious fruits and vegetation, lush fields and meadows, and caves for shelter. Odysseus has everything he could ever want and need, but his loyalty to his wife and home could not be broken. While he did act as Calypso's lover, that love soon faded from Odysseus. He is described crying every day, wishing he could return home to his wife. Odysseus, our epic hero, is forced to live a life of isolation, fulfilling no purpose as a warrior or leader. The island forces Odysseus to have no purpose except as Calypso's companion.
Calypso �In your book, begin reading “Book 5” pg. 29 -30. �Listen to a song written from Calypso’s point of view by Suzanne Vega. The lyrics are on the next page so that you can follow along. After listening, answer the questions on the slide that follow the lyrics. �Go to https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=VAo 25 TLSYLs
Calypso by Suzanne Vega � My name is Calypso and I have lived alone I live on an island I waken to the dawn A long time ago I watched him struggle with the sea I knew that he was drowning and I brought him into me Now today come morning light he sails away After one last night I let him go My name is Calypso my garden overflows Thick and wild and hidden is the sweetness there that grows My hair blows long as I sing into the wind I tell of nights where I could taste the salt on his skin Salt of the waves and of tears and while he pulled away I kept him here for years now I let him go My name is Calypso I have let him go In the dawn he sails away to be gone forever more And the waves will take him in again but he'll know their ways now I will stand upon the shore with a clean heart And my song in the wind the sand may sting my feet And the sky will burn it's a lonely time ahead I do not ask him to return I let him go
Questions about the reading and the listening are to be answered in your IN literature section. �Summarize the account from The Odyssey reading of Odysseus’ feelings about Calypso. �Summarize the account from the song of Calypso’s feelings about Odysseus. �What can you infer about the time these two people spent together? How long were they together? How did they get along? �Who do you feel the most emotion toward—Odysseus or Calypso? Why? �What is the tone of this song? �Why do you think the words “I let him go” are repeated so man times in the song? �Why does Calypso say that she has a “clean heart”?
Calypso Paintings �Study the two paintings of Calypso in the next two slides. Respond to the following questions in the literature section of your IN under a heading called “Calypso”. �What differences and similarities do you notice? �What do these paintings tell you about the artists’ perspective of Calypso? Explain your answers using details from the paintings. Be sure to give credit to the artist as you write.
Artist: George Hamiton
Artist: Chas A Buchel
Calypso with a small “c” �A musical style �Calypso rhythms can be traced back to the arrival of the first African slaves brought to work in the sugar plantations of Trinidad. Forbidden to talk to each other, and robbed of all links to family and home, the African slaves began to sing songs. They used calypso, which can be traced back to West African kaiso, as a means of communication and to mock the slave masters. �Some musicologists believe these rhythms can be traced to the western part of the Mediterranean Sea.
Listening #1: go to https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=VAo 25 TLSYLs
Listening #2: go to https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=GC_m. V 1 Ipj. WA
Respond �Respond to the two listenings. �What did you hear? �What did it make you think of? �Is this the type of music you think might have been heard on Calypso’s island?
- Slides: 14