Learn About Mythology Myths are ancient stories that explain why things happen in the world. A myth is often a story of gods, heroes, and great deeds. Sometimes an author refers to mythology to express an idea.
Those dogs will give any job a Herculean effort as long as the reward is playtime when they’re done.
Hercules, a Greek hero, had to perform twelve difficult tasks. So, to make a Herculean effort is to try extremely hard.
Use Words and Phrases from Mythology Work with a partner. Read each sentence and its mythological connection. Then explain each sentence.
| Sentence | Mythological Connection | What the Sentence Means |
|---|---|---|
| Video games were Mark’s Achilles’ heel. | The Greek hero Achilles’ only weakness was his heel. | |
| When she saw him, Carmen was struck by Cupid’s arrow. | Cupid was the Roman god of love. He shot people with an arrow to make them fall in love. |
Poetry uses these characteristics to create images and express feelings:
• sentences that are divided into lines
• sets of lines that are divided into stanzas, or paragraphs
• descriptive language that creates sensory images
• an emotional tone
• a rhythm, or beat
• a rhyme scheme, or pattern of lines with the same end sound
Analyze a Poem Reread “The Wonder Dog” on page 434. Which of the above characteristics does the poem have? Complete the chart.
| Example | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| That brave Wonder Dog was stunning | descriptive language |