Unit 4 Introductory Activity: Cecropia
Completion requirements
Unit 4
How Do We Express Ourselves?
Reader's Notebook
Unit 4 Introduction
Art such as pictures and music tell stories. The arts express culture, beliefs, and the ways of thinking or acting of a group of people.
Arts are learned; they are skills which are passed on by generations of people. But, when people’s ideas change, people’s cultural expressions change also.
In this unit, you will learn about self-expression, the showing of your feelings, thoughts or ideas, especially in writing, art, music, poetry, design and film.
People’s ideas are expressed in their arts and entertainment.
Some people might value nature and the environment. This is expressed in their art. Other people may value quick, throw-away products. This too is expressed in their art.
How the City of Cecropia Got Its Name
The people of Cecropia produced art that expressed their ideas.
Cecropia was a beautiful city set on a hill. But, the people lived among bullies who were constantly picking fights and taking the stuff Cecropians owned. Cecropians had to decide how to defeat the bullies that lived around them: should they use strength or brains?
Cecropia was a beautiful city set on a hill. But, the people lived among bullies who were constantly picking fights and taking the stuff Cecropians owned. Cecropians had to decide how to defeat the bullies that lived around them: should they use strength or brains?
Spartan helmet
To solve the problem, the people chose to have a competition between two gods.
The first competitor was Poseidon, the god of the chaotic ocean. He was the god of raw material or stuff.
Poseidon would give the citizens the gift of the salty ocean. The ocean is a powerful force, as wild as an angry tongue. But, the Cecropians were concerned because they could not drink salt water.
Poseidon’s emotions were as unstable as the ocean waves. So too, greed is always hungry and cannot be satisfied. The people considered: would strength and power give them what they wanted?
The first competitor was Poseidon, the god of the chaotic ocean. He was the god of raw material or stuff.
Poseidon would give the citizens the gift of the salty ocean. The ocean is a powerful force, as wild as an angry tongue. But, the Cecropians were concerned because they could not drink salt water.
Poseidon’s emotions were as unstable as the ocean waves. So too, greed is always hungry and cannot be satisfied. The people considered: would strength and power give them what they wanted?
Greek warrior
The School of Athens by Raphael
The second competitor was Athena. She was the goddess of reasonable speech or logic (wisdom and common sense).
Athena would give the citizens the gift of olive trees from which they could eat, provide shelter, light, and healing oil. Wisdom would teach them to control their speech by using logic and the power of the mind. The citizens could become thinkers, poets, philosophers, scientists, and artists committed to beauty, truth, and what is fair. They could create the most beautiful art to represent their love of harmony, balance, and symmetry. Would wisdom give them what they wanted?
The citizens knew the god they would choose to represent their city.
Cecropia was renamed Athens to show that the citizens of Athens valued wisdom and logic more than strength.
Athena would give the citizens the gift of olive trees from which they could eat, provide shelter, light, and healing oil. Wisdom would teach them to control their speech by using logic and the power of the mind. The citizens could become thinkers, poets, philosophers, scientists, and artists committed to beauty, truth, and what is fair. They could create the most beautiful art to represent their love of harmony, balance, and symmetry. Would wisdom give them what they wanted?
The citizens knew the god they would choose to represent their city.
Cecropia was renamed Athens to show that the citizens of Athens valued wisdom and logic more than strength.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
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