The Flight of Icarus Myth and Traditional Literature

What is a myth?

• A logical guess based on facts and knowledge

• A traditional story that attempts to answer basic questions about human nature, origins of the world, mysteries of nature, and social customs

• A message about life or human nature shared by the writer

• The strength and courage someone has

Which word could best be used to describe a main theme of the myth?

• Wisdom

• Freedom

• Fear

Which statement best explains how the setting impacts the plot of the story?

• Daedalus saw the air as a means of escape.

• Daedalus was a gifted engineer and inventor.

• Daedalus was imprisoned in a high tower.

Read the sentence. Daedalus was an ingenious artist and was not discouraged by his failures. The author’s purpose for using this sentence in paragraph 2 of the myth is to —

• explain that Daedalus was a successful artist but afraid of failure

• explain that Daedalus was a smart person who does not give up

• explain that Daedalus was a smart person but afraid of failure

A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society.

• Myth

• Plot

• Theme

• Conflict

Which is NOT a characteristic of a myth?

• Has characters who have special abilities or are gods

• Is set in ancient times

• Includes events that could not happen in real life

• Often tells a story that teaches a lesson relating to a cultural value

• It is a true story

Daedalus first knew that his fears had come true when

• He heard Icarus cry out to him.

• He felt the heat of the sun.

• He saw his son plunge into the sea.

• He saw feathers floating from the sky.

Icarus’s wings finally fall apart because —

• he flutters them too much

• the heat of the sun melts the wax

• the gods and goddesses want to punish him

• they are too small for him

What city was Daedalus traveling to holding Icarus?

• Rome. 

• Athens. 

• Sicily. 

• Romania.

What is the effect of this description of Icarus playing on the shore?

• It shows the reader that Icarus did not help his father.

• It shows that Icarus was happy to be on the island.

• It shows that Icarus was a young boy who liked to play.