The Fall of Icarus

Ms. Hansen, English 9

The Fall of Icarus

After escaping the labyrinth, Daedalus used feathers and

wax to make wings for himself and his son, Icarus, so they could fly away from the island of Crete. Icarus didn’t heed his father’s warning and flew too close to the sun. The wax melted, the wings fell apart, and Icarus plunged to his death in the sea.

This myth is a lesson about how teenagers can be reckless and act as though they are immortal. It is a reminder of how important it is to listen to adults who have more life experience and who understand the consequences of their actions.

Directions

• You will view a couple of paintings and read a poem about the myth.

• You will write written responses to the prompts that follow the paintings and the poem.

• Your answers must be well-thought out and written in complete sentences.

The Lament for Icarus -Herbert James Draper, 1898

The Lament for Icarus

• Define lament. • What is the subject of the painting? • Who are the characters, and what are they

doing? • Other than his father, Daedalus, who will mourn

Icarus? Base your answer solely on evidence in the painting, not conjecture.

• Based on the evidence in the painting, what is the artist’s view, or attitude, about Icarus falling to his death?

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus -Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1560

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

• What is the subject of the painting? (Hint: it is not Icarus).

• List what the various people (ploughman, shepherd, fisherman, crew) are doing.

• Identify the event that is going unnoticed. • Other than his father, Daedalus, who will mourn

Icarus? Base your answer on evidence in the painting, not conjecture.

• Based on the evidence in the painting, what is the artist’s view, or attitude, about Icarus falling to his death?

“Musee des Beaux Arts”

• Read the excerpt from the poem, “Musee des Beaux Arts” by W. H. Auden.

• The title is French for “Museum of Fine Arts”. Auden was inspired to write the poem after viewing the painting, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, in the museum in 1938. You might say the painter was the poet’s muse!

Excerpt from Musee des Beaux Arts W. H. Auden Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

“Musee des Beaux Arts”

• Paraphrase what Auden is stating about the subjects’ reactions to the tragic event that just occurred.

• Determine what Auden is stating about the general reaction people have when other people are suffering.

• Describe in detail an event that is currently happening somewhere in the real world, in which people are suffering and yet others just go about their business.

You are finished!

• Title your paper The Fall of Icarus

• Write your name and period # in the upper right-hand corner.

• Staple the pages together.

• Place the paper in the appropriate basket.

• Common Core Standards: RL9.1, RL9.5, RL9.7, RI9.1, RI9.7