Personal Narrative through the Lens of the Tragic Hero | College Behind Bars

The Bard College graduates go through the commencement ceremony and talk about their past. We see how seminars and discussions on classic works of literature, like Homer’s Odyssey and The Brothers Karamazov, provide a new lens through which to view their own experiences.

In this lesson, students will discuss the characteristics of tragic Greek heroes and how they appear in other forms of media as well as their own lives. They will watch the excerpt from College Behind Bars and see how students react to reading classic texts. They will take also notes while viewing using the provided handout.