Year 7B English

In 7B English, we have been constructing 60 Second Pitches. Our topic was whether renowned poet, Homer, should be widely read by students. In order to create effective, convincing pitches in a short span of time, we went through a specific process.

Firstly, we chose our argument; yes or no, or yes but!. We watched videos on reviews of Homer, took notes, and formed our three key points that supported our contention. Only then, did we draft our pitch. We made sure to include three persuasive techniques in our pitches to hook and convince the audience. We drafted and kept tweaking our pitch until we were happy with the end result. Lastly, and most importantly, we practised over and over again until we presented our position in front of the class.

This process has made us stronger learners and the polished pitches were amazing. Here is a sneak peek of a 60 Second enthusiastic Pitch written by me.

Hello. My name is Harshitha and I strongly believe that students and adults alike should read Homer.

Before I delve a little deeper into why we should read Homer, let me give you a little bit of information of who Homer really was. Homer was the author of the two epic poems; The Illiad and The Odyssey. He is said to have been blind, but we have no real proof of that. But what we do know is that Homer didn't actually write the epics, but rather composed them orally and sang them.

Now, number one. We should all read Homer because of the immense influence he has had on modern literature. We see this influence and impact through European, especially Renaissance literature. The structure and word usage we see in The Illiad and The Odyssey, have evolved into what we see as modern literature.

Reason two. Well, who here doesn't really enjoy History? Raise your hand. I'm sorry Elliot, because you do like History, and this is a huge generalization. Most people don't like History class. Neither do I. But through reading what just seem like two poems, you learn a heap about ancient history.  But history is not just a bunch of dates, facts, events and places in chronological order, although you do learn that. History is made by the people, right? Through the epic poems, you see how the Ancient Greeks saw their world, the values, such as honour through warfare and hospitality, that they upheld, the way they regarded their foes and the myths they believed in.

Lastly, we should read Homer because he is a role model. He set the benchmark in his writing that poets, dramatists and artists aspired to reach. It's no wonder that he is universally called the father of all literature!

I strongly recommend reading Homer's epic poetry. Next time you go to the library, you should pick up The Illiad or The Odyssey, for the chances are that you will enjoy it!

After writing our ‘Share Our Success’ letters to our Primary Schools, we will be studying Book 9 from Homer’s The Odyssey in class.

Harshitha Meenakshisundaram

Year 7