"Lotus Eaters"

For our first project in 9th grade literature, we create an Empathy Collage to make a connection between a character in the Odyssey and a person in the modern world. Empathy is described as the ability to understand or share feelings with another. For our collage we compared the Lotus Eaters to a very real disease called Alzheimer's. We choose these topics because in the Odyssey one of Odysseus' men went through a very similar experience that are very similar to the symptoms of having Alzheimer's. In the Odyssey Odysseus sends one of his men to go explore the unknown island. While there he eats a lotus causing him to forget about his current situation. By the time Odysseus realizes the effects of the flower his crew member's fate has already been set. The symptoms of Alzheimer's present similarly causing a patient to forget memories and thoughts just like a lotus. Overall both the lotus flower and Alzheimer's puts some type of "magical" spell on people causing them to forget. This unforgiving spell leaves people in much despair not knowing their current fate.