English 10 Module 1 Week 1: Overcoming Challenges

I. Title: Discovering Personal Challenges

II. Overview/Introduction

Echkart Tolle once said, “When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself.
When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of self, of
who you are, is inseparable from stillness. I am that is deeper than your name and form.”

In your previous journeys, you have been provided with a lot of opportunities to explore and
improve yourself. Now that you are in the final stage of your junior high school years, what this
lesson promises is to teach you how to increase your effectiveness in responding to problems which
challenge your innermost sense of self, your “I am that is deeper than your name and form.”

In this lesson, you’ll answer one enduring question about life, that is, “How does discovering
personal challenge create a deeper understanding of your innermost sense of self?”

III. Learning Outcomes

In charting the course of your journey in this lesson, you are expected to:

• Use textual aids in understanding the text better;

• Determine how connected events contribute to the totality of a material viewed; and
• Predict what will eventually happen in a story

IV. Learning Experiences and Self-Assessment Activities (SAA)

YOUR INITIAL TASKS: Task 1 BLOCKS THAT BLOCK

Each block represents a saying or well-known phrase. Identify the phrase or idiom graphically
presented in each square. Write your answers on the space provided below.
Answers:
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________

Processing Questions:
1. What is your overall impression about the phrases above?
2. How do they reflect realities in life?

Task 2 THE GUIDING PATH: Read carefully the succeeding text. Let the chart below be your guide in
reading the text.

Processing Questions:
1. What are some myths that you have read?
2. What makes these stories a myth?
Task 3 ANTICIPATION-REACTION GUIDE: Accomplish the Story Anticipation-Reaction Guide below.
1. Before reading – read the statements in the table on the next page and check the column that
corresponds to your response.
2. After reading – review your answers and write in the last column whether you were right or
wrong.

ICARUS & DAEDALUS

Daedalus -- his name means "skilled worker" -- was a famous architect, inventor, and master
craftsman known for having created many objects that figure prominently in various myths. He had a
beloved son named Icarus.

Among the many inventions and creations crafted by Daedalus were the wooden cow he
constructed for the queen Pasiphae, the Labyrinth of the Minotaur at Knossos on the island of Crete,
artificial wings for himself and his son Icarus, and he was even said to have invented images.

The infamous Labyrinth was so cunningly crafted that Daedalus himself could barely find his way out
after constructing it. With countless winding passages and turns that opened into one another, the
Labyrinth appeared to have neither beginning nor end. Daedalus built the maze to imprison the
Minotaur, half man - half bull.

His homeland was Athens but his parentage is uncertain. Alcippe, Merope and Iphinoe are all
mentioned at different times as being his mother. His father's identity was never precisely
established but many claim that it was Metion, son of Erectheus.

For a short time, his apprentice was his sister's son Perdix. But Daedalus was so proud of his
achievements that he could not bear the idea of a rival. His sister had placed her son Perdix under
his charge to be taught the mechanical arts.

Perdix was an apt scholar and showed striking evidence of ingenuity. Walking on the seashore, he
picked up the spine of a fish. According to Ovid, imitating it, he took a piece of iron and notched it on
the edge, and thus invented the saw.

Perdix also put two pieces of iron together, connecting them at one end with a rivet, and sharpening
the other ends, and made a pair of compasses.

Daedalus was so envious of his nephew's accomplishments that he seized an opportunity to toss him
from the hill of the Acropolis. As he was plunging to his death, however, the goddess Athena turned
Perdix into a partridge to save him.

Other sources claim instead that his apprentice was his nephew Talos. They say that it was Talos, at
the age of twelve, who displayed a skill that nearly rivaled his mentor's. Daedalus, fearing that the
boy would surpass him in talent, murdered the boy by tossing him from the Acropolis of Athens.

He was then tried at the Areiopagus, which was the ancient Greek court, and banished from his
home city of Athens. He fled to the island of Crete, where he began to work at the court of King
Minos and Queen Pasiphae, in the magnificent palace of Knossos.

It is said that Daedalus was the first to conceive masts and sails for ships for the navy of Minos,
helping Crete become a naval power. The statues he carved were so exquisite, they looked as if they
were alive. It is said that they would have escaped were it not for the chain that bound them to the
palace wall.

Daedelus also constructed a wooden cow for the queen to hide in to satisfy her amorous longings for
a white bull sent by Poseidon, and by which she became pregnant with the Minotaur. Long story.

When the dreadful Minotaur was born, Daedalus built the Labyrinth to contain the monstrous half-
man, half-bull. For years Minos demanded a tribute of youths from Athens to feed the creature as
punishment for the accidental killing of his son while he was visiting Athens.
Eventually, the Athenian hero Theseus came to Crete to attempt to slay the Minotaur. Princess
Ariadne, daughter of king Minos and queen Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus and asked Daedalus
to help him.

Daedalus gave her a flaxen thread for Theseus to tie to the door of the Labyrinth as he entered, and
by which he could find his way out after killing the monster, simply by following the thread back.
Theseus succeeded, and escaped Crete with Ariadne.

Minos, enraged at the loss of his daughter, not to mention the killing of his pet Minotaur, shut
Daedalus and his son Icarus into the Labyrinth, knowing that Theseus could not have accomplished
the deed without inside help.

Daedalus managed to get out of the Labyrinth - after all, he had built it and knew his way around.
Daedalus decided that he and his son Icarus had to leave Crete and get away from Minos, before he
brought them harm.

However, Minos controlled the sea around Crete: the king kept strict watch on all vessels,
permitting none to sail without being carefully searched by his soldiers.

Since Minos controlled the land and sea routes, and there was no route of escape there. Daedalus
realized that the only way out was by air. But only the gods could fly!

To escape, Daedalus built wings for himself and Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with
wax. Daedalus tried the wings on himself first and was satisfied that his plan would work.

Before taking off from the island, Daedalus warned his son to follow closely behind him. He sternly
cautioned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt his wings, and not too close to the
sea, as it would dampen them and make it hard to fly.

They successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus grew exhilarated by the thrill of flying and began
getting careless. The father and son passed the islands of Samos, Delos and Lebynthos, and the
further away from Crete they flew, the cockier became Icarus.

Forgetting his father's stern advice, Icarus flew too close to the sun god Helios, pulling the sun
behind his chariot high in the sky.

The wax holding together his wings softened and melted from the heat and, try as he might, Icarus
could not prevent the feathers from falling off his body. Furiously he flapped his arms, but soon no
feathers at all were left and he fell to his death, drowning in the sea, as his helpless father with
anguish watched his son perish.

His father cried, bitterly lamenting his own arts, and called the land near the place where Icarus fell
into the ocean Icaria in memory of his child. The Icarian Sea, where he fell, was forever named after
him and it is said that the great hero Heracles (Hercules), who was passing by, gave him proper
burial.

Daedalus grieved for his dead son and then continued to Sicily, where he came to stay at the court of
Cocalus in a place called Camicus. On the island's south coast Daedalus built a temple to Apollo, and
hung up his wings, as an offering to the Olympian god.
But vengeful King Minos wasn't quite done -- he then went in pursuit of Daedalus, hoping to locate
and trick the great inventor into revealing himself.

At each city he visited, Minos offered a reward to whomever could thread a spiral seashell, a
seemingly impossible task. Eventually, Minos came to Camicus in Sicily and presented the contest at
Cocalus' court.

Cocalus knew of Daedalus' talents, and gave the shell to him. The clever Daedalus tied the string to
an ant, place the ant at one end of the shell, and allowed the ant to walk through the spiral
chambers until it came out the other end.

When Minos saw that someone had solved the puzzle, he demanded that Cocalus surrender
Daedalus, for he insisted that only he would have been inventive enough to solve the task. King
Cocalus promised to do so, but he persuaded Minos to first take a bath and stay for some
entertainment.

Minos agreed, and was consequently murdered by Cocalus' daughters, who had been totally
impressed by the toys and gifts which Daedalus had bestowed upon them and did not want any
harm to come to him.

In some versions of the myth, Daedalus himself poured boiling water on Minos and killed him.

Daedalus eventually left Camicus, much to the dismay of king Cocalus and his daughters, and ended
up in Sardinia with a group led by Iolaus, who was a nephew of Heracles.

This tragic theme of failed ambition, complacency and hubris contains similarities to that of
Phaëthon, the son of sun god Helios, who wildly and recklessly flew his father's sun chariot and was
killed for his foolishness.

(Myth Man's note: in some versions of the myth it is suggested that Icarus drowned as he and his
father attempted to swim to freedom, or that they built a boat and sailed away, only to have it
capsize, leading to the death of Icarus. I prefer the "escape by air" version. Don't you wish that Icarus
had listened to his father?

Task 4 MY PURPOSE: Create a Personal Mission Statement and discover your purpose. Use the SAA
Answer Sheet to write your mission statement; begin by answering these questions:

1. What do I value most in life? (List those things.)

2. What is my life’s purpose?
3. What legacy do I want to leave my school?

Task 5 MY TREASURE:

Reflect on the story that you have read, and think of situation wherein you can actually implement
the lessons that you have learned from it. Use the SAA Answer Sheet to write your responses.

“Personal challenges help one become a better person. Recognizing these challenges would help one
become better prepared for life.”

1. My journey through this lesson enabled me to learn

2. It made me realize that
3. I, therefore, commit to

Task 6 DEALING WITH PERSONAL CHALLENGE: Below are some personal challenges encountered by
Icarus and Daedalus. How would you deal with these challenges if you encounter them? Write your
1-sentence answers on the SAA Answer Sheet.

1. abuse of power
2. self-destruction
3. foolishness
4. lack of contentment
5. aggressiveness
6. hard headedness
7. impetuousness
8. hostility
9. pride
10. boastfulness

V. Summary/Key Points

Daedalus is a brilliant inventor—the Thomas Edison of his day. Unfortunately, he angers King Minos,
the ruler of the island Crete, and he has to hightail it out of there. Desperate to flee the island,
Daedalus uses wax to build some wings for himself and his son Icarus. Daddy Daedalus warns his son
to fly at a middle height: the seawater will dampen the wings and the sun will melt them. 

Icarus heeds his father's advice for a bit, but then he gets cocky. He's having so much fun flying that
he forgets the warning and flies too close to the sun. Sure enough, his wings melt, and Icarus
plummets into the sea and drowns. Daedalus is (of course) devastated by his son's death, but the
show must go on. He flies on to Sicily, where he mourns Icarus and builds a temple in honor of the
god Apollo.

VI. SAA Answer Sheet

Name: ________________________________________________ Score: _________________

Day/Time: _____________________________________________ Date: __________________

Task 4 MY PURPOSE: Create a Personal Mission Statement and discover your purpose. To write your
mission statement, begin by answering these questions:

1. What do I value most in life? (List those things.)

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. What is my life’s purpose?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
 3. What legacy do I want to leave my school?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Task 5 MY TREASURE:

Reflect on the story that you have read, and think of situation wherein you can actually implement
the lessons that you have learned from it.

“Personal challenges help one become a better person. Recognizing these challenges would help one
become better prepared for life.”

1. My journey through this lesson enabled me to learn

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. It made me realize that
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. I, therefore, commit to
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Task 6 DEALING WITH PERSONAL CHALLENGE: Below are some personal challenges encountered by
Icarus and Daedalus. How would you deal with these challenges if you encounter them?

1. abuse of power
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. self-destruction
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. foolishness
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. lack of contentment
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. aggressiveness
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. hard headedness
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. impetuousness
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. hostility
__________________________________________________________________________________
9. pride
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. boastfulness
__________________________________________________________________________________
VII. End of Module Assessment

Task 7 FACTS AND DETAILS

1. Who hired Daedalus?
2. What did Daedalus design to hold the Minotaur?
3. What did Daedalus invent to help him and Icarus escape from the Labyrinth?
4. What did he warn Icarus not to do?
5. What happened to Icarus?
1.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

4.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Task 8 WHAT’S GOING ON?

1. Why did Minos imprison Daedalus in the Labyrinth?
2. Why did Minos think that, if Daedalus can’t find his way out, “so much the better”?
3. Minos told Icarus that the plan was dangerous. Why did he want them to take this risk?
4. Why did Daedalus leave his wings on the altar of Apollo? Why wouldn’t he want to fly some
more?

1.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
VIII. SAA Answer Key

Task 7
1. King Minos hired Daedalus because he wanted the mythical creature called Minotaur to be
imprisoned permanently.
2. Daedalus designed and built a Labyrinth to hold the Minotaur. 
3. He made artificial wings that are fashioned with feathers held together with wax.
4. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt his wings and not too close
to the sea, as it would dampen them and make it hard to fly.
5. Daedalus left his wings at the altar of Apollo because there's no use in flying anymore since his
son, Icarus, died. Of course, he would weep and cry over his dead son.

Task 8
1. Minos imprisoned Daedalus in the Labyrinth because he was infuriated after finding out about
the betrayal.
2. Minos think that if Daedalus can't find his way out it will be so much better since he use to feed
his daughter with humans.
3. Minos told Icarus that the plan is dangerous but still wanted them to take the risk because he
thought that they can escape from the Labyrinth using the wings made up from feathers and wax.
4. Daedalus left his wings on the altar of Apollo as an offering.

IX. Looking Ahead

You probably have experienced, observed, or learned about a lot of discrimination at home, in
school, or among your peers? List down the different forms of discrimination you experienced in the
table below.

DISCRIMINATION
Family School Friends
X. Self and Module Evaluation

On each description below, please check the column that best describes your evaluation of this
module.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
1. The learning outcomes are clearly stated
and attainable.
2. The introduction part is interesting.
3. The presented concepts enables the learner
to attain the target learning outcomes.
4. The concepts presented are detailed and
comprehensive.
5. The questions on the Self-Assessment
Activity are reflective of the lessons suggested
in the Learning Experience part of the module.
6. The questions posted in the module
encourage critical thinking.
7. The instructions in the Self-Assessment
Activity are clearly stated.
8. The general concepts/key points are
logically summarized.
9. The module enables the learner to use
his/her prior knowledge.
10. The sources of information are cited in the
module for verification and acknowledgement
purposes.

XI. References

http://thanasis.com/icarus02.html
https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/mythology/daedalus-icarus/summary
https://www.slideshare.net/daniholic/grade-10-english-learners-module