Summarizing
Summarize what happens to Odysseus and his men in the story of the Cyclops.
Odysseus decides to go into a Cyclops's cave and take food. When the Cyclops returns, he is angered by Odysseus's entitlement. He traps the men, and Odysseus blinds the Cyclops with a spear. They come up with a plan to tie themselves to the bellies of sheep to escape undetected.
Transformation
What is a large change undergone by a character?
What is the difference between direct and indirect characterization?
Direct characterization is when the reader is directly told a character's personality.
Indirect characterization is when the reader has to figure out the character's personality through their actions.
What can we learn about pride and humility from The Odyssey?
-Humility is necessary to be a good leader.
-Pride can get people into dangerous situations.
A common motif in The Odyssey is family loyalty. What is one story that uses this motif?
-Telemachus helping Odysseus overcome the suitors
-Penelope staying faithful to Odysseus
-Odysseus returning home after 20 years
Summarize Penelope's plan to keep herself from having to remarry.
Penelope plans to weave a burial shroud for Odysseus's grave. She says she will not marry until it is done, but every night she undoes portions of the weaving so she never completes it and never has to marry.
Characterization
What are an author's strategies used to build a character's personality?
What can we learn about Odysseus's personality based on his experience with the Cyclops?
In the beginning of the story, Odysseus is entitled and thoughtless, expecting the Cyclops to take care of his and his crew's needs. By the end, we learn that Odysseus can come up with a plan when he needs to, but he isn't immune from making mistakes.
What theme can we learn from the story of the Lotus Eaters?
-Avoiding drugs allows people to make clear-headed decisions.
-Odysseus going into the Cyclops's cave
-Penelope taking care of the suitors
-Odysseus staying with Calypso and Circe
Summarize what happens in the story of the Scylla and Charybdis.
Odysseus and his men encounter a whirlpool (Charybdis) and 6-headed monster (Scylla). Several men get eaten by the monster, and the crew barely escapes.
Theme
What is a one-sentence observation about what is learned from a text?
How does Odysseus transform over the course of the text?
Odysseus changes from...
prideful to humble
rushed to patient
ignorant to a smart decision maker
What theme can we learn from the story of the Scylla and the Charybdis?
-Sometimes sacrifice is necessary in order to succeed.
A common motif in The Odyssey is justice/revenge. What is one story that uses this motif?
-The Cattle of the Sun God
-The Cyclops
-Odysseus's Revenge
Summarize what happens in the story of the Cattle of the Sun God.
Odysseus is told by Circe not to eat any of Helios's cattle. While Odysseus is sleeping, his crew gets very hungry and eats the cows, causing Helios to be very angry. Helios almost kills them all, but Zeus steps in and punishes them with a lightning bolt instead. In the storm, all of the crew dies except for Odysseus.
Motif
What is a repeated image or idea in a text?
What does Penelope's nightly weaving teach us about her personality?
Penelope is intelligent and is able to use her skillset to take care of herself.
What theme can we take from the story "The Cattle of the Sun God"?
-It is important to respect other people's belongings.
-Incurring the anger of the gods will have severe consequences.
One common motif in The Odyssey is loyalty to a crew/team. What is one story that uses this motif?
-Odysseus fighting to turn his men back into people after Circe turned them into pigs
-The Scylla and Charybdis
-The sirens
Summarize Odysseus's and Telemachus's plan to get all of the suitors out of their house.
Odysseus will disguise himself as a beggar while Telemachus hides all of the weapons in the house. When the suitors aren't paying attention, Telemachus and Odysseus will use the weapons to strike and kill all of the suitors. Odysseus also participates in a bow and arrow shooting contest and wins.
Inference
What is an assumption based on evidence?
How does Telemachus transform over the course of the text?
Telemachus transforms from being hopeless to authoritative and more mature.
At the beginning of the story, he is not as involved. He doesn't seem to be able to help Penelope get the suitors to go away. However, by the end, he is a partner with Odysseus and helps take down all of the suitors.
What lessons can we learn about leadership from The Odyssey?
-Good leaders are respected by their team.
-Good leaders make thoughtful plans before acting.
-Good leaders are humble and want to learn.
If Argus the dog is a symbol for the state of Ithaca while King Odysseus is gone, what can we infer about Ithaca?
We can infer that Ithaca has not been well taken care of.