Book 1
Who are Odysseus's family?
Wife: Penelope, Son: Telemachus
Where is Odysseus during Books 1 and 5?
Calypso's Island
There are two places Odysseus and his men go to before the Cyclops. What is one of these places?
1. the land of the Cicones
2. The land of the Lotus-Eaters
The king Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag at the start of the chapter. The men believe there is gold and silver inside; so when Odysseus falls asleep as they near Ithaca, the men open the bag greedily. What was in the bag? What happens to Odysseus's crew?
The bag was filled with wind. Odysseus and his men are blown far away from Ithaca.
Why do Odysseus and his men have to talk to the dead?
Who is the goddess of love?
Aphrodite
What is the custom that the Greeks follow where you must be hospitable to your guests and treat them well?
(bonus points +100: why do the Greeks follow this custom?)
Zeus's Law
Bonus: they followed this custom because they never know if they are talking to a god or goddess in disguise
Who is Calypso? Who is she the daughter of? What is her curse?
Calypso is a goddess. She is the daughter of Atlas, he who holds the world on his back. Her curse is that she cannot leave her island. She also only has female servants. Any man that comes across the island will never stay for long.
Where does the Cyclops live? What is in his home?
He lives in a cave; He has a herd of sheep and cheese in his cave
Whose island do they end up on in this section?
Circe's island
Name three dead people that Odysseus talks to in this section.
Answers may vary.
1. Elpenor (one of his men)
2. Teiresias (the prophet)
3. His mother
4. Agamemnon
5. Achilles
6. Heracles
Who is Zeus's father?
(bonus points +100: what type of being was he?)
Kronos / Cronos
Bonus: a titan
Why does Athena visit Odysseus's son?
She wants him to believe his father is alive and to find more information about him from King Menelaus and Helen in Sparta.
Who asks Zeus to help Odysseus? Who does Zeus send to Calypso's island?
Athena; Hermes
Why does Odysseus decide NOT to kill the Cyclops?
He is the only one that can move the large boulder covering the mouth of the cave.
What does Circe do to most of the search party men?
(bonus points +100: what is the symbolism behind this transformation?)
The men are turned into pigs.
Bonus: pigs may symbolize the common violence that male soldiers would do to women during battles / times of war
How will Odysseus die?
Of old age; a "gentle" death
What is the teaching assistant's name and how do you pronounce it?
Ms. Zara / Ms. Zara-Brito
Who are currently a threat to Odysseus's son and wife? Why are they a threat?
The Suitors; they are taking advantage of Zeus's law and of hospitality of Odysseus's son and wife. They want to pressure his wife into marrying one of them, as Odysseus is assumed dead. If one marries the wife, they will most likely kill the son so that their own son will take the throne.
When we first see Odysseus, how is he described? Why is this particularly jarring, considering how he's been described by others before?
He is sitting on the shore, staring out at sea, weeping. This is jarring because he has been described by the gods and his son and wife as honorable, a war hero, wise and cunning.
What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name is? How does this help him later on?
Nobody; when the men stab the Cyclops's eye and the other Cyclops come to help, he tells them "Nobody hurt me" so they all leave.
Who helps Odysseus outsmart Circe? What does she do with Odysseus's men once she is outsmarted?
Hermes; Circe turns the men from pigs back into humans
What do Odysseus and his men need to do in order for his men to survive the journey to Ithaca?
When they arrive on the Island of Helios, they must not eat the cows because they are Helios's holy cows. They will be very hungry and suffer greatly, but if they do not eat the cows, they will survive and make it home.
Who is the goddess of the hearth?
Hestia
Approximately how long has Odysseus been gone from Ithaca? (think the Trojan War and the Odyssey)
About 20 years (the war was 10 years, his journey back was also 10 years)
If Odysseus is to successfully leave Calypso's island, he must follow Zeus's directions. What are two criteria that Odysseus must follow?
Answers may vary.
1. He must build a raft
2. He cannot accept any help from mortal or god
3. He must suffer on the open sea for 20 days
4. He will eventually wash ashore a prosperous kingdom, and receive many riches and treasures to take home to Ithaca
What is a flaw of Odysseus? What happened in this section that demonstrates this flaw?
Odysseus gets conceited (he has a big ego at times). He proudly proclaims "Odysseus has blinded you" to the Cyclops before the men leave the island. The Cyclops then uses this information to beg Poseidon for revenge, thus dooming Odysseus and his men to a long, difficult journey at sea.
Circe frees Odysseus's men and everyone stays on the island for a year. Circe gives Odysseus bad news about his journey. What is the news?
Odysseus is destined to be the only survivor of the journey.
What is the important advice Agamemnon gives to Odysseus?
When you arrive in Ithaca, hide your identity at first. No one can be trusted.
What is the teacher's name and how do you pronounce it?
Ms. Buchwak
"Boo" - "k" - "walk"