Reading questions.
Reading Questions (cont.)
Character Questions
Character Questions (cont.)
QUOTES
100
What are Odysseus and his men doing in the beginning of Book XII?
Odysseus and his men are on Kirke's island burying Elpenor's body.
100
Odysseus and Eurylokhos argue about where to land. What is the argument based on?
Odysseus and Eurylokhos argue about where to land. Odysseus wants to continue sailing while Eurylokhos wants to land so they can eat and rest.
100
who did Odysseus bury in Aeaea?
Elpenor
100
Who persuades Odysseus to let his crew rest on Thrinacia, otherwise known as the island of the Sun?
Eurylochus
100
“Dear friends, more than one man, or two, should know those things Kirke foresaw for us and shared with me, so let me tell her forecast : then we die with our eyes open if we are going to die..” Who says these lines ?
Odysseus
200
Kirke warns Odysseus about the Seirenes. What does she say the Seirenes do?
Kirke tells Odysseus that he will encounter Seirenes that will sing his mind away and lure them into rocks causing shipwreck.
200
What oath does Odysseus make his men swear?
Odysseus make his men swear to not kill any of the cattle or flocks of sheep on Helios' island and to be content with what Kirke gave them.
200
who describes the obstacles Odysseus will face on his voyage home?
Circe
200
who persuades the other crew members to disobey Odysseus and slaughter the cattle of the Sun?
Eurylochus, yet again.
200
“God or man, no one could look on her in joy. Her legs-and there are twelve- are like great tentacle, unjointed, and upon her serpent necks are borne six heads like nightmares of ferocity, with triple serried rows of fangs and deep gullets of black death.” Who is Kirke describing in this quote ?
Amphitre, the female monster that lies on the second course.
300
What does Kirke tell Odysseus to do to avoid destruction?
Kirke tells Odysseus that in order to avoid destruction his men have to tie him down to the ship if he wants to listen to the song or the crew must plug their ears with beeswax so they wouldn't hear the song.
300
What happens to Odysseus' companions?
As punishment, Zeus causes a storm killing all of Odysseus crew.
300
who plugs the men's ears with beeswax and has them bind him/her to the mast of the ship?
Odysseus
300
who does the Sun ask to punish Odysseus and his men?
Zeus
300
Kirke instructs Odysseus about landing on the island of Thrinakia where Helios cattle graze. She says “But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction for ships and crew. Rough years then lie between you and your homecoming, alone and old, the one survivor, all companions lost. “ What is Kirke warning Odysseus not to do ?
Kirke warns Odysseus not to kill Helios’s cattle.
400
In lines 72-170 Kirke tells Odysseus about what is to come and what options he has. Identify three things that she tells him.
Kirke tells Odysseus about three obstacles he will face. The first he will face are the Prowling Rocks which birds cannot even pass. The second obstacle is a mountain that no mortal man could scale and the third obstacle is Skylla, who is a monster they will have to pass.
400
What happens to Odysseus?
Odysseus, the only survivor, drifts off at sea landing on Ogygia, where Kalypso lives, nine days later.
400
what is the name of the 6-headed monster, which swallows 1 man for each head as the ship passes?
Scylla
400
who set sail from Thrinacia when Zeus kicks up a storm which destroys the ship and sends them to there death beneath the waves?
Achaeans
400
“O Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, punish Odysseus’ men!” Who says this quote and why ?
Helios says this quote because Odysseus’s crew killed one of his cattle.
500
What choice does Odysseus make as they pass Skylla and what does this say about his personality?
Odysseus makes the choice to not tell his crew about Skylla, in fear that they would start to panic. He also decides to try to attack Skylla when she starts attacking the ship. This decision shows that Odysseus is foolish because Skylla ended up eating six of Odysseus' best men.
500
what is the name of the enormous whirlpool that threatens to swallow the entire ship?
Charybdis
500
who's island was Ogygia?
Calypso's island
500
“Friends, have we never been in danger before this ? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Kyklops penned us in the cave ? What power we had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us ?” Why is Odysseus giving his crew this pep talk ?
Out of fear Odysseus’s men lost their oars.
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