A long narrative about the deeds of heroes or gods. It can be in prose (text) or poetry.

 The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or challenges that the hero must undergo as part of the hero’s transformation. Often the hero fails one or more tests, which often occur in threes.

 Little is known about Homer  May not have been the only author  Also wrote the Iliad, which comes first of the 2 poems  Odyssey has 24 books  2 of the most widely celebrated and read poems  Greeks- often referred to as “Achaeans,” the name of a large tribe occupying Greece during the Bronze Age.

 Tells the story of the fall of Troy, Greek warriors and the victory over the Trojans  The hero, Odysseus, and his nostos, journey home to northwest Greece  A tale of wandering on an island and foreign land  10 years since the fall of Troy, and Odysseus still does not reach home (wife Penelope and a son)  Men try to court (date) Penelope, but she remains faithful

“The protagonist of the Odyssey. Odysseus fought among the other Greek heroes at Troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope and the father of Prince Telemachus. Though a strong and courageous warrior, he is most renowned for his cunning (sneakiness). He is a favorite of the goddess Athena, who often sends him divine aid, but a bitter enemy of Poseidon, who frustrates his journey at every turn. “ From sparknotes.com

ZEUS- KING OF GODS AND MEN, MEDIATES DISPUTES BETWEEN THE GODS ON MOUNT OLYMPUS POSEIDON- GOD OF THE SEA

 Odysseus and his men venture into the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus and become trapped there.  Odysseus and his men must figure out a way to escape the cave alive and get home

 Land of Cyclopes- land of rough and uncivilized one-eyed giants  Rest on the shore for the night and at dawn Odysseus and some of his crew explore the island  They want to find out if the men are “cruel, savage and lawless, or good to strangers”. What do you think?  They return to the ship for the night

 They see a cave with animals out front grazing  Who lives there?  A giant who lives far off, alone, avoiding others  The giant “was born a monster” and doesn’t look like a normal human. Why?

 Leave the ship again to explore  Odyssey takes 12 of his best men  They take with them wine and some food  Arrive at the cave and it is empty and decide to explore it. Good choice?  What do they find in the cave?  They wanted to take the cheese and leave but Odyssey said no.

 They made a fire and ate cheese waiting for him to return  The giant, Polyphemus, returns. Odysseus and his men hide in a corner while the giant brings his herd in, and covers the door with a huge stone.  22 four-wheeled wagons wouldn’t be able to move that stone  He sees the men and wants to know why they are there.

 What happens next?  Achaeans- Greeks  Odysseus tells him they were on their way home and the wind blew them there, a course determined by Zeus (king of the gods)  Begs the giant to let them stay  Polyphemus says he doesn’t believe in their gods and will not spare them to escape the anger of Zeus but at his own will

 Odysseus gets smart with him and said Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, destroyed the ship. Where was the ship?  This angered Polyphemus. What did he do?  Ate two men for dinner (12 men- 2 dead= 10)  Then he falls asleep. While he is asleep what does Odysseus plan?  They are trapped in the cave and no way to move the stone. Believes they will die there.

Warm Up

 Polyphemus goes on like normal  He eats 2 more men (12 men- 4 eaten)  Odysseus wants to kill Polyphemus if Athene (goddess of wisdom, at and war) would let him  Odysseus sees a piece of olive wood large enough to be the mast on a twenty oared ship

 He cuts 6 feet off and tells men to smooth it  He sharpens the end of it and heats it  They hide it  They cast lots (gamble) to see who helps stab Polyphemus in the eye  The ones that “won” were the ones Odysseus would have picked.  4 were chosen to help

 12 men- 4 dead= 4 helping, 4 watching  Polyphemus returns and brings his herd in  He now eats 2 more men- down to 6 men  Odysseus’ sneakiness begins to show:  Gets Polyphemus drunk on their wine  He wants some more and asks Odysseus his name so he can give him a guest gift

 Odysseus gives Polyphemus more wine (3 cups total)  Polyphemus is now drunk, so Odysseus gets very sneaky  He tells Polyphemus his name is “Nobody”  Why do you think he does this?  Polyphemus buys it and says he will eat “Nobody” last

 This is where we see the sneakiness pay off  Polyphemus passes out  Odysseus heats the piece of wood  A god breathed courage into them, then they stabbed Polyphemus in the eye and dug it in like a screw  Polyphemus eye and brows were burnt from the heat and sizzled (like a hot pan rinsed in cold water)

 Polyphemus screams loudly and his neighbors coming running  They ask him what was going on  Polyphemus says that “Nobody is trying to kill me”  Remember…the stone is still in front of the door  Neighbors say if he is alone, then Zeus made him sick and need Poseidon to heal him

 Odysseus is happy his plan paid off  Polyphemus stumbles to move the stone  He sits in the entrance and feels around to keep neighbors from stealing his sheep  His plan while Polyphemus sleeps:  Tie sheep together in rows of three  One man will hold on to the under side of the middle sheep and ride out when the sheep go out to graze

 The rams (male sheep) go out to graze, and Polyphemus feels their backs when they go out thinking Odysseus and his men may ride them out  Odysseus goes out last and Polyphemus talks to the ram and asks why he is last out when he is always first.  Polyphemus says it is because the ram is saddened by Polyphemus being injured

 Polyphemus tells the ram that Nobody has not escaped death  Also says if the ram were smart and could talk, he would tell him where Odysseus was so he could kill him  Once Odysseus and his men are outside, they get off the rams and watch their backs. Why?  They take the rams and run to the ship  Other men are happy to see the men, but sad for the 6 that were eaten

 When they were at a distance, Odysseus called to Polyphemus and said  His assumption that Odysseus was weak was wrong  His evil deeds were bound to come back and haunt him  Zeus and the other gods have had revenge on you

 Two options:  Writing prompt page 39- write a paragraph answering the question  Pick one event from the text and sketch it. Write 1-2 sentences telling what it is.