The Odyssey: Part One English I, Ms. Helton

Review of Structure Order of events as we read them: 1. Homer invokes the muse and tells us a brief summary of all things that will occur in the tale, both in part one and part two. 2. We meet Odysseus, with Homer still narrating, at Calypso’s island. She has held him captive there for seven years.

Review of Structure 3. After Odysseus is set free from Calypso (Hermes brings the message; it comes from Zeus at the request of Athena, his mentor/alter ego), his raft shipwrecks (his enemy Poseidon causes this), and he ends up on the island of Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians. He becomes the guest of King Alcinous, and after a banquet feast and a minstrel’s performance of a song about Troy, Odysseus narrates his journey from his first attempts to get home after the war, all the way up to arriving at Calypso’s.

Review of Structure Thus, all of the adventures mentioned once Odysseus becomes a guest of King Alcinous— including the Cicones (found in “I am Laertes’ son”), the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, the Enchantress Circe, The Land of the Dead, The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis, and The Cattle of the Sun God—all happened prior to Odysseus arriving at Calypso’s island.

Homeric or Epic Similes Pages: 752, 754, 766, and 783

Epithets What are some you have noticed for Odysseus? Look at page 770 and page 776, for example. Who was the “blue girdler of the islands”? (p. 770) Who was the “dire gorge of the salt sea tide”? (p. 782) Who was “that man skilled in all ways of contending”? (p. 751)

Greek Values Displayed Hospitality Acceptance of Gifts What about heroic virtues? Think about Odysseus’ traits.

Heroes and Monsters Read pages 737 and 738. 1. What is the main similarity between heroes and monsters? 2. What is the main difference?

Foreshadowing What is prophesized or implied several times, and by whom?

Temptresses Which characters fit this archetype? What other archetypes have we seen?

Characterizing Odysseus What are some adjectives to characterize Odysseus positively? Negatively? What is his greatest asset, and what is his greatest downfall?

Wisdom vs. Pride: Alter Egos Wisdom: Athena Pride, anger: Poseidon

Violence and Imagery What are some strong examples of both that we have read? What are some examples of imagery that are devoid of violence?

Personification What time of day is often personified in the feminine sense? Give examples.

What are some themes you see? Remember: Themes are messages that a work presents, and can be stated in a sentence or two. If it is just a word or two, it is only a concept and not a theme. Strive to develop it into a full statement.

Vocabulary and the Four Types of Sentences Vocabulary for Part One is on page 749. The four types of sentences are: declarative, imperative, exclamatory, and interrogative. (You should already have a handout about this.)

Subjects and predicates: Writing a complete sentence We will work on this tomorrow!