odyssey stuff, Wolf- Odyssey Part 2, Odyssey (not mine)

Who has asked Odysseus to tell his tale?

The blind minstrel Homer.

When was the poem the Odyssey Composed?

900 and 700 BC

Who is Odysseus' main supporter while on the journey?

Athena, the goddess of wisdom

Why so some argue that Odysseus is not a good hero?

Because he depends on the Gods for everything.

In the episode of the Cattle of the Sun God, why do the men kill cattle?

Because they're hungry and think they can do whatever.

How is Odysseus' ship destroyed?

By a lightening bolt.

Epic Simile: "Think of a catch that fishermen haul in to a halfmoon bay in a fine meshed net from the white caps of the sea:how all are poured out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea, twitching their cold lives away in Helios' fiery air: so lay the suitors heaped on one another."

Commentary: The pile of dead suitors is compared to dead fish piled in a boat, lying in the sun after a days haul. The simile conjures images of rot and decay, of stink, of death.

What instructions does Odysseus give his shipmates as they prepare to deal with the sirens?

Don't get close to the island.

How does Odysseus try to avoid going to war?

Draft-dodging. He pretended to be insane and acted as if the didn't recognize his visitors.

The Odyssey is an example of what type of poem?

Epic

What does Circe say that Odysseus must do in order to reach home?

Go to the land of the dead.

How does Odysseus ensure they will go home?

He persuaded his men to return to ship and set sail once more.

How does Odysseus keep his shipmates from hearing the Sirens sing?

He put beeswax in their ears.

What demand does Odysseus make of his men as they approach the rough waters?

He tells them to stay strong.

Why does Odysseus tell Polyphemus that his name is "Nobody?"

He wanted to make Polyphemus look like a fool to the other cyclops.

What difficulty does Tireseas predict for the journey to come?

He's the only one who is gonna get home.

Who owns the heifers and the sheep on the island?

Heilos

While on Ismarus, in what ways do Odysseus' men disobey his orders?

His men were busy looting, and they did not listen to his prudent order to return to the ships and leave.

Throughout his journey, Odysseus is seeking what(aside from a way home)?

His proper place in the world. A way to reestablish a natural balance in his life.

Who introduces the story of Odysseus?

Homer

What do Odysseus' shipmates do while he is sleeping?

Kill the cows and eat them.

Where is Cyclops when Odysseus and his men enter the cave?

King Faloisha

What do the other Cyclops think Polyphemus is saying when he says, "Nobody's tricked me?"

Nobody did to them.

Who is the only one to survive the destruction of the ship?

Odysseus

How do the men escape from the Cyclop's cave?

Odysseus blinded him, then tied them under the sheep. When the Cyclops let the sheep out, he only felt the top so they escaped.

How does Odysseus survive the dangers posed by the sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis?

Odysseus survives the dangers posed by the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis because of the advice that Circe gave him. She tells him to put wax in his ears and to tie himself to the mast of the ship to defeat the Sirens. She helps him avoid the threats of Scylla and Charybdis by advising Odysseus to steer closer to Scylla then to Charybdis because she said its better to mourn six men then your whole crew and the ship.

What two types of epics did Homer create?

Odyssey and Iliad

What is the connection between Odysseus and this person?

She is his alter ego.

What is a myth?

Stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily in realisic terms.

Note two points at which Odysseus expresses his desire to return home.

Talks about how he only wantedto get back home

What is Odysseus' son name?

Telemachus

What does Cyclops ask for in his prayer to Poseidon?

That Odysseus not be allowed to return home.

What does Tiresias predict will happen if Odysseus raids the herds of Helios?

That if they eat the cattle, all his men will die, and Odysseus will stay there then die alone.

Ordeal

The biggest life or death crisis (The battle royal with the Suitors)

Crossing the First Threshold

The hero crosses leaves the ordinary world and goes into the special world (Odysseus in the Underworld)

Tests, Allies, Enemies

The hero faces tests, meets allies, confronts enemies & learn the rules of the Special World. All of his "quests" (the cave & the Cyclops, Circe & the Underworld, the Cattle of the Sun God, the bag of winds, the Sirens)

Approach

The hero has hit setbacks during tests & may need to try a new idea (Odysseus's disguise as a beggar allows him to reconnoiter the palace so he can plan his revenge)

Reward

The hero has survived death, overcomes his fear and now earns the reward (Odysseus's homecoming to his wife and son)

Call to Adventure

The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure (He does not want to leave and uphold his oath in having to sail to Troy; so he pretends to be insane)

Meeting with the Mentor

The hero meets a mentor to gain advice or training for the adventure (This could be his interactions with Circe as she consults him about his journey. More likely - it is his interactions with Athena as she is constantly weaving in an d out of the myth helping both Odysseus and Telemachus.)

The Road Back

The hero must return to the Ordinary World. (His plans to reconquer his kingdom - he must meet the challenge by the families of the suitors whom he has killed)

Refusal of the Call

The hero refuses the challenge or journey, usually because he's scared (Odysseus pretends to be insane and plows a field using salt; but the Greeks force his hand by placing the baby Telemachus in from of the plow. O must turn the oxen aside or kill his own son)

Return with Elixir

The hero returns from the journey with the "elixir", and uses it to help everyone in the Ordinary World (none)

Ordinary World

The hero's normal world before the story begins (Odysseus as King in Ithaca)

Interpret Epic Simile- Reread the epic simile on page 1236, lines 193-198, which describes the men being caught by Scylla. Explain what two items are being compared. What does the comparison help to emphasize?

The two items being compared are the hooking of a fish by a fisherman and the capturing of Odysseus' trapped men by Scylla. The fish are powerless against the fisherman, as Odysseus' men are powerless against Scylla. The comparison emphasizes the size and strength of Scylla, the powerlessness of the men, and the men's hopelessness.

What happens to the men when they eat the Lotus?

They completely lost their memory and wished to stay on the island.

Why does the speaker ask the Muse for help?

To help tell the story well.

What purpose does a rhapsode serve?

To serve as historians and entertainers. They were the myth-makers of their time.

Poems such as the Odyssey were told by the Greeks for what purposes?

To teach Greek virtues

What is the result of this disobedience?

When Odysseus' men stayed on the island to revel in victory, the people of Ismaros attacked the men and more lives were lost.

Greek Values

Xenia, Reciprocity, arête, ergon, dike.

Charybdis

a dangerous whirlpool personified as a female sea monster

Circe

a goddess and enchantress who lives on the island of Aeaea

What is an alter ego (in your own words)?

a second self; another aspect of myself

Scylla

a six-headed sea monster who devours sailors

Eurylochus

a trusted officer of Odysseus

Resurrection Hero

another test where the hero faces death - he has to use everything he's learned (Penelope's final test?? (the marriage bed) although he is not facing death)

Laestrygones

cannibal inhabitants of a distant land

Sirens

creatures, part women and part bird, whose songs lure sailors to their death

The Odyssey is characterised by "post-war"

disillusionment

To the Greeks of Homer's time a hero is...

more than a man

Tiresias

of Thebes, a blind prophet whose spirit Odysseus visits in the underworld

Some critics believe Homer was a woman because

of so many strong female characters.

Elpenor

one of Odysseus' crew, killed in an accident

Audiences can identify with Odysseus because he

struggles against unfair authority and struggles for what he wants.

Aeolus

the guardian of the winds

Persephone

the wife of Hades, ruler of the underworld

What happens to Eurylochus' men after they drink Circe's wine?

they turn into pigs

Odysseus' stories are often very

violent.