“I Am Odysseus”
Whose banquet hall is Odysseus in when he tells this story and what is his title?
What is the name of Odysseus’ father?
What is Odysseus’ home?
According to Odysseus, who is the “loveliest among goddesses”?
Who is the enchantress who detained Odysseus in her hall?
What two actions did Odysseus and his men perform in the land of the Cicones?
1.
2.
Why didn’t Odysseus’ men listen to him when he told them to go back to the ships?
What simile shows that there were many Cicones who came from inland.
Who are the Achaeans?
How many men on each ship were killed?
What is the ceremony to honor the dead?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
“The Lotus-Eaters”
What is the epithet in the first line?
How is Dawn personified?
What is the food of the Lotus-Eaters?
How do we know that Odysseus has learned a lesson from his experience with the
Cicones?
What tells us about the hospitality of the Lotus-Eaters toward the Greeks?
What happened to anyone who ate the lotus plant?
How many of Odysseus’ men ate the lotus?
What did Odysseus do with those men?
What does this tell the reader about Odysseus as a leader?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
“The Cyclops”
What is the plural of “cyclops”
What is a cyclops?
How do the Cyclopes raise crops?
What is the social structure of the race of the Cyclopes?
What is the word that means that the Cyclops who inhabited the cave was gigantic?
What is the metaphor in line 116 which describes the size of the Cyclops?
How many men went to the Cyclops’ cave?
Describe the potency of the wine that Odysseus took with him.
Where did this wine come from?
How do Odysseus’ men react when they saw the Cyclops’ cave for the first time?
Why does Odysseus decide to stay?
How did the Cyclops shut the cave to keep the she-goats and lambs from escaping?
How is the size of this slab described?
How does the Cyclops respond concerning respect for the gods?
How does Odysseus answer when the Cyclops inquires about his ship?
What is the epithet which Odysseus uses to describe Poseidon?
How does the Cyclops respond to the plea for hospitality?
Why didn’t Odysseus stab the Cyclops in the liver?
What did the Cyclops eat for breakfast?
Who did Odysseus pray to for help?
Describe the way the olive log was prepared.
What is different about the sheep that the Cyclops brings into the cave this time?
What was the Cyclops’ supper?
How does Odysseus entice the Cyclops to sleep?
What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name is?
What is the Cyclops’ “gift” to Odysseus?
Write the epic simile from page 610.
What does Odysseus do as the first part of his escape plan so that the Cyclops will not
see him or his men?
What is this Cyclops’ name?
What does this Cyclops say when the other Cyclopes ask why he is crying?
How did Odysseus’ men escape from the cave?
How did Odysseus escape?
How many of Odysseus’ men were eaten?
How does Odysseus show his arrogance when the ships get out to sea?
How does Polyphemus react?
How does this imperil the ship?
What phrase in line 438 shows Odysseus’ continued arrogance after his men ask him not
to taunt the beast?
What mistake does Odysseus make in taunting the Cyclops?
Who is the father of Polyphemus?
What is the epithet used to describe Poseidon in Polyphemus’ prayer?
What are the elements of Polyphemus’ prayer that come true?
What does Odysseus do to try to appease Zeus?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
“The Sirens”
Who is the “god of the winds”?
How does he help them homeward?
What do the ships sight right before the men disobey the orders of this god?
What happens as the result of the men’s disregard of this order?
Who are a race of cannibals?
How many ships are left when they leave this place?
Who lives on the island of Aeaea?
What does she do to Odysseus’ men?
How long does Odysseus spend with her?
Why does Odysseus want to leave?
Who tells Odysseus what he must do to get home?
What does Circe tell Odysseus when he returns there briefly?
Who alone should listen to the song of the Sirens?
What are Odysseus’ instructions to his men?
How did Odysseus protect his men?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
“Scylla and Charbydis”
What is Scylla?
Describe her.
What is Charybdis?
What is Odysseus’ Dilemma?
What does Odysseus do that shows his good leadership?
Which peril did Odysseus choose and why?
Write the epic simile on page 623.
Why do you think that episode was “far the worst I ever suffered” according to
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
“The Cattle of the Sun God”
Odysseus?
What does Odysseus make his men swear concerning the island of Thrinacia?
Who has warned Odysseus about this?
What happened that made the men break their promise?
Where was Odysseus when his men broke their promise?
How did Odysseus show respect to the gods?
How did the gods react?
Who was the sailor who urged his comrades to break their promise?
How did his plea plan to appease the god?
Who is the Lord of noon?
What is another name for cattle?
Who does Helios look to for help in avenging this deed?
How did Zeus avenge this act?
Who had told Calypso of this?
How did the gods show displeasure of this act?
How does Odysseus survive Zeus’ thunderbolt?
How does Odysseus save himself from Scylla and Charybdis?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were practiced?
What cultural beliefs of the Greeks were ignored?
How does Odysseus show superheroic characteristics?
How does Odysseus show human characteristics?