The Odyssey
Helios Essay Prompt
Learn From Your Own Writing
Introductions
• What makes a good introduction?
• Start with the general—don’t give away too
much in the beginning, make your reader
want to read on
• Be specific about your argument, what side
are you arguing for?
• Give specific names of characters for the text
• Do not give a summary of the story.
Sample Introduction #1
• Following orders and being obedient are things that people of
all ages and from all time periods struggle with. Most people
have trouble obeying the rules that are given to them by
other people in authority, or following instructions of their
religious beliefs. Sometimes those people choose to break the
rules for selfish reasons and are punished for their actions.
Sometimes they choose to disobey to prove a point, and are
willing to suffer the consequences with the hope that it will
bring about a change in the rules. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’
men choose to break the rules of Helios and disobey
Odysseus’ orders; therefore, they get the punishment that
they deserve.
Sample Introduction #2
• When an unworthy act is committed, most
receive punishment. The punishment may be
harsh or gentle, depending on the crime and the
personality of the punisher. If the punisher, in this
case, Helios, is forgiving, the consequence is not
of great recognition, but then there is not
captivating story. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and
his men deserve their punishment from Zeus and
Helios because they do not pay heed to the god’s
advice.
Sample Introduction #3
• Boom! One second and the whole world can be turned
upside down. One second and one’s life is in danger. One
second and a ship can be split in half and leave but one
survivor. Indeed, a great deal of choices can be made in
the length of one second, and how a choice is made
affects the rest of the story. Odysseus’ crew make a
choice, not the wisest one; they choose to kill the
forbidden cattle of the sun God to feed their avenging
hunger. The greed of one man can lead to awful
consequences. Odysseus’ men rightly deserve what they
get dealt to them in The Odyssey, but Odysseus should
not be punished at all.
Sample Introduction #4
• When faced with a pressuring situation, there are two
possible options of what to do: the right thing or the wrong
thing. The right thing being what is morally correct, the wrong
being what is immoral. When on chooses an immoral choice,
he or she normally suffers repercussions of his or her
decision. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus and
his crew are faced with the problem of going hungry, or eating
the cattle of which they have been told not to eat. In The
Odyssey, Odysseus’ crew decides to eat the sacred cattle of
Helios. In consequence, Zeus sends a severe storm that kills
off all of the crew. Because of the men’s choice to kill the
cattle of Helios in The Odyssey, they receive a punishment
that is well deserved.
Sample Introduction #5
• Starvation is a torture that can drive even the toughest men
crazy. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is warned by
Tiresias not to eat the cattle of Helios, or those who eat it will
be punished. Taking this warning into careful consideration,
Odysseus warns his men not to eat the cattle when they reach
the island, short and simple. Upon reaching the island, they
discover that there is no food or game and become landtrapped when a heavy storm hits the island. No food
eventually leads to starvation, causing them to eat the cattle
of Helios and enjoy their last dinner. In the story The Odyssey,
Odysseus’ men deserve the punishment because they are
warned, but driven crazy from the lack of food, they ignore
the warning and eat the cattle.
Thesis Statements
• All thesis statements for papers of literary analysis should
include 2 things:
• 1. The title of the literary work that you are analyzing. The
Odyssey
• 2. Your specific stance on the topic. YOUR ARGUMENT! For
this essay you needed to state whether or not Odysseus’ men
deserve the punishment they receive for eating the cattle of
Helios.
• The thesis statement is where you narrow your topic to your
specific point of focus.
• The thesis statement should be located at the end of your
introduction.
Thesis Statement #1
• In The Odyssey, the men who eat the cattle
deserve their fate because they eat the cattle
when Odysseus tells them not to, and they
promise they won’t, which leads them to
certain death.
Thesis Statement #2
• In The Odyssey, the punishment that the gods
inflict on Odysseus and his crew for eating
Helios’s cattle is just; they are warned and still
do not heed the warnings.
Thesis Statement #3
• In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ men deserve to be
punished because they disobey the
commands that Odysseus has given them.
Thesis Statement #4
• In The Odyssey, the crew deserve their
punishment because they ignore an important
order that determines the fate of their ship.
Thesis Statement #5
• In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus and his
men are punished by Zeus and Helios for
eating the cattle of the sun God which they
should not have done.
Most Common Thesis Statement
Mistake
• In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ men are punished
for eating the cattle of Helios.
• What is wrong with this thesis statement?
Quote Inclusion
• Choose quotes that support your argument
• Avoid lengthy quotes when possible—only include what is
necessary to support your point.
• Avoid summarizing quotes—instead analyze their importance
to your argument and the text you are writing about.
• Follow rules of parenthetical documentation
• (Authors last name and page #).
• Discuss how the quote you chose pertains to your argument.
• Discuss what the quote reveals about the motives of the
character.
Quote #1
• Some say that Odysseus does not warn his men that there will
be consequences for eating the cattle. He does indeed, “The
cattle here are not for our provision, or we pay dearly for it”
(Homer 1011). Odysseus may not tell his crew of any specific
corollary involved in this action, but he most certainly warns
them that there will be recompense. He even goes so far as to
tell them that it is the sun God, Helios, that owns and
cherishes the cattle, and that “No man avoids his eye” (Homer
1011). These words are meant to advise his team against
thoughts of invincibility, there is not doubt, Helios will find out
about the desecration.
Quote #2
• When Odysseus travels to Hades, Tiresias warns him to stay
away from Helios’ cattle, saying, “…But if you raid the beeves,
I see destruction for ship and crew…” (Homer 1003). Odysseus
takes Tiresias’ prophecy seriously and wants his men to follow
the instructions completely. After Odysseus and his men
arrive at Thrinacia, Odysseus tells his men, “…the cattle here
are not for our provision, or we pay dearly for it. Fierce the
god is who cherishes these heifers and these sheep…” (Homer
1011). The men agree to follow the instructions by nodding
their heads. While there is bread to eat and wine to drink,
they stay true to their word and do not touch the cattle.
Your Turn to Give It A Try
• Locate one of your quotes that you included in
your paper.
• Take 5 minutes on your own to write a more
complete analysis of your quote.
• Remember to analyze and provide opinions,
rather than summarizing the quote or restating it.
• After 5 minutes you will share with your table
partner and get some feedback.
Other Helpful Reminders
• Use present tense when writing about
literature.
• Use 3rd person when writing about literature.
• Avoid summary of the text, rather express
your opinions and analyze the text.
• Avoid dead words (i.e. just, very, really, etc.)
• Make definitive statements.
Most Common Grammatical Mistakes
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There, Their, They’re
There is a possessive personal pronoun.
Their is an adverb used to point out location.
They’re is the contraction for “they are”.
They’re a well-dressed couple.
Do you see them over there, with their
matching jackets?
Most Common Grammatical Mistakes
• Than, Then
• Than is used in a comparison; then tells when.
• Then he cried and said that his big brother
was bigger than my big brother.
• Then I cried.