Odyssey Book Summaries
Do Now 3/26/14
 Take out Odyssey Book and notebook:
 Answer: What is “voice” in reference to writing?
Book 2- Ithaca-the suitors
 Telemachus rebukes the suitors for pillaging Ithaca’s
resources
 Antinuous (most rebellious of the suitors) exposes
Penelope’s shroud weaving scheme and demand’s
she choose a suitor
 Telemachus prepares to set sail for Pylos with more
encouragement from the disguised goddess Athena
Book 3- Telemachus at Pylos
 Telemachus asks Nestor, leader of Pylos, for news of
Odysseus
 Nestor becomes nostalgic and shares stories about
the Trojan War
 Nestor urges Telemachus to visit Menelaus in Sparta
to inquire about his father
 Nestor gives Telemachus supplies for sailing as well
as one of his sons to help Telemachus on his journey
Book 4- Telemachus at Sparta
 Telemachus feasts with Menelaus in his lavish palace
and they discuss stories about Odysseus during the
war
 Menelaus reveals Odysseus is being held prisoner by
Calypso
 Antinuous (rebel suitor) decides that the suitors will
sail out to sea and ambush Telemachus and kill him
on his way home to Ithaca
Do Now 3/31
 Take out your notes sheet on epic poetry
(called HOMER AND THE EPIC POEM)
Epic Hero- Odysseus
 How is Odysseus already proving to be an epic hero?
Book 6- The Phaeacians
 Odysseus sleeps in the forest after being beaten up at
sea after he left Calypso
 Athena comes to Nausicca , the princess of the island
of the Phaeacians, and tells her to go to the river to
wash her clothes the next day
 At the river, Nausicca encounters Odysseus, whom
Athena “beefs up,” and Nausicca falls in love with
him
 She gives Odysseus directions to the palace and gives
him advice on how to approach the queen Arete and
king Alcinoos (Arete is the one he needs to worry
about)
Book 7- The Phaeacians
 Odysseus makes it to the palace of the The
Phaeacians who are having a festival in honor of
Poseidon
 The The Phaeacians are mariners/ship builders; the
king and queen are descendants of Poseidon
 Arete is suspicious of Odysseus, but he tells her the
story of his journey to their island from his
entrapment with Calypso
 King Alcinoos is so impressed by Odysseus that he
offers him Nausicca’s hand in marriage
Read Book 7
 Be aware of Odysseus’ character traits
 Use sticky notes to indicate passages that imply his
traits
Voice
 The writer's voice is the individual writing style of
an author, a combination of idiotypical usage of
syntax, diction, punctuation, character development,
dialogue, etc., within a given body of text (or across
several works).
Writing Activity
 Pretend you are Telemachus and the suitors have
taken over your father’s land (what should now be yours).
 In a minimum one page narrative about how you
would handle the situation with the suitors. Things to
keep in mind: you are not of age yet to take the “throne,” your
mother’s feelings, the safety of your people, divine intervention (advice
from the gods), the strength in the mob of suitors.
 Voice: Practice revealing personality through
writing. Make sure you capture the “voice” of
Telemachus (you may use dialogue in your narrative)