Name_______________________________
THE ODYSSEY
By Homer
Background Information Worksheet 1
Name_____________________________
Read pages 880-888.
Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. What is an epic?
2. Odysseus (o-DIS-see-US) is the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey. From what war is
Odysseus returning?
3. The Odyssey is a homecoming story. It follows the classic storyline of a character on an
incredible journey who must overcome numerous obstacles before arriving at his destination.
The Wizard of Oz is an epic about an incredible journey; Dorothy travels through the land of Oz
only to learn that there is “no place like home.” Simba in The Lion King journeys away from
home, then back again to revenge his father’s death and take the throne as the rightful king.
Choose one of the stories below or identify one that you are more familiar with. Write a
brief summary of the plot AND identify why the journey the character(s) take(s) can be
considered incredible.
The Incredible Journey
The Never Ending Story
Star Wars
Milo and Otis
Forrest Gump
Finding Nemo
The Hobbit
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Wizard of Oz
Into the Wild
Little Miss Sunshine
4. Odysseus did not want to fight in the war. How did Greek officials manipulate Odysseus into
joining the war?
5. What are the names of the two family members Odysseus must leave behind to go fight the war?
6. For what clever move is Odysseus known for coming up with to help the Greeks win the war
against Troy?
7. What is a myth?
8. A) What is an alter ego?
B) Who are Odysseus’ two alter egos?
9. True or false? (If false, write a correct version of this sentence): Homer was a writer just like any
other; he wrote his stories down himself and sold copies of them to the ancient Greeks in book
stores.
10. What is a rhapsode?
11. Who is Alcinous?
12. Who is Calypso?
A Teenage Odyssey: Making the Ordinary into the Extraordinary
One way to turn any journey into a heroic one is to use EXAGGERATION
DIRECTIONS
1. Turn an ordinary event into an extraordinary adventure of epic proportions! To do this, you
will need to EXAGGERATE even the most minor details from an ordinary event. Choose to write
about one of the three options below.
2. Your story should be terrifying, hilarious, repulsive, suspenseful, super cheesy, or over-the-top
romantic. Be sure to describe details vividly using imagery and to exaggerate them. Exaggerate
your traits to make yourself appear heroic and to really impress your listener(s).
3. Whatever you do, your account of the event should be nothing short of extraordinary! Make it
your goal to tell a story unlike any other classmate’s version of the same event. Your story should
be at least a half page hand-written. We will read these aloud in class.
Option #1 (Honors/CP/CP2)
Write about a challenge you have actually faced which may seem ordinary to everyone else, but
which seems extraordinary to you.
Option # 2 (Honors/CP/CP2)
Write about something you do every day, but this time, make it epic!
Option #3 (CP/CP2)
Imagine that you are explaining to your teacher why you were late to school on a day that really,
really counts. You have just entered the classroom. The class stares at you in silence while the
teacher stands with his arms folded across her chest, eyes glaring down at you. Everyone’s
waiting for you to start talking. It better be good, because a group of your classmates just
received an F on a project presentation since you weren’t there!
Option # 4 (CP/CP2)
Imagine that you are recounting your first day of high school to a group of 8th graders that
admire and look up to you. You are seated at the back of a school bus, and once word gets out
that you’ve just survived your first day of 9th grade, the whole busload of children is begging you
to tell about it. You are their hero! You want to impress them with your daring skills to
withstand the treacherous obstacles that high school hurled at you on the first day.
Reading Review Worksheet 2
“Tell the Story” & “Calypso”
Name_____________________________
Review the today’s in-class reading (pages 892-897) and respond to the questions in complete
sentences.
1. Based on the details that the story honors about Odysseus, what qualities did the ancient Greeks
look for in a hero? Identify two characteristics of Odysseus that the narrator introduces to us in
the invocation (lines 1-32).
2. Describe how ancient Greeks viewed guests and why.
3. What does Odysseus do upon arriving at King Alcinous’ palace that illustrates his arrogance?
4. What do Odysseus and his men do while at the fort of Ismaros on the coast of the Cicones?
5. How are men punished for their deeds in the world of the ancient Greeks? Who punishes
Odysseus’ men for their behavior at the fort and how?
6. Why does Odysseus betray his loyalty to his wife? See page 897.
7. So far, does Odysseus match your concept of a hero? Why or why not?
Reading Review Worksheet 3
“The Cyclops”
Name_________________________
Read pages 898-909.
1. What evidence do we have that the Cyclops is extremely physically strong?
2. For what reason does Odysseus ask that the Cyclops kindly host him and his crew?
3. Homer describes the Cyclops’ treatment of Odysseus’ men in graphic detail. The Cyclops does not
honor the Greek tradition of treating guests hospitably. Identify one quote that models Homer’s
graphic imagery and shows how “hospitable” the Cyclops is to the men.
4. How does Odysseus demonstrate his cleverness? What does he tell the Cyclops his name is?
5. To what ally or alter ego does Odysseus pray for help?
6. Explain how Odysseus’ escape plan demonstrates both his physical and mental abilities.
 Continue
7. Why does Polyphemus cast a curse on Odysseus? What did he do? What does this show about
Odysseus’ character?
8. What curse does Polyphemus pray to Poseidon to cast on Odysseus that foreshadows trouble for
the warrior?
9. We learned through the men’s encounter with the Lotus Eaters that the temptation to forget your
troubles and give up in the face of adversity is a challenge threatening to send every individual “off
of his course”. The lotus, like drugs or other pastimes that distract us from our responsibilities and
troubles, distracts the men from their objective to get home to their families. What kind of test
does the men’s encounter with the Cyclops symbolize? What kind of life challenge may the
Cyclops represent?
Poetry and Writing Activity: Your Antagonist
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Read the poem “Cyclops in the Ocean” on page 910.
To what kind of weather does the title, “Cyclops in the Ocean” refer to? Hint: The poet
uses personification and metaphor to compare something to the one-eyed character, the
Cyclops.
The Cyclops represents an antagonist in Odysseus’ life. Identify an antagonist in your
own life right now (a force acting against you that you are in conflict with, i.e.
forgetfulness, a broken leg, anxiety about succeeding on a test or at a sports competition,
etc.)
Write a poem of your own in which you personify an antagonist in your life as a monster
or other metaphor. The poem should be 10-20 lines long. Your poem should describe
what this “monster” looks and sounds like, what it wants, and what it does to you.
Option: In addition to your poem, portray this “monster” in a drawing on the same piece
of paper.
Reading Review Worksheet 4
“The Witch Circe” and “The Land of the Dead”
Name_________________________
1. What lesson about human nature does the men’s encounter with Aeolus teach us? How does it
teach this?
2. Who warns Odysseus about what Circe has done to the men? Why is this character able to warn
Odysseus in the first place?
3. Why is the pig an appropriate animal for Circe to transform the men into?
4. What lesson about human nature does the men’s encounter with Circe teach us? How does it
teach this?
5. Teiresias is an advice giver to (more like a psychic, actually) who gives Odysseus hope in his time
of need. To call the prophet Teiresias up from the dead, Odysseus must make a sacrifice. What
does he sacrifice and why do you think a mortal would have to perform this action in order to
speak with a prophet? Explain.
6. Review the prophecy Teiresias gives Odysseus on page 915. Fill in the blanks.
Teiresias warns Odysseus that ______________________ will avenge him for blinding
Polyphemus. He also advises Odysseus to avoid ______________________ or else he and his men
will encounter destruction. Odysseus will make it home, but all of his men will die. However,
once he returns home, he will discover that __________________________________________.
Once he has reclaimed his home, he must make a ____________________ to Lord Poseidon.
Finally, Teiresias tells Odysseus that he will die from______________________.
Reading Review – Creative Writing
“The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis”
Reread pages 916-922. Imagine that you are one of Odysseus’ crew members. Write a letter to someone
dear to you (e.g. a wife, mother, father, or sibling in your imaginary ancient Greek life), keeping in mind
that most men would have fought in Troy but would have returned home by now. You compose this
letter BEFORE Zeus drowns you all in the sea for eating Helios’ sacred cattle and BEFORE your ship is
struck by Zeus’ thunderbolt. You are unaware of your impending doom.
Complete the following requirements:
I.
Describe in detail all you can about your experience with the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. What
was in like to sail by such treacherous and frightening monsters? Describe your fears, physical
sensations, or sense of success or failure. Be sure to describe what the monsters looked like.
II.
Comment on your opinion of Odysseus: Is he an effective leader? Is he likable as a person, or
reliable as a captain? Do you and all the men agree on your opinion of him? Explain your
reasons.
Your letter should be a minimum of 250 words. Be sure to address your letter clearly and sign
it.
Kudos to those who creatively write the letter, either with a lot of descriptive language and storytelling
techniques, or by including sketches, a special envelope, scroll, or other creative presentation method.
Reading Review Worksheet 5
“The Beggar and the Faithful Dog” & Penelope
Name_________________________
Read pages 926-930.
1. Describe Argos’ condition when Odysseus sees him.
2. In showing us how Argos is kept, what is Homer telling us about conditions in Ithaca?
3. It is rare in ancient epics for heroes to have much to do with ordinary people, but in The
Odyssey servants play important roles. How does Odysseus treat Eumaeus and the cowherd?
What values might Homer be trying to teach through that treatment?
Read pages 931 and 937.
4. Explain how Penelope manages to deceive the suitors and prologue the time before she will have
to marry one of them.
5. Reread the poem written by high school student Merdith Schwartz on page 931. What have
Penelope’s challenges been since Odysseus left for Troy? How does she feel? Quote a line from
her poem and explain how it accurately describes Penelope’s experience waiting for Odysseus.
6. Reread the poem on page 937 by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The speaker in the poem is a woman of
today comparing herself to Penelope. What does the speaker mean by, “you can’t keep weaving
all day”? To what in today’s life does she compare Penelope’s weaving of Odysseus’ funeral
shroud?
7. Explain what the “ancient gesture” is that the speaker is talking about. What is it? Why is that
when a woman does it, it means something different than when a man does it?
Penelope’s Heroic Qualities
Study the painting of Penelope. Fill in the T-chart. Identify and analyze at least five details you see.
What do you see?
What does this detail show or signify about her?
Reading Review Worksheet 6
Name_________________________
“The Test of the Great Bow,” “Death at the Palace,” and “Odysseus and Penelope”
Read pages 932-936.
1. What is the test of the bow, and how has Penelope said she will reward the winner of the
contest?
2. Just before trying the bow, Odysseus reveals himself to two people. Who are they? Why does he
confide in them?
Read pages 938-940.
3. List three images or events from Odysseus’ battle with the suitors.
Read pages 942-945.
4. How does Penelope test Odysseus after the battle?
Name_____________________________
Review: What kind of hero is Odysseus?
Directions:
(1) Look for the different sides of Odysseus’ character throughout the story.
(2) Label the pictures with behaviors or qualities you observe under each category.
(3) For each behavior or quality you record, identify which part of the story demonstrates this
Strengths
Weaknesses
Name_________________________________
The Significance of the Journey
The Odyssey Review Worksheet
Directions:
Along the hero’s journey, he and his peers encounter many perils, each of which is a metaphor for a
different life challenge. Fill in the chart. Determine what life challenge each perilous encounter
represents and in a complete sentence, identify the lesson each teaches. Use your notes on the Hero’s
Journey to help you. Write specific and detailed answers like the one modeled below.
Example of a vague, undeveloped answer:
The Lotus Eaters
drugs
drugs are a bad influence
Example of a specific, detailed answer: see below
Perilous Encounter
The Lotus Eaters
Life Challenge
the temptation to abandon
responsibility to escape
Lesson Taught & Why to Follow It
If one indulges in the temptation to abandon his
responsibilities, he will fail to move forward and
improve his life like Odysseus did when he
shunned the Lotus plant and eventually returned
to Ithaca.
The Cyclops
Aeolus’ Bag of Winds
The Witch Circe’s
excessive hospitality
The Sirens
Continue on back 
Scylla and Charybdis
Helios’ cattle
Odysseus’ sacrifice to
Poseidon
The Test of the Great
Bow
Penelope’s final test for
Odysseus