Name: ______Class Period: _____ OdysseyPart Two: Homecoming

Guided Notes

Book 16 “Father and Son” pp. 1242-1247

Complete each of the following questions with thoughtful, detailed sentences.

  1. Athena advises and helps Odysseus to disguise himself as a ______.
  1. Athena appears to Odysseus’ son ______and urges him to rush home to Ithaca because ______.
  1. When Telemachus arrives home, he joins his disguised father and ______, the ______.
  1. Athena wants Odysseus to ______himself to ______, so she

______

______.

  1. In book 16, Odysseus and his son are finally ______. Read lines 99-10. Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ emotion reveals ______

______

______

Telemachus’ character:

What can you tell about Telemachus as a character from this scene? ______.

Odysseus’ character:

Based on Odysseus’ interactions with Athena, how can you see a character change?

______.

Book 21 “The Test of the Great Bow”pp.1250-1255

Complete each of the following questions with thoughtful, detailed sentences.

  1. Penelope proposes an impossible task: the suitors must ______

______, which is a task that can only be done by Odysseus.

  1. Penelope states that any man who can______can ______

______.

  1. Look at Lines 16-19. How does this imagery reinforce the theme of loyalty?

______.

  1. At Line 46, Odysseus asks both the swineherd and cowherd who they support: Odysseus or the suitors. When they answer that they support ______, he decides to let them in on the secret that ______. Odysseus promises to reward the cowherd and the swineherd, revealing that Odysseus values ______in other people.
  1. In lines 84-93, Odysseus gives instructions to the swineherd and cowherd. Summarize what he has them do below. ______

______.

  1. How do the suitors react when the “beggar” wants his turn to try? ______

______.

  1. Now Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, takes his turn. Describe below what happens when he takes the bow. ______.
  1. It is at this moment that everyone finally realizes that______

______.

Odysseus’ Character:

How is Odysseus’ hubris tested in this scene? How does this scene emphasize a change in Odysseus as an epic hero? ______

Penelope’s Character:

What inference can be made about Penelope’s character from her idea of the Test of the Bow? How does this make her a good match for Odysseus? ______

Book 22 “Death in the Great Hall” pp. 1256-1261

Complete each of the following questions with thoughtful, detailed sentences.

  1. How does this scene support the detail of the Return phase of the Hero’s Journey? ______
  1. Antinous is drinking ______when Odysseus ______.
  1. What simile is used to describe the wounding of Antinous? (Lines 16-20, copy it verbatim).______

______.

  1. Odysseus then compares the suitors to ______and tells them ______
  2. How do the remaining suitors immediately react to the death of Antinous? ______.
  3. What reasons does Odysseus give for killing the suitors? ______.
  1. The men quickly beg Odysseus for forgiveness. Eurymachus tries to convince Odysseus of this byusingAntinous as a scapegoat by claiming that ______

______and that they would provide Odysseus with______

______if he would just spare their lives. He won’t. MwahHaha.

  1. Read the italicized paragraphs on pp. 1260-1261. This is the bloodiest scene of the poem. To what are the attackers (Odysseus and Telemachus) compared? In what ways are the men similar? ______

______

______.

  1. Athena does not intervene in this scene until it is clear that Odysseus has won the fight. Why would Athena not help the hero when he is so clearly outnumbered? ______.

Book 23: “The Trunk of the Olive Tree” pp. 1262-1265

Complete each of the following questions with thoughtful, detailed sentences.

  1. Penelope is having a hard time believing that this stranger ______, so she decides to test him.
  1. Odysseus cleans himself up, but the true physical transformation was “lent” to him by the goddess ______. What does she do to him? ______.
  1. Look closely at Penelope’s confused shift in pronouns in Lines 23-26. What may this mean regarding her alternating hopes and fears? ______.
  1. What is the apparent “secret” between the two? (Look at lines 33-53). ______.
  1. Of what material is the bed constructed? ______

______.

  1. Now that she is certain that this man is her husband, Penelope asks Odysseus not to be angry, stating that ______.

What does this reveal about Penelope as a character? ______

  1. What simile is used in lines 81 to 91? (copy down the quote where the simile appears) ______What comparison does Homer make to the reunion of Penelope and Odysseus? What does this reveal about their marriage? ______
  1. How does the epic poem end? Have all prophesies come true?

______.

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