Name ______Date ______Period ______

Reading Guide: The Odyssey-Part IThe Wanderings

The Cyclops

  1. 219 Why do you think Odysseus and his men make an offering to the gods?
  1. 228-233. How does Homer make it clear that Odysseus faces a formidable opponent in the Cyclops?
  1. 243-245. What does the phrase “fair traffic” mean? What does the Cyclops mean by these questions?
  1. 256-261. What did you learn in an earlier episode that explains why Odysseus gives the Cyclops this warning?
  1. 271-272. What is happening at this point?
  1. 277-283. Which details help you visualize this gruesome scene? Why does Homer include such gruesome details?
  1. 289-295. Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops at this moment? What factors must Odysseus consider in devising a successful plan of escape?
  1. 311-323. Predicting: What do you think Odysseus plans to do with the pointed staff?
  1. 327-329. As the captain, Odysseus could have simply chosen the men he wanted for the job rather than drawing lots. Is it wise of him to let the men “toss” for this job, or is he foolishly risking the future of the whole group by not appointing the men best suited to help?
  1. 331-333. Odysseus says that the rams may have entered the cave at “a god’s bidding.” What does this mean, and what does it suggest about the role the rams will play?
  1. 363-364. What is ironic about the Cyclops’s saying he will eat Nohbdy last?
  1. 385-391. Homeric Simile: What is the blinding of the Cyclops compared to?
  1. 398-408. Explain why these lines are ironic.
  1. 408-410. Do you think it is wise for Odysseus to laugh, considering that he and his men are obviously not yet out of danger?
  1. 416-419. How would you characterize Odysseus here?
  1. 423-432. What steps does Odysseus take to prepare for their escape?
  1. 433. What figure of speech is this? How do you know? How does this help you visualize the scene? (answer all 3 questions)
  1. 421-442. Explain Odysseus’s trick. What do you visualize happening in this scene?
  1. 454. What is ironic about this statement?
  1. 466-469. Why are the “fellow’s faces” full of joy and then grief? Why does Odysseus hush his men?
  1. 502-505. Odysseus reveals his real name here. How might this create problems for him and his men?
  1. 517-522. Do you believe Polyphemus’s promise? Is he trustworthy? Explain.
  1. Summarize the story of The Cyclops. (Retell the story in your own words.)

The Enchantress Circe

  1. Introductory paragraphs: What does the sailor’s opening of the bull’s-hide bag suggest about their relationship with Odysseus?
  1. 543-546. Simile: What comparison does Odysseus make to emphasize the strange gentleness of the wild beasts’ behavior?
  1. 549-554. Circe, like Calypso, is first seen at her loom, singing and weaving. What inference could you make about women in ancient Greece from this fact?
  1. 565-569. At what other point in the epic have some of Odysseus’s men eaten something that made them lose their desire for home?
  1. 570-576. What has happened to the men? Will Eurylochus somehow rescue them?
  1. 549-583. What have the men done to deserve being turned into pigs? How does Circe violate the laws of hospitality?
  1. Summarize the story of The Enchantress Circe.