M4 Reading Assignment and Reading Guide - Fall 2022 - World Literature

Read the following pages in The Odyssey. Answer the questions below as you read. The Odyssey Books Nine and Ten What does Odysseus say is "the flower of life"? How is he fulfilling xenia by saying this? For what does Odysseus say he is famous, and what is another word that means the same thing? "Ilion" is the land of Troy. What does Odysseus say was the first place he stopped after leaving Ilion, who are the people who lived there, and what happened there? What is the next land visited by Odysseus and his men? What temptation do they encounter here? When introducing the Kyklopes, what does Odysseus say they do not do? Do the Kyklopes seem to be civilized? When Odysseus and his men first visit the cave of the Kyklops, what do his men say they should do? Do the first words spoken by the Kyklops suggest that he will follow xenia? Why or why not? What warning does Odysseus give the Kyklops regarding xenia? When the Kyklops picks up two of the men, they are described using what simile (a comparison using "like" or "as"). This simile gives us a sense of the size of the Kyklops. Why does Odysseus not stab the Kyklops in the liver with his sword? What gift does Odysseus give the Kyklops? Why does he give him this gift? Who is "Nohbdy"? How do they wound the Kyklops? What is the name of the Kyklops? How do they escape from the cave? When Odysseus first yells back to the Kyklops, to which god does he give credit for the beating they gave the Kyklops and what violation of xenia does he cite? Before he calls back to the Kyklops a second time, his men protest. Why does he shout his name against their wishes? To which god does the Kyklops pray against Odysseus? What does he ask that god to do to Odysseus? If Odysseus had listened to his men and not shouted his name to the Kyklops, how might things have turned out differently? Reading guide for The Odyssey Book Ten How long does King Aiolos host Odysseus, and what does he want to learn from Odysseus? What special gift does Aiolos give Odysseus for his journey home? How close does Odysseus come to being home? What keeps him from arriving? What are the physical features of the bay of Lamos? How do the Laistrygonians treat Odysseus and his men? What is the name of Kirke’s island? Of what is Kirke’s house made, and what animals do they find there? Does Kirke show xenia to Odysseus’s men when they first arrive? What does she do to them? Which god greets Odysseus on his way to the house of Kirke? What physical object and what advice does this god give Odysseus? What does Odysseus do when Kirke tries to change him to a pig? What does he demand before he goes to bed with her? Why does Odysseus tell Kirke he cannot eat after his bath? When she changes his men back into men, how are they different? How long do Odysseus and his men stay with Kirke? Where does Kirke tell Odysseus he must go and to whom must he speak before he can return home? How does he react when he hears this? Why do you think he reacts in this way? What does Kirke tell him he must offer and sacrifice before he can speak to the man he needs to see? Who is Elpenor? By what superlative is he defined, and for what is he known? What happens to him? When Odysseus tells him men that Kirke has directed him to this particular place, how do they react?