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How many lines is the Odyssey
12,000 lines
what is a rhapsode
stitching together
what does "Xenia” mean
ancient code for hospitality
what does “in medias res” mean
in the middle of things
Homer notes
not much known about Homer
most likely wrote Iliad & Odyssey around 2,700 years ago - - around when alphabet was created
repeated phrases and descriptions helped performers remember long passages
Epic notes
Purpose - entertain, teach, and inspire
long narrative
huge setting- may be the sea or the world
main charcter has heroic qualities
presence of gods or supernatural entities
uses figurative language to make story vivid and engaging
Why does the army of Cicones attack Odysseus and his men
Odysseus and his men stole everything, enslaved the women, slaughtered the sheep, and killed the men. Odysseus and his men were acting like savages so they started it.
Which god does the Invocation identify as Odysseus' enemy
Poseidon - - although Odysseus angered Zeus before heading home, Homer reveals that Poseidon will be Odysseus’ enemy on his travels. That would make sense as Odysseus is traveling by sea, which would allow Poseidon to cause many problems for him.
What happens to the men that Odysseus sends to check out the Lotus Eaters
The Lotus is adicting. They wanted to stay in that place and they lost sight of home - - Odysseus sent 2 men and a runner
What does Odysseus do to the men to prevent them from eating the Lotus
Odysseus ties them up
Describe the creatures of nightmare that live in the land of Cyclopes
giants, lives in caves, lout (agressive person), monsterous, savage
cyclopes - kind of represent non-greek people - - greeks thought they were better than everyone
Who is the father of the cyclops
Poseidon
Paraphrase the first conversation between Polyphemus and Odysseus.
The cyclope found Odysseus and his men and the cyclope said they are more powerful than Zeus and the cyclope is not scared of Zeus so he won't let them go. The cyclope then killed 2 of Odysseus' men. Cyclope is the son of Poseidon and won't stop because he believes they are more powerful.
What do Odysseus and his men make out of the Oliver Tree and what do they plan to do with it
They use it to make a stake and stab the Cyclope's eye.
what happens to the cyclops after he drinks three bowls. when asked by the cyclops, what does odysseus say his name is
he got drunk and odysseus told him his name was nohbdy.
how do odysseus and his men escape the cave
they clung onto the sheeps' stomachs.
What does Odysseus yell to the cyclops once he and his men are on theur boat and what happens to the boat
he tells:
his name
his dads name
where he is from
where his dad is
he says he is the king of Ithica
The cyclops throws a piece of mountain at their boat and the waves take the boat back to the shore
What request does the cyclops make to his father
he requests
odyseeus lose all of his men
return under strange sail to bitter days at home
asks Poseidon (his father) to curse Odysseus
Epithet
An adjective or phrase which is a charcteristic of a place or person
ex: Superman = man of steel
Epic Hero
a hero with superhuman qualities who completes acts of courage; stands for the values of culture
allusion
allusions hint at something which came before: history, Bible, mythology, literary text
En media res
to begin in the middle of things; followed by flashback before returning to the middle and moving forward
Hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence
What does Odysseus instruct his men to do to him as they sail past the Sirens
Tie him to the mast and don't free him no matter what
What does Odysseus do for his men before they said past the Sirens
He carves out beeswax and warms it up and puts it in their ears so they can't hear their song
What is the rhyme scheme of the Siren song? How does this contribute to the tone of the Sirens’ music
a,b,a,b
calming, entrancing, soothing
When does Odysseus give his pep talk/speech
Scylla and Charybdis
What is Scylla
multi-headed sea monster - - takes six men and pulls them up into the air and they are screaming and it ate them in her cave - - Odysseus feels bad because he lied to them
What is Charybdis
Charybdis is a mythical creature in Greek mythology. It was a sea monster that was believed to create powerful whirlpools, posing a great danger to sailors. In Homer's "Odyssey," Charybdis was described as a massive whirlpool that swallowed and regurgitated vast amounts of water three times a day. It was often paired with another sea monster, Scylla, as obstacles that sailors had to navigate through.
what is the purpose of the extended metaphor in lines 815-819
Fisherman = scylla
fish = Odysseus’ men
Shows that these men are supposed to be the most powerful men/soldiers but they are powerless and nothing compared to scylla.
Note
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