PART 2. Our journey through the Odyssey will take a week. Think of it as a rather quick road trip to see a few famous sites. The Odyssey may be more familiar to you because it is often a part of the ninth grade curriculum in high school. The text is easier to follow, I think, than the Iliad because the focus is primarily on just one man. The story does jump around a bit as Telemachus searches for his father, Odysseus leaves Calypso’s island and tells of his adventures, until the two finally come together in the same place as Odysseus returns home. As Odysseus struggles to return to Ithaca and his family, we see a man who faces many dangers, most self-inflicted. As you read the following chapters and summaries, consider how many of Odysseus’ hardships he creates for himself and how many are from external forces. The document below contains summaries of the chapters that are not assigned to be read in full.
Reading assignments: Books One and Two, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Sixteen to Twenty-Two.
First reading assignment: For this you have two question sets to answer. Your overall response should be 300 words minimum and contain at least two quotes from the text to support your answers.
1) Book One: Odysseus’ home is being overrun with men who want to marry Penelope if she will admit Odysseus is dead. How are these men violating the Greek concept of “xenia?” What do you think of how Telemachus attempted to handle the situation? Could he have done more? Why or why not? The document below is about the Greek concept of Xenia, or hospitality. Please read it over before answering the question.
2) Books Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve: Out of all the dangerous situations that Odysseus encounters, which ones could he have avoided? Which ones were beyond his control? Please provide details to support your choices. Odysseus is a complex man. How is he influenced by the concept of “hubris?”
Hubris: excessive pride in oneself or one’s accomplishments. In Greek myth and tragedy, typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of his or her mortality.
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