The Odyssey: Journey and Character

The Odyssey: Journey and Character

Read each question carefully and provide your best answer based on your knowledge of Homer's The Odyssey.

1. What is the primary reason Odysseus is unable to return home for ten years after the Trojan War?

2. Which character holds Odysseus captive on her island for seven years?

3. Odysseus reveals his true identity to the Cyclops Polyphemus before blinding him.

4. Penelope immediately recognizes Odysseus upon his return to Ithaca.

5. Odysseus uses the pseudonym " " to trick the Cyclops.

6. The goddess   frequently aids Odysseus throughout his journey.

7. Upon his return, Odysseus must prove his identity by stringing his own   and shooting an arrow through twelve axe handles.

8. Describe one instance where Odysseus demonstrates cunning or cleverness during his journey. Explain how this trait helps him overcome a challenge.

Read the following passage from Book 9 of The Odyssey, where Odysseus recounts his encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus:

"When the young Dawn with finger tips of rose lit up the world, the Cyclops built a fire and milked his bleating ewes, all in their order, putting the sucklings to the mothers. Then, his work all finished, he caught another brace of men to make his breakfast, and devoured them, bones and flesh, and glutted down with liquor of unwatered milk. Weeping, we went to work, to obey his orders: we picked out a great timber, green wood still, an olive tree, and lopped it off, and peeled it, and we sharpened it to a point, and hardened it in the fire, and hid it in the dung, all ready, when he should come back, to plunge it in his eye."

9. Based on the passage above and your understanding of The Odyssey, analyze the character of Odysseus as a leader. How does he demonstrate both strengths and flaws in his leadership, particularly in his dealings with Polyphemus and his crew? Use specific examples from the text to support your analysis.