Read the invocation and the first few lines of Book One of The Odyssey below. Follow the instructions below as you annotate:

Transcription

1 The Features of an Epic The Odyssey Book One Handout An epic is a long, book-length poem that tells a story about a hero. The ancient poet Homer wrote both The Iliad (the story of the Greeks defeating their enemies during the ten-year Trojan War) and The Odyssey (the story of the Greek king Odysseus tumultuous ten-year journey home to Ithaca). The following characteristics are just some distinctive elements of the epic genre: 1. Beginning in medias res or in the middle of things. 2. An invocation or prayer to the gods for inspiration at the beginning of the poem. 3. Epic similes or Homeric similes, which are more involved, more ornate than the typical simile, often lasting last several lines. 4. Epithets or phrases that rename characters: for example, Athena is called the clear-eyed goddess, Odysseus the master tactician, and Hermes the giant killer. These epithets sometimes function as appositive phrases. Activity One: Reading and Annotating the Invocation Read the invocation and the first few lines of Book One of The Odyssey below. Follow the instructions below as you annotate: 1. For your first reading, define the terms that have been bolded for you. Write a synonym or definition directly above the boxed word. 2. For your second reading, use a handbook of mythological terms, the glossary at the back of your text, or the Internet to look up background information for the shaded terms. Write the explanation directly above the term. Finally, use the questions on the right side of the text to guide you as you record your insights and impressions about the text. 1

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3 Activity Two Objective Summary: In the space below, write an objective summary of what is happening in the passage. You might use the questions below to help you write your summary: Who is the text about? Where is this story taking place? When does the action begin? What seems to be the problem? Why is there a problem? Is there any background information? Summary: 3

4 Book One Guiding Questions: 1. Why is Odysseus still not home? (p 79) 2. Why is Athena so invested in Odysseus well-being? (p 79) 3. Where does Athena go first? What is the situation there? (pp 80-81) 4. Who does Athena pretend to be? (p 83) 5. Why is Telemachus distressed? (p 85) 6. What does Telemachus dream of? (p 86) 7. What does Mentes instruct Telemachus to do? (pp 86-87) 8. How is Telemachus different after Mentes leaves? (p 88) 9. How does Telemachus assert himself to his mother and to the suitors?(p 89) 10. How do the suitors react? (p 90) 4

5 Activity Three: Determining Character through Conflict Scholars call Books One through Four of The Odyssey The Telemachy. In these introductory books, although we learn a little about the background of the conflicts that Odysseus is experiencing as a wanderer as well, the focus is the problems that plague his wife Penelope and son Telemachus back home in Ithaca. As you reread the selected passages, mark portions of the text that reveal the characterization of Telemachus, Athena, Penelope, and the suitors. When you finish a passage, complete the activities following each excerpt. Passage 1 from Book One: Pages 80-81, lines Concise summary for context: What type of conflict does Telemachus deal with in this passage? Provide textual evidence for your answer. How does he deal with that conflict? Provide textual evidence for your answer. Assertions about characters based on the passage: Telemachus Is. Athena is. 5

6 Passage 2 from Book One: Pages 84-86, lines Concise summary for context: What type of conflict occurs in this passage? Provide textual evidence for your answer. How is the conflict dealt with? Provide textual evidence for your answer. Assertions about characters based on the passage: Telemachus is. Athena is. The suitors are. 6

7 Passage 3 from Book One: Pages 87-89, lines Concise summary for context: What type of conflict occurs in this passage? Provide textual evidence for your answer. How is the conflict dealt with? Provide textual evidence for your answer. Assertions about characters based on the passage: Telemachus Is. Penelope is. 7

8 Passage 4 from Book One: Pages 89-90, lines Concise summary for context: What type of conflict occurs in this passage? Provide textual evidence for your answer. How is the conflict dealt with? Provide textual evidence for your answer. Assertions about characters based on the passage: Telemachus Is. The suitors are. 8