to theLiterature
eonnect
.
1. WhatDoYouThink?
Whatwas your
reactionto the
reunionof Odysseus
and Penelope?
Jot down your
imoressions
and
sharethem in class.
C o m p re h e n s i oCnh e c k
. What does Penelopearrangefor
the suitorswho want to marryher?
. Why isn't Odysseusrecognized
when he first arrives?
. Who helps Odysseusfight the
suitors?
. Why does Penelopetest
Odysseus?
ThinkCritically
I DE N T IF YINC
GO N F I.IC TOf the conflicts
you notedin your lffinsaoen'q JLg:rEBooK,which seems
the mostsignificant
for Odysseus?
With a classmate,
discuss
your reactionto how it was resolved.
3. Whosepainand sufferingdo you think hasbeengreaterOdysseus'
or Penelope's?
Defendyour choice.
thatOdysseus
hasfacedduring
[ . ttreobstacles
his
2o-year
absence
m
I
. the uncertainty
thatPenelope
haslivedwith,
L4!!!l
I
-l
as
expressed
in
lines
416-425
I
4. Do you think Odysseus
is rightto kill all the suitors?
Whyor
why not?
5. Whydo you think Penelopedevisesthe contestwith the
bow?Whatdoesthis contestrevealabout her character?
:
6. Do Odysseus'
with
actionsin theseexcerptsseemconsistent
what you havecometo expectof him as an epic hero?
youropinion.
Explain
LiteraryAnalysis
small
tETtc-lThereisnothing
about an epic. Instead,it is known
for the scopeand magnitudeof its
olot.character.
setfins.and theme.
,f
v v ! r, ,
ro ,
Epicheroesare"larger
thanlife"
andusually
of noblebirthand
legendary
importance,
with
superhuman
stren$hand
boundless
courage.
Epicplots have
largespans,complicated
by
supernatural
beingsor events,
and
mayinvolvelonganddangerous
journeys
throughforeignlands.Epic
settingscanbe hugein scale,
usually
involving
morethanone
nation.Epicthemesreflect
timelessconcerns
suchascourage
and
honor,goodandevil,lifeanddeath.
Learning
Cooperative
Activityln a
discussion
withclassmates,
speculate
aboutwhythe Odyssey
is
stillconsidered
a classic
morethan
2,500yearsafterit waswritten.
Examine
suchaspects
of the work
as chatacter,suspense,
description,andtheme. Present
yourgroup'sanalysis
of the epic's
aooealto the restof the class.
Extend
Interpretations
7. Critic'sCornerOne criticsaysthat althoughOdysseus
loves
Penelope,
his motivationis not romantic.Rather,"sheis
partof his homeand hearth.. . . lt is hisfatherand his land
that giveOdysseus
. . . and theseare
statusand substance
his overtreasonsfor wantingto returnhome."Do you agree
or disagree?
Stateyour reasons.
t=
r,
E:
6
g
&,
8. Connect
the ancient
represents
to Life Assumethat Odysseus
Creeks'idealof a man and that Peneloperepresents
their
idealof a woman.In what waysare the characters
similarto
and differentfrom the idealman and woman of today?
THE HOMECOMING
\tritingOptions
verseand in prose,by many
writersthroughoutthe ages.To
1.Plot0utlineThinkof a modern- appreciate
how much a
day equivalentof the suitors-a
translationreflectsthe
seriousone,suchas a groupof
personalstyle,
translator's
terroristsor a streetgang,or a
comparethe followingwordsof
humorousone,suchas a carload Penelopein Fitzgerald's
transThen,
of unwelcomerelatives.
lation(lines416-420)and in two
workingaloneor with a partner, othermoderntranslations.
createa plot outlinefor a storyof Explainwhich one you like best
relatinghow
epic proportions,
in an oral reportto the class,
you,as an epicheroor heroine,
/
"Do not rq.gea,tme, Od,ysseus!
get rid of the intruders.
your
eaer
matched.
No
one
2. PressGonference
Now that he
caution!Think/ whatdfficulty
is homeandthe dusthassettled,
tbe god,sgaue:they deniedus /
mustfacereporters
Odysseus
life togetherin our prime and
who want him to tell abouthis
flowering years,/ kept usfrom,
and defendhis
adventures
into agetogether."
crossi.ng
actions.Writethe questionsand
-Robert Fitzgerald
answers
thatyou thinkwould be
heardat sucha pressconference. "Do not be angry with me,
Activities&
Explorations
ReportThe Odyssey
Translation
both in
has beentranslated,
Odysseas,si.nce,beyond other
men, / 1ou haae the most
understand.ing, The god,s
granted, us misery, / in jealouslt
oaer the thought that we tu.to,.
always together, / should enjoy
our youth, qnd then cometu
thresholdof old age."
-Ri chmondtattimor
':t
"Do not scowl at me, Odysseus.
since in euerything else/ you' ..
haae been the u'isestof men,
The god.shaue giuen us woe/
.:
Wo begrudged it to us thqt.
stayng with one anolher, / We
should enjolt our oigor and
'i
reach tbe threshold of agei'
_Albert Cook
ANDLISTENING
- SPEAKING
,:
Inquiry& Research
ln manywaysa classic
is
timeless,but everynew
generationof readersmayseeit,.
in a freshlight.Fromyourown
what do you think -l
standpoint,
makesfor a goodtranslation
ofa;
work?
classical
BealWorldLink Read
the
bookrevi ewon page968to
hel pyouformyouropi ni on,. :
:a
in Action
Yocabulary
PBACTICE
Foreachnumberedword,write the letterof the bestsynonym.
EXERGISE:
ASSESSMENT
1. wiliest
9. implacable
a, selze
2. frenzy
10. revelry
b. disgusting
i, sneakiest
j. unsociable
3, commandeer
11,throng
c. nerve
k, repayment
4. aloof
12. gall
d. raid
l. bumbling
5, desolation
e, forewarning
m. celebration
6. plunder
13. restitution
14,justification
7, omen
15. dithering
l. fit
g. sadness
n. unforgiving
o. mob
L contemptible
h. grounds
Building
Vocabulary
ps as
Foran i n-depth
l esson
onw ordrel ati onshisuch
seepage849.
synonyms
andantonyms,
'a
966
UNIT SIX PART1; THE ODYSSEY
in Context:Sentence
Glosers
Grammar
EXERCISE
Followthe directions
in
, ln theseexcerptsfrom the Odyssey,noticehow the : WRITING
parentheses
to
ends
a
about
Polyphemus
and
a
rewrite
each
sentence,
sentence
adding
a
, translator
sentencecloserto it.
aboutCirce.
sentence
:
Punctudtion lip; Most sentenceclosersshouldbe
W€felt a pressure
on our hearts,in dread
I
:
precededby commas.
nan.
of thatdeeprumbleandthatmight.v
,:t
Exarnpte:Original Odysseus
and his men leave
(prepositional
phrase)
,
(Add
participle
Lowshesang
Polyphemus
behind.
a
describing
io her beguilingvoice,whileon herloom
Polyphemus'
condition.)
I
fabricsheerandbright,
,
shewoveambrosial
Rewritten Odysseusand his men leave
|'
ofheaven.
bythatcraftknownto thegoddesses
behind,blinded.
Polyphemus
(adverb
clause)
1. The men sit eatingthe lotus.(Addan adjective
:
phrasedescribing
how the men felt.)
, A sentencecloseris a word,phrase,or clausethat
the Cyclops'cavern.(Adda
2. Odysseus
approaches
, followsthe main ideaof a sentence.
Eachof the
prepositional
phraseindicating
what Odysseus
clause
abovebeginswith an independent
''i sentences
did not know aboutthe Cyclops.)
:'l thatcontainsthe mainidea.Thesentenceclosers,
men a special
3. Circefeedssomeof Odysseus'
:
(The
details.
phraseindicating
what
meal.(Adda participial
,i shownin blue,add additional
i, grammatical
structureof eachcloseris indicatedin :
the mealdid to the men.)
l i'parentheses.)
Youcan usesentenceclosersin your
want to leave
4. TheSirens'songmakesOdysseus
-1,writingto add descriptive
the
detailsand to increase
with
the ship.(Addan adverbclausebeginning
the word olthough.)
variety
your
of
sentences.
,:,,1
i
Homer
Greels
:;,Shadowy
theancient
FigureNthough
the
;drediteda mannamedHomerwith composing
:Iliad andtheOdyssey,
scholarshavelong debated
Therearemany
,-.wtether
Homerreallvexisted.
.r'theories
aboutwhoHomermavhavebeenandwhen
to ancient
.rud wherehemavhavelived.According
.iraccounts,
helivedsometime
between
900and
''700n.c.,possibly
in the
ontheislandof Chios
eastern
Most
modern
Aegean
he
was
blind,
Sea,and
.scholars
poems
arethework
agreethattheHomeric
of
r one0r moreexceptionally
talented
bards, singers
astheysing,
whomakeup theirverses
of
epicsareallthatremains
0ralHistoryHomer's
a seriesof poemsthattoldthewholestoryof the
thelliad andthe
TrojanWar.In latercenturies,
professional
reciters,
by
)dysseltwerememorized
themat religiousfestivals
whoperformed
Theyrverealsothefirstworks
Greece.
throughout
By300B,c,manY
readbyGreekschoolchildren,
versions
of thepoemsexisted,
slightlvdifferent
themto
beganto workat restoring
andscholars
theiroriginalform.
epicsbecame
ModelsfortheAgesHomer's
modelsfor manvlaterwriters,includingthe
RomanpoetVirgilandtheEnglshpoetJohn
byhelpingto shapeclassical
Milton.Moreover,
to the
Greekculture,theyhavecontributed
andvalues.
of
all
later
Western
ideas
development
THE HoTIECOMING
967
for Informatio
Reading
TheOdyssgt
A Book R.eviewby Stephen Goode
are back,if indeedthey'veeverbeengone'Jane
Theclassics
Austen'sEmmo,Pride ond Prejudice,and Senseond
havebeenmadeinto popularfilms.Thesameis
Sensibility
playsand the novelsof HenryJames,
true for Shakespeare's
M.
Forster.
E.
Wharton.
and
Edith
the
Now add Homer's Odyssey,createdbefore700 e.c.,to
Theepicpoem
enjoyinga revival.
this groupof masterworks
by
vigorous
translation
in a splendid,
hasbeenrepublished
into
a
and made
professor
and poet RobertFagles
Princeton
...
miniseries.
HallmarkEntertainment
Everyoneknowsthe storytold in the Odyssey,or at least
partsof it. The greatwarriorOdysseushas left Troy,victorious
afterlO yearsof war.He'seagerto returnhome,wherehis
left,and his
a smallchildwhen Odysseus
sonTelemachus,
wait for him.
wife,Penelope,
who
hasangeredthe god Poseidon,
But Odysseus
'10
for the greatwarriorto wanderthe Earthfor
arranges
and allowshim
yearsbeforethe goddessAthenaintercedes
journey,Odysseus
to returnto lthaca.Duringhis decade-long
the temptressCirce,the one-eyedgiant
encounters
He's
and undergoesmanyotheradventures.
Polyphemus,
pursued
by
Penelope,
long-suffering
the
as
is
tested,
sorely
family
the
great
poem's
conclusion,
At
the
veryeagersuitors.
is reunited.
and writtenin
is fast-paced
Fagles's
translation
Americanidiom-withoutoncestoopingto
contemporary
slangor clich6."WhenyoungDawnwith her rose-redfingers
the end of Book
writes,translating
shoneoncemore,"Fagles
5, "theyyokedtheirpairagain,mountedthe blazonedcar
and out throughthe gatesand echoingcolonnadethey
whippedthe teamto a run and on theyflew,holdingnothing
back. . . so fastthosepurebredstallionsracedthem on as
the sun sankand the roadsof the world grewdark."
capable
"Homerwas a performer;he was a ventriloquist
an
of speakingin eachof the voicesof his manycharacters,
Fagles
tellsInsight."He was a man
artistof manyeffects,"
Beforeyou go to a movieor reada
book,do you everwonder if you're
goingto like it?Manyreaders
and
viewersrelyon reviewsto helpthem
makeworthwhilechoices.
A BOOKREVIEW
ANALYZING
A book reviewis an essayin whicha
personwriteshis or her opinion
review
about a book.A successful
usuallyincludestheseelements:
. identification
of the work
. enoughinformation
to describe
the storywithout givingawaythe
plot
. a clearand convincing
opinionof
the work followedby supporting
examples
and
Y0URTURNUsethe questions
activitiesbelowto analyzeStephen
Goode'sreviewof the Odyssey.
O A good reviewquicklyidentifies
its subjectand presentsan
interestingangleon it. Whatis
the subjectof the review?How
does GoodeattemPtto interest
readersin the subject?
shouldalwaysassume
@ Reviewers
that their readersknow nothing
about the subjectmatter.
lmaginethat you know nothing
and then
aboutthe Odyssey,
rereadthe sectionin which
the book'
Goodehasdescribed
Do you think he hasexPlained
enoughaboutthe bookwithout
givingawaYthe story?ExPlain'
with a wealthof experience
that he couldcallup at will. He
wasa personwith the breadthof imagination
of
Shakespearel'
Fagfes,
who alsohastranslated
the lliod,Homer'sepic
poemaboutthe siegeof Troy,hasa theoryaboutthe unlikely
popularityof the Odyssey.
"lt's a caseof gettingbackto first
things,"he says,"andthis poem is wherewe began,2,700
yearsago."fndeed,the Odysseyhas somethingfor everyone.
grows into
lfs a coming-of-age
storyas Telemachus
manhood.lt's a tale aboutgrowinginto middleageas
Odysseus
and Penelopeare reunitedaftertheir 2O-year
separation.
lt's a story too, about old Laertes,Odysseus'
father,and "his returnto life"when his son comeshome.
Fagles's
translationis hardto put down, conveyingthe
dramaticenergythat must haveexcitedHomer'slistenerswho heardhim declaimhis long poem (it wasn'twritten
down until muchlater).Audiotapes
of Fagles's
complete
Odysseyhavebeen recordedby Englishactor lan McKellen.
€) A writermust clearlypresenthis
or her opinion,Goodestates.
"[Robert]Fagles's
translation
is
fast-pacedand written in contemporaryAmericanidiom-without oncestoopingto slangor
cliche."DoesGoodeprovide
examplesthat supportthis opinion?Arethereenoughexamples
to convinceyou that his opinion
is valid?Explain.
@ Goodeendshis reviewby saying,
"Fagles's
translationis hardto
put down, conveyingthe dramaticenergythat must have
excitedHomer'slisteners.. . ."
DoesCoode'sreviewinspire
you to readthe book?Whyor
whv not?
Inquiry& Research
:
a
Activity Link= from the
bound to the mast, is enchantedby the Sirens song,as his crerv "dashed
oarsin the grav sea" away from rhe Sirens'lure.
Odyssey,p. 966 Reexamineyour I
answersfor what makesa good i
:
translation
of a classical
work.
the
Now,using
criteriafor a
i
successful
book review,discuss
your opinionsof the translation
of
the Odysseythat's in your
textbook.
REAL WORLD
LINK