Connecting Device to Meaning “Ithaka” by Constantine Cavafy Using the annotation guide below, record your insights and observations to the poem “Ithaka,” a poem by Constantine Cavafy based on the ancient epic ​
The Odyssey​
by Homer. Activity 1​
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Vocabulary: ​
List all words unknown to you, and then define them with more accessible synonyms. Next, go back through the poem and read the text with the synonyms in place to deepen your comprehension. (Save the mythological terms for the fourth activity.) Word Part of Speech Definition Synonym harbors
noun
a part of a body of water along the shore deep
enough for anchoring a ship...to provide protection
from winds, waves, and currents.
port
mother of pearl noun a hard, iridescent substance that forms the inner
layer of certain mollusk shells, used for making
buttons, beads, etc.
pearl
coral noun the hard, variously colored, skeleton secreted by
certain marine polyps.
valuable gemstone amber noun a pale yellow, sometimes reddish or brownish,
fossil resin of vegetable origin, translucent, brittle:
used for making jewelry and other ornamental
articles.
valuable gemstone ebony noun a hard, heavy, durable wood, most highly prized
when black, from various tropical trees used for
cabinetwork, ornamental objects, etc.
valuable wood scholars noun a learned or erudite person, especially one who
has profound knowledge of a particular subject.
person of learning Grade 9: The Odyssey Activity 2​
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Connotative Diction​
: Determine the meanings of words or phrases with figurative or connotative meanings used in the text. Do the words bring to mind positive or negative feelings? What more specific emotions do the words suggest? Positive Negative hope
angry Poseidon
adventure
wild Poseidon
thoughts raised high
poor
rare excitement
stirs your spirit
summer morning
pleasure
joy
fine things
stores of knowledge
lasts for years
marvelous journey
full of experience Activity Three​
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Objective Summary: ​
Write an objective summary of the poem. ​
The narrator is giving advice to someone beginning a journey. The narrator says that the traveler will
not encounter obstacles unless the traveler brings them upon himself. The narrator then previews some
of the advantages of a journey: seeing places for the first time, buying precious gifts, and learning from
educated people of experience. To conclude, the narrator urges the journeyman to not rush the process
but instead to learn all that he can along the way.
Grade 9: The Odyssey Activity Four​
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Literary Devices​
: Identify the allusions in the poem. Using an online resource or mythology collection, write an explanation of these allusions in the right hand margin. Allusion Explanation of Allusion Laestrygonians legendary clan of cannibals (Fagles 532).
Cyclops one-eyed giant
Poseidon god of the sea, son of Cronus and Rhea, younger brother of Zeus, father of
Polyphemus, throughout ​
The Odyssey​
an...enemy of Odysseus (Fagles 538).
Ithaka the home of Odysseus
Activity Five​
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Point of View​
: What types of pronouns do you see? What is the point of view that the author employs? Using the tone resource, determine what the speaker’s attitude toward the subject seems to be. The poem is written in second person (you, your). The narrator employs a reflective and instructive tone. Activity Six​
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Symbolism: ​
What does the city of Ithaka seem to symbolize in this poem? Ithaca, the home town of Odysseus, is a symbol for a highly desired object that drives behavior and
action. Even though Odysseus is trying to get home throughout the epic, this poem suggests that a
person learns more from the journey than in reaching the destination.
Grade 9: The Odyssey