Aim:
How do Odysseus’ actions in “The Cyclops” support or refute his epic character?
Do Now: Whole Class Discussion
As previously discussed, the term, “Xenia” is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity, and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest hosts.
Therefore, based on your understanding of the term, how important do you believe this attribute or behavior is to exemplify? Why?
Example of Xenia:
Class started with a discussion about hospitality and if it was still important to show hospitality today. Oscar brought up a very good point about how fearful Greeks were towards the gods and because of this they showed hospitality to everyone. After this Ms.Peterson asked if showing hospitality was still important today. Lapyan was the first to answer this question. He said that nowadays it is normal to deny someone entry into your home. I agree with him because of how dangerous it can be. Kenneth then added to the discussion that there are places where people can go now to find shelter and that they don’t need to go to people's homes.
Reflect on the heroes you have encountered throughout your life, in various forms: literature, movies, or TV. Identify any weaknesses the hero(es) may have, and explain how it impairs their ability.
The class moved onto a new discussion about heroes and how their weaknesses affect them. The first person to participate in the discussion was Oscar. He brought up Superman and his weaknesses to kryptonite and how it can lead to him getting hurt. Kenneth then added that different points of views among heros can often lead to conflict. Heroes constantly argue over whose plan is better or who should lead. This causes disagreements and usually fighting.
The class then moved on to some spirit reading and reviewed vocabulary from the greek story “The Cyclops”. Because of time constraints the class was not able to review the vocabulary words but everyone was instructed to fill them out on there own cheat sheet later on.
Vocabulary:
Homeric simile
Epic similes in The Odyssey, also known as Homeric similes, give Homer’s
narrative depth and force.
Homeric simile, also known as Epic Similes, are elaborate comparisons, consisting of many lines, between two different objects using “like”, “as”, “so”, or “just so”. It is a comparison made between something unfamiliar or strange to the audience and something that is more familiar to them.
We often use short similes in everyday speech, like the example, “She’s tough as nails.” A Homeric Simile, however, is used to redirect the reader’s attention in unexpected, humorous, gruesome or heroic ways.
Foreshadowing
When future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen.
They are usually considered to be ominous, warning signs, or signs of bad things to come.
Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety. However, if the outcome is deliberately and explicitly revealed early in a story (such as by the use of a narrator or flashback structure), such information does not constitute foreshadowing.
Hubris
A Greek term meaning excessive pride or over-confidence (think arrogance)
Can cause the character to disregard reality or offend the gods, often leading to their downfall
A character flaw often seen in the heroes of classical Greek tragedies
Committing hubris was very much looked down upon in Ancient Greece
Tragic Flaw
A trait in a character that often leads to their downfall.
In Greek Mythology, the trait of Hubris is often used.
The Cyclopes
After reading “The Cyclopes” in class we were supposed to have a group discussion about the 6 questions listed on slide 8. Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to complete them on our own.
1) Based on your understanding of foreshadowing, review lines 153-156. How is foreshadowing used, and what exactly is being foreshadowed?
In line 153-156 of the story it states that “for in my bones I knew some towering brute would be upon us soon - all outward power, a wild man, ignorant of civility,”. This is a direct example of foreshadowing. In this line it foreshadows that they will encounter some type of beast later on that will bring them danger.
2) What heroic qualities does Odysseus display thus far?
(Heroic Qualities: Intelligence/Resourcefulness, Strength, Bravery and loyalty, Weakness)
One heroic quality that Odysseus displays is intelligence. In the story Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is “Nobody”. This way the Cyclops wouldn’t be able to explain who harmed him later on. This was very important to Odysseus’ escape because if the Cyclopes knew Odysseus’ real name he would have been able to send the other Cyclopes after him.
a. What does the fact that he doesn’t want to attack the Cyclops reveal about his character?
From the start Odysseus was not looking to cause any harm. He visited the island in search of food and when he found the milk and cheese he ate it. He never meant for anyone to be harmed and only had good intentions. This can also be seen when he states that he doesn’t want to attack the Cyclops.
3) Refer to line 232-243. How does Homer use figurative language to create imagery? (identify examples and explain their effect)
Homer creates imagery using a Homeric simile in lines 232-243. In the text it says “Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion”. By comparing the way they ate to the way a mountain lion eats Homer is able to show that the Cyclopes are savages and helps the reader visualize how they behaved.
4) How should we judge the heroic qualities of Odysseus based on his actions with the cyclops?
Based on his actions you can tell that Odysseus is very intelligent. He devised a plan to get him and his men out of danger. He is very heroic but also has some bad traits. An example of this would be when he screamed his real name out after escaping the Cyclops.
5) Contrast Polyphemus’ values and the values of Odysseus (hospitality [xenia], respect for the gods, protections for his men).
a. Can you identify any qualities/characteristics that both Odysseus and Polyphemus share?
b. If Odysseus represents civilization, and Polyphemus represents nature, what do you think Homer is saying about the relation of man to nature?
i. Can you see potential dangers (that are becoming increasingly evident, especially in the modern era) in this position taken by Homer?
Polyphemus and Odysseus values vary greatly when it comes to the topic of hospitality and respect for the gods. Polyphemus does not fear the gods. Because of this he shows no Xenia towards Odysseus. On the other hand Odysseus does fear the gods and respects them. You can tell this because he expected Polyphemus to show him Xenia and provide him with hospitality. Both Odysseus and Polyphemus show the trait hubris. Odysseus shows this when he screams out his real name after defeating the Cyclops and when he stays in the cave when he should have left. Polyphemus shows this by bragging about he isn’t afraid of any god. I would think that Homer is trying to say that nature alone is a lot stronger than any man or civilization, but civilization is more organized and is smarter so it can beat nature in most situations. Yes, when civilization overpowers nature many things can go wrong. Nature starts to be used to benefit civilization but at the same time it is being destroyed. An example of this in real life is global warming and deforestation.
6) As previously discussed, the story is told through flashback (Odysseus is revealing the past events of his journey), therefore, how has Polyphemus’ curse impacted the course of Odysseus’ future.
Because of Polyphemus’ curse Odysseus has a difficult time returning home. Polyphemus prays to Poseidon to make Odysseus’ journey home difficult so that he never returns home. This is another challenge that Odysseus has to face because of his foolishness.
Reflection:
Besides the new vocabulary words that we had reviewed during the lesson I learned a lot about the story of “The Odyssey”. I now have a better understanding of the details of the story and why Homer wrote the story the way he did. To be specific I learned about Homer's use of homeric similes and foreshadowing to make a story more interesting and descriptive. Learning about the use of these will definitely help me understand stories better in the future and maybe even allow me to write my own story that is filled with detail and is interesting to read. Learning about Xenia was especially helpful because it allowed me to gain a better understanding of Greek culture and mythology. All in all I really enjoyed this lesson and feel like I took away a lot of useful information from it.
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