The Odyssey, Part 1–Sailing fromTroy, The Lotus-Eaters, The Cyclops (pgs. 561-576)

 How many syllables are in each line in lines 1-5?  Are they end rhymes or regular meter?  What is this called?

 What is Odysseus saying in lines 18-20?

What words are used by Odysseus to describe the enemy army in lines 53-57? What is he expressing about what he and his men felt?  How threatening did the enemy appear to Odysseus?

How do the Lotus-Eaters pose a threat to Odysseus and his men?

Identify the alliteration in lines 113-115.  What can a reader infer from the alliteration?    

           Why might the author have included these details?

Why doesn’t Odysseus respect the Cyclopes?

In lines 132-133, what does Odysseus’ metaphor imply about the Cyclops?

Why does Odysseus refuse his men’s “sound” request in lines 171-173?

What is the significance of the burnt offering?

What verb doesOdysseus use to tell how he and his men moved away from the Cyclops?  What kind of creature does that verb evoke?  What comparison does it suggest between Cyclops and Odysseus and his men?

What point is Odysseus making about himself by claiming association with Agamemnon?  What is this association called?

To what Greek custom is Odysseus referring in lines 211-216?  What is Odysseus’ warning to the Cyclops if he doesn’t  honor this custom?

 What is the Cyclops attitude toward the gods?

Why does Odysseus lie to the Cyclops about his ship?

What similes are used in lines 233-238?  What can be inferred from these comparisons? What is the importance of these details?  Why did the author include them?

Why doesn’t  Odysseus kill the Cyclops at this point?

What epithet is repeated in lines 252-253? 

What does Odysseus plan to do to the Cyclops?

Why does Odysseus offer the Cyclops the liquor he brought from the ship?

Why does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name is “Nohbdy”?  What does this tell you about Odysseus’ character as a leader?

Identify/write the epic similes in lines 333-338 and lines 340-344.  What two things are being compared in each simile?  What are the effects of this figurative language?

Odysseus’ lie about his name works for him. What do the other Cyclopes assume to be the source of Polyphemus’ pain?  What do you learn about Polyphemus from the allusion in these lines?

What verbs are used by Odysseus to describe the actions/movements of the Cyclops?  What do these verbs suggest about the Cyclops’ condition? What does this reveal about the Cyclops’ pain, anger, and remaining strength?

Odysseus has a great mental struggle but comes up with a clever plan on the spot. What is the plan?

Take a look at the punctuation in lines 448-454.  What does it indicate? What does the author accomplish by letting the reader hear the crew’s own voices for the first time?  What does “stove” mean in these lines?

What trait does Odysseus display by using the epithet “raider of cities” to describe himself?

How have the actual events turned out differently from the prophecy by Telemus and from what Polyphemus expected?

Paraphrase Polyphemus’ curse.  How did Odysseus bring this curse upon himself?