LIT 231
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Odyssey, Books XI-XIV

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. What is the point of the consultation with the dead?  What does Odysseus learn -- or fail to learn -- about death?  What does he learn from each character he meets (especially Elpênor, Agamemnon, and Akhilleus)?  Does he meet the challenge of Skylla and Kharybdis, for example, with a proper understanding of death?  What does Kirkê advise him to do with Skylla and Kharybdis?  Does Odysseus follow her advice?  Do you admire his attitude toward death?
2. What happens with the cattle of Hêlios?  In Book I, the narrator says that Odysseus couldn't save his men, "for their own recklessness destroyed them all -- / children and fools, they killed and feasted on / the cattle of Lord Hêlios, the Sun" (lines 12-14).  Do you agree with this characterization of the events?  Did the men deserve their fate?  Were they reckless "children and fools"?  What about other events that influenced their fates (including the curse of Polyphêmos)?  What standards did the ancient Greeks use to judge people's actions?
3. What did you expect Odysseus to do when he got home?  Did things turn out the way you expected?  How so or how not?  Why does Odysseus behave as he does?  How does Athena respond to his behavior?
4. How well does Eumaios fit the profile of a good man?  Why do we need Eumaios?  What does his character reveal about ancient Greek values that wasn't obvious from the characters of Odysseus and Telémakhos?