Literary Luminary

Name: Paolo So
Text: Homer's Odyssey
Date: 8/20
Books: 9-12

Quick Statement: What, for you, is the UNIVERSAL TRUTH in the text?
Compare this with others’.

Odysseus's overconfidence, pride and carelessness lands him and his companions
in a series of misfortunes, culminating in him and his companions eventually
being denied of homecoming (because the latter killed Helios's cattle for food)
and then the former ends up in Kalypso's “island prison”, away from home, and
then, in turn, becoming the brooding person we now know. It points out to
responsibility and the possible consequences of one's actions; that the mistake of
one might just compromise everyone.

Now, we can see that this is Odysseus's burden to bear, plus the prophecy of
Teiresias of Poseidon's wrath coming true.

GOLDEN LINES Book Significance and Analysis

“Cyclops, you ask me for my
famous name. Nobody is my
name.”
9 Odysseus is seen here being a
very shrewd person, trying to
find a way to escape
Polyphemos's cave by
trickery.
Cyclops Polyphemos prays 9 A foreshadowing of what will
to Poseidon. Poseidon hears eventually happen to
him. Odysseus and companions.

“The evil counsel of my 10 Odysseus's companions

companions prevailed, and weren't content with their
they opened the bag and the share of the plunder. At this
winds all burst out.” time they were actually
slightly mutinous.

“Only I shall go, for there is 10 Odysseus was driven to pay a

strong compulsion upon me.” visit to Circe's palace thanks
to what occurred to his
companions, and there was no
stopping him.

For a year Odysseus and co. 10 They were that battered and
stay in Circe's palace for scarred mentally, emotionally
around a year. and physically.

Odysseus's mother Antikleia 11 Odysseus was basically

tells him about her fate and
his father's fate.
Odysseus shares with his
listeners his profound
encounters with the souls of
prominent Greek figures.
Agamemnon warns Odysseus
not to trust women.
Eurylochos says to Odysseus
that he was “made of iron”
“dead” to his family, for he
was away for so long.
11 They apparently enjoyed his
out-of-this-world storytelling.
Was imaginative storytelling in
style as early as back then?
11 He speaks from experience,
seeing that his death was a
result of his wife's scheming.
Odysseus would be wise to
not tell Penelope everything
that happened during his
travels, according to him.
12 Eurylochos and his fellow
shipmates were uncontent
with Odysseus's hardness,
saying that he was
inconsiderate.