LITERATURE CIRCLES

Literary Luminary
Name: Matthew Tan
Text: The Odyssey
Date: September 8, 2010
Books: 20-24

Literary Luminary: The Odyssey features a powerful array of epithets and figures of speech.
Your job is: (a) to prepare a summary of the reading. Make a quick statement to discuss the
UNIVERSAL TRUTH found in the text; (b) to identify “Golden Lines”—or special passages in the
text (interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important sections). You will also ponder on how
certain lines in the text are further illuminated in succeeding scenes. Decide which passages or
paragraphs are worth remembering, and indicate how you plan to present them: (a) You can
read the passages aloud yourself, (b) ask someone else to read them, or (c) read them together
as a group. Make sure to discuss your analysis of the selected text.

Quick Statement: What, for you, is the UNIVERSAL TRUTH in the text? Compare this
with others’.
Universal Truth: Cleverness can get answers. Penelope usually used her
cleverness with regards to all her problems, and such. It’s her cleverness
that got her to think about the bow and axes challenge, with the help of
Athene, of course. It’s also her cleverness that got her to realize that the
person was actually Odysseus by talking about the bed.
GOLDEN LINES Book Significance and Analysis
Then the thoughtful Telemachos said to him in answer: 20 Important, because he
‘But, by Zeus, Agelaos, I swear, and by the sufferings 340
of my father, who has died or is driven far from Ithaka, I do wants them to give them
not delay my mother's marriage; rather I urge her to marry a sort of false hope that
the one she wants, and I offer them countless presents. But I
am ashamed to drive her unwilling out of the palace with a
it’s actually time for
strict word. May this not be the end god makes of it.’ Penelope to choose
someone
No one has worse luck with his guests than you, 20 Controversial, wouldn’t
Telemachos. Here, for one, somebody brought you in this
vagabond who wants his food and his wine, who does not teasing the son of the
know how to do any work, who has no strength, but is just a woman just ruin your
weight on the good land. 380 And now this other one stood
up and began to prophesy. If you would listen to what I say,
name and such.
it would be far better. Let us put these guests in a vessel Shouldn’t they have
with many oarlocks and take them to theSicilians. There respect for Telemachos?
they would fetch a good price.’
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21 Informative, this is where

But now the goddess, gray-eyed we see that Penelope is
Athene, put it in the mind of the trying to solve her
daughter of Ikarios, circumspect problem with ALL the
Penelope, to set the bow before suitors. By actually giving
the suitors, and the gray iron, in them some challenge.
the house of Odysseus: the
contest, the beginning of the
slaughter.
He began by setting up the axes, digging one long trench 21 I found this funny ‘cause
for them all, and drawing it true to a chalkline, and stamped
down the earth around them; wonder seized the onlookers at Telemcahos actually
how orderly he set them up. He never had seen them before. failed even though he
He went then and tried the bow, standing on the threshold.
125 Three times he made it vibrate, straining to bend it, and
seemed really confident
three times he gave over the effort, yet in his heart was with himself shooting the
hopeful of hooking the string to the bow and sending a shaft 12 axes.
through the iron. And now, pulling the bow for the fourth
time, he would have strung it, but Odysseus stopped him,
though he was eager, making a signal 130 with his head.
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Possible Reasons for Picking a Passage:

funny controversial important surprising

confusing informative