Troy Cheney Odyssey Books 9-12 Questions Analysis
Ms. Cheney
Period 5
24 October 2012
The Odyssey Questions Books 9 - 12
Book 9
1. Odysseus and his crew arrive at the land of the Lotus-eaters, "people who eat the lotus, mellow fruit and flower." (Page 214, Line 96). He sends ahead three men to scout out the people who live there and send a message back. The scouts soon start mingling with the natives, the Lotus-eaters, who have no notion of killing the men. Rather, the Lotus-eaters feed them the lotus, the honey-sweet fruit, that causes all the crewmen to forget all about returning to Ithaca and to only wish to stay with the Lotus-eaters and graze on the Lotus, "all memory of the journey home dissolved forever." (Page 214, Line 109). They lose all desire for nostos which jeopardizes their possible achievement of kleos.
2. The Cyclopes are lawless brutes who never have to plant seeds or plow the soil for "the earth teems with all they need, wheat, barley, and vines, swelled by the rains of Zeus to yield a big full-bodied wine from clustered grapes". They are uncivilized, without a council meeting place, and without laws, and have piles of sheep manure littering the floor of their caves. Each Cyclops rules himself, his wives, and children, and doesn't have a care for his neighbors, "a savage deaf to justice, blind to law." (Page 218, Line 240). The Cyclopes do not fear the gods nor avoid their wrath, thinking they have more "force by far" (Page 220, Line 311) than the gods. The one-eyed giant says, "Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus' shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god... I'd never spare you in fear of Zeus' hatred, you or your comrades here, unless I had the urge." (Page 220, Lines 309-310 and 312-313) and bolts down some of Odysseus' men ignoring the rules of civility.
3. As Odysseus and his crew find their way into the one-eyed giant's cave, they do not find the host himself, but find "large flat racks loaded with drying cheeses, the folds crowded with young lambs and kids"
Period 5
24 October 2012
The Odyssey Questions Books 9 - 12
Book 9
1. Odysseus and his crew arrive at the land of the Lotus-eaters, "people who eat the lotus, mellow fruit and flower." (Page 214, Line 96). He sends ahead three men to scout out the people who live there and send a message back. The scouts soon start mingling with the natives, the Lotus-eaters, who have no notion of killing the men. Rather, the Lotus-eaters feed them the lotus, the honey-sweet fruit, that causes all the crewmen to forget all about returning to Ithaca and to only wish to stay with the Lotus-eaters and graze on the Lotus, "all memory of the journey home dissolved forever." (Page 214, Line 109). They lose all desire for nostos which jeopardizes their possible achievement of kleos.
2. The Cyclopes are lawless brutes who never have to plant seeds or plow the soil for "the earth teems with all they need, wheat, barley, and vines, swelled by the rains of Zeus to yield a big full-bodied wine from clustered grapes". They are uncivilized, without a council meeting place, and without laws, and have piles of sheep manure littering the floor of their caves. Each Cyclops rules himself, his wives, and children, and doesn't have a care for his neighbors, "a savage deaf to justice, blind to law." (Page 218, Line 240). The Cyclopes do not fear the gods nor avoid their wrath, thinking they have more "force by far" (Page 220, Line 311) than the gods. The one-eyed giant says, "Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus' shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god... I'd never spare you in fear of Zeus' hatred, you or your comrades here, unless I had the urge." (Page 220, Lines 309-310 and 312-313) and bolts down some of Odysseus' men ignoring the rules of civility.
3. As Odysseus and his crew find their way into the one-eyed giant's cave, they do not find the host himself, but find "large flat racks loaded with drying cheeses, the folds crowded with young lambs and kids"