Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”

Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Workshop: The odyssey
Dear student please develop the following activities following these instructions properly:

1. Go to the resources section (in the virtual campus) and find a link called:

The odyssey – First task

a. Watch the video about “The Odyssey” by Homer (8th Century BCE).
b. Explore the timeline & Map, Slideshow, Connections and Key Points.
c. Read the Getting started section and Text section (Book 1) check the glossary too.

2. Answer these questions:

a. Write in front of each description the name of the character:

DESCRIPTION CHARACTER
Main suitor; all suitors take over Odysseus's Antinoo
house while he's gone; most arrogant suitor.
Stays faithful to her husband, all the suitors Penelope
wish to take her hand in marriage; questions
her own husband to prove himself, before she
believes him.
Strong and brave epic hero, left for Troy and Odysseus (Ulysses)
doesn't return home until twenty years later,
the epic story is based in his journey home;
defeats and kills all the suitors in battle with
Telemachus; the suitors had invaded his home
while he was gone.
God of the sea, brother of Zeus Poseidon
King of gods, Poseidon's brother Zeus
Grew up without a father, sets out in order to Telemaco
find his father; defeats and kills all the suitors
in battle.
Daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom; helps Atenea
Odysseus through his whole journey home and
aids Odysseus and Telemachus in their battle
against the suitors.

b. Whose help is invoked to tell the story of Odysseus and his adventures as the epic opens?

The daughter of Jove.

c. On whose island is Odysseus imprisoned at the beginning of the epic?

The Island of the goddess Calypso.

Author: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz

 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Workshop: The odyssey

d. Review the Expert´s View about the Odyssey in the materials provided and identify each
expert´s view in the following comments:

"When they were married, Odysseus didn't simply have a bed made for them, it was almost as if
he constructed the palace around the whole bed. It was sort of a tree bowl that had grown into
the palace and they built the bedroom around it."

Expert’s name: Simon Armitage

This scene shows a fascinating mix of psychological realism and a symbolically heightened
reality, in a kind of expansive elaboration of the early flashes of realism to be found in the
Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. In that story, Gilgamesh denies that his beloved friend Enkidu
has died, sitting by his corpse for six days and seven nights, until a worm crawls out of Enkidu's
nose. Homer makes much use of this vivid physical detail to bring his scenes to life even farther.
A lesser work would have cut straight to the chase, giving us an emotion-filled scene of rejoicing
as the long-separated hero and heroine rush into each other's arms. Yet here, surprisingly,
Penelope refuses to recognize her beloved husband, despite the fact that Athena has even
restored him magically to his youthful appearance of twenty years before. Not yet a modern
novelist, Homer is quite comfortable giving us this miraculous transformation, and Penelope
herself never questions how this rejuvenation could come about. So why doesn't she recognize
him? Or does she, but she is refusing to admit it to herself? Or is she so completely a match for
Odysseus that she takes nothing for what it seems to be? Homer leaves us to plumb the
meaning of the scene as he fleshes it out with the many details that Odysseus, having fallen into
the loving trap set for him by his wife, calls to mind in outrage at the idea that she now might
have a new, movable bed.

Expert’s name: David Damrosch

"From the time which it began to circulate in the Greek world, The Odyssey was acknowledged
as a traveler's text. So Alexander the Great, when he set off to Egypt, had a copy of The
Odyssey with him. Lawrence of Arabia is the other classic explorer who is famous for citing The
Odyssey as his inspirational text. I've heard it said The Odyssey was a text that Columbus
traveled with, and that in addition to the Bible, it was one of his master narratives for his New
World exploration. There's seldom a period when The Odyssey falls out of view."

Expert’s name: Emily Greenwood

"Penelope is the wife of Odysseus, and she's a perfect match for him, because she's just as
crafty as he is, just as devious, just as careful, and just as imaginative. She's keeping all of
these suitors at bay in her house who are just clamoring to marry her and take over the castle
and the lands of Odysseus by telling them, Oh, you know, I have to weave a shroud for my poor
father, and I just have to finish this, and so she weaves it every day, and then at night she
unweaves it, so it's never ever done. So, even though he comes and he says, I'm home, it's me,
it's your husband, she wants one test."

Expert’s name: Mary Zimmerman

Author: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz

 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Workshop: The odyssey
"I think in a modern novel, you would expect a husband and wife to recognize each other before
any other recognition scene happens. But in The Odyssey, that relationship is so complex and so
deep that when it has been severed, it takes a very long and hard time to rebuild."

Expert’s name: Gregory Nagy

3. In a short paragraph, define what is the importance of this book in history. Include aspects
like:

- The social impact.

- The importance in world literature.
- The topics and characters and how they have transcended in history.
- Any other aspect you consider relevant.

The work "Odyssey" has great relevance in history as it is one of the ancient writings that have
been preserved. The odyssey can be read as a story of monsters and adventures or it can be
read as a love story, because it has many nuances and great literary beauty.

This work is very much related to events in our life, every time we decide to undertake
something we have an Ithaca to reach, but as in life sometimes not everything goes as you
want there is always some unfavorable circumstance that prevents us from reaching our goal,
this means that sometimes there is a Poseidon trying to stop our purposes, then we can say
that the circumstances of life will somehow be trying to stop us to prevent us from reaching our
own Ithaca.

4. Complete the chart with the following information:

CHARACTERISTI ANSWER
C
Setting In ancient Greece, Itaca is specifically mentioned.
Plot Literary genre epic, action and drama. It narrates the exploits of the
worst historical or legendary. It transforms things from the past into
myths.
Theme Odysseus' return to his native island, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. The
theme is Odysseus' adventures on his return trip to the island of Ithaca.
Characters Odysseus, Penelope (Odysseus' wife) and her son is Telemachus. Other
characters are the gods, such as Athens and Poseidon. The suitors, who
wanted to usurp Odysseus
Conflict Penelope is stalked by enemies of Odysseus who claim her throne and
wife. Penelope does her best to delay a forced wedding because she
hopes Odysseus will return.
Resolution Odysseus Returns to Ithaca and takes revenge of the arrogant suitors
Tone It is characterized by the majesty of tone and style. There are a variety
of literary resources present. There is narration in first and third person.
Tense It is located in the Ancient Age.
Climax The important and decisive part of the story is the revenge of Odysseus,
where the incidents of the return of Odysseus to his land, the revenge of
this one against Penelope's suitors, and the final encounter of this one
with his wife are related.

Author: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz