Categorizing Challenges

Not all of the obstacles Odysseus faced on his long journey home were equally difficult to overcome. Which obstacle do you think presented him with the greatest challenge? Using details from the text, explain your reasoning. You may want to compare the incident you choose with others from The Odyssey. You may also want to identify the internal and external factors that contributed to the difficulty.

Personal Response

Which section of The Odyssey did you find most exciting? Which did you find most moving? Give reasons for your answer.

Valuable Advice

In “Ithaca” who might find the speaker’s advice most valuable? Do you agree with the advice? Why or why not?

Differences Between Men and Women

In “An Ancient Gesture,” what does the poem imply about the difference between the lives of men and women? Do you agree with that message? Why or why not?

Choosing Roles

Odysseus symbolizes the one who travels and Penelope symbolizes the one who waits at home in relation to the journey. Who do you think has the harder role? Why?

Analyzing Character

Reread the section in which Odysseus’s identity is revealed to Penelope. Why doesn’t Penelope immediately accept her long-lost husband? What does her hesitation say about her character and her twenty-year ordeal?

Women and The Odyssey

From the way he describes Penelope, would you say that Homer’s attitude towards women seems old-fashioned or modern? Explain.

Revenge

Do you believe that Odysseus’s desire for revenge is common in society today? Explain.

Homecoming

At last Odysseus’s homecoming is complete. Is this the ultimate satisfaction in his life? What do you think the future holds for Penelope, Odysseus, and Telemachus? What role might Odysseus’s past journey play in his future? Do you believe he is home for good?

Assessing Options

Odysseus is planning to make the suitors pay for their behavior—but do they all deserve the same fate? What are the advantages and disadvantages of punishing all or some of the suitors?

From Journey to Struggle

Odysseus’s journey—a long, exhausting, and trying adventure seemingly designed by the gods to test him—has ended, but his struggles have not. How has the nature of his struggle changed? Why is his homecoming not complete and his metaphoric journey not over?

Real Life Odyssey

Which circumstances of Odysseus's journey so far might happen on real-life journeys? Explain.

Learning Lessons

In Part II, what do you think Odysseus might have learned from this part of the journey?

Symbolism and the Journey

If the journey symbolizes movement through life, what might the siren who calls to the traveler in the poem, Siren Song, represent? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Critiquing Leadership

Discuss whether or not you would trust Odysseus to lead you through a difficult situation. Then, discuss how you would lead a group through a challenge.

Odysseus and Heroes You Know

Name other stories you know that tell of a hero's adventures while on a journey. How is their journey similar to and different from The Odyssey?

Evaluating a Hero's Actions

Discuss Odysseus's actions as a leader. When does he make mistakes and when does he act wisely? When he makes a "bad move" what other course of action might have yielded a better outcome?

Journeys

Odysseus sails for his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. The journey of this larger-than-life hero takes a superhuman effort, for the god Poseidan has other plans than homecoming.

What journeys have you undertaken? What journeys do most people take in their lifetimes?

In what sense is each journey--whether physical or mental--an adventure?

What is most important to you--the experiences you have during the journey or the arrival at the destination? Why?