Topics for Odyssey At-home Essay

Odyssey Analysis and Creative Fragment

OPTION A

Part 1. Write a 4-paragraph analysis on the following topic:

Whether they be human, divine, or monstrous, female figures in The Odyssey are surprisingly strong. In an essay, compare two or three different female figures and analyze the kinds of strength they possess. How do they differ? How are they similar? In your conclusion, you might speculate about why The Odyssey contains so many powerful females.

Part 2. In the style of The Odyssey write a 25-line scene that illustrates an idea (or ideas) that you observe in your analysis of the two or three female characters of the epic. You may look upon your scene as if it were a lost piece of the poem, telling a part left out or some event behind the scenes but appearing as much like Homer’s epic as possible.

OPTION B

Part 1. Write a 4-paragraph analysis on the following topic:

In many ways The Odyssey is a meditation on the nature of civilization and the difference between civilized and uncivilized behaviors. Analyze Homer’s portrayal of Greek civilization by contrasting it with two “barbarian” or “strange” cultures Odysseus and his men encounter. Your thesis should clarify what it means to be civilized. Conclude your essay by evaluating the benefits to Odysseus of his exposure to other societies.

Part 2. In the style of The Odyssey, write a 25-line scene that illustrates Odysseus encountering a barbaric culture of your own devising. You may look upon your scene as if it were a lost piece of the poem, telling a part left out, describing a new adventure but appearing as much like Homer’s epic as possible. Your scene should illustrate points you made in your analysis.

OPTION C

Part 1. Write a 4-paragraph analysis on the following question:

Why are Odysseus and Penelope a good match? Your thesis should propose a specific reason that your two body paragraphs go on to explore. In your conclusion try to explain why the couple’s relationship is important in the larger context of the poem.

Part 2. In the style of The Odyssey, write a 25-line scene that illustrates an idea (or ideas) in your analysis of Penelope and Odysseus’ relationship. You may look upon your scene as if it were a lost piece of the poem, telling a part left out or some event behind the scenes but appearing as much like Homer’s epic as possible.

OPTION D

Part 1. Write a 4-paragraph analysis of the following question:

Honor is a very important value in The Odyssey. It is, arguably, the reason Odysseus will not spare the suitors when he returns home. But what exactly is honor? Your thesis should put forth a very specific definition of honor that your two body paragraphs go on to explore. In your conclusion, you might speculate as to why honor is so important to the Ancient Greeks.

Part 2. In the style of The Odyssey, write a 25-line scene that illustrates the importance of honor in The Odyssey. You may look upon your scene as if it were a lost piece of the poem, telling a part left out or some event behind the scenes but appearing as much like Homer’s epic as possible.

More Detailed Instructions for Parts 1 and 2:

Analysis—4 paragraphs (minimum: 1 and a 1/2 pages; maximum: 2 pages). Your analysis should include:

--an introduction (your thesis statement should be its last sentence)

--two body paragraphs (begin them with idea-based topic sentences and include 2-3 brief, embedded well-explained quotations)

-- a conclusion that points to the larger significance of your findings. Note: since we won’t have discussed conclusions by the time you submit your essay, just give it a shot. I won’t grade you on your conclusion.

Creative Fragment—

-- First, note where in the text your fragment belongs (which book and line number, as well as which page number—e.g. 10.377, p. 175).

--Not only should your 25-line scene be based on typical action or character and the like, but it should also present various stylistic features of the epic. Here are some epic devices from which you may choose:

invocation

epithet

epic simile

repeated or formulaic phrase

speeches in the form of dialogue

-- At the end of your fragment, offer 3-4 sentences analyzing your creative fragment; this short paragraph should briefly explain how your fragment conveys the points you have analyzed. (Please note that this assignment cannot be met by a comic take-off on The Odyssey or even by a Homeric narrative that violates the spirit or facts of the work.)