Tuesday, October 11 ~ The Telemachy begins!

The Telemachy is the nickname for the first four books of The Odyssey because they are 

about O's son, Telemachus. 

A scholar's model of an Ancient Greek boat.

New Assignment Due Monday 10/17 Telemachy Essay (2-3 pages)

Based on your reading of the first four books (cantos) of The Odyssey, write an essay about the character, Telemachus. Here are some suggestions: 

1. Read through the four cantos with a pencil handy.

2. Note passages you may want to use or return to.

3. Carefully read everything Telemachus says. 

4. How does Telemachus respond to what he is told?

5. How would you describe Telemachus as a son? 

6. What does Telemachus' behavior in Ithaca and elsewhere reveal about him?

7. How has Telemachus been affected by his father's twenty-year absence?

8. What does Telemachus react to the things he learns about his father? 

9. How are these first four cantos a coming-of-age story about Telemachus? 

10. Why do you think Homer started the story with Telemachus? 

11. Write descriptive statements about Telemachus that you believe to be true.

12. Where in the text, by book and line number, is there evidence supporting who you believe Telemachus is? For example: ...." (IV, 290-307).

13. Don't write about anything you can't back up with textual evidence. 

14. Select, use, and carefully position meaningful quotes in your essay to support what you write about Telemachus. Use citations after every quotation.