The Homecomingfrom the OdysseyEpic Poem by HomerTranslated by Robert Fitzgerald

Introducing the Epic Poemwith

Literary Analysis: Characteristics of an Epic

Reading Strategy: Summarizing

Vocabulary in Context

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The Homecoming from the Odyssey

A long-awaited homecoming can touch us more deeply than almost anything.

INTRODUCING THE EPIC POEM

How does it feel to come HOME again?

If you spend enough time at any airport or bus station, you’re bound to witness an emotional scene.

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

What kind of scene might you expect at this homecoming?

How does it feel to come HOME again?Imagine a traveler who’s been away for years, whose family thought he might never return.

QUICKWRITE Recall a time when you or someone you know returned home after some time away.

Write a brief description of the scene, and explain the emotions that went along with it.

INTRODUCING THE EPIC POEM

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

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The Homecomingfrom the Odyssey

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

Characteristics of an Epic

In the simplest terms, an epic is a long adventure story.

An epic setting spans great distances and foreign lands.

Often an epic plot spans many years and involves a long journey.

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

Epic themes reflect timeless concerns, such as courage, honor, life, and death.

Characteristics of an Epic

Epics also contain archetypes, or patterns found in works across different cultures and time periods.

So is the notion of a heroic journey.

As explained in Part 1, the epic hero is an archetype.

Perseus

King Arthur

Robin Hood

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

Characteristics of an Epic

Other archetypes are also found in the Odyssey.

• intervention by gods

• floods and storms

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

Characteristics of an Epic

• descent into the underworld

• heroic battles against monsters

As you read the second part of the Odyssey, look for these and other archetypes. Consider where else you might have encountered them in literature, art, or film.

The HomecomingThe Homecoming from the Odyssey

Summarizing

Writing a plot summary—a brief retelling of a story—is a good way to make sure you’re following the events of a narrative.

An epic consists of many episodes, each with its own set of characters, conflicts, and resolution.

Book 5: Calypso keeps Odysseus captive

Book 10: Circe turns Odysseus’s men into pigs.

Book 11: The crew visits the Land of the Dead

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

As you read, record information that will help you summarize each episode.

Characters:

Episode:

Setting:

Father and Son

Odysseus, Eumaeus

Conflict: Resolution:

Odysseus’s homeland of Ithaca

Summarizing

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

[implacable, revulsion]

[contemptible, tremulous, adversity]

Replace the bold-faced words in the sentences below with synonyms from the list of words in the box.

1. It’s disgusting to be shaky in the face of hardship.

2. He felt an unforgiving hatred for his captors.

3. Don’t act distant; forget sorrow and join the celebration.

4. He could seize enemy ships as repayment for wrongs.

[aloof, desolation, revelry]

[commandeer, restitution]

adversity

aloof

commandeer

contemptible

desolation

implacable

restitution

revelry

revulsion

tremulous

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

adversity n. hardship; misfortune

aloof adj. distant; remote; standoffish

commandeer v. to take control of by force

contemptible adj. deserving of scorn; despicable

desolation n. lonely grief; misery

implacable adv. impossible to soothe; unforgiving

The Homecoming from the Odyssey

restitution n. a making good for loss or damage; repayment

revelry n. noisy merrymaking; festivity

revulsion n. a sudden feeling of disgust or loathing

tremulous adj. marked by trembling or shaking