The Odyssey Essay Topics


DIRECTIONS


Write a 2-3 page essay that answers ONE of the questions below. Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, and thoroughly proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.


DUE DATES



QUESTIONS


  1. Homer wrote about Odysseus that “many cities of men he saw and learned their minds.” What does Odysseus learn (or not learn) from his far-flung adventures and his suffering? Focus on two or three things that he learned as well as how his behavior changed because of what he learned.


  1. How are the gods similar to and different from the mortals in The Odyssey? For this essay, you might want to think about the actions and emotions of the Gods (especially Athena, Zeus, and Poseidon) and also about how they interact with one another.


  1. What does The Odyssey teach us about which qualities the Greeks believed that a “virtuous woman” possessed? For this question, you might think about comparing the qualities of a “virtuous” woman with the qualities of a disloyal wife (like Clytemnestra) or one of Odysseus’ “false” wives (like Circe or Calypso). You should also be sure to define “virtuous” in your own words (do not use a dictionary definition!)


  1. What is the role of storytelling in The Odyssey? For this question, you should think about who tells stories, and why, and on what occasions. Also, you should probably choose two or three specific stories or storytellers to focus on.


ACADEMIC HONESTY: Please remember that MA takes academic integrity very seriously. The MA policy states that “plagiarism includes but is not limited to: submitting a paper or other work written in whole or in part by someone else . . . [as well as] using words or ideas of others without citing the source.” Be sure to submit only your own original work and to cite any outside sources that you use. (Note, however, that you do not need to use any outside sources for this essay.)

The Analytical Paragraph

(With Evidence)



  1. [Optional] Hook: Grab your audience’s attention with a concise, catchy phrase, anecdote, or detail that refers or illustrates your topic.

  2. Topic Sentence: The paragraph’s thesis.

  3. Transition: Guide your reader to your first idea.

  4. First Main Idea: Supports your thesis.

  5. Context: Introduces quote or summary sentence or phrase that indicates the situation from which the quote was taken.

  6. Evidence: The quote or paraphrase (with page number in parentheses at end).

  7. Analysis: Interpret the quote. State why this quote proves the topic sentence.

  8. Transition: Provide another guide or link to second idea.

  9. Second Main Idea

  10. Context for second quote.

  11. Second quote or paraphrase.

  12. Analysis of second quote.

  13. Commentary: Relate topic back to larger thesis of paper.

  14. Transition: Lead into the next paragraph.