Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Here's another idea for thought and possible free writing: Odysseus gets a lot of help on his journey, advice about dangers to avoid and knowledge about events that will happen before they happen. Do you agree that it is better to know about the dangers you may face, or would you prefer to face the unknown with no clue of what may come? On a similar note, should Odysseus have told his men about the danger of Scylla? Why or why not?

Can you imagine being away from home for twenty years? How could anyone recognize Odysseus, especially his son, who was only an infant at his departure? The episodes in Part Two: Coming Home give us a glimpse of human nature and Greek values. As you read, you may wonder what qualities are valued by our culture today and what
qualities were valued by the Greeks.

Keep reading in your pleasure books. You may look for parallels between your class discussions and your personal reading.