the Odyssey–Leeming essay – Flashcards
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Who is Paris?
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A prince of Troy, who "kidnapped" Helen
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Who was Helen?
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The daughter of Zeus and Leda, she was supposed to have been the most beautiful woman in the world.
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Who was Menelaus?
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Helen's Husband
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What is an Epic?
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a long narative (a poem or story) that tells the adventures of a hero who, in some way, embodies or represents the values of his civilization (This is a three part answer)
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What did the Greeks use the Odyssey and the Illiad to do?
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teach the values of the Greek civilization to its children
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What story is the primary model for the epic of war?
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the Illiad
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What story is the model for the epic of the long journey?
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the Odyssey
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What city-state did Menelaus rule?
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Sparta
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Who was the brother of Menelaus who led the Greek kings to war with Troy?
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Agamemnon
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Why is Helen called the "woman whose face launched a thousand ships"?
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Under the leadership of Agamemnon, a thousand ships set out for Troy to fetch Helen back.
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Who was the greatest of the Greek warriors?
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Achilles
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Why was Achilles unable to be killed or injured in battle?
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His mother dipped him in the river Styx and this made him nearly invulnerable.
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How was Achilles killed?
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an arrow pierced the spot where his mother held him as she dipped him: his heel
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How did Agamemnon die?
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His unfaithful wife killed him when he returned from Troy.
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Odysseus is the king of what island?
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Ithaca
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Who was Odysseus faithful wife?
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Penelope
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Who was Odysseus' son?
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Telemachus
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How did Odysseus try to avoid going to war?
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He acted as if he were insane, but when Agamemnon and Menelaus threw Telemachus in front of Odysseus' plow, Odysseus swerved instead of running over his son.
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Why couldn't the Greeks conquer Troy?
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It was a walled city and they couldn't get in.
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How did the Greeks conquer Troy after 10 years?
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They made a wooden horse. Some soldiers hid inside; it was wheeled to the city gates and left as a "gift" for the Trojans. When the Trojans wheeled it inside the gates, the Greeks came out of the horse, opened the gates, and let in their fellow Greeks soldiers waiting outside.
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While Odysseus is fighting at Troy, what's happening back in Ithaca?
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A bunch of rude, powerful men are swarming around his palace, trying to marry his wife and steal his kingdom.
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What is a myth?
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a myth is a story that uses fantasy to express ideas about life that can't be explained in realistic terms
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Who is the goddess who works on the side of Odysseus, helping him and advising him?
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Athena
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What is Athena the goddess of?
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Wisdom
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What god works against Odysseus, preventing him from succeeding easily?
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Poseidon
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What is Poseidon god of?
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the sea
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What is an alter ego?
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a person who is a reflection of another, often showing the opposite qualities of the person, good or bad.
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What is a Rhapsode? What were some of their functions in Greek Society?
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They were minstrels or traveling entertainers. They sang about recent events and community news. They also created stories and myths and spread them from town to town.
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Why were the Rhapsodes so important?
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They were the only show in town. People couldn't read of write. No movies, TV, or X-box. The Rhapsode was the best entertainment available.
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What is a homeric simile?
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A simile that compares heroic or epic events to simple and easily understandable everyday events--events that Homer's audience would instantly recognize.
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What is an epithet?
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a phrase or group of words used regularly to characterize a person/thing. Example: Alexander, the Great
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What caused the Trojan war?
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The Greek kings supposedly went to Troy to bring Helen back to Sparta, but really the Trojan war might have been more about securing trade between the Aegean and the Black Sea.
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