Discussion Director

Name: __Polo Reyes______________________________

Text: _Books 16-19_____________________________
Date: __September 1, 2010____________________________

Books: _______The Odyssey_________________________

Discussion Director: Reading Homer's epics alone can pose a challenge as one
tries to untangle all the details and allusions of the lines. Even in a group setting,
one needs a guide to facilitate the discussion. Your task is to develop a list of
questions for your group to discuss about the assigned text. Asking each member
for his input based on his current role. Your task is to help people talk about the
"big ideas" in the reading and share their reactions. Usually, the best discussion
questions come from your own thoughts, feelings and concerns as you read,
which you can list below, during or after your reading. Think of THICK questions
(as opposed to THIN ones) because they generate deeper thought and discussion
and do not have quick answers that can be found in the text. Some words that
can be used to start a “puzzler” or “open” questions are: “Why…? How…? Have
you wondered…? In what ways…? Can you think of an example of…? What if…?
Could/should/would…? If this story happened…? Does s/he mean that…?”

Possible Discussion Questions:

How has Telemachos show a change in personality when he listens agrees with what beggar/Odysseus has to say?
Has Telemachos changed since the last time we saw him at the start of the book? Has he proven worthy to be prince and son
of Ithaca and Odysseus respectively?
Why does their plan involving not to fight back against the suitors too quickly? What does it symbolize that father and son
duo devise a plan together? Can you sense that unity and teamwork arise from their ordeal?
Why is it hard for Telemachos to believe that indeed at first, that is Odysseus, my father?
Don't you notice that grown men like them are crying like vultures as Telemachos realized the truth? Haha.
Doesn't the tone seem more determined and a lot more serious for both Odysseus and Telemachos? Is it because they have
finally gotten the chance to meet each other and not only that, work together to face the last challenge at hand?
Regarding the suitors, how can we see the difference of attitudes with Antinoos, Eurymachos, and Amphinomos, three main
men of the suitor's campaign for winning Penelope's love?

Why does Odysseus keep his cool with the suitors but was engaged to fight with the homeless man?

In what way does the dog Argos show the importance of sacrifice and affection from Odysseus by weeping but immediately
hiding his face from the herdsman? Can we say that even way back in the time of the Greeks, the dog was already man's
best friend?
In the majority of these chapters, how does the theme prudence prevail with how odysseus , telemachos and penelope care
to manage their problems in their lives and how prudence restrains them to completely believing or fulfilling a belief or an
action at hand?

* How does Telemachos prove everyone wrong in Chapter 18? How has he grown from the day he left to find his father?
How has he gotten his worth as the "prince" of Ithaca? Has he fully matured from being a scientist?

With Odysseus, whenever he is disguised as a beggar , How does the actions of the community differ from how he is treated
as a king? How the community treat the poor and the people in need of help? Why does Odysseus feel disappointed when
he gets such responses? What does he plan to do about these people in the community?

How does loyalty then come into the picture of the so called faithful servants and men of to the throne of ithaca break their
code in the eyes of Odysseus? What may conclude about the state of Ithaca?