Writing Prompt:
Which is more important to the development of Odysseus’ character and theme of the epic-the journey or the goal?
To answer this question:
1. Reread the last three stanzas from “Ithaka” by Constantine Cavaly beginning
with “Keep Ithaka always in your mind and ending with “you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.”
2. Consider what it means to “come home”? Review Odysseus’s journey home to
Ithaca and the symbolism of “coming home.” While he returned home in the
literal sense, did he returns to the same place as he left?
Directions:
Write an argumentative essay in which you determine whether the journey or the
goal was more important to the development of Odysseus’ character and a theme of the epic. Use proper grammar, conventions, spelling, and grade-appropriate words and phrases. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support both your claim and counterclaims, pointing out the strengths and limitations of both. You will need 4-5 paragraphs and 350-400 words.