LITERATURE CIRCLES

Character Captain
Name: Miki Chua
Text: The Odyssey
Date: August 11, 2010
Books: 5-8

Character Captain: The Odyssey involves a whole cast of great warriors and
fantastic creatures. Your task is to get to know and understand the characters in the
text. Describe their personalities--how they act, how they feel, what they think. Share
the observations you have about them to your group. Select adjectives that describe
one or more of the characters in your novel, and support your selection with examples
taken from your reading assignment.

Write down the name of the character/s and the adjectives that describe them. Identify
the specific incidents in the text that support your claims.

Character Adjective/s Specific Example of Behavior/Action in the Text

(indicate Book #)
Hermes Obedient (like a “It was Zeus who told me to come here. I did not wish to” ~ Book 5

dog)
Lonely “ … you would stay here with me and be the lord of this household
Calypso
and be an immortal” ~ Book 5 (You can imagine her saying it like
she was kind of desperate because of he leaves then she will be
lonely again)
Odysseus - Long-suffering “There seven years I remained fast, but forever was drenching with
tears that clothing, immortal stuff, Kalypso had given. But when in
- Calpyso's “sex
the turning of time the eighth year had befallen me, she herself told
slave” me to go and urged me to do it, whether by a message from Zeus or
whether her own mind turned within her, and she sent me on my
way on a jointed raft, and gave me much, bread and sweet wine,
and put immortal clothing upon me, and sent a following wind to
carry me, warm and easy. Seventeen days I sailed, making my way
over the water, and on the eighteenth day there showed the
shadowy mountains of your own country, and the dear heart was
happy within me; but I was unlucky, and had much misery left to
live with still, what was driven upon me by the Earthshaker,
Poseidon, who hampered me from my way, letting loose the winds
upon me, and stirred up an unspeakable sea, nor did the surf swell
let me sail along on my raft, though groaning constantly. For now
the stormwind scattered it far and wide, and I now made my way
across the great gulf by swimming, untilthe wind and the water
carried me and drove me to your shore; but there, had I tried to set
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foot on the land, the rough wave would have dashed me against tall
rocks in a place that was cheerless, so I backed away and swam
again, until I came to a river, and this at last seemed to me to be
the best place, being bare of rocks, and there was even shelter from
the wind there. I came out and dropped, nursing a hold on life, and
immortal night came on. I went out and away from the sky-fallen
river, and went to sleep there among the bushes, piled in a
covering of leaves, and the god drifted an infinite sleep about me.
And there among the leaves, my heart exhausted with sorrow, I
slept nightlong, and into the dawn, and on to the noonday, and the
sun was losing its light, and then the sweet sleep released me.” ~
Book 7 ( This is a summary of his recent sufferings)
- “ By nights he would lie beside her, of necessity, in the hollow
caverns, against his will, by one who was willing” ~ Book 5

Arete - Lucky - “…pride of place as no other woman on earth is given” ~ Book 7

(I would consider her lucky because from the text, I can infer that
- Influential
maybe she was given rights, which wasn't really given to women
during that time)
- “ …if she has thoughts in her mind that are friendly to you, then
there is hope that you can see your own people, and come back to
your house with the high roof and to the land of your fathers.” ~
Book 7 (If you were in good terms with her, then most likely you can
go back home)

- Angry (still “ … but I think I can still give him a good full portion of trouble.” ~
Poseidon
Book 5
mad at
Odysseus)
- White “Then in turn Nausikaa of the white arms answered him: ‘My friend,
since you seem not like a thoughtless man, nor a mean one, it is
- Compassionate
Zeus himself, the Olympian, who gives people good fortune, to each
single man, to the good and the bad, just as he wishes; and since he
must have given you yours, you must even endure it. But now, since
it is our land and our city that you have come to, you shall not lack
for clothing nor anything else, of those gifts which should befall the
unhappy suppliant on his arrival.'” ~ Book 6
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Common Character Traits

adventurous awesome artistic athletic active

beautiful brave bold bossy cheerful
curious creative courageous considerate daring
impulsive dainty dangerous exciting entertaining
energetic funny happy friendly fun-loving
gentle generous independent humble hostile
honest intelligent mischievous inventive neat
lazy messy nosy mean poor
nasty nice quiet open respectful
proud pretty sloppy rich successful
shy sad smart serious selfish
simple short trustworthy studious unselfish
warm tall wild thoughtful silly
melancholy witty aimless loud prudent
iconoclastic mellow belligerent loyal visionary