from Homer’s The Odyssey
retold by Gillian Cross
Odysseus woke up. Immediately he guessed what had happened, and all his hopes of seeing Penelope and Telemachus were ripped away. He was on the verge of (1) throwing himself overboard. What was the point of struggling on? Why not just give up and drown? The temptation was strong—but his longing for Ithaca was even stronger. He curled into a ball, pulling his cloak right over his head. Closing his eyes, he set himself to endure (2) the storm and the bitter disappointment. After a long time, the winds blew themselves out and the waves died down. Lifting his head, Odysseus realized where they were. They had been blown all the way back to the floating island of Aeolus. Maybe that was a piece of good luck. Would Aeolus help them again? For a second time, Odysseus called up at the bronze wall above the cliffs. But Aeolus was not welcoming this time. When he heard what had happened, he reacted with cold fury. “Get away from my island!” he shouted. “The gods obviously detest you. I’m not going to help a man they hate. Go away— and never come back!”
1 on the verge of: About to be
2 endure: Continue on despite hardship
Cross, Gillian. The Odyssey. Illustrated by Neil Packer. Candlewick Press, 2012, pp. 54–55
from Homer’s The Odyssey
retold by Gillian Cross
Odysseus woke up. Immediately he guessed what had happened, and all his hopes of seeing Penelope and Telemachus were ripped away. He was on the verge of (1) throwing himself overboard. What was the point of struggling on? Why not just give up and drown? The temptation was strong—but his longing for Ithaca was even stronger. He curled into a ball, pulling his cloak right over his head. Closing his eyes, he set himself to endure (2) the storm and the bitter disappointment. After a long time, the winds blew themselves out and the waves died down. Lifting his head, Odysseus realized where they were. They had been blown all the way back to the floating island of Aeolus. Maybe that was a piece of good luck. Would Aeolus help them again? For a second time, Odysseus called up at the bronze wall above the cliffs. But Aeolus was not welcoming this time. When he heard what had happened, he reacted with cold fury. “Get away from my island!” he shouted. “The gods obviously detest you. I’m not going to help a man they hate. Go away— and never come back!”
1 on the verge of: About to be
2 endure: Continue on despite hardship
Cross, Gillian. The Odyssey. Illustrated by Neil Packer. Candlewick Press, 2012, pp. 54–55
Choose three key details that belong in a summary of this passage.
This item has two parts. Answer PART A; then answer PART B.
Read this sentence from the third paragraph. “The gods obviously detest you.”
PART A: What does detest mean in this context?
PART B: What does the word detest reveal about the gods?
This item has two parts. Answer PART A; then answer PART B.
PART A: Based on his response to Odysseus, what can be inferred about Aeolus?
PART B: Which piece of evidence best supports the inference in PART A?