Polished blinding light of destiny

Reading Activity: The Odyssey

Unit 7: Reading Activity
Directions: For the Reading Activity answer the following questions completely in a word processing document then attach and submit by clicking on the "Unit 7: Reading Activity" link above.

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Remember to follow these guidelines:

Provide evidence from the text. Be specific!
Give reasoning for your response with a few sentences of commentary.
Proofread for spelling and grammar errors.
Answer ALL parts of the question.
The Odyssey

Book V

Who is Hermes, and what is his mission?
What can Hermes do with his wand?
Who is holding Odysseus captive?
What is Calypso's reaction to having to let Odysseus go?
What is the main problem Odysseus faces while traveling by sea?
What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book 5?
Book X

Who is the god of wind and what favor does he do for Odysseus and his men?
What stupid mistake do some of the men make on the ship and how do even more men die after the bag accident?
What does Circe do to some of Odysseus's men?
How does Odysseus get her to release his men?
What instructions does Circe give Odysseus?
Book XXIII

How does Penelopeia test Odysseus?
Why does she test him?
Describe the one last task that Tieresias told Odysseus to complete. What will be his reward for this task?
After Odysseus tells Penelopeia about all his adventures, he sets off again. What does he go to do? What does he tell Penelopeia to do?
"Prologue and Epilogue from The Odyssey"

Who is the speaker's "main man"?
What is the speaker's attitude toward this "main man"?
What type of music does the speaker sing?
Considering the loneliness, death, and defeat that occur in Homer's Odyssey, why is the speaker's musical style appropriate?
How is Penelope described in the Epilogue?
What seems to be the speaker's attitude toward Penelope?
Overall, which elements from Homer's Odyssey seem most interesting to Walcott?
Which details suggest that the poet felt a responsibility to show respect for Homer's Odyssey?
Do you think Billy Blue feels responsible for sharing Odysseus' story? Why or why not?
"There is a Longing"

What does Chief Dan George say is his community's longing?
What is his greatest fear?
What training will the new warriors have to endure?
Why does Chief Dan George believe that this training is necessary?
In what way is Chief Dan George different from the "olden" chiefs?
What does the chief mean when he refers to fighting a war with "tongue and speech"?
Do you think the chief's goal of achieving success through education and skills is the best means for improving his people's lives? Explain.
Chief Dan George talks about fighting his people's war with "tongue and speech." Can someone who fights only with such weapons be a hero?
"Glory and Hope"

What does Nelson Mandela say is "newborn" in his country?
What emotion does the word "newborn" add to his remarks?
Into what "covenant" does Mandela say the South African people are now entering?
Which ideas in the speech are especially important for safeguarding the human rights of all people throughout today's world?
What do the words "glory" and "hope" mean?
How does the title of the speech connect with the ideas that Mandela conveys?
Basing your answer on Mandela's speech, what do you think was the new leader's greatest challenge? Explain.
Based on what you know about Nelson Mandela from his speech, would you call him a hero? Explain.

Mandela's Address: 'Glory and Hope'

Published: May 11, 1994

Following is a transcript of Nelson Mandela's speech here today at his inauguration as President of South Africa, as recorded by The Associated Press:

Your majesties, your royal highnesses, distinguished guests, comrades and friends:

Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world, confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.

Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.

Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all. A Sense of Renewal

All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.

To my compatriots, I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.

Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. The national mood changes as the seasons change.

We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.

That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression. Guests Are Thanked

We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.

We thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.

We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, nonsexism, nonracialism and democracy.

We deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their democratic, religious, women, youth, business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. Not least among them is my Second Deputy President, the Honorable F. W. de Klerk. A Pledge of Liberation

We would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from bloodthirsty forces which still refuse to see the light.

The time for the healing of the wounds has come.

The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.

The time to build is upon us.

We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.

We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace. Issue of Amnesty

We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity -- a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.

As a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country, the new Interim Government of National Unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment.

We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free.

Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward.

We are both humbled and elevated by the honor and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, nonracial and nonsexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.

We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.

We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.

We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.

Let there be justice for all.

Let there be peace for all.

Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.

Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.

Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.

The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!

Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!