The Odyssey
Assignment
In our lectures on the Odyssey our discussions about spousal relationships have focused on
couples. For introductory purposes this makes sense, since the Odyssey features a husband-
wife pair as its main characters. Yet, one of our fundamental assumptions is that readers of
all sorts stand to learn a lot about personal relationships through a close and thoughtful
reading of the Odyssey. What about single persons? For this essay think about what non-
married persons stand to learn about long-term, exclusive, marrige-type relationships.
Imagine that the Office of Student Life at The Ohio State University is putting together a
booklet on relationship advice based on famous works of literature. They have
commissioned you to write the section on Homer’s Odyssey and they want to know:
According to the Odyssey, what kind of spouse should a single person be looking for? What
kind of potential spouse should a single person strive to be in order to gain the attention of
another would-be spouse? Answers to this question will likely talk about homophrosyne
(though they don’t have to); but it is not enough to say, “Single persons should look for
homophrosyne.” Think deeper, define your terms, and be specific.
With this thematic focus and imaginative frame, in this essay you must answer the
following question:
What is the most important lesson that single persons stand to learn from the
Odyssey?
The essay must state its thesis in a short introductory paragraph, followed by a few body
paragraphs actually making the argument. As part of its evidence the essay must cite
specific passages of the Odyssey at least three times (not necessarily quote, but cite), using
book number and page number in the Mandelbaum translation: 2.30 2 book 2, page 30. You
may only use the Odyssey as evidence. Further details are below. For more tips on writing
this type of essay, a post-writing checklist, and student examples from essay 1, see the
relevant documents on Carmen.