The Odyssey book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Books 1 to 8

1. How much authority should Telemachus claim when confronting his mother's suitors?
2. Does leaving to search for his father seem like Telemachus's best response to the failed assembly?
3. What does divine help seem worth when another god can turn release into a struggle for survival?
4. Which matters more in Nausicaa's help: meeting immediate needs or showing Ulysses where to seek further help?
5. What does a host owe a guest whose tears raise questions about his past?

Meeting 2: Books 9 to 16

6. What might Ulysses hope to gain by revealing his name after escaping the giant?
7. How might a ruined homecoming affect Ulysses' willingness to follow Circe's commands?
8. Which would weigh more heavily on you during this journey: warnings about homecoming or news of family?
9. How much should hunger change our judgment of the companions who break their oath?
10. Can the host's hospitality and rejection of hopeful news reflect the same kind of loyalty?

Meeting 3: Books 17 to 24

11. What can Ulysses learn by enduring abuse in his own home while disguised?
12. How do costly presents sit alongside fighting and a thrown stool as signs of the household's condition?
13. What might Penelope hope a marriage contest will settle that questioning her guest cannot?
14. How do hopeful signs for Ulysses and approaching disaster for the suitors shape your sense of fairness?
15. What does winning the bow contest establish about Ulysses, and what does it leave unsettled?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.