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The OdysseyCulminating Task

Central Question

What does it mean to be powerful?

Throughout The Odyssey, characters experience shifts in power dynamics, often dictated by social norms, roles, and structures. How is the idea of power depicted in The Odyssey? Write an expository essay analyzing who or what has power and why this power arises.

In your response, be sure to do the following:

  • State a central claim regarding Homer’s depiction of power through one of the studied thematic ideas: xenia; the role of mortals, monsters, and gods; or gender.

  • Develop your central claim through a sequence of supporting claims.

  • Support your claims with textual evidence from the poem and other texts studied in the unit.

  • Communicate your analysis through effective word choice, sentence and paragraph development, and transitions among ideas.

  • Use the conventions of usage, mechanics, and punctuation.