ITHAKA

Step 1:

  • Turn to page 13 in your textbook.
  • Read the poem Ithaka
  • Before you read, here’s some things that will help you understand:
  • Ithaka= a city, home
  • Laistrygonians, Cyclops, Poseidon= obstacles, enemies
  • While you read, put a “?” next to anything that is confusing to you.
  • Reread the poem, write an answer next to every “?” from your first read.
  • Reread the poem for a 3rd time.
  • As you read, summarize each stanza. (You should have a total of 5 summaries.) Write the summary next to the stanza, in the blue “notes” section of your textbook.
  • Stanza 1= Lines 1-13
  • Stanza 2= Lines 14-24
  • Stanza 3= Lines 25-31
  • Stanza 4= Lines 32-34
  • Stanza 5= Lines 35-37

Step 2:

  • Turn to the next page (after your Illustrated Archetype Notes) in your notebook. In the top heading space, write “ITHAKA”.
  • On the first line, write the word “Summary”.
  • Below that, number 1-5 and copy each stanza’s summary that you wrote in your textbook into your notebook.
  • Below that, draw a line and create a new heading: “Quick Questions”.
  • For each question, write a COMPLETE sentence to answer the question.
  1. Who do you believe the poet/narrator is addressing? How do you know?
  2. What three specific dangers will this traveler encounter along his journey?
  3. What advice does the poet offer in regard to these dangers?
  4. What does the poet/narrator hope the traveler will do on his way back to “Ithaka?”
  5. Why does the poet/narrator say “But don’t hurry the journey at all.”
  6. The poet/narrator tells the traveler that if having arrived home, he finds Ithaka to be a poor place, he has not been deceived. Why not? What has he learned?
  7. Although the island of Ithaka will always be associated with the homeland of Odysseus, in this poem, Cavafy uses the place name in an additional sense. What message is Cavafy really delivering to the reader?
  • Below that, draw a line and create a new heading: “Discussion questions”.
  • For each question, read the helpful information below. Each answer will be multiple sentences in length.
  1. Look at stanza 3. What are some synonyms for the word destined? Why did Cavafy choose destined?
  2. Actually re-read stanza 3 (Hint: Stanzas are like paragraphs)
  3. Synonyms are words that have similar meanings
  4. Look up the definition/synonyms for the word destined.
  5. Why does the author of the poem feel that Odysseus is destined for Ithaka?
  6. Possible sentence starters:
  7. A few synonyms for the word destined are…
  8. Cavafy chose the word destined because…
  9. What is the mood of this poem? How do you feel after reading this poem? Explain.
  10. You should have evidence from the text in this answer.
  11. Mood is the feeling created in the reader. This feeling is the result of both the tone and author’s language about the subject matter.
  12. What feelings or emotions do you experience after reading the poem? (See the handout/blog for ideas for mood.)
  13. Possible sentence starters:
  14. The mood of this poem is…
  15. After reading this poem, I feel…
  16. Make an inference about what this part of the poem means: “Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey./Without her you wouldn’t have set out. /She has nothing left to give you now.”
  17. An inference is when the reader figures out what the author meant even though it wasn’t directly stated.
  18. Think about the role that Ithaka played in the adventures that the explorer was able to experience on his journey. Where did the journey begin?
  19. Possible sentence starters:
  20. I infer that this part of the poem…
  21. The author meant….
  22. When the author said…, he meant…
  23. What do you think Cavafy is using the journey to Ithaka as a metaphor for? Why do you think that?
  24. You need textual evidence for this question.
  25. A metaphor is a comparison of two or more things.
  26. What do you think the journey to Ithaka can be compared to?
  27. Explain WHY you feel that way.
  28. Possible sentence starters:
  29. Cavafy used the journey to Ithaka as a metaphor for…
  30. The journey metaphor in Ithaka is used to…

Step 3:

  • On the next page in your notebook, tape the CEI graphic organizer on the left side of the page. (Look back at the “Lion King CEI” page for an example.)
  • At the top of the page, write “What did Cavafy mean in the first three lines of the opening stanza of Ithaka?”.
  • Use the CEI format to answer this question.
  • Write your answer next to the graphic organizer. (Exactly like we did for the Lion King response.)
  • Use the helpful hints in the graphic organizer to help guide your writing.