49 pages • 1 hour read
Gareth HindsThe Odyssey
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Choose one major character from the graphic novel (e.g., Odysseus, Penelope, or Telemachus) and analyze Hinds’s depiction of this character in his artwork. How does Hinds use illustration to convey important characteristics, emotions, and character growth?
What does home mean to Odysseus? How do the concepts of love and duty intersect in motivating his desire to return to Ithaca?
What kind of hero is Odysseus? What are his defining qualities, and how does he use these qualities to his advantage? Compare Odysseus to the other heroes in the graphic novel, including Menelaus, Agamemnon, and Achilles.
Reflect on Poseidon’s hatred of Odysseus. Why is Poseidon so intent on punishing Odysseus, and why does he finally relent and allow Odysseus to come home? What does Poseidon’s behavior reveal about the relationship between gods and mortals?
What does home mean to Odysseus? How do the concepts of love and duty intersect in motivating his desire to return to Ithaca?
How does Hinds use color to indicate more sophisticated concepts in his storytelling? Citing at least 3-4 specific examples, consider how Hinds’s color tones convey nuances of mood, emotion, and character.
How does the story represent the contrast between the civilized world and the uncivilized world? Be sure to consider examples such as the cyclops Polyphemus, the Phaeacians, the Greek kings, Circe, and Calypso.
Discuss the suitors in the context of ancient Greek social norms. Why do the gods decide to help Odysseus kill the suitors? Is Odysseus’s slaughter of the suitors justified?
Analyze the different characters who make up Odysseus’s household. Why is the loyalty of Odysseus’s household so important to him?
Reflect on Telemachus’s growth throughout the story. How do Telemachus’s experiences transform his character? What does Telemachus need to do to assume the role of an adult male in his society?
