Which central idea should be included in a paraphrase of this excerpt? then i sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained. they fell in, soon enough, with lotus-eaters, who showed no will to do us harm, only offering the sweet lotus to our friends— but those who ate this honeyed plant, the lotus, never cared to report, nor to return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. a)the men sent by odysseus to investigate the land they had landed upon became forgetful after eating lotus plants. b)the lotus-eaters meant no harm and simply offered the lotus plant to odysseus’s men as a gesture of kindness. c)the lotus was a sweet plant that made men forget everything except the idea of obtaining and eating more lotus plants. d)the men sent ashore by odysseus were swayed by the hospitality of the lotus-eaters and abandoned the idea of returning home.

The answer is A. The men send by Odysseus to investigate the land they had landed upon became forgetful after eating Lotus plants.

EXPLANATION

The excerpt is from an ancient Greek poem titled The Odyssey. The Odyssey is attributed to Homer and a sequel to Iliad. The Odyssey is the second-oldest extant work of Western literature, it is seen as the fundamental to the modern Western canon. Iliad is the oldest, and The Odyssey is the second oldest. It is believed that The Odyssey was composed around the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, around the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.

The poem is focusing on a Greek hero named Odysseus, he is the main character of the poem. Odysseus is also known as Ulysses in the Roman myths. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca. Allegedly, it takes Odysseus ten years to finally reach Ithaca after the Trojan War that lasts for 10 years long.

Because of his absence, it is finally assumed that Odysseus had died, and his wife Penelope with his son Telemachus has to deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres or Proc. They compete for Penelope’s hand in marriage.

The Odyssey was first written in Homeric Greek. Later, The Odyssey was translated into a lot of modern languages all around the world. The poem tells about the influence of events on choices about women and slaves, besides the actions of fighting man. These days, the word Odyssey is also known as an epic voyage.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

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KEYWORD: Odyssey, lotus plants, excerpt

Subject: English

Class: 10-12

Subchapter: The Odyssey

The men sent by odysseus to investigate the land they had landed upon became forgetful after eating lotus plants.

Explanation: