The cave had looked like a promising place, awash with food and drink aplenty. It was empty, so Odysseus suggested that they wai
t for its owner to return, hoping for a hospitable inhabitant. The soldiers advised against this, but Odysseus insisted. Not long after, they discovered that their host was the quite inhospitable Cyclops, who proceeded to trap them in the cave by blocking the entrance with an enormous rock.
Many of Odysseus’s men had suggested ending the beast’s life, but that would leave them trapped in the cave. Even if they all worked together, they would not have the strength to remove the boulder from the cave’s opening.
For the past few days, Odysseus had observed the one-eyed monster. He had noticed that every morning, the Cyclops removed the rock from the cave’s opening to let out his flock of sheep before replacing it to keep Odysseus and his men confined inside.
"We will blind the monster. Then, we’ll use his own sheep to aid us in our escape,” Odysseus explained to his crew. “I have noticed that the males are fully grown and have thick black wool. We can tie three of them together. Then, we can hide a man under the belly of the middle animal. This way, he’ll be able to pass by the Cyclops unnoticed.”
Once the monster had fallen asleep, Odysseus blinded the Cyclops. The beast cried out in pain but then drifted back into slumber as the soldiers had shared their strong mead with him that night.
Odysseus and the men worked all night to make sure there were three sheep for each man. Once his crew was hidden, Odysseus leapt onto the remaining sheep—a ram that was finer than all the others. Then, he wiggled his way underneath the animal, concealing himself in the dark wool hanging below the ram’s belly.
As dawn approached, the men were fearful that the plan would not succeed, but they knew they must carry on if they hoped to escape the Cyclops’s lair. When the sun rose above the horizon, the Cyclops awoke and opened the cave entrance for his flock. Despite his pain, the Cyclops felt the back of each animal as it stood up and left the cave. He was not aware that the men were hidden beneath their bellies.
As the last sheep went out, the fine ram concealing Odysseus, the Cyclops grabbed hold of the animal.
“My good ram, why are you last today? You never let the others go ahead of you,” the Cyclops mused aloud. “You’re usually the one leading the rest—whether it is to go out and eat in the morning, or it is to come home at night.”
Odysseus held his breath; would they be discovered? But to his relief, the monster let the ram go out to the pasture with the other sheep. Finally, when they were far enough from the cave, Odysseus let go of the ram’s belly and helped his men to do the same. They drove the sheep to their awaiting ship, and once all men and animals were on board, the soldiers cried in relief at their narrow escape.
Odysseus signaled for them to hush. He realized that they were still in range of the Cyclops’s hearing. The men understood and quickly began to row the ship out to sea.
But Odysseus could not resist taunting the Cyclops from the deck of the ship. “Cyclops,” Odysseus shouted, “you did wrong by trapping us, and now the gods have punished you.”
The Cyclops grew furious. In his rage, he ripped off the top of a mountain and hurled it toward the sound of Odysseus’s voice. The piece of the earth plunged into the water just in front of the ship. This caused a wave that carried the ship back toward the Cyclops's land.
Odysseus picked up a long stick and quickly drove it into the sea to stop the motion of the ship. He nodded his head toward the men, indicating that they must row for their lives, which they did.
Odysseus was so angry he could not resist insulting the Cyclops further. “Monster,” he yelled, “if anyone asks you how you lost your sight, you can tell them that it was I, the valiant warrior Odysseus.”
The Cyclops grabbed a giant piece of land, even larger than the first, and threw it with all his might. This time, the wave it caused drove the ship toward the island, where the rest of the soldiers were anxiously awaiting Odysseus’s return.
What can be inferred about the story adapted from Book IX of The Odyssey?
Odysseus feels guilty for hurting the Cyclops.
Odysseus is a great leader but a poor captain.
Odysseus believes that the gods are on his side.
Odysseus's men worship Odysseus as though he were a god.
Question 2
Part B
Which evidence from the story best supports the answer to Part A?
A: "Once his crew was hidden, Odysseus leapt onto the remaining sheep—a ram that was finer than all the others."
B: "'Monster,' he yelled, 'if anyone asks you how you lost your sight, you can tell them that it was I, the valiant warrior Odysseus.'"
C: "'Cyclops,' Odysseus shouted, 'you did wrong by trapping us, and now the gods have punished you.'"
D: "When the sun rose above the horizon, the Cyclops awoke and opened the cave entrance for his flock."
