Read about "Ulysses"
Read about "The Lotos-Eaters"
Class Discussion Questions:
"The Lotos-Eaters"
- Beginning with the "Choric Song," the words are spoken (sung) by the mariners, but who is the speaker in the first five stanzas?
- The song the mariners sing has the form of an appeal or a persuasive argument. To whom is the argument addressed? Who needs convincing?
- At the end of the song, there is no return of the speaker for comment or explanation. What is the effect of ending the poem without closing the frame opened at the start of the poem?
- Compared to the Wordsworth poems, how does "Ulysses" convey a different brand of Romantic values?
- What urges Ulysses to leave home once again?
- Is the ambition displayed in the poem meant to be celebrated or questioned?
- The speaker is Ulysses himself, so there is no external commentary. Are we in a position to pass judgment on the speaker's desires? Who is his audience?
