What values important to the ancient Greeks inspire Odysseus’ observations in these lines from the excerpt from the Odyssey, Part 1?

Question

“In the next land we found were Cyclopes,
giants, louts, without a law to bless them.
In ignorance leaving the fruitage of the earth in mystery
to the immortal gods, they neither plow
nor sow by hand, nor till the ground....
Cyclopes have no muster and no meeting,
no consultation or old tribal ways....”
A. admiration for devotion to one’s religion
B. admiration for physical size, strength, and power
C. admiration for agriculture, law, tradition, and social organization
D. admiration for a natural, pure life and surviving by one’s instincts

Answer 1

The values important to the ancient Greeks that inspire Odysseus’ observations in these lines primarily point to option C: admiration for agriculture, law, tradition, and social organization.

In the excerpt, Odysseus describes the Cyclopes as lacking law and social structure, highlighting their ignorance and absence of agricultural practices. This contrasts with Greek values that glorified the importance of civilization, community, and the cultivation of the land. The lack of organization and societal norms among the Cyclopes serves as a critique of their way of life, underscoring the Greeks' admiration for structured societies and farming practices.