The last book. Odysseus must find his old father, and face the families of the suitors.
The Odyssey · C2+
Book Twenty-Four: Peace
Eponymous, epitome, amoral, bemused, prevaricate, refute, moot, decimate, irrespective and enormity: C2+ vocabulary for the last book of the Odyssey, and a peace made by a goddess.
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SOPHIA
PHILO
Will there be more war?
The story
After Homer’s Odyssey
Odysseus found his father Laertes in the orchard, ragged and old. The eponymous hero of the whole poem prevaricated, testing his father with a false story, until he saw the old man’s grief and embraced him.
The suitors’ families came for revenge. They had been bemused, then furious. Their claim that the killing was amoral was easily refuted: the suitors had plotted murder. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs, a war would decimate the island. The question of blame became moot.
Athena herself stood between the two sides and commanded peace. Only later did the people grasp the enormity of what had nearly happened. Odysseus, the epitome of cunning, had come home at last.
Eponymous; epitome
DEMETRIA
The eponymous hero. The epitome of cunning.
SOPHIA
eponymous = giving his name to the work: Odysseus → Odyssey. epitome = the perfect example, pronounced e-PIT-o-mee.
Amoral; bemused; prevaricate; refute
PHILO
Not amoral: without morals is different from immoral. They were bemused, which means confused. He prevaricated. The claim was refuted.
SOPHIA
amoral = outside morality; immoral = wrong. bemused = puzzled, not amused. prevaricate = avoid the truth. refute = prove wrong, not merely deny.
Moot; decimate; irrespective; enormity
MARCOS
The question became moot. War would decimate the island. Irrespective of blame. The enormity of it.
SOPHIA
moot = open to debate, or no longer relevant. decimate (originally: kill one in ten) = destroy a large part. irrespective of, never irregardless. enormity = great wickedness or seriousness, not just size. The whole Odyssey, from Odysseus isn’t here to the enormity of what had nearly happened. Well sailed.
Sophia’s summary
| Form | Use | From the story |
|---|---|---|
| eponymous; epitome | giving the name; perfect example | the eponymous hero |
| amoral / immoral; bemused | outside morality / wrong; puzzled | They were bemused. |
| prevaricate; refute | evade; prove wrong | The claim was refuted. |
| moot; decimate; irrespective of; enormity | debatable; devastate; regardless; seriousness | the enormity of the crime |
Practice
Answer all the questions, then press “Check my answers”. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Choose
Choose the correct form.
1. Odysseus is the ___ hero of the Odyssey.
2. He is the ___ of cunning.
3. The families were ___: puzzled.
4. To ___ is to prove a claim wrong.
5. ___ of the rights and wrongs, war would be terrible.
6. A war would ___ the island.
B · Write
Write the missing word or words.
7. He , testing his father with a false story. (avoided the truth)
8. The question became . (no longer relevant)
9. They grasped the of what had nearly happened. (seriousness)
10. A creature with no sense of right and wrong is .
C · Right or wrong?
Is it correct?
11. “Irregardless of the cost, they fought.”
12. “The eponymous hero of the Iliad is not Achilles.”
13. “He was bemused, so he laughed happily.”
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