Question

connecting motive to deeper meaning in the odyssey
he had in wizardry among the cyclops,
and these things he foretold for time to come:
my great eye lost, and at odysseus hands.
always i had in mind some giant, armed
in giant force, would come against me here.
but this, but you - small, pitiful and twiggy -
you put me down with wine, you blinded me.

• the odyssey,

homer
what deeper meaning is revealed through the
cyclopss interpretation of the prophecy?
ignoring a prophecy leads to punishment by the
gods.
epic heroes can have qualities that one would
expect only a supernatural being to have.
people are expected to treat guests with respect,
and hospitality is rewarded.
home is the best place to be.

Explanation:

In The Odyssey, Odysseus (a human, not a supernatural being in form) blinds the Cyclops. The Cyclops expected a giant (supernatural - like threat) but was defeated by a human (Odysseus). This shows an epic hero (Odysseus) having qualities (cleverness, ability to outwit a powerful being) that one might expect only from a supernatural being. The other options:

• There's no indication in this excerpt about ignoring prophecy leading to god - punishment (the Cyclops knew the prophecy about losing his eye).
• Hospitality (Xenia) is a theme in The Odyssey, but this excerpt doesn't focus on that.
• The idea of home being the best place isn't relevant to this Cyclops - Odysseus interaction.

Answer:

Epic heroes can have qualities that one would expect only a supernatural being to have.