Question

while odysseus spoke an old hound, lying near, pricked up his ears and lifted up his muzzle. this was argus, trained as a puppy by odysseus, but never taken on a hunt before his master sailed for troy.... abandoned there, and half destroyed with flies, old argus lay. but when he knew he heard odysseus voice nearby, he did his best to wag his tail, nose down, with flattened ears, having no strength to move nearer his master... but death and darkness in that instant closed the eyes of argus, who had seen his master, odysseus, after twenty years. -the odyssey, homer what does argus symbolize? what detail in the passage shows arguss symbolic meaning?

Explanation:

Argus is Odysseus' dog. He was trained by Odysseus as a puppy but was abandoned when Odysseus went to Troy. After 20 years, when he hears Odysseus' voice, he tries to wag his tail but is too weak. This shows his loyalty. The detail "trained as a puppy by Odysseus, but never taken on a hunt before his master sailed for Troy" shows he was meant to be with Odysseus (loyalty), and "but when he knew he heard Odysseus' voice nearby, he did his best to wag his tail" shows his loyalty even after 20 years of abandonment.

Answer:

Argus symbolizes loyalty. The detail “but when he knew he heard Odysseus' voice nearby, he did his best to wag his tail” shows Argus’s symbolic meaning.