Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. "A maid brought water soon in a graceful golden pitcher and over a silver basin tipped it out so they might rinse their hands..." What is the meaning of this excerpt, which is repeated numerous times throughout The Odyssey? Homer wants us to know that the people at the feast practiced good hygiene. Homer wants to show off how wealthy the kings were, using golden pitchers to wash their hands. Homer wants to emphasize the proper etiquette of hospitality when hosting a guest. Homer simply can’t think of another way to say that people washed their hands before eating.

Answer 1

Homer repeats this phrase several times throughout the Odyssey to emphasize the proper etiquette of hospitality when hosting a guest. There is a didactic (educational/instructional) element to the Odyssey, and there are a few lines like this one in which Homer is demonstrating the proper formula for how to act in various situations. In this case, it was the proper etiquette for hospitality. The fact that the pitcher is gold is less important than the action itself.

Answer 2

Considering the time at which homer wrote this excerpt, people didn't even know that they had to have good hygiene or etiquette when hosting a guest and I don't think he wrote it with that many details about the materials the pitcher and basin were made of without a specific point in mind.

The correct answer is option B.  Homer wants to show how wealthy the kings were, and that is why he elaborates so much on the details that otherwise wouldn't matter.