Question

Read the excerpt from Part 2 of The Odyssey. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods' courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest.' He answered this from his brute chest, unmoved: 'You are a ninny, or else you come from the other end of nowhere, telling me, mind the gods! We Cyclopes care not a whistle for your thundering Zeus. What theme is best revealed by this conflict? It is important to use manners in new situations. It is wise to know the enemy you face. Guests should honor the traditions of their hosts. Guests should offer gifts to their hosts.

Answer 1

Answer: B) It is wise to know the enemy you face.

Explanation: In literature, the theme is the underlying message of a story, it is  what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem. Usually this belief, or idea, is universal and transcends cultural barriers. In the given excerpt from "The Odyssey" the conflict between Odysseus and the Cyclops reveals the theme that it is wise to know the enemy you face, because Odysseus mentions that Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest without knowing that the Cyclopes don't care at all about Zeus and the other gods.