I chose this passage because it clearly displays Odysseus’s hubris.  A cautious leader would have said, “Yeah, let’s cut our losses and head on.  Those guys are probably done for,”  or, perhaps, “Well, let’s just get one of our archers to take care of Circe from afar!  I’m sure at least one of you can accurately launch an arrow at least 300 yards from here, right?”  I doubt any normal person would hear what Eurylochus had said and think, “Alright.  I’m going to save them.  I don’t care if several perfectly fit, capable men were defeated by this lady.  I’ll survive and bring everyone home, and everyone will love me for it!”  In fact, I’d be thinking, “Boy, am I glad my lot wasn’t chosen first!  Phew!  Let’s eat!”  Anyway, this just shows how much arrogant pride Odysseus has.  He believes in himself so much that he’s willing to barge into Circe’s home and defeat her, despite the fact that many of his men had been turned into pigs by her magic.  It just goes to show that arrogant pride comes before a massive fall.

This portion of Book X stands out to me because it helped me realize how eminent Odysseus is in his region of the world.  When Circe realizes the man she is talking to is immune to her spell, she immediately assumes that he is Odysseus because of his power.  This implies how truly famous Odysseus is for being "the man of twists and turns."

I think this passage is significant because it shows just how deceitful Odysseus’ crew is. Once he fell asleep, they went searching for treasure he had on the ship. As a leader of a group, you should be able to trust your crew, but Odysseus’ crew is obviously not as loyal as one would hope. 

I chose this quote because it shows the crew’s greedy and deceitful nature in that they were willing to steal from their captain a man who had saved them on at least two accounts thus far into the story.

This passage shows the fear that the gods can strike in the mortal characters. Despite previously being helped by the people on the island, Odysseus and his men are now being cast away. It's clear how fearful people are of being targeted and harmed by the gods.

This quote stuck out to me because it acted as a turning point for Odysseus when he must move on from Circes  and continue on to his journey of getting home. Circe tells Odysseus he must go to the underground to learn how to get home. 

This is just one of the many quotes from this book that show Odysseus as a fearless and loyal leader. Even after his crew has a mutiny he still tries to protect them. He does his best to save them from the Laestrygonians and when his men were trapped by Circe, he decided to sacrifice himself to try and rescue them. He also uses the leverage he gains from Circe to ensure that they are all well fed and taken car of for a full year afterwards. He is extremely loyal to his men and has shown that he will do whatever it takes to protect them.

It stood out to me that Penelope has all these suitors in the palace and has done everything in her power to avoid marrying any of them, but the first chance he gets, Odysseus takes on another lover. As he is with Circe, the queen is staying loyal and grieving him while waiting for his return. Also, his men had to persuade him to leave Circe to go back home to Ithaca where his wife and son are expecting his return.

made to guard that palace of hers—by force, I tell you—

just as the Cyclops trapped our comrades in his lair

with hotheaded Odysseus right beside them all—

thanks to this man’s rashness they died too!’ (p. 169)” 

I chose this quote because it shows that Odysseus’s men are fed up with his selfish decisions. They understand that Circe is powerful and can do anything she pleases. They fear this characteristic because of what happened with the Cyclops. Odysseus was able to escape without being harmed, but many of his men died. Odysseus cannot afford to lose anymore of his men and it is possible that they may leave him out of frustration rather than death.