Ulysses Lesson Plan

How does Chapter Five parallel the Lotus Eaters episode of The Odyssey?

The Lotus flower (also spelled Lotos) was known for its fragrant and narcotic characteristics, inspiring sleep and forgetfulness. When Ulysses spends time in the land of the Lotus-Eaters, he finds that his crew becomes forgetful and is unwilling to leave the new land; they have to be coerced onto the ship. The yellow lotus flower presented an alluring escape from reality much like the appealing banquet of Circe, an enchantress who Ulysses later meets. There are several parallels between the "Lotus-Eaters" chapter and the Homeric episode. The most obvious parallel is in Bloom's purchase of a yellow...