69 pages • 2 hours read
Natalie HaynesA Thousand Ships
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
At the end of her opening chapter, Calliope says that she “will give [the bard] his words when he gives me that brooch” (2). Discuss what the figure of the bard and his brooch each symbolize.
Calliope calls the poet an “idiot” for repeatedly wanting to follow one character (41). Discuss why Calliope refuses to allow him to do this.
Helen is a pivotal figure in Trojan war mythology and in A Thousand Ships. Discuss Haynes’s portrayal of Helen. What is the effect of not having any chapters from her point of view?
Discuss the portrayal of gods and goddesses in the novel. To what extent are they responsible for the war? To what extent do characters hold them responsible?
What is the significance of Penthesilea’s chapter in defining heroism within the framework of the novel?
One of the lessons the bard does not want to learn, according to Calliope, is that “the man who can win the war can only rarely survive the peace” (267). In what ways does Odysseus exemplify this? What is the effect on Penelope?
Discuss the significance of Laodamia’s death in the context of other war victims.
Select one of the ancient sources that Haynes draws on for her novel. Explore commonalities and differences between the source and A Thousand Ships using at least three specific examples from each text.
