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Question
List the roles and responsibilities Ulysses assigns to his son Telemachus, while he is away.
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Solution
The entire poem is a monologue. Yet the second part of the poem is an address to the readers justifying his decision to transfer the rule to his son Telemachus. The cloak of a king seems to be unfit for the temperament of Uly uses. He finds ruling Ithaca a boring thing. He finds Telemachus rooted in the political life of Ithaca. His role is merely to lead a ‘savage race’ to accept standard norms of behavior in society. He believes Telemachus fits well with the role of the ruler of “uninspired and imprudent citizens” and may discharge his duties with honor and grace. When he is away, he wants his son Telemachus to dispense variable justice to the subjects of Ithaca and guide them in the path of virtues and morals.
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