Essential question
Why does Ulysses design a plan that assumes his future self cannot be trusted?
Marked passage
- Passage location
- Book XII
- Start anchor
- Therefore, take me and bind me to the crosspiece half way up the mast;
- End anchor
- Then my men took the wax from their ears and unbound me.
Ulysses designs a plan against his future self
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Use his prediction of his own future behavior, the restraints, and the order that the crew must ignore later pleas.
Mark
Underline what Ulysses predicts he will want once he hears the Sirens. Circle the restraints he orders his men to use. Star the instruction that tells the crew what to do if he later demands the opposite.
Instructional move
Build safeguards against predictable future behavior
Notice
• What does Ulysses know about his future behavior before the temptation begins? • Why is giving an order in advance not enough unless he also removes his future power to reverse it? • What makes this a safeguard against himself rather than simply a defense against the Sirens?
Strong answer
Ulysses assumes temptation will temporarily make his future judgment unreliable, so he limits his future power in advance. The plan succeeds because he gives the crew instructions that remain binding even if he later demands the opposite.
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does Ulysses design a plan that assumes his future self cannot be trusted? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not answer only that Ulysses is cautious. The key idea is pre-commitment against a predictable future self.
Why this passage
Ulysses knows the Sirens will change what he wants in the moment, so he creates rules in advance that his future self cannot cancel. The plan treats predictable loss of judgment as a problem to design around.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does Ulysses design a plan that assumes his future self cannot be trusted? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Underline what Ulysses predicts he will want once he hears the Sirens. Circle the restraints he orders his men to use. Star the instruction that tells the crew what to do if he later demands the opposite.
Notice
What does Ulysses know about his future behavior before the temptation begins? Why is giving an order in advance not enough unless he also removes his future power to reverse it? What makes this a safeguard against himself rather than simply a defense against the Sirens?
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does Ulysses design a plan that assumes his future self cannot be trusted?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.