46 pages • 1 hour read
HesiodWorks and Days
Fiction | Poem | AdultA 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.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
Reading Check
1. Whom does Hesiod invoke at the beginning of his poem?
2. Why does Zeus hide fire from humanity?
3. Who is the god of smithing?
4. Who teaches Pandora domestic arts such as weaving?
5. Who is chosen as Pandora’s husband?
6. What was the first race?
7. What happened to the golden race after they died out?
8. How was the bronze race destroyed?
9. What was the fourth race?
10. What are the Isles of the Blessed Ones?
11. Who is Demeter?
12. When should one avoid sailing?
13. Where did Hesiod’s father come from?
14. Why did Hesiod sail to Chalcis?
15. How old should a man be when he marries?
16. What kind of woman should a man marry?
17. What is the “days” portion of the poem?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Who is Perses? What does Hesiod want to teach him?
2. What is the difference between the two kinds of Strife?
3. How did Perses steal Hesiod’s share of their property?
4. Why does the injustice of one person endanger the whole community?
5. What is Prometheus’ punishment?
6. What happens when Pandora opens her jar?
7. Why did Zeus destroy the silver race?
8. Why does Hesiod complain about the fifth race?
9. What does the hawk tell the nightingale?
10. Why, according to Hesiod, might someone choose to follow the road of Inferiority over the road of Superiority?
11. Why should one cultivate a good relationship with one’s neighbors?
12. Why should one avoid overloading cargo on a ship?
13. Why should one avoid becoming the subject of rumors?
Paired Resources
“What Was It Like to Live in Ancient Greece?”
- This article on daily life in ancient Greece includes information on Greek homes, fashion, and games.
- This resource connects to the themes of The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World; Value of Work in Human Societies; and Truth, Lies, and Rivalry.
- What were some of the challenges of living in ancient Greece?
“Food and Agriculture in Ancient Greece”
- This article focuses on the function of agriculture in ancient Greece.
- This resource connects to the themes of The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World and Value of Work in Human Societies.
- Why did agriculture play such an important role in ancient Greek life?
- This resource serves as a comprehensive introduction to heroes and demigods in ancient Greece.
- This resource connects to the themes of The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World and Value of Work in Human Societies.
- Who were the Greek heroes? Why were they so important in Greek myth and culture?
- This video from Gresham College features a one-hour lecture on the Ancient Greek idea of justice.
- Informative topics covered in the lecture connect to the themes of The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World; Value of Work in Human Societies; and Truth, Lies, and Rivalry.
- How are the Greeks’ ideas about justice similar to modern ideas about justice? How are they different?
Recommended Next Reads
Theogony by Hesiod
- Hesiod’s only other extant epic poem focuses on the origins of the gods and the cosmos.
- Shared themes include The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World and Truth, Lies, and Rivalries.
- Shared topics include mythology, justice, religion and spirituality, and ancient Greece.
- Theogony on SuperSummary
The Odyssey by Homer
- This classic hero’s journey story is Homer’s account of the wanderings of Odysseus.
- Shared themes include The Interconnection of Gods, Humans, and the Natural World and Truth, Lies, and Rivalries.
- Shared topics include mythology and ancient Greece.
- The Odyssey on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
Reading Check
1. The Muses (Lines 1-10)
2. Because Prometheus tricked him (Lines 42-105)
3. Hephaestus (Lines 42-105)
4. Athena (Lines 42-105)
5. Epimetheus (Lines 42-105)
6. The golden race (Lines 106-201)
7. They were given honors. (Lines 106-201)
8. They destroyed themselves. (Lines 106-201)
9. The heroes or demigods (Lines 106-201)
10. A kind of paradise reserved for the greatest heroes (Lines 106-201)
11. The goddess of agriculture (Lines 293-319)
12. During periods of high wind and storms (Lines 383-694)
13. Cyme (Lines 383-694)
14. To participate in a poetry contest (Lines 646-662)
15. Around 30 years old (Lines 695-705)
16. An adolescent virgin from a local family (Lines 695-705)
17. The part of the poem where Hesiod catalogues lucky and unlucky days for agriculture, religion, and business (Lines 765-end)
Short Answer
1. Perses is Hesiod’s brother. Hesiod wants to teach him about true justice. (Lines 1-41)
2. One Strife is good, promoting productive competition, while the other Strife is bad, promoting violence and conflict. (Lines 11-41)
3. Perses stole Hesiod’s share of their property by bribing judges to give Perses more than his rightful share. (Lines 25-41)
4. Hesiod explains that the injustice of even one person can endanger the whole community because it can bring down Zeus’s wrath on the whole community. (Lines 42-105)
5. To punish Prometheus, Zeus has him chained to a rock, where a bird eats his liver every day. (Lines 42-105)
6. When Pandora opens her jar, all the evils of the world—including toil and sickness—are unleashed upon mortals. Only hope remains in the jar. (Lines 106-201)
7. Zeus destroyed the silver race because they were violent and did not honor the gods. (Lines 106-201)
8. Hesiod is unhappy with the current race, the race of iron, because they must constantly toil. (Lines 202-211)
9. The hawk tells the nightingale in his claws that it is foolish for her to be weak because the weak are always at the mercy of the strong. (Lines 212-382)
10. Hesiod explains that the road of Inferiority is easier than that of Superiority, and because of this, many people may prefer to follow that road even though it is not the correct one. (Lines 383-694)
11. A person should have a good relationship with their neighbors because they live nearby and are therefore in the best position to help them when problems arise. (Lines 383-694)
12. Overloading cargo on a ship can cause the destruction of the ship when it sails. (Lines 383-694)
13. Hesiod says that one should avoid being the subject of rumors because they spread quickly and are difficult to shake. (Lines 760-764)
