Plot, picture and thoughts

As promised in lesson 7a, two pictures with this lesson

What do we see?
a fire burning: τὸ πῦρ φλέγει
a long stake: τὸ ῥόπαλον μακρόν ἐστιν 
a sleeping giant: ὁ γίγας καθεύδει 
διὰ τί καθεύδει; μεθύει (he's drunk of course)

τί ποιεῖ εἷς τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως ἑταῖρος; 
ῥόπαλον θερμαίνει ἐν τῷ πυρί 
τί ποιοῦσιν ὅ τ'  Ὀδυσσεὺς καὶ ἄλλος τις;
ἐλαύνουσι τὸ ῥόπαλον εἰς τὸν ἕνα ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ Κύκλωπος
This is how they prevent the brute from seeing them and eating any more of their companions.
One gouged out eye makes him τυφλός  (blind)
τύφλόω τινά I blind someone:
[τυφλόουσιν] τυφλοῦσιν αὐτόν τῷ ῥοπάλῳ.
Remember -o contracts active? and middle?
So: οὐκέτι οὖν ὁρᾷ τοὺς Ἕλληνας 

Now they're safe, but still locked in with μετὰ τοῦ Κύκλωπος 
They are ἰσχυροὶ ἄνθρωποι ἀλλὰ ὁ λίθος the rock is too heavy for them to shift. Like Xanthias would have said (see lesson 3):
οὐ δυνατόν ἐστι τοσοῦτον λίθον ἐξαίρειν 
So how do they get out of the lion's den?
This is when ἡ τοῦ Ὀδυσσεὺς μήτις his cleverness and cunning come into play
οὐ γὰρ δυνατόν αὐτοῖς τὸν λίθον ἐξαίρειν ἐκ τῆς ἐξόδου.
It should actually be ἐξᾶραι (aorist infinitive) because it really means:
simple fact, they can't do it!
while ἐξαίρειν in fact means "go on" or "try lifting it out".

πῶς οὖν ἐκφεύγουσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἄντρου; 
ὁ Κύκλωψ αὐτὸς ἐξαίρει τὸν λίθον, μάλα ἰσχυρὸς γάρ ἐστιν.
ἀλλά, διὰ τί ἐξαίρει αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνοίγει τὴν ἔξοδον;
To let his μῆλα· τὰς αἶγας τε καὶ τὰς οἶς out to graze.
Still not good enough, the Cyclops is guarding the exit with his sheer bulk and his big, big hands. So how do the Achaeans get out?