The Flight of Icarus

The Flight of Icarus

In ancient Greece lived Daedalus, a talented and clever builder. He created everything from palaces to playthings for the wealthy. One of his rich clients was Minos, the King of Crete, an island in the Mediterranean.

Minos was thought to be the richest and most powerful ruler of his time. He hired Daedalus to design and build a special, intricate maze, or labyrinth, to hold the Minotaur. It was a terrifying half-bull, half-human creature with a great appetite for humans. Minos wanted the creature confined somewhere in the maze so that it couldn’t escape and be a threat to his people.

Daedalus designed a masterful, mysterious maze, and his young son

Icarus helped him create it. When the maze was finished, Minos had his soldiers release the Minotaur into it. But Minos worried that someone might find a way through the maze to release the creature. He had to make sure no one else ever knew the secret of the maze. So, to guarantee that Daedalus or Icarus could never reveal the secret, Minos imprisoned them in a very high tower.

Daedalus looked around. The tower had no windows or doors from which to escape. Only the top of the tower was open, spreading a ceiling of sky above them. Through it, day-after-day, an archer sent arrows tied with packets of food and tiny wax candles to help them see at night. The walls were too high to climb. There was no way out!

But the brilliant Daedalus devised a plan. Over time he and Icarus ate very little and grew thinner and lighter. At night, they used only the light from the moon and stars, and saved the tiny candles. Daedalus and Icarus used the leftover food to attract some of the thousands of birds that migrated across the sky above them. They plucked a single feather from each bird that landed, knowing that one feather was not enough to stop them from flying.

Daedalus explained to Icarus how the candle wax would hold the feathers on their arms like wings. They waited for a perfect day, when strong winds blew from the south . . . strong enough to carry them north toward Athens. At last, that day arrived. As they prepared to leave, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high. “The heat of the sun could melt the wax that holds your wing feathers in place,” he warned.

Then the wind lifted Daedalus and Icarus off the tower and they soared like birds high above the maze. Icarus flew higher and higher, enjoying the thrill of flight so much that he forgot his father’s advice. The higher he flew, the thinner the air, and soon he could hardly breathe. He was hot and confused. Perhaps the height affected his brain. The sun began to melt the wax that held the feathers on to his arms. Icarus flapped his arms but to no avail. He tumbled like a wounded bird into the sea. Only a few scattered feathers floated

on the water. Daedalus mourned his son, then continued on to safety.

1. Who is the narrator of this passage?

A) the character of Icarus

B) the character of Daedalus

C) a third person, not a character

D) the character of Minos

2. Which sentence is written from the first-person point of view?

A) The higher Icarus flew, the thinner the air, and soon he could hardly

breathe.

B) The higher I flew, the thinner the air, and soon I could hardly breathe.

C) The higher you flew, the thinner the air, and soon you could hardly

breathe.

D) The higher he flew, the thinner the air, and soon Icarus could hardly

breathe.

3. Which sentence is written from the second-person point of view?

A) The higher Icarus flew, the thinner the air, and soon he could hardly

breathe.

B) The higher I flew, the thinner the air, and soon I could hardly breathe.

C) The higher you flew, the thinner the air, and soon you could hardly

breathe.

D) The higher he flew, the thinner the air, and soon Icarus could hardly

breathe.