week 12

Thursday’s class began with our usual quiz on the Odyssey. It wasn’t too difficult and I think I did pretty well. We then moved on to talk about Odysseus’ trip to the underworld again and what happened in his encounters with the various ghosts. We also talked about book 13 and how Odysseus has finally returned home but not exactly in the way he would want to. Odysseus would most likely rather go straight to his home to see his wife but he has to wait for Athena and his son to return to kill all of those men. The Phaeacians were some of the best people that Odysseus met. They’ve provided him with many things after his long journey including gifts, food, and shelter. They cared for Odysseus and listened to his entire journey and all of his struggles. Odysseus could definitely call this place home because he was living very comfortably in Phaeacia. Maids were tending to him, feasts held in his honor, and overall treated like a king by people he never knew. They gave Odysseus a free ride back home with plenty of gifts. That shows how much at home he is in Phaeacia. That night after class I began book 14 of the Odyssey. Here Odysseus disguised as a beggar still arrives at the swineherd's house Eumaios. He offers Odysseus as much as he could although he wasn’t really living lavishly. He was telling Odysseus who he believed was a beggar the story of the land and Odysseus. At the end of the story, he said Odysseus was dead although Odysseus tried to explain to Eumaios that the king would return. Odysseus gives the swineherd hope to tell him Odysseus will return after consulting with the oracle. He begged for more food and told a story in order for the swineherd to give him a cloak. In the next book, Athena traveled to Sparta where she tells Telemachus to return and meet with the swineherd because Euamychos is going to marry Penelope which isn’t true. Menelaus quickly prepares transportation and gifts for Telemachus. Helen wove a gown for Telemachus’ future wife. An eagle flew by with a dead goose meaning that Odysseus has returned and the suitors will be dealt with. As Telemachus is returning he is approached by a prophet named Melamopus. He was a lord until he was forced from his home by King Nelus because of a situation with Nelus’ daughter. He was then held captive by another man before he escaped to rule Argos with Nelus’ daughter. He killed his cousin in Argos so now he is a wanted man and wants to board the ship. Back in Ithaka Odysseus tests Eumaios’ hospitality and ends up getting permission to stay there until Telemachus returns. Eumaios explains that Laertes still lives but gravely misses his son and that Penelope is okay. He used to serve under Laertes and used to play alongside Odysseus’ sister Ktimene. He explains how he was sold to Laertes. Theoklymenos asks where he could stay and Telemachus offers his home but explains the situation to the man. The prophet is allowed to stay after they see a sign from Zeus and he interprets it as Odysseus’ family will rule Ithaka forever. In the next book after arriving at the swineherd’s hut, Eumaios’ is excited to see Telemachus and asks if he could look after the beggar. Telemachus offered his home but explained the situation that was going on. He is also scared about facing the suitors, so Odysseus the beggar gives his son a quick pep talk. Telemachus tells Eumaios to send word to Penelope of his return and to tell the nurse Eurakleia. Athena then tells Odysseus to reveal his identity to his son, who is astonished. He continues to tell his son to have faith and laid out a plan for the attack. He will go to the hall disguised as a beggar and Telemachus would lock their weapons away while he distracts them. He warned Telemachus not to let anyone know he has returned, but another man went out to deliver the news after they have already sent Eumaios, and he shouted the message out loud enough so that the suitors could hear. Antinoos urges the suitors to strike soon but another named AMphinomus says to pray to the gods first to see if they are favored. Medon hears their plan again and tells Penelope. She accused the suitors of conspiring but can’t do much about the situation so she returns to her room. Athena disguised Odysseus as Eumaios returns with the news but this doesn’t phase them so they eat some dinner and go to sleep. In Tuesday’s class, we discussed different opinions on questions and points brought up in class. The first topic was Odysseus judging the hospitality of people. Wherever Odysseus visited he would test his hosts by making requests and observing how they react. Excellent hosts like the Phaeacians and Eumaios fulfilled every request and made sure their guest was satisfied. Hosts like Polyphemus will have bad karma and in his case get a stake drove through your eye. The next topic discussed was the character development of Odysseus. Odysseus at the beginning of his journey was more reckless. He had just finished the Trojan war and he along with his crew was doing as they pleased while on the way home. Then when they reached Cyclops Island everything took a turn. Being cursed and watching his crewmates die began to humble Odysseus and all he wanted was to get home safely. He wasn’t recklessly exposing his identity to strangers anymore as he did with Polyphemus. He was being as smart and as cautious as possible in order to get through his journey and make it back to Ithaka. Next, we keyed in on the topic of Odysseus’ encounter with Scylla. He was urged by Circe not to arm himself, but upon meeting the beast Odysseus had forgotten all warnings and charged at Scylla. He then loses six men, one to each of the heads of the monster. Here Odysseus is acting recklessly, but for different reasons than before. Here Odysseus wanted to desperately save his men. After that, we talked about different reunions in the Odyssey but the most important, the one between Odysseus and his som. When Odysseus revealed his identity to Telemachus, Telemachus reacted in a way his father did not approve of. Instead of being calmer about the situation, Telemachus looked at his father like he was a god. In the end, they were still happy to see one another and many tears were shed. Perpiteia was a vocab word introduced in class made by Aristotle. In basic terms, it means going from a fortunate situation to an unfortunate one, or the other way around. Telemachus in the most recent books is seen as a humble and helpful man. He offers his home and aid to everyone he can despite the fact that suitors are plotting to kill him in his house. He is still scared at times but you can see he is preparing to be a hero and save his kingdom. Peisistratus is the same as Telemachus, the son of a hero who’s father has been gone for a long time due to war. After a long discussion in class, I read book 17. In this book, Telemachus goes back to see his mother. She asks for news of Odysseus but he tells her to freshen up and pray to Zeus for help in their fight against the suitors. Telemachus tells his mother that Odysseus was last seen on Kalypso’s Island but nothing more. Theoklymenos interrupts and says that Odysseus is back and is plotting against the suitors however, Penelope didn’t believe it. Odysseus and Eumaios head to town where Odysseus is mocked by Melantthios, a goatherd, and then Odysseus prayed out loud so the gods could punish him. When entering the hall Odysseus’ dog Argos recognizes him and Odysseus sees that he has been abused. Argos shortly dies right after and Odysseus sheds a few tears. Odysseus goes around asking each man for food to see who is good and who will be killed. The same goatherder from before recognizes Odysseus as the same beggar after everyone has given him some food, and Antinoos is upset Eumaios brings Odysseus to the hall. Odysseus asks Antinood for food and begins to tell a fake story but is quickly cut off by Antinoos who is refusing to feed Odysseus. Odysseus roasts him and then Antinoos throws a stool. Penelope sends a maid to bring the beggar to her for questioning after hearing all the noise. Odysseus as a beggar is like his normal self because he is still able to deceive people and use his knowledge to observe. He can’t however act like a brave and wealthy hero who is known and favored by the gods. As a beggar, Odysseus does not have those same credentials so it is difficult for him to communicate with people in the exact same way he would normally do it. Superheroes, the Greeks in the Trojan War, and criminals are all examples of people who use disguises. Some use disguised to conceal their identity. Heroes use it to protect their identity so that no one can harm their family and friends. Criminals use disguises to hide from the law and escape. The Greeks in the war used a horse as a disguise to infiltrate and attack their enemy. There are many different uses for a disguise. Here Odysseus is using one to infiltrate the hall and attack the suitors, as well as hide from those who would attack him on sight.