I had not read the Odyssey before, or anything of that size from that era. I knew very little about the book itself outside of a brief plot summery before I cracked open the cover and began reading, which doubtlessly influenced my experience of it. I had no preconceived opinions on the characters portrayed within the pages and I was never entirely sure of just what would happen next. One aspect that surprised me was the language and way the book was written. Thanks to phenomenal translation, I found I could understand what I was reading without having to concentrate as intensely as I did when I read “The Prince” this past year in high school. That made reading The Odyssey significantly more enjoyable and I found, happily, that finishing this book was not an uphill battle for understanding. What struck me next was the uniqueness of the writing style and structure. I would call reading a hobby of mine, but despite this I have had little experience with tales as old as the odyssey. The flow and tone was interesting and different, the choice of words clearly well thought out. The repetition of certain phrases as the book went on, significantly the description of dawn and her “rose-red fingers”, was something that stuck with me, as I often remember specific lines that I favour in a book. It is not only the plot which must be skilfully weaved in the creation of a tale, but also the style and use of language.

Another aspect that stuck with me was the portrayal of women in the book. As is expected from a tale of this age, the strongest mortal characters were male, and the mortal women were considerably less of a focus. Penelope, a main character of the epic is of course admired for her devotion to her husband and stereotypically feminine traits, rather than traits such as bravery and determination, which her son and husband possess. Though this is of course to be expected of a book as old as this, as gender roles and expectations have changed and evolved, and feminism has come into a stronger light. And it must be acknowledged that the immortal females, prominently Athena, are significantly more strong, decisive, and independent. Certainly though, I’m looking forward to delving into the gender portrayals in the Odyssey, if such a discussion arises.

This was an interesting and intriguing read, unlike anything I’ve encountered beforehand, and I’m looking forward to Monday’s lecture to see what an intellectual and analytical perspective will reveal about The Odyssey.

I have finally finished my task of completing The Odyssey. Although the style of writing was difficult to comprehend compared to most works I have read, the story itself was full of excitement and unexpected twists. From the long journeys with temptresses on islands, to the battles with gigantic cyclopes, Odysseus clearly demonstrated his novelty. Many parts of the story were far-fetched, such as his ability to fend off seventy suitors with nothing more than his son and a few servants. The idea of each man being able to fend off dozens of angry suitors seems impossible, but perhaps that is simply what the inclusion of Athena was for…

What I’ve learned from reading The Odyssey is the fragility that each individual faces throughout life. Just as Odysseus was the strongest and most loved man in Ithica, the same cannot be said of his trips into other islands in which he was attacked and enslaved. This humbling theme allows, but more importantly, reminds any reader to constantly strive in their life. They must realize that although they may find success in one facet of their life, this ability can and will always be challenged by other parts of this world. Telemachus for example, was once a young boy, loved and respected by the suitors. He held the valiant position of prince to Odysseus. However, upon his dislike for the actions of the suitors, his position, regarded by the suitors became that of an enemy. He was from that point forward a target to be killed.

I believe that Homer works wonders to demonstrate how important it is for us all to experience our own Odyssey, to show how different things are on the other side. This is the side we cannot know until we unveil it.

After learning a few days ago that I was assigned to read the entire Odyssey by Monday, I made it my mission to set aside some time every day to relax and enjoy the story of Odysseus, instead of binge-reading in only a sitting or two. Reading the Odyssey would have been more pleasurable had I been allotted more time to get through it. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as a whole, as well as some specific parts of the epic poem that struck me as interesting. Specifically, I enjoyed the use of repetition and personification throughout the story. For example, the sun rise was always paired with the line, “When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shown once more…”. Lines are often repeated throughout the poem, and this is apparently because the story of Odysseus began as a tale passed orally from person to person. Repetition in the story was used as a memory aid for the story-teller.

Something I found very interesting was the intense respect that mortals paid to the gods each and every day. Sacrifices and libations set aside for the gods by the mortals were plentiful in order to show respect to the immortals on Mount Olympus, and to keep them on their good side. Also, most characters that were encountered in the book proved to be strangely generous towards strangers and guests. If a stranger would roam up to a king’s palace, the king would usually demand that his guest be treated to food and wine before even asking the guest his name or his intentions. Nowadays, it would be pretty extraordinary for somebody to welcome a complete stranger into his home and offer him gifts, food, and drink before even asking who he was or what he wanted. If I knocked on the door of a house, and demanded the finest steak and wine that the family inside had, I would have the door slammed closed on me faster than you could say “Homer!”. Enough rambling, but the stark contrast between our current society and the society that Odysseus lived in is extremely interesting. Aside from homicide meaning little to nothing back in the day, it seemed like Odysseus was living in a society where many lived lavishly lazy lives, the lives of royalty. The Odyssey was an extremely interesting read, and I look forward to discussing the story further in class.

Homer’s The Odyssey has been recognized the world over as one of the great literary epics. It’s tale depicts extravagant, fantastic adventures, such as facing the wrath of vengeful gods and the seduction of sirens. However, upon reading the work, I became aware not so much of the adventurous plot, but of the discrepancy between how we view civility and evil. I first became aware of this notion during  Telemachus’ speech to the suitors. The prince discloses the horrific, brutish nature of the men, but, in response, they defend their own behaviour, blaming their beastliness upon the “… queen of cunning.” This represents our own society’s attempts to place our own faults on another. Far be it from us to take the blame if we can merely shift it to another.

It was also interesting to see the emphasis on the wretchedness of women. To begin, a large amount of the terrors faced by Odysseus were women, such as the sirens and Calypso. Also, when remarking at the atrocious actions of King Oedipus, Odysseus only remarks at the fault of his mother, stating it, “… a monstrous thing she did…” (258). Also, Telemachus tells his father to only examine the women, not the men, in their loyalty. These events exemplify the common beliefs of the era that women were sinful beings, luring men to their caves.

The amount of bird imagery was astonishing as well. Many times, eagles were seen snatching up smaller, or more benign, birds, such as geese. Despite the obvious symbolism of the day Odysseus will return, or the abuse of the suitors, they also symbolize the nature of humanity. Birds are typically seen as being free creatures, their wings carrying them to wherever they desire. This represents the free will of man, where each has the capability to destroy or create in accordance with his own desire. This, however, juxtaposes the idea of the gods controlling the actions of man. It is frequently seen that man is the submissive being, only fulfilling his fate. This contrast creates an interesting questions; is it our own free will that creates the monster, or simply a ploy of circumstances?

Finally, the idea of desperation was very prominent. In Book Twelve, The Cattle of the Sun, Odysseus sternly warns the men of the danger of slaughtering the cattle of Helios. Whilst all their needs are met, the men comply willingly. However, as soon as the prospect of starvation approaches, their fears overpower their knowledge of justice, and they utilise the sacred herd for their own mortal needs. Thus, each decent man may be rendered incapable of decency in a given circumstance.

Overall, after reading The Odyssey, I view it not so much as a heroic adventure, but rather as a warning of justice. Despite the apparent benefits given to the malicious suitors, and the hardships of virtuous Odysseus, it is only a matter of time before the wrongful are given their penance. The easy gains of vile behavior will ultimately be thrown down by the hand of good.

When I think of well versed bards reciting The Odyssey to a crowd of people many, many years ago, it makes me realize a number of things about stories. On the one hand, not much has changed at all. I suppose Homer came about in the early days of epic journey tales, and he seems to have set the stage for many more recent books with similar themes. I spent a good portion of the novel waiting for Odysseus to arrive at Mt. Doom or meet an Orc army, so striking were the parallels between this and the work of Tolkein. I did however, come across a number of things that caused me to raise an eyebrow or feel vaguely uncomfortable; things I wasn’t used to. One of the first was the superficial nature of the characters, immortal or not. I sort of cringed every time Athena would make Odysseus tall, muscular, and handsome so that he would get some respect, or when a character would exclaim something along the lines of “Well, that chap is good looking and has an ephemeral glow, he must have good blood. Pour him some drinks!” Perhaps it’s the element of truth that disconcerts me.

There is a black and white sense of morality in this book. Distinctly old fashioned, as of course is appropriate for a poem written in 8th century BC. Grisly acts of murder and torture are accepted as rational and heroic, as long as they are justified. The whole text reads as an “eye for an eye” battle, but it did make me think a lot about the concept of right and wrong, and how different people might interpret it.

The Gods seem to be obsessed with material goods. A greek soldier could be as kind and loving as any, but if he forgets to burn some sheep thighs or pour out some libations to the Gods, he will have a rough go of it. I’m told this is just the way of the Greek Gods, but it is rather fun to point out their puerility. To be honest it’s actually really refreshing. You hear so much about the untouchable perfection of Gods that reading about them argue like teenagers and thinking about “revenge” is kind or nice. Homer portrays them as being very accessible. You can’t get away from the Gods, that’s for sure.

My last great mystery was what felt like an unfinished ending. Odysseus never made peace with Poseiden, never did what he was told to do in the prophecy. It just ended. I hear that the Odyssey has a lost sequel, explaining some of the suddenness of the ending; its a shame.

In summary, it was brilliant. What I originally saw as a very traditional, classic piece of text made me think about character far more then I thought I would. It snuck up on me, so to speak.

As I began reading The Odyssey it quickly became apparent to me that I was supposed to be listening to it, preferably from someone with a soothingly epic voice and a large enough lung capacity to only need to take one deep breath every chapter (or book, as they call it) before diving right back into their literary serenade. I say this because, as I went through this book at a somewhat forced pace, I was constantly irked by various oddities in the writing structure that continuously broke the flow of words running frantically through my head. Of course, I’m probably just reading it wrong and/or judging it through inappropriate criteria, but one thing that really irritated me was the repetition of the exact same few speeches in multiple parts of the book, more often than not by a different character than the original speaker. Something that sounds great when you’re listening to it, I’m sure, but when reading I tend to just skip the offending copy-and-paste dialogue entirely.

Rambling aside, the story of The Odyssey was a complete though not altogether unexpected culture shock for me, with the attitudes and actions of many if not all of the characters coming across as incomprehensible for my narrow 21^st century mind. The culture depicted in this book is one that is completely at the mercy of social exchange theory which is most commonly shown with the guest mentality that virtually all the characters have, giving heaps of precious treasure to any strangers who happen to knock on their door, ask rather arrogantly for their automatically entitled hospitality, and actually succeed (with some exceptions). The willing hosts won’t hesitate to tax their people to pay for those treasures either, which comes across to me as particularly selfish (tyrannical, perhaps?). Of course, everything changes when Gods come into the picture, but I have no intention of writing thousands of words about that. Not now, anyway.

With that said, what was the point of The Odyssey? The journey of Odysseus was one fraught with dangers and distractions, perils and temptations, yet he prevailed through them all. Why? Simple, because Zeus (or whatever God it was) said so. It’s hard to feel excited about an ending (if you would call that an ending) that I knew about from the beginning, so my assumption is that the core of The Odyssey lies in the journey; what trials Odysseus faced, how he overcame them, and what kind of character he became as a result. On the last point, I have to say that I’m disappointed. Despite all the worshipping and glowing descriptions of Odysseus from his fellow man/woman, I found him as nothing more than a cunning schemer who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted. Personally, I have no problem with that kind of person, but it’s quite different from the kind-hearted and fair idol that everyone made him out to be. Sure, he’s physically strong and a skilled tactician, but he has a peculiar lack of qualities that would fit for a “kind” person, forgiveness being the clearest example in this case. A rather interesting parallel that I’ve noticed (or imagined) is the one between the slaughter of the suitors and the slaughter of Agamemnon and his comrades. Both were given a description resembling the killing, or hunting, of animals, which I suppose would be considered by the majority of the human race as an insulting way to die. One we are made to look on with disgust, while the other we are to view as glorious. I guess what’s trying to be conveyed here is that slaughtering people like animals is okay if done for the right reasons – I can’t say I buy it.

Anyway, I know for a fact that I haven’t gotten everything I can out of this book. There are still many hidden meanings and themes that I haven’t yet grasped due to my lack of experience and contextual knowledge. This blog entry is already way too long and I have anime to watch, so I’ll end with saying that I’m looking forward to Monday’s enlightening lecture. Till next time. 

My first reaction when I finished The Odyssey, was disappointment in how it ended.  I expected a longer ending that would tell what happened to Odysseus in his old age.  However, I do acknowledge the fact that since Odysseus’s odyssey is over, Homer had no reason to elaborate.  Prior to reading The Odyssey, I’ve only read abridged versions in books such as Daulaire’s book of Greek myths, which captured the essential plot of The Odyssey, but lacked in detail.  What I enjoyed the most about The Odyssey was the epic scale of it.  Homer did take me to mythological Greece, the age of monsters and heroes.   It only makes me admire Homer more for taking me, a modern human and plunking me into this saga.  What I loved most about the Odyssey was the fascinating imagery, the cast of characters, gods and creatures that all aided to create a riveting story that had me hanging at the edge of my seat at moments.  Odysseus’s journey, was a true hero’s journey.  His trials at Polydorus, Poseidon, Circe and Calypso, do inspire pity in me, but at the same time, how he handled them (or at least the effort he took to handle them) made me admire his character.  My other favorite character was Telemachus.  His intelligence, how he took charge of his house, made a name for himself and  him assisting his father, made him a very likable character.  Some things I noticed in The Odyssey was that some of the imagery and description was repeated and often re-used, this helped me to associate the correct image or title with the characters, acting like a tag.  These tags helped me a lot because the cast of The Odyssey is huge and some of the names are extraordinarily difficult to pronounce and spell. I also found reading The Odyssey enlightening to me because it showed how religion played a role in people’s beliefs in Ancient Greece.  It was quite entertaining (in a cathartic way aka glad that’s not happening to me way) reading about Poseidon throwing punishment upon punishment on Odysseus and various characters fearing that any person could be a god in disguise.

This is my second time reading The Odyssey. The first time I read it, three years ago, i felt the story was about Odysseus and the qualities he possessed that made him able to return home after years of suffering, but after reading it again, I notice just how much of a role the gods play. The title, The Odyssey, references, not only Odysseus’ journey but also the journey of the lives of all the characters. Most importantly, it’s a journey that the characters are taken on i.e not the journey they’ve chosen. In the grand scheme of things, the actions of any one character don’t change the outcome that was destined by the gods once Odysseus had been cursed by the cyclops. Odysseus returned home a broken man and all his shipmates were lost just as Poseidon decreed, the Phaeacians were shipwrecked on their way home just as the prophet said and the suitors were killed off one by one just as the omen stipulated. When things looked like they might not line up just as the gods had aligned them, Athena was there to give people courage, to send enemies into confusion, or to disguise someone so the gods’ plan remained secure. Inevitably, whatever the gods wanted to happen came to pass, and it made the actions of the characters somewhat inconsequential. Odysseus even stops trying at one point and sleeps with Circe for an entire year before his men urge him to go home again. Ultimately, each characters personal odyssey wasn’t about fighting to restore balance in their lives, but rather it was about holding on while their lives crumbled around them until that day when the gods decided they had suffered enough. By the end of the book it seemed like everything that happened in the story was all meant to be a lesson to the mortals about the gods’ ability to lift someone to great heights and also to bring them down as Athena ends the impending war with a few stern words.

This isn’t my first time reading the Odyssey and I have to say that I’m not cringing at the thought of rereading it. The Odyssey is actually a pretty interesting tale which has unique ideas and themes with strong historical significance to it.

I decided to begin the tale once again by first reading the Introduction to the epic by Bernard Knox. Hindsight this was a poor choice, but no regrets. I found some interesting facts about the book and grasped some much needed context.  For example although The Odyssey is often cited as a sequel to the Iliad, scholars debate whether or not Homer himself wrote it; if it was in fact ever written during it’s conception. Both books predate written parchment and many have investigated grammatical inconsistencies and different ideas and themes shared in each. Apparently men could retell the entire poem in proper prose from mere memory alone. Really makes you wonder how much the human race has dulled itself down through the eras due to our reliance on tools as a human extensions.
My overall summary of the novel is that it embodies the heroes quest, and is defined by a long series of struggles faced by our protagonist. Odysseus has a pretty rough ten years before he returns to Ithaca, and even his homeward arrival requires many labors and epic feats just to return into his own house. But it is these struggles that bring out the best of Odysseus’ character and ability, which I think can be applied to human race as a whole. It is only under our greatest burdens that we find our greatest potential.

Telemachus; son of Odysseus, has ascended into adulthood but has been left fatherless for his entire life. Telemachus has had to take his father’s place as ruler and protector of Odysseus’ house and has been left to defend his mothers fertility and heritage from covetous suitors. The story is not Odysseus’ alone, but also a coming of age tale for his son. The goddess Athena comes to the aid of Telemachus and counsels his actions towards the pursuit of his father, and although she guides him it is clear that she merely guides his actions but not his own discretion. It is Telemachus to rises to the occasion and uses his own voice and words to slander and banish the suitors from his own house, not Athena’s. Even if he fails to do so. I interpreted the role of the immortal Athena as a question of fate vs. human free will. As Zeus makes it clear in the beginning of the novel “Ah, how shameless- these mortals blame the gods. From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes, but they themselves, with their own reckless ways, compound their pains beyond their proper share.”
We as human beings often blame our flaws and problems on simply poor luck and merely curse fate. Yet it is often our own discretion towards scenarios and opportunities that quickly pass us that bring upon our own problems and miseries. It is fate that brings upon both misfortune and fortune, but it is our choice and will of what we make of it.

Well, Hello! I’m Sam. I’ve never blogged before but the first thing I notice is that posting is rather one sided. I have all this time to write about myself, and no one can interject or steer me towards another subject. So this is why blogging is so popular…

I was born and raised at a remote childrens camp in Northern British Columbia where I would run around the forest with sticks, shouting loudly at various imaginary beasts. It was a brilliant childhood. Every day I rode a bus for two hours to the nearest school, where I would neglect my education and instead make music and make films. I don’t think the art medium actually matters, it’s just that I am so fascinated by the process of creation. I have spent the last few years recording music in dimly lit basements, playing at music festivals with close friends, and trying to look brooding.

Somehow I have found myself here. I’m majoring in Film Production, and am really interested in the way music and film work together. For now, I feel privileged and happy to be in Arts One with all you, and am excited to see how things will unfold.

Sincerely, Sam