Second to last
Tuesday November 17, 2015 (2:30pm-3:30pm)
Quote of the day: “Slow and steady wins the race”
So, we start by discussing the fighting scene. Finding humor in madness is always a good way to lighten up any mood. We discuss how every shot the suitors took was missed. It was something straight out of a movie scene. Like, how do every single one of the suitors miss four people — it’s hundreds of suitors against Telemachus, Philotios, Eumaeus and Odysseus. Dr. Sandridge wanted us to think of this idea of a feast with slaughter — human bodies mixed with food. This is shown through how the suitors toss around the food, they befoul the food and it’s ironic that this is their last meal. It’s sort of like the last supper if you will just not in the religious sense. We also touched on the description of the fight, how it was like fishes in a net dragged and piled on the sand baked by Helios. Remember when Odysseus men ate the Helios’ cattle, which caused all of Odysseus men to be destroyed as well as her ship. So Odysseus kills all the suitors and spares Medon and Phemios because Telemachus swears that they both are loyal. I think they won the battle not only because of Athene’s help but also because everybody was fighting for something, Telemachus was defending his mother’s honor, Odysseus for his kingdom, and Eumaeus and Philotios for Odysseus. The bow of Odysseus: Apollo(God of Bow)-àFatheràEurytos (Grandson of Apollo)àIphitosàOdysseus That’s the traveling of a bow. The bow speaks to Odysseus’s connection with Iphitos. They never got a chance to share a meal so the bow stands in for Iphitos. You know, everything connects back to Xenia.
Wednesday November 18, 2015 (1:00pm -3:30pm)
In Book 24, we see Hermes leading the suitors to the underworld. Agamemnon and Achilles are there too. They’re having a conversation about the lives and death and we even see Achilles admit that Agamemnon was blessed — he had a great life. Agamemnon comments on the illustrious funeral of Achilles, 9 muses came, his mother came, they fought over his body, they had games and the prizes were given by Thetis. Achilles was definitely the man — I wish his mother would have dipped his heel in the water too. So Agamemnon sees someone he knows: Amphimedon and asks why he’s there and Amphimedon gives him the short version of everything we’ve just read but basically blames everything on Penelope. Agamemnon rejoices over how faithful Penelope is. Agamemnon is going to always be bitter, for the rest of his dead life. So Odysseus goes to visit Laertes and he’s on the farm and Odysses tests him tells him his name is Quarrelman and he’s from Sikania. At the mention of Odysseus’s name Laertes starts to cry and Odysseus reveals himself and they embrace each other, Athene makes Laertes young again and gives him strength. Meanwhile, Antinoos’ father Wupeithes wants revenge for the suitors. Medon and phemios tries to dissuade them and tell them Odysseus actions was just but they don’t care or try to listen so they go to Laertes farm ready for action. Athene asks Zeus if this is part of the plan, and he says the people have to accept Odysseus as king to have peace. So they come and right after Laertes kills Eupeithes Athene shouts and stops the fight and they have peace now. I personally feel like this wasn’t a good enough ending. Homer could’ve wrote this ending better. I wanted to know about Eurykleia and Laertes and whether or not Odysseus tells Penelope about his sexual adventures while he was away from home.
How does Book 24 of the Odyssey relate to Book One? What similar characters, themes, and language appear in the two books? Consider especially the character of Telemachus.
In book 1 of the Odyssey, the theme of manhood is present in book 24 and book 1. In book 1 we see Orestes avenge his father and that’s his transition into manhood whereas in Book 24 we see Telemachus has finally grown into a man — he is prepared to take the throne. Odysseus’s journey is finally completed — it’s a wrap.
Thursday November 19, 2015 (2:30pm-3:30pm)
In today’s class we talked about the suitors a bit more in detail. We spoke about how they have no loyalty to each other. After Antinoos was murdered, Eurymachus said Odysseus should let the rest of the suitors go and they’d just keep giving Odysseus presents until his heart is soothed. Of course, everybody died but it was worth a shot to ask right? So, we spoke about Eupeithes argument that Odysseus has killed all the soldiers and he didn’t being any soldiers back because all of his men were killed in battle. Medon told him the suitors were horrible people and seeing a show Odysseus had divine help he must’ve be righteous in the murder of the suitors. We also discussed the best way to die (as if there really is a good way to die) to the Greeks was in battle and the worst way to die is the way Agamemnon died. Agamemnon accomplished many great things but all of his accomplishments was overshadowed by the fact that his wife killed him. All in all I think Laertes had the best life, not Achilles, not Agamemnon, not Odysseus but Laertes. Laertes got to see his son come home and his grandson grow into a man. He’s the happiest of them all.
Friday November 20, 2015 (1:00pm -3:00pm) & Monday November 23, 2015 (2:00pm-3:30pm)
Okay, I didn’t really understand the language of the story. It was a hard read for me, so I tried to Google a translated version but the translated version just so happen to not have any page numbers so I couldn’t follow the pages in the story. I might be ahead in the story, I might be too far back so just bear with me. This is just the rough patch of the story.
From what I gather we start off with Aristodemus running into to Socrates. The story is retold by Appollodorus who’s telling a story he heard. Everything is word of mouth in this type of literature. So they go to Agathon’s symposium and they begin to give odes to love. Phaedrus gives a speech on the bravery in love. He talks about the son of Chaos and earth. Pausanias talks about love in two ideas: common and heavenly love, and I think he was just talking about homosexuals (I’m not sure about that part). Aristophanes turn gets passed up. Eryximachus, a doctor, talks about the idea of love beyond relationships, claiming love is in complete opposites, the flow of nature. Almost everything can have love and is vital. Now, Aristophanes turn is next. He talks abut how Zeus cut two humans in half and now we as humans spend the rest of our lives searching for the other half of our hearts. I like this story, it’s the idea of soul mates. Like God created two halves of a whole and if we find our other half then we’d be complete. Agathon gives a comedy relief during his speech. He talks about all the big ideas of love: Courage, moderation and wisdom. Love possesses beauty and everything good. Socrates then goes on to rip apart the speeches. The big take away is that love pursues beauty and good things. Love is between beauty and ugliness, between mortal and immortal and between wisdom and grace. Socrates is a smart man, I’m convinced. Socrates tells a speech by Diotima. She describes “the ladder of love”.
Love is son of Poros and Penia (Poverty), desiring beauty, which are good things, which lead to happiness. Love is more than just the love between two people. The end goal of Love is not only to find your other half. But, the purpose of love is to give birth in beauty. Being pregnant is the purpose of love, a child is created through love. Reproduction is the only way we’ll reach true beauty. They also speak about how love is linked to immortality and this immortality is only reached in the presence of beauty. First, we love one body and then we love someone elses body. Now we must appreciate the beauty of others in terms of their souls not their bodies. So, all of this leads to the love of knowledge, which ends in the pursuit of knowledge which is ultimately philosophy. Now the lover will see Beauty in its natural start and will give birth to true virtue (a child).
Plato’s Symposium, pp. 233–263.
Select one of the speeches in praise of Eros that you think most closes resembles the forms of love we have looked at so far in this course. Which speech is your favorite and why?
I think Aristophane’s speech about love resembles Odysseus and Penelope. They were commended throughout the odyssey for having homophrosume but now looking back at them I just think they were soul mates. They were two halves of a whole who wouldn’t ever be truly happy until they were with each other. This would have to be my favorite speech, plus I think it makes the most sense to me.