Ending with Perfection!

Nov 17 Tuesday 2:10 PM (2 Hours)

We began class starting right where I wanted! The killing spree! Dr. Sandridge began to read certain lines in the book that pinpointed to the emotions and actions that Odysseus and Telemachus shared while slaughtering the suitors. I said that from the way I read Book 20–21, it reminded me of a fantasy, especially the way Eurymachus and Antinous died and how they were the first to go. Other examples are how the suitors were terrible at attacking Odysseus, but Odysseus easily hit a perfect target multiple times when killing the suitors. Dr. sandridge made a connection at the end of Book 20, how the suitors were “laughing uncontrollably” which is a sign of nepios, or a disconnection with what is about to happen (the killings). This can be seen in many movies such as The Wizard Of Oz (Wicked Witch Of The West), or any James Bond movie when the villains began to laugh viciously, and their death or injuries come soon after.

My favorite part of today’s lecture is when we began talking about the secret that Penelope and Odysseus shared, which Penelope cleverly uses to find out if Odysseus is really Odysseus. The carved bed cannot be moved since it is carved from an Olive Tree that is rooted in the ground and Odysseus hints to Penelope that it can’t be moved and she of course, falls into his arms after believing that he is Odysseus. So clever!

Nov 18 Wednesday 7:00 PM (2 Hours)

I sat down in the iLab (New study place) to begin preparing for one of the last quizzes of the semester on Thursday. This time, after reading Books 20–24, I decided to make a chronological list the characters present and an event that made them prevalent in that particular scene. That way, when I am taking the quiz, I will be able to remember the names of certain characters and what they link to.

The list that I made is very simple:

Penelope prays for Artemis to kill her.

Odysseus asks Zeus for a good omen,

Amphinomus tries to convince suitors to not kill Telemachus.

Ctesippus, wealthy suitor, throws cow’s hoof at Odysseus

Odysseus follows Eumaous and Philoetius outside, reveals himself

Odysseus shotos an arrow through Antinous throat

Philoetius and Eumaous locked the doors.

Eurymachus tries to calm Odysseus down, but

Amphinomus dies from Telemachus spear

Telemachus hangs all bad maids

Dolius, father of Melanthius and Melantho, joins

Laertes and Odysseus for lunch

Rumor(goddess) speads news about massacre

Halitherses though the suitors got what they deserved

Eupithes (Antinous father) is killed by the disgused Athena

(Mentor) for his stubborn reasons of trying to kill her favorite mortal

Nov 19 Thursday 2:10 (2 Hours)

Class today was very interesting to say the least! We started with our annual Thursday Quizzes and this is the highest quiz grade that I have ever made! I got very lucky on the Bonus Question and I do remember reading abut “Quarrelman” but I didn’t know if it fit the question but it in fact, did. We began discussing the relevance of Books 1 and 24. I am glad we spoke on these books because I remember answering the question of how they relate and I was a bit confused as I so no major relations between both books, but the conversation assured me that my relations to both books were accurate. Dr. Sandridge shared his opinions of both books and how they could relate and he posed this question for us to thank about “What was the relevance of adding Agamemnon and Achilles to the end of Book 24?” I agreed with one of my class mates who thought that if readers did not read The Iliad, then they would have been totally confused as to why they were added at the very end, but we concluded that it was added to answer lingering questions for readers of The Iliad. However, for people who have not read The Iliad, it doesn’t do much for them. I like to look as it like sequels in modern-day. For instance, You can understand Spider-man 2 without watching Spiderman, however there are certain things that you are more understanding of when watching the 1st movie. Homer uses this technique with The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Nov 19 Thursday 8:45 PM (2 Hours)

I sat down today in the Health-Sciences Library to re-read the final book (Book 24) so that I could put all the pieces together and understand The Odyssey as a whole, and I must say, that this book ends in such a perfect way!

I almost want to think of this entire story as a fantasy because everything ends so perfectly, but what I noticed about Odysseus is that his patience is what won him a happy ending. He was never in a hurry to do anything. At times in the novel, he allowed the suitors to have the upper hand temporarily because it was all apart of his strategy. I guess the saying that my grandmother always said is true; patience is the greatest treasure.

2. 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.

After exploring both books once again, I can honestly say that I don’t see many similarities with either books. The things that I would consider to be MOST relative are how both books kind of have little relevance to the climax of the story. Of course they provide details of before and after, but I could still fully understand the novel without reading both Books 1 and 24. One transgression between both books is the amount of progress Telemachus makes in becoming a man and eventual King of Ithacus when his time comes.

Nov 20th Friday 5:50 PM (2 Hours) 3:30 PM

1. Plato’s Symposium, pp. 233–263.

2. 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?

My mom made me fly home rather early due to the ISIS threats (Yes, she is dramatic), so I am sitting in my study room at home. I began reading Plato’s Symposium and luckily, the book is not starting off boring. I find is interesting when Socrates invites Aristodemus to dinner at Agathon’s but then leaves him to walk alone and entering alone. Hmm I wonder if this will show up later in the Symposium. Socrates eventually arrives but it is very late and everyone is hung over by the time he makes it there. After reading this first section I now understand that love is thought of as the oldest things in the past, even older than the gods. It is something that is very powerful in Greek literature, or as we know it as “Eros” the god of love. My favorite speech is delivered by Phaedrus where we exclaims “So this is how I assert that Eros is the oldest, most honorable, and most competent of the gods with regard to the acquisition of virtue and happiness by human beings both when living and dead.” I think this because it disconnects love from being entitled to anyone and considers it one of the oldest if not, the oldest feeling in the ancient world.