Greek Lit Journal 12: Plato
Tuesday November 17, 2015
Time spent: 1 hour and 30 minutes
On Tuesday we talked about the origin of Odysseus’ bow he uses to win the competition for Penelope. The bow is from Apollo and was eventually passed down and ended up in the hands of Iphitos and he then ends up giving it to Odysseus in an act of xenia. We also talked about which story was better and is one a man’s story and the other a woman’s story. In my opinion the Odyssey was better because it took you on a journey and made you think about things a little bit more, whereas the Iliad was just about battle and you couldn’t really identify who was the bad guy in the Iliad. For the man vs woman story thing I just think it depends on what you like, but if were talking about traditional gender roles then the Odyssey would be the woman’s story because it’s about love and overcoming your battles and the Iliad would be the man’s story because it has a lot of fighting and action.
Wednesday November 18, 2015
Time spent: 2 hours
Today after my classes I went to my room and read the final book of the Iliad. I think it was weird how out of nowhere the story jumped right back into Achilles and Agamemnon in the Underworld. I didn’t see the point in that. The reunion of Odysseus and his father was nice to read but the mini battle at the end was so unnecessary. They could have honestly left the story at Penelope and Odysseus meeting up I mean that’s what we were all waiting for anyway. Book 24 and the first book of the Iliad share similar traits. Like Agamemnon and Achilles being in both of the books. Also Athena brings peace in both book 24 of the Odyssey and Book 1 of the Iliad.
Thursday November 19, 2015
Time spent: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Thursday we took our quiz and talked about what it means to be blessed by the gods. The next book we are going to read is Plato’s symposium. Plato’s symposium is a philosophical book that has speeches on love and friendship. I think it will be interesting to read and see what these people had to say about it.
Friday November 20, 2015
Time spent: 2 hours
On Friday I read pgs. 233 to 236 of Plato’s symposium. I think Phaedrus speech really speaks to the love we have read about in the Iliad and the Odyssey because he talks about sacrificing your own life for the person you love and how going into the battlefield can be a sign of love. He also specifically mentions Achilles going on a rage to avenge Patroclus’ death. His love and grief for his friend made him angry enough to go on a killing spree. My favorite speech is Eryximachus because he says love runs everything and that love can be a good thing but it can also be an unhealthy thing.