Class on Tuesday: No Reading, but Introduction to Greek Tragedy

 NOTE: We DO have class on Tuesday, though there is no scheduled reading. Instead, I want to give an introduction to Greek Tragedy before we start reading two Greek Dramas to round out the class. Be sure you have the book Greek Tragedy before we start reading for our next classes. 

Your papers will be returned to you via e-mail in the next few days, so keep checking your e-mail. If you don't get my comments back by Thursday, please let me know (since it might have been blocked/gone to spam). 

See you on Tuesday! 

For Tuesday: Finish The Odyssey, Books 23 & 24 (and see Note about Tuesday's class/due date for paper)

NOTE: Remember that I changed the schedule to give you an extra class day to work on the paper. So we DO have class on Tuesday, but not on Thursday, the 27th, when the paper is now due. The paper assignment is posted a few posts down from this one.

Answer two of the following for Tuesday's class:

Q1: In Book 23, Telemachus accuses his mother of having a heart “colder than stone,” and even Odysseus claims that she has “more than…any/Other woman, an unyielding heart.” How does Penelope defend herself against these charges, and why might she have continued to test Odysseus to the very end?

Q2: After the slaughter, Odysseus, much more clear-headed, informs his son that “When someone kills just one man,/Even a man who has few to avenge him,/He goes into exile, leaving country and kin” (217-218). Do you think Odysseus is ready to act ‘heroically’ here and take responsibility for his heinous actions? Or is he still looking for a way to get off scot-free?

Q3: In Book 24, Zeus solves the problem of revenge by making the islanders conveniently forget Odysseus’ crimes. This way, they can “live in friendship as before,/And let peace and prosperity abound” (241). Is this a satisfying or even fair ending to the poem? Why do you think the gods would take such an active role in the story when they typically only advise or create illusions?

Q4: Some scholars believe that Book 24 is not one of the original books of the epic, but was tacked on by a later writer or tradition. Besides the strange intrusion by Zeus, why else might this book sound ‘off’ compared to the rest of the story?

For THURSDAY (see note): Homer, The Odyssey, Books 19. 21 & 22

 

NOTE: Class cancelled this Tuesday--these questions will be for Thursday instead. 

Q1: In Book 19, when Penelope is talking to Odysseus (as a beggar), she says:
“Of all the travelers who have come to my house,

None, dear guest, have been as thoughtful as you

And none as welcome, so wise are your words…

Eurycleia, rise and wash your master’s—that is,

Wash the feet of this man who is your master’s age.

Odysseus’ feet and hands are no doubt like his now,

For men age quickly when life is hard (176).

Readers have often wondered if Penelope recognizes her husband (after all, the dog does!). Odysseus assumes she doesn’t, but this passage is curious: does it suggest otherwise? Does she realize he’s testing her, and does she test him back? Why might it change how we read the book if she does know who he is?

Q2: At one point in Book 22, Eurymachus begs Odysseus to spare the suitors, many of whom live on the island and have families here (and after all, he is their king). He says, “We will pay you back/For all we have eaten and drunk in your house./We will make a collection, each man will put in/The worth of twenty oxen” (200). Why does Odysseus refuse this just offer? Is this justice or the will of the gods? Or is this an example of Odysseus’ hubris getting the way once more?

Q3: In the midst of the ghastly slaughter, Odysseus spares two of the servants and tells them, "Don’t worry, he’s saved you. Now you know,/And you can tell the world, how much better/Good deeds are than evil. Go outside, now,/You and the singer, and sit in the yard/Away from the slaughter, until I finish" (219). Is this how we're supposed to read the slaughter of the Suitors, as divine justice? While they have clearly done 'wrong,' so have Odysseus and the entire Greek army which destroyed "sacred Troy." Are these just more "winged words" of Odysseus, or do you feel the poet truly believes them?

Q4: How much does Penelope run the household in Odysseus’ absence? While Telemachus often acts in charge, is this really the case? What glimpses into the daily life of the household, and Penelope’s management of the suitors, do we see in Books 19-21?

Next Week & Mid-Term Paper Assignment

 Remember there's no reading for Tuesday's class, but we will have Reading Exam #4 in class over what we've read of The Odyssey so far. This will be our only class next week since we have Fall Break starting on Thursday. 

Also, I handed out the Mid-Term paper in class on Thursday, so if you missed class or misplaced it, I've pasted it below. Note the due date--not until October 25th. Let me know if you have any questions about it or how to start...though we will be discussing it in class, as well as on Tuesday. 

Hum 2113: The Greek Mythos

Mid-Term Paper: A Hero for All Time

INTRO: “Andra, the first word in The Odyssey, announces a poem about a ‘man,’ and in some ways, this is story about Man without exception…The Odyssey seeks to define what it means to be human. But the Odyssey is also the story of one, very specific, and very puzzling man. It is difficult to know what to make of him, or even pinpoint his identity…That we are dealing with an Odyssey, a ‘poem about Odysseus,’ is therefore something we have to work out for ourselves as we listen to the poet” (Graziosi, Homer).

PROMPT: Why do you think one of the first ‘hero’ stories in the ancient world is about an anti-hero? Odysseus, though heroic, isn’t necessarily a good guy. The story is about how a thief, a liar, a pirate, and a sneak escapes death at every turn to seek justice at home and save his wife and property. This story might make more sense to us if he was portrayed as a truly moral and self-sacrificing hero, but he’s not. Clearly the poet (s) knew this when they wrote the story, but this was the hero they chose. Is there a method to his madness? Why should the very true hero in literature not be a superhero like the ones we have today? Why isn’t he someone we can celebrate and emulate?

A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• Are we supposed to learn from his example? Is it easier to learn from a flawed hero than a perfect one?
• Does Odysseus grow as the story progresses? Does he learn to be ‘good’ or better?
• Is the ‘good’ hero actually Telemachus or Penelope? Why might they be seen as more heroic than Odysseus?
• Does Odysseus succeed or fail in the end? Though he kills the suitors, has he really won?
• What do you think Sappho would think (or did think) of this poem? How might her poems help us read Odysseus as a hero and a human being?
• Can a human being every really be a hero? Is trying to be a hero at all a selfish occupation that leads to hubris?

REQUIREMENTS:

• Quote from the book to support your ideas. Be sure to introduce quotes and cite the page number, like so…In Book 17 of The Odyssey, Odysseus is insulted by the herdsmen outside of his home, and was deciding “whether/To jump the man and knock him dead with his staff/Or lift him by the ears and smash his head to the ground” (152). (use slashes to indicate line breaks)
• Use ONE of the following: (a) a modern example to compare to The Odyssey. Is there a modern hero we can compare him to? Does this help us understand why he is who he is? (b) Or, use Sappho’s poems to help us read his character and the poet’s motives. If you use them, QUOTE them—don’t just summarize.
• No page limit, but since this is a mid-term, I’ll expect your best work!
• Due Tuesday, October 25^th by 5pm [no class that day]

 

For Thursday: Homer, The Odyssey, Books 16, 17 & 18

NOTE: This is our last reading until after Fall Break, since we'll have Reading Exam #4 on Tuesday. So push on just a little more, and you'll get a nice reading break...unless you want to get ahead (or need to catch up!). 

Answer two of the following...

Q1: Why does Odysseus decide to reveal himself to Telemachus in Book 16, after carefully hiding his identity from everyone else? Is it simply because Athena commands him to (though she earlier said not to show himself to anyone in his family!). Is this a heavenly command, or is he going off script? 

Q2: One of the most touching scenes in the book occurs in Book 17, when Odysseus encounters his old dog, Argus, who has seen better days. The poem spends far more time on this scene than the story might require. Why do you think this is? Why is this episode important, and how might it reflect larger events in the story? 

Q3: These books show the Suitors in much greater relief than we've seen so far in the book. How does the poet condemn their actions in these books, and what, specifically, seems to be their greatest 'sin'? Are they aware of transgressing social laws and the favor of the gods? 

Q4: Odysseus fears disloyalty above all else, and his disguise is largely undertaken to ferret out the true sentiments of his household (kind of like an episode of "Undercover Boss"!). How does he test the various people in his household, including his own wife? What does he want them to say or act to prove virtuous? Does he seem to take into account the context of their situation?