Blog# 49 - Venuka Samaraweera - Period 1 - 6/3/2020

Venuka Samaraweera                                                                                                  #49

Period 1                                                                                                     Freshman 2020

Aim: How does Penelope’s test for Odysseus establish their fidelity toward each 

other while finally providing closure for Odysseus and his journey?

Do Now: For the do now, us students were asked to take five minutes to read and reread a short piece of a poem by T.S Elliot, called “East Coker III”. we were asked to interpret the meaning of the poem, and it eventually became a very important part of the lesson since it strongly connected to the return from Oddysseus’ journey. The poem emphasized that you must go out of your comfort zone to get the best results of a journey and find the best answers, clearly resembles how Odysseus went out of his comfort zone from his long journey to reunite with his beloved wife Penelope.

Penelope’s Test Summary:

In Penelope's Test, Odysseus was tried for his authenticity in his marriage with Penelope. Penelope tried Odysseus by moving around one of his valued belongings and perceiving how he would respond to the circumstance. "Make up his bed for him, Eurycleia. Place it outside the bedchamber, my lord built it with his own hands." (Homer 1565-1567) Penelope moved Odysseus' bed to check whether he would be worried about the bed that he high quality himself. Luckily for Odysseus, he defeated the contention by being concerned and taking note of his significant other's turn in marriage. The conflict adds to the story since it gets the opportunity to scrutinize the subject of the story. Odysseus' affection was tried by Penelope to check whether it was as yet flawless and that it was the genuine Odysseus.

• We saw a video during class:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDcIRFlvOEQ), which explained the love life between Odysseus and Penelope met, how we went on to fight in the Trojan war, causing suitors to target Odysseus’ throne since he was gone. Later on he comes back, proves to everyone that he is the reak Odysseus and finally reunites with his beloved wife Penelope.

Student Reflection: 

• I learned that Penelope is a symbol of marital fidelity and loyalty for eternity, and I also learned that Penelope herself is a very cautious woman who takes any action to protect herself and anyone she loves, such as Telamachus and Odysseus.
• I learned this by noticing characterization that was thoroughly expressed all throughout “Penelope’s Test”, which allowed me to realize how cautious and loyal she is 
• I will utilize what I realized today to direct me towards the finish of the Odyssey and to empower me to comprehend the content overall.

Blog Content:   

1. What is it like working from home?

Telecommuting is a very different encounter from working in a study hall setting. It is increasingly hard to remain centered on the grounds that house is thought of as a spot for relaxation. A study hall, then again, is observed and the attention is consistently on examining/finishing assignments. Also, home contains numerous interruptions, while school (or a working environment) is equipped towards being a peaceful spot where undertakings are to be finished. We additionally have more opportunity to finish assignments at home, however the assignments are organized diversely to suit for this new timetable. In remote English class, the undertakings are like those that we had before the pandemic. In any case, class time is organized contrastingly to boost what we can finish and how we can impart over the Zoom video-calling stage. In any case, we can really become familiar with an extraordinary sum and further our instruction in our own different homes.

2. What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

Some people have been very violent while others have been very peaceful. Specifically talking about the riots and protests, cities are being torn down but peace is being made in other areas. All of this is happening from the motivation of the death of George Floyd which is truly amazing to see how the entire world had something to say about it. It's fair enough to say that George Floyd should be recognized as a hero since he created so much inspiration and influence. It is truly amazing to see the peace that is being made at certain protests and I would love to see more of that in the very near future. 

3. Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

As of today, June 3, 2020, there have been a large amount of riots all across the United States of America. Not only riots but also peaceful protests. It is really nice to see everyone getting together and accepting everyone as a person and not by their skin color. However, it is not so great to see how some people are destroying cities as well as innocent people’s belongings. To add on, it is devastating to see how certain cops take unnecessary actions to harm the innocent. On top of this everyone has completely forgotten about the coronavirus because clearly that is not the most important thing people are worrying about these days.