Peter Seifen
June 5, 2020
Blog #51
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, we had to read a poem by T.S. Elliot, and note any and all poetic devices in it. Some students’ answers included that the poem used repetition, and that the poem’s perspective was to go outside your comfort zone to learn something new, and that you have to learn throughout a journey to get through it.
Penelope’s Test
After finishing the Do Now, we watched a video about Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. This video resembled the reading, showing the amazing love between Odysseus and Penelope, and how during Odysseus’ absence, many suitors tried to take Penelope as their own. Odysseus then returns, reuniting with his wife.
Now I will be summarizing the classwork and questions for a more detailed response. II will be grouping related questions together.
Modern Day Statue of Athena
1. How does Athena improve Odysseus’ appearance?
Athena improved Odysseus' appearance by making him bigger and more masculine, and by giving him beautiful red curls.
- Explain why Odysseus is displeased with Penelope.
- What is her response to his complaint
- How does Penelope outwit Odysseus in this book?
- What explanation does she give for not acknowledging him sooner?
My group and I concluded the following through these questions:
Odysseus is displeased with Penelope because she was being very cold and cautious with him. He complained in lines 1553 to 1560 that she was being very rude considering he has been away for twenty years.
She responded to this by not being proud of him, but not scorning him also for being away for twenty years. She decided to test him to not take any chances because she was afraid that Odysseus might be a suitor disguised to fool her into her hand in marriage.
Her test outwitted him. She made him place his bed outside his bedchamber to see if it was really him. He was enraged by this, saying that nobody can move his bed because of the detail and craftsmanship that went into making it, including her secret sign. Odyssues then mentioned Penelope’s secret sign. This made it clear to Penelope that this was the real Odysseus because no one knew of her secret sign other than Odysseus, herself, and her slave, Actoris.
The explanation she gave for not acknowledging him sooner was that the gods have attempted to trick her into marrying suitors so she needed to make sure that Odysseus was not a disguised suitor the gods were tricking her into marrying
Penelope and Odysseus
6. Analyze the epic simile in the lines below. What is being compared? And how is this simile a powerful and fitting image for the conclusion of the Odyssey
Now from his breast into his eyes the ache
of longing mounted, and he wept at last,
his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms,
longed for as the sunwarmed earth is longed for by a swimmer
spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidon's blows, gale winds and tons of sea. Few men can keep alive through a big surf
to crawl, clotted with brine, on kindly beaches
in joy, in joy, knowing the abyss behind:
and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband, her white arms round him pressed as though forever.
My group and I concluded that the epic simile compares a man’s longing for his wife to a swimmer’s longing of warm earth. It fits the conclusion of the Odyssey because in the Odyssey, a man (Odysseus) arrives home, happy and rejoiced, knowing that the danger is behind him. Odysseus also arrives to his wife, rejoiced, knowing that he will stay with her forever and never leave her side again.
Summation:
To summarize what happened concisely, Penelope’s test for Odysseus establishes their loyalty towards each other because it shows that Penelope is careful to test any man that comes her way. She will not just marry a man that she just met, showing that she is not easily fooled by suitors. Odysseus passes the test, and Penelope realizes that the real Odysseus is back. This provides closure for Odysseus because it shows that he came home to a loving and faithful wife, so his twenty years away were not in vain.
Enrichment
The Odyssey by Homer | Book 23 Summary and Analysis [2:18]
BLOG CONTENT
What is it like working from home?
Working from home is a big change from how school was before the virus. For example, for the majority if homeworks, we have more time than we would generally have at school, but we are unable to communicate with teachers or other students as much. I am spending more time with my family, though, which is great, because generally, during normal school, I do not see that as much because of extracurricular activities, and my parents going to work. An advantage of working at home is that I am able to work on my own tim, and at the comfort of my own home, which is a great advantage, but I do miss the school environment. Overall, I believe that there is more downsides to working at home than positives, but it is only temporary, which means that we will be back in school soon!
What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
As of Friday, June 5, 2020, at 5pm, there are 6.8 million coronavirus cases worldwide. In the USA, there are 1.9 million coronavirus cases. New York has 384,000 coronavirus cases, with NYC at the center of the pandemic. Despite these facts, New York is on a downward trend, which is a very good sign for us New Yorkers. In recent days, New York reported less than 1,000 cases per day, which is the first time that has happened since mid-March. Concerning the rest of the world, Brazil, Russia, and India are the other three hotspots for coronavirus, with Brazil reporting almost 30,000 or more than 30,000 cases daily.
Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
At the moment, there are mass protests worldwide about the unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota killed by a policeman unnecessarily. This was a racist attack by the police officer, and I completely support the protests. In addition to the peaceful protesters, there have also been riots of burning down shops and looting shops. I feel as though this is not needed, but I think that action needs to be made by the government so this unfathomable event that happened to George Floyd does not happen again. I find it very heartwarming that the entire world is reacting to this event by doing protests in their own country.
REFLECTION
What did I learn?
Why did I learn it?
How will I use what I learned?
The thing I learned from this story is the importance of loyalty, and how it is always the best option. Penelope waited for Odysseus for twenty years, and many suitors came across her, wanting to steal Odysseus’ throne. She remained loyal, though, confident that Odysseus would come home one day. If Odysseus came home to Penelope remarried, he would have been angered, and even worse, betrayed by her behavior. The reason why I learned this is because it is a very big theme in this book, and it should be the base of everyone’s morals. Someone who is not loyal will not feel completed in life. Everybody should be loyal. I will use what I learned to always be loyal no matter what situation; no matter the temptation, loyalty is always the option. I think everyone else should also think like this: that loyalty is always the option and betrayal is not
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