Blogger #27, Jacqueline Yu, Period 6, 12/14/20, Day B
Topic: The Odyssey: Homer's Invocation
Aim: How does Homer's invocation establish tone for the beginning of the Odyssey?
As a new unit was presented to us, prior to this, we had read the Alchemist for our summer homework. Previously, our team names had some correlation to an idea in the Alchemist. Now, we were presented with the power to change our team name to something that relates to the current unit as we gained mastery in the previous unit.
Team 1 changed from ‘The Herd’ to ‘The Muses’
Team 2 changed from ‘Crystal Clear Merchants’ to ‘The Five-Headed Hydras’
Team 3 changed from ‘Gods’ to ‘Poseidon’
Team 4 changed from ‘The Snake’ to ‘Prometheus’ Liver’
Team 5 changed from ‘Mirage Equinox’ to ‘The Pantheon’
The event of us changing our team names provided us with the foundation and understanding of what we would have to answer for the do now.
Do Now: CLASS DISCUSSION
How do you become inspired? Where does it originate?
Inspiration comes from one’s desire to learn more about the topic they are given. It can be found with the things people often enjoy or perhaps even from the background information given to them about the topic they want inspiration for. It originates from the muses as it is believed that inspiration is a gift from the muses. The muses were distinguished by what they had control over in the fields of literature, science, and the arts. This would give humans goals to become closer to the muses. By having an idea of what one wants their goal to be, this goal can be used as a foundation for further inspiration to grow in the field. This had been the case with the team names as the team names had to have some relation to the topic of the Odyssey.
My peers had more specifically stated -
Sophia found inspiration in the things she enjoys or she perhaps just found nice.
Kiara found inspiration in the music she listens to as art in general sparks ideas.
Liaowei had thought of the backwards approach where the end goal was the basis for what they would build on top of.
Annie had inspiration from the key ideas from the history of Greece mythology where Helen had been one of these prominent ideas.
Following the do now and the team name change that provoked inspiration within the class, the topic of muses had been brought up where they are one of the key aspects that make Greek mythology what it is today.
The Nine Muses:
Muses serve as inspiration for poets and other artists
In Greek mythology, there were nine goddesses of arts, literature and science that served as muses
One of nine Muses inspired different forms of prose, poetry, drama, rhetoric, or general writing.
Homer’s invocation pays homage (special honor and respect) to these goddesses and to Ancient Greek culture in general
expresses the purpose of the narrative
Incorporates traditions familiar to his specific audience.
Non-traditional:
Traditional:
With the subject of the invocation of the muse, we were presented with the question “What exactly is an invocation?” Due to the word being stemmed off the word “invoke”. With our lack of familiarity with this new word, we were given the permission to find the definition of the word invoke before we adventured off with finding the definition of invocation.
Invoke had three meanings, where there were all verbs and the included:
cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument.
call on (a deity or spirit) in prayer, as a witness, or for inspiration.
call earnestly for.
In conclusion, it was determined that the meaning of invoke is to call for a deity for inspiration and for support.
So what does invocation mean exactly?
Invocation is the calling for a deity in search for inspiration. With Greek mythology, invocation is often used with muses as muses were intended to be an entity that is glorified for their good deeds.
Homer’s invocation pays homage (special honor and respect) to the goddesses and to Ancient Greek culture in general.
expresses the purpose of the narrative
Incorporates traditions familiar to his specific audience.
Homer’s Invocation
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.
He saw the townlands
and learned the minds of many distant men,
and weathered many bitter nights and days
in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only
to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.
But not by will nor valor could he save them,
for their own recklessness destroyed them all—
children and fools, they killed and feasted on
the cattle of Lord Helios, the Sun,
and he who moves all day through heaven
took from their eyes the dawn of their return.
Of these adventures. Muse, daughter of Zeus,
tell us in our time, lift the great song again.
After reading the 17 lines of what Homer’s invocation is thought to be, we were to answer questions for the comprehension of the read.
Questions:
What is your opinion of Odysseus so far after hearing Homer's invocation to the muses and learning about the Trojan War?
Odysseus is presented a hero, yet is portrayed as selfish in a light where he is also described as someone who was a bystander at the wrong place and the wrong time. He fought in the war to survive while he ruthlessly killed others for the gain of his hometown. In the perspective of Homer, Odysseus was cold-hearted and turned a blind eye to the other events occurring around him.
How does Homer maintain the audience’s interest in the story, knowing that the audience is aware of the outcome from the very beginning?
Homer describes the major plot points and then goes more in depth later in the story. This provides character development with Odysseus as he begins his voyage back home. When the reader has this in mind, they can envision what may happen in the future of the plot, making it more enticing.
What does the invocation of the Muse in the opening lines clarify about Odysseus’ culpability (responsibility for a fault or wrong; blame) during his voyage home?
Odysseus was both in the wrong and was “innocent” during his voyage home where he had to accept the fact that his crewmates offended the gods. He had an inability to help his shipmates while it may not have been his fault, yet it had been at the same time. For instance, the situation with the cattle during the journey is infamous where Odysseus’ shipmates interfered with Helios’ cattle by slaughtering them and then consuming them, Helios was enraged. This initiated their punishment of drowning to death. Odysseus was left alive, with the fact that he could not do anything about it even though he told his shipmates to be careful.
We were then given an anticipation guide where the prompts include:
There's no place like home.
Half of the fun of taking a trip is getting there.
Revenge is sweet.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
All's fair in love and war.
Good people usually get the reward they deserve.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The ends justify the means.
Sometimes a little deceit is necessary.
There's a lot of truth in many superstitions.
Most people who give gifts want something in return.
Intelligence is more important to a warrior than strength.
One of the greatest accomplishments a person could achieve is to learn about oneself.
I’d rather be a coward alive than a dead hero.
Leaders are responsible for the actions of the people they supervise.
Spouses should always be faithful to each other, regardless of what the other spouse does.
It is better to be old and wise than young and foolish.
People do not change.
Any goal can be accomplished and any obstacle can be overcome with enough courage and determination.
People cannot escape their fates.
Reflection:
What did I learn?
Why did I learn it?
How will I use what I learned?
The epics of Homer such as the Iliad and the Odyssey provide a foundation for an understanding of how certain events in history as a whole play a part in the development of the modern world we know today. The Iliad and the Odyssey provides insight into the events that occurred during the time of the Trojan War and many practices as well as customs the Greeks had. In this lesson more specifically, Homer’s invocation had been the key idea that was evident in the first 17 lines of the Odyssey. Invocation, the act of calling a deity in hope that they would bring them inspiration and support for their request. This stemmed off the word invoke which has the definition of “call on (a deity or spirit) in prayer, as a witness, or for inspiration.” In this lesson, I had learned about how many Greeks wanted to ask the gods that looked over them for help as humans according to Greek mythology are intended to be similar to the gods themselves. This had been learned because it shows the true relationship humans and gods have with one another. Humans would most likely admire and idolize the gods due to them consistently asking them for help and inspiration. With Homer’s invocation, he had called for help with Odysseus as he had to experience the suffering of his allies while he remained untouched for the most part. Homer had stated that Odysseus was not in the wrong for leaving his shipmates behind, as they were the ones who angered the gods in the first place. By Homer having an invocation, this provides an idea that he wants help to tell the tale without much interference. Homer may be unsure if he wants to tell the tale where he wanted inspiration for it. This all can be used when learning about new ideas and subjects where the knowledge of how things such as culture influence the writing of a piece. This was evident with the knowledge of the words invocation and applying it to the understanding of the Odyssey as a whole.
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