Ms. J. Peterson's Blog: Blogger #16 - Sonia Lee - Period 5 - 5/5/21

Aim: How does The Odyssey, Book X further enhance our understanding of Odysseus’ plight; through his journey as a hero?

Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

For this cycle’s Do Now, we had to think about a time where someone (either you or someone you know) has felt obligated (See below for definition) to do something. I have shared that since my mom works as a nail artist, she would have to do any customers that come in, even when they are very annoying and indecisive. There have been multiple times where she has complained to me about this one customer that made her redo the colors of the nails multiples, and sometimes one client would take up to almost 4 hours to be done. However, she couldn’t just stop doing the customer because she can’t just go around dropping the work she had already picked up. This is a time where someone I know (my mom) was obligated to do something, and she can’t just drop it.

Vocabulary:

Obligation: A person is morally/legally bound to a duty or commitment.

Basically where one could not refuse to do something

Epithets: An adjective or a descriptive phrase that expresses quality characteristics of the person/thing. It is a common element used in epic poems, similar to a nickname.

Examples:

Odysseus: “The great tactician”, this term lets readers create images of Odysseus being intelligent.
Odysseus: “The man of twists and turns”, this term creates an imagery of Odysseus being able to get out of any mess he got himself into.
Athena: “The clear eyed goddess”, this term helps the reader imagine Athena as an alert and wise goddess, that could farsee things.
Zeus: “Son of cronos”, this term helps the reader know what Zeus’ origins come from. This is more like a title of Zeus.

Group Discussion: This cycles Group discussion was based on what we read for homework the cycle before.

How does Odysseus and his men find themselves faced with a plethora of problems?

→ Odysseus and his men find themselves faced with a plethora of problems as a result of their clumsy and prideful characteristics. His men are too dependent on Odysseus’ leadership and rely on him for important decisions, but Odysseus takes advantage of his power and leads the men into dangerous situations for personal gain. Odysseus’s men are not the most intelligent people.

Evaluate the types of problems that they face. Can you assess if Odysseus’ men are solely to blame for their problems, and does Odysseus appear to be the constant problem-solver? Or can you provide some other explanation for what’s at hand?

→ The types of problems they face are being sent back to the initial starting point where Odysseus had received help from the God of the Wind and being trapped several times in places by their hosts who lack xenia. I can assess that Odysseus’s men are not solely to blame for their problems and that Odysseus is not the constant problem solver. Although Odysseus’ men are to be held at fault for opening a bag of wind from a god so recklessly, Odysseus is not any better as each time he lands on an island, he thinks he will be received with xenia. As for the situation regarding if Odysseus solves their problems, he does not solve them all the time as the Gods aid him multiple times. For instance, Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, intervenes to help Odysseus overcome Circe by giving Odysseus the plant Moly. Another instance is when Circe gives him directions to help him go home when Odysseus asks her how to get home to Ithaca.

How does Circe’s Island compare to the Land of the Lotus Eaters?

→ Compared to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, Circe’s Island is similar in that it tries to entrap the men and force them to stay by putting them in a trance like a spell, except on Circe’s Island, the men stay on their own free will due to the comfortable lifestyle it has been bringing, and on the Land of the Lotus Eaters, they were led to believe that they were happy there, even though they were straying from their goal to reach home. Circe’s land was more extravagant than the lotus-eaters as they lived in paradise and didn’t care much for lavishness.

How does her actions towards the men compare to the actions of the Lotus Eaters?

→ The lotus-eaters were welcoming and gave them lotuses while Circe turned his men into pigs.

Can one treatment be deemed as worse than the other? Why/Why Not?

→ The Land of the Lotus Eaters was inherently better than Circe’s house, because the men were not aware they were being tricked in the Land of the Lotus Eaters. Instead of feeling as though they fell into a trap, they were enjoying themselves in ignorant bliss. This may have been better because they did not understand the extent of danger they were experiencing, and instead felt as though they were happy.

Describe the “deal” Odysseus strikes with Circe, as well as her response/instructions.

How does he feel about her directives?
Why is Odysseus’ heart “sore” and “troubled”? What does this reveal about his character?
Has he been faithful?

→ Odysseus strikes a deal with Circe: he will sleep with her, if she promises not to harm him or his men. Although Odysseus is the one who proposed this deal, he feels troubled by his actions, and his lack of faithfulness to Penelope. This reveals that Odysseus does care about Penelope, but he understands the things that need to be done in order to survive.

Consider the “Do Now” topic of “obligation.”

In which instances does Odysseus demonstrate his actions are motivated through “obligation” and not through some other force or factor?

→ Odysseus has an obligation to return his men safely home to Ithaca, which is displayed throughout his journey. All of his decisions have been in the conscious effort of returning home to his family. However, it does seem that Odysseus forgot this important task while he is staying at Circe’s house. After a year, his men have to remind him that they must be returning to Ithaca, in which Odysseus finally seems to remember his purpose for sailing. This somewhat alters my perspective on Odysseus’s “obligation” because he seems to be wrapped up by the ease of life at Circe’s house, where all he does is bathe, eat good food, and drink sweet wine.

Consider the fact that a role reversal occurs when Odysseus’ men remind him, after a year, that it’s time to return home. Does this change your view of his “obligation”? Why/Why Not?

→ He left his obligation of going home since he was living in luxury and had grown to love Circe. He strayed from his one obligation just because of the invitation of living in luxury. He wanted to return home to his family, but then he easily stayed with Circe for a year because of the comforts and the abundance of food there was.

Hermes has a reputation for “trickery.” Consider that he is the one who informed Circe that Odysseus would be coming, as well as he advised Odysseus as to how to “best” Circe with her magic potions and wand. Do you believe that Hermes has used his “trickery” on one or both of them? Why/Why Not?

Given this information, do you believe that Odysseus had to go through with the “deal” with Circe? Why/Why Not?

→ Due to Hermes’s reputation for “trickery,” I believe that he tricked both Odysseus and Circe. Both Odysseus and Circe had information about one another that was provided by Hermes, which meant that he had consulted with both of them in order to deceive the other. Given this information, I don’t believe that Odysseus had to go through with the deal, because Circe was already frightened by Odysseus, and would probably have done what he asked her to.