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Post by Mr. Thomas on Sept 20, 2013 17:08:58 GMT -5
Post responses here.
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Post by hankmichels on Sept 21, 2013 13:32:57 GMT -5
C. Why the heck does Odysseus sit down in the burning ashes? It just seems really dumb. “Pleading so, the man sank down in the ashes, just at the hearth beside the blazing fire, while all the rest stayed hushed, stock still” (lines 81-83). Of course they were stock still they probably thought the guy was crazy. I understand that he was pleading before he sat down. So was that to emphasize how desperate he was for the kings help? If I were the king, I would probably lock him up because he was crazy. Im not sure if Odysseus tried that so they would feel sorry for him or if it was some ancient ritual of peace.
D. “Hearing that, Alcinous, poised in all his majesty, took the hand of the seasoned, worldly wise Odysseus, raised him up from the hearth and sat him down in a burnished chair displacing his own son”. (lines 198-203) This is what happens after Odysseus stupid idea to sit in the ashes, and it shows how great of a king Alcinous is. In this one line, Alcinous is described as a great, important king. And then he goes out of his way to help odysseus up. Then the really impressive part is he sets odysseus down in his own sons chair, displacing him. it does a great job of explaining how well guests were treated at phaecia.
E. King Alcinous seems like a really good person. I cant wait to see what he gives odysseus. He has already shown him great hospitality, by giving him a feast. “A housekeeper brought bread to serve him, and appatizers too.” (Line 208)
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Post by bakerm16 on Sept 21, 2013 18:08:55 GMT -5
B. Book 7 is a very important part of the entire story line of the Odyssey. To summarize this part of the story, Odysseus escapes the Phaeacian Island and is greeted by a disguised Athena. Athena gives. Odysseus a mist that makes him unrecognizable to everyone but Athena. She gives him this so that he and her can sneak into the king's house unrecognized. When Odysseus gets there there is a feast for Poseidon in action. Odysseus finds the queen and publicly announces his identity. Everyone believes him. By now Odysseus' mist has worn off Arete recognizes Odysseus wearing Nausicaa's clothing. Arete explains that her daughter is Nausicaa so Odysseus explains his trek to get to the king's house.
C. One big question that I have, that other people might have as well is as to why Athena is helping out Odysseus so much. Honestly, what has he done for her? I find it very interesting and a tad bit suspicious that she is doing all this for him. She helped him escape from Calypso first. Then she helped him get a way off the Phaeacian Island; now she helping mask him so he can be guided to the kings house without recognition. I have a feeling somehow her intentions are not good. So far they seem like good intentions, but you never really know with the Gods you cant tell what they're intentions are.
G. If i were Odysseus in this Book i would feel pretty good about myself. For one I'm away from Calypso. Secondly, I've got Athena to back me up and help me on my journey. The third thing is that I finally got to the king's house along with meeting a pretty girl on the way. Even though this has been a rough journey for Odysseus he has prevailed and remained brave throughout. Even though he wanted to give up a few times he didn't which shows a lot about the personality and character that Odysseus is.
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Post by alis16 on Sept 21, 2013 19:30:31 GMT -5
Stephen Ali
Mr. Thomas
September 20, 2013
English 10
B. Book 7 is I think is a major part of the story that will affect events that will occur later in the story. Athena is disguised and end out helping Odysseys can to where he needs to go. Athena offers to help him get to the kings house. Athena does a lot for someone he does not really know all that well. Athena leaves to the city of Athens once she helps Odysseus get where he needs to.
Odysseus gets to the palace which is holding a feast in the name of Poseidon. Once he sees the queen and king who are hosting the party he goes to their feet and begs them to send him on the next ship leaving. They agree to this and promise him a ride on the ship. This is very important, because I think Athena meat for this to happen and I don’t think that it is a coincidence that all of this occurred so smoothly. I think this is another example in how the gods interfere with the mortal’s life, but in this case it was good.
C. I do not understand why Athena is so willing to help out Odysseus on his quest to get back home.
F. I think that the King and the Queen are very kind caring people. They give Odysseus give a ship ride home and they also feed him. I think this is a great relationship Odysseus has made and might end up helping him later in the story.
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Post by wagnerj16 on Sept 22, 2013 10:54:04 GMT -5
C. I agree with hankmichels. Why the hell would Oddyseus sit down in burning ashes? I cant tell if he did it on purpous or not. And you would expect it to burn him because he is right near the fire. “Pleading so, the man sank down in the ashes, just at the hearth beside the blazing fire, while all the rest stayed hushed, stock still” (lines 81-83). If I were these people I would have been freaked out, and would have most likely left the dinner. Also it ironic how he enters their home as they have a feist for Posiedon who hates Odysseus. E. I know that I have talked about this in other posts already but I am still confused about Athena. Why wont she show herself to Oddyseus? She posed as a little girl to show him the way but does he even know that Athena has helped him this whole time? Also she is very protective of him covering him in the mist to make sure no one saw him and questioned him. B. Without this chapter we would never know how Oddyseus got a ride home. We also would not know who helped him out besides the Gods. We now also know that the princess may even want to marry Oddyseus! The king also offers marriage to the princess for Oddyseus. And lastly we find out that the King is very welcoming and helpfull, and is willing to help Oddysseus. |
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Isaiah "ZaySoFly" Colon
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Post by Isaiah "ZaySoFly" Colon on Sept 22, 2013 13:51:32 GMT -5
Isaiah Colon
D: I really enjoyed this reading because it made me laugh. As we see in this chapter, Athena is in disguise once again protecting Odysseus. I could not stop laughing when I read this. I feel like I can tell the story before it happens. Is it me or does Nausicaa get kind of mad and jealous when Odysseus is leaving. She evidently wants his hand in marriage and throws a fit about it and starts rambling on with questions.
G: if I were Odysseus I wouldn’t get married to Nausicaa so fast. I think he may have forgotten of Penelope back home and he’s lonely. But I still made a commitment and I have to stick with it. Also, I still think it’s awkward the way he and Nausicaa met. But I guess it was love at full sight.
C: I have a question, why does he say that he is a mortal to the king. I think if he would have said he was a demi-god, he would have gotten the same and even better treatment. Also, When Athena covers him with the gas to protect the xenophobic people from harassing him, what do they mean by harassing. Like will they ask him a bunch of questions? Will they straight up try to fight him?
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Post by richteri16 on Sept 22, 2013 14:49:59 GMT -5
H. (Lines 94-154) As Odysseus approaches the palace he is awestruck by its beauty and size. The walls of the palace were adorned with gold and other precious metals and stones. The whole building reflected the sun and seemed as if it was glowing. The huge walls and roof reinforced its sense of power and wealth. Gold and silver dogs guarded the giant, gold doors. Inside the halls and chambers were illuminated with shimmering torch light. Gold men seated on pedestals held the torches. There were servants rushing around serving guests at a lavish feast. Beyond the palace was an extensive orchard and vineyard. Plump and ripe pomegranates, apples, pears, figs, and olives were all waiting to be picked and eaten. The trees seemed so fruitful that they could supple a harvest all year round. Near by was the vineyard with delicious grapes being grown. Some were being made into wine. Also close by was a small river that ran through the orchard. Villagers came to it and collected water from it. C. I was a bit confused after Odysseus gave his pity speech on lines 241-261. Why did the whole group of people that were feasting with the king decide to applaud this little speech he gives here. It just seems really weird. It’s like seeing a hobo on the street with his sign about how ninjas stole his family or something and giving him a round of applause for it. I. I agree with hankmichels on his response to question C. Why was he lying in the ashes of the fire. Was he trying to make a point or was he being overdramatic? Or is it even a custom of Ancient Greece to roll around in ashes when you are sad (I doubt this it true though…). |
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Post by petergiglio on Sept 22, 2013 16:03:21 GMT -5
C. a couple things confused me about this book. First off in the first half of the book i constantly kept getting lost because i feel that Homer was putting way to many details or using too many adjectives. at some parts i didn't know what he was talking about and had to read it over a couple of times like when Odysseus is stops and is describing King Alcinous' palace. Another thing is why does he sit in the burning ashes? Was he trying to symbolize something or prove a point that he is strong and fearless?
G. I said this in my last post and i still stand by it that i think Odysseus should marry nausicaa because she is a kings daughter, not only that the king and Odysseus seem to get along very well and people are very fond of Odysseus at the palace. Plus, Odysseus doesn't even know if his wife has moved on or not or even died. The last time he saw her was like 19 years ago and she might even think hes dead and just married someone else.
I. i agree with hankmichels response to question C which is why he lying in the ashes of the fire and what reason he was doing it for. That part of the story just seemed to be pointless to me or the point was just hidden and you have to look into it to find out what it really means cause it is far from obvious.
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Post by johnaviles on Sept 22, 2013 18:50:22 GMT -5
C. I was confused when the man of craft is telling the queen about the troubles of his life. Then he says, “the seductive nymph with lovely braids-a danger too…” It seems like that is a contradiction and he is trying to be misleading here which is why I am confused. D. I enjoyed the part where Odysseus pleads the Queen for mercy and to allow him to go home to his native land. He explains how he is suffering being away from his loved ones. He proves how much he is suffering by sitting in the ashes beside the fire. I enjoyed this part because I felt it was really intense and many people are in shock and it has a lot of shock affect. “Queen Arete, daughter of godlike King Rhexenor! Here after many trials I come to beg for mercy, your huband’s, yours…” “How far away I’ve been from all my loved ones-how long I have suffered!” “Pleading so, the man sank down in the ashes, just at the hearth beside the blazing fire, while all the rest stayed hushed, stock-still.” I. bakerm16 This is a really good summary of the book. It was informative and made things a little more clear for me. There was a lot that went on in this book so it was a well put together sum up. Good job. |
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Post by idelfonsoe16 on Sept 22, 2013 19:07:44 GMT -5
A. When Odysseus pleas to Zeus to help him get back to his native land, it reminds me of Pope Francis pleading to us to stop the hatred in the world. The emotion that Odysseus is revealing to Zeus is just as much as Pope Francis has when trying to convince us to not bomb Syria. This has a difference as well because Odysseus is praying to Zeus, but Pope Francis is preaching out to his people to stop violence.
B. There’s a specific part where Athena transforms into a little girl and talks to Odysseus about the princess, and I believe that the text would be completely vague without this little snip of information. Without it, the reader would not understand Athena’s intentions in aiding Odysseus, and we would be very confused as to why a little girl is helping out a married middle aged man get to the whereabouts of the princess and her father’s palace. Also, we get to learn about Athena’s kindness with the detailed schemes she thinks up.
C. Athena, why do you have so much interest in Odysseus? I know in the last book you did the same thing for the princess, but now this is getting deeper into play. Are you in love with Odysseus or something? Why do you keep following him around in his endeavors? Why can’t you do things like Poseidon and ruin Odysseus’ life? Do you have interest in Odysseus’ determination? Do you want a mortal like him as your husband?
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Post by kkhurana70 on Sept 22, 2013 19:19:53 GMT -5
I- richteri16 I agree with you about the reaction Odysseus received after his pity speech on lines 241-261, I also thought it was really weird for the king and the dinners to clap for him. It also reminded me of seeing homeless people on the train telling stories of how they were magically placed on the streets or how they lost their family in some made up story and then clapping after their done giving their pitch for some spare change. This made me wonder if the king was trying to make fun of him by clapping and just didn’t take him seriously or was he actually moved by the story and couldn’t resist clapping. C-Some questions that I had from Book 7 were: Why did Odysseus sit on ashes? Was he doing it for attention or out of respect? Why did the King and the dinners clap for him? Why is Athena helping him so much, Odysseus has done nothing to deserve this treatment? This leads me to believe there is some catch with Athena helping him so much. I also wondered why Athena covered him in gas to protect him from people harassing him, what would they have done? F- The relationship that is still interesting to me is the one between Odysseus and Athena; I am truly puzzled as to why Athena is helping Odysseus so much. Is there some relationship between them that we are unaware of? I also am fascinated by that fact that Athena helps him so much when Odysseus has not done anything for her. I think that this is helping Odysseus greatly however there is something that is not right about the help he is receiving. |
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Post by vazquezm16 on Sept 22, 2013 20:12:19 GMT -5
D. I liked the quote where Odysseus tries to downplay who he is to King Alcinous. “Alcinous! Cross that thought from your mind, either in build or breeding. I’m just a mortal man. Whom do you know who are saddled down this sorrow? They are the ones I’d equal, grief for grief. And I could tell a tale of still more hardship, all I’ve suffered, thanks to the gods’ will.” I like this quote because Odysseus tries to downplay himself as much as possible. He is trying to be Odysseus the normal person just trying to get home instead of Odysseus the great war hero who rivals the gods. This once again shows his determination to get home.
E. Athena seems to have taken a heavy interest into Odysseus. She had helped him previously but she is an integral part of this chapter. From covering Odysseus in concealing mist to guiding him all the way to King Alcinous’ castle. Athena seems to want to take great care of Odysseus for whatever reason. We have not yet received a real concrete reason to why Athena has taken such an interest in Odysseus’ life. I think when we hear the beginning of Odysseus’ story we will learn of some reason why Athena takes such an interest in him.
C. I was confused at why Athena disguised Odysseus so that he could make his way to King Alcinous. She then also disguises herself as a child to lead Odysseus to Alcinous. I found this unnecessary considering that the girls who had found Odysseus had told him he could ask anyone for help. Athena being a god should have known this and not needed to guide Odysseus at all..
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Post by stephanoscocoves on Sept 22, 2013 21:29:50 GMT -5
I. I agree with @hankmichaels. It just is so stupid. “Pleading so, the man sank down in the ashes, just at the hearth beside the blazing fire, while all the rest stayed hushed, stock still” lines (81-83). I understand that he was begging be for he sat into the fire but still. The people must of thought he was insane or possessed. I don’t understand why the king didn't put him in the chambers. H instead treated him like a king himself and even gave him his wife.
C. One question I have is why is athena helping out Odysseus so much. She is being such a motherly figure and leading the way for him. She has gotten him off the island, fought against Poseidon, kept him protected in the ocean and with the mist. Is there anything else she is going to do to help. She also goes into the kings daughter’s dream. She really does a lot. She is almost is taking over the story and using Odysseus in some kind of plan of hers.
B. Without this chapter none of the rest of the parts would really make sense. Here in this chapter we get the whole picture starting from when he gets stuck on the island till he gets to the palace and soon the ride home that the kings gives him. It full has come together. Now lets just see where Athena leads him next.
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Post by michaelgenco on Sept 22, 2013 23:09:59 GMT -5
C.
When Athena turns into the little girl and talks to Odysseus a lot of questions came up. She said, “The men here never suffer strangers gladly, have no love for hosting a man from foreign lands. All they really trust are their fast, flying ships that cross the mighty ocean. Gifts of Poseidon, ah what ships they are- quick as a bird, quick as a darting thought!” This made me think because it seems that Athena talks of disgust when she says all they really care about are their fast, flying ships. Its as if she is jealous of Poseidon because these people love him for the gifts that he gave then. The question of why does Athena care so much keeps coming up while reading this chapter. For example, when Athena is walking Odysseus to the palace she tells him about the Queen and how he must be on her good side in order to get a boat and leave. Why would she be jealous of Poseidon when she can do the same thing for herself? She is a goddess, she can basically do whatever she wants to do.
Why did Apollo kill Rhexenor? It seems like he just wanted to shot something so he shot Rhexenor.
F.
The relationship between Athena and Odysseus is shown through Book 7. For example, Athena transforms into a little girl just to show Odysseus to the palace and to also shield him from any sailors or other people that would harm him.
I.
(Response to Matthew Baker PART B) I agree with your part B response. I think that Book 7 is really important to the story of Odysseus
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Post by jotirmoykundu on Sept 23, 2013 6:47:54 GMT -5
I: In Book 7 a lot of things did not make sense to me. I agree with hankmichels. What would have given the idea to Odysseus to sit down in the burning ashes? It is overall unsafe and pretty dumb. “Pleading so, the man sank down in the ashes, just at the hearth beside the blazing fire, while all the rest stayed hushed, stock still” (lines 81-83). I also get that he was pleading before he sat down. Does that have anything to do with how desperate he was for the king’s help? B. Book 7 Is relevant to the rest of the story making it so far one of the most important pieces we’ve read so far. As we already know, Athena helps Odysseus get to where he needs to go such as offer to help him get to the kings house, how to present himself before he went in, etc. Although she does not know him very well, he still tends to receive a lot of help from her. Odysseus gets to the palace which is holding a feast in the name of Poseidon. Once he sees the queen, he mercifully goes to their feet and begs them to send him on the next ship. They graciously agree and promise him a ride on the ship. F- The relationship surprises me and still continues to shock me is the one between Odysseus and Athena. I don’t get what Odysseus did to get so much help from Athena. Do they have something low key? Her helping him so much shows how selfless she is. |
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