Odyssey Book 14, 1-227 & 408-602

C. On lines 173-191 Odysseus makes it clear that he is not revealing who he is to the swineherd. Why is he doing this? I thought that this man was trusted by Odysseus. It even says so multiple times by addressing him as the “loyal swineherd”. Odysseus had even trusted him with his herd of pigs while away at war. Why can’t he tell him who he really is? This guy is clearly in emotional pain for the return of Odysseus. I don’t think it would hurt anyone to tell just him. Also because he is so trusted he would not tell anyone.
E. On line 111 the swineherd starts to talk about Odysseus’s wealth. He apparently has many pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle all in his name. He also has multiple herdsmen watching these animals. I never knew Odysseus was that rich. I thought that he was just some normal guy who was sucked into the war. Now I learn that he is king of Ithaca. Then I hear he is extremely rich. This is not the Odysseus that I had originally painted in my head at the start of the book.
D. Lines 147-161 are quite interesting. Here the swineherd talks about how he thinks that Odysseus is dead. He says that Penelope greets every visitor and asks him for word on Odysseus. They provide no information and he cries. The swineherd even says that he thinks Odysseus is long dead. He says that his body is probably eaten by the dogs or fish.

C. I dont understand why odysseus cannot tell the "swineherd" who he actually is because Odysseus apparently says that he could trust him but yet he isnt being completely truthful. Also im still kind of shady as to who this guy is but he clearly meants something to odysseus. Odysseus is one confusing character. Plus i feel like if odysseus is a king then he shouldnt feel the need to hide who he is cause he is already famous in Ithaca and its not like he has anything to lose

I think that it is intersting on lines 147-161 where the swineherd thinks that odysseus is dead. where he says that he thinks odysseus has been dead for a really long time and is fed to the dogs or fish. I think its kind of ironic that he cries and penelope hasnt alothough she has been living without him for about a good twenty years.

I. I agree with ian when he said that he didnt know odysseus was that rich i mean i knew he was nobility but i didnt know that he was rich plus i dont know why he would have to go to war if he was that rich. isnt that like a peasant thing?

D: I am pretty sure that when Eumaeus let Odysseus get food, not knowing it was Odysseus because Athena had disguised him as an old, poor beggar, it is Situational Irony. I think this because Odysseus is sitting there eating away while Eumaeus talk about the cities once great master and how he misses him, and how everyone thinks he is gone or dead. He is saying all this, not knowing that the King of Ithaca is sitting in his hut and eating his food. I found that really qwerky and funny while I was reading this because it is kind of like how on Television, the actors in a show will be talking about someone and then that character they were just talking about comes into the conversation and they talk about him like he is not who he is and then they later realize the truth. Also, to even throw some dramatic and situation irony even more into the mix, Odysseus says that his master is sure to return soon.

C: Does Athens manipulate Eumaeus to help Odysseus or is that just the Greek common courtesy to help wandering strangers? Because I know that Athena helped to disguise Odysseus but if anyone remembers Odysseus when he meets Nausicaa. Athena not only helps Odysseus be safe, but she also goes out of her way to manipulate Nausicaa’s friend and Nausicaa herself.

F: This chapter takes place in Ithaca, inside of Eumaeus hut. Eumaeus is kind enough to allow Odysseus to spend the knight and even feeds and clothes him.

D.
There were many quotes that I enjoyed in this book. One quote was: “ Here I sit, my heart aching, broken for him, my master, my great king-fattening up his own hogs for other men to eat, while he, starving for food, I wager, wanders the earth, a beggar adrift in strangers’ cities, foreign-speaking lands, if he’s still alive, that is, still the rising sun. Come, follow me into my place, old man, so you, at least, can eat your fill of bread and wine. The you can tell me where you’re from and all the pains you’ve weathered.” The other quote that I thought was interesting was this: “Aye, leaving a broken heart for loved ones left behind, for me most of all. Never another master kind as he! I’ll never find one-no matter where I go, not even if I went back to mother and father, the house where I was born and my parents reared me once.” Both of these quotes were very interesting to me because it shows how much people loved Odysseus. The man that takes care of the pigs says that Odysseus is the best master and nobody can replace that. The best thing of this is that he doesn’t know that he is telling Odysseus this. It is also nice because ODysseus sees how important and how much people love him in his homeland (At least the people that were said in the book).

C.
Reading this book was confusing because of so many commas. I don’t know if Homer was trying to show how the poor people speak or that is just his writing. I don’t remember Homer doing this in the past.
I.
I agree with richterri16 also. I never imagined Odysseus to be this wealthy man or king.

C. One thing I didn’t understand about this section of the reading was why Eumaeus showed Odysseus so much care. It was oddly really generous for him to take him in especially since he didn’t recognize him. I feel that Eamaeus made a connection with his master and Oddyseus and how they both carried eachother. This was a great display of kindness and generosity from Eumaeus.
D. I noticed situational irony when Eameus let Oddyseus get food and Athena made him appear as a poor begger. He is saying all this, not aware of the fact that the King of Ithaca is sitting in his hut and eating his food. Also, to even throw some dramatic and situation irony even more into the mix, Odysseus says that his master is sure to return soon.
E. On line 111 the swineherd starts to talk about Odysseus’s wealth and how his money was made. He apparently has many pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle all in his name. He also has multiple herdsmen watching these animals. I never knew Odysseus was that rich. I thought that he was just some normal guy who was sucked into the war barely making ends meets. Now I learn that he is king of Ithaca and one of the wealthiest of them all. This is not the Odysseus that I had originally painted in my head at the start of the book.

C. This was an interesting book. Eumaeus allowed the hidden faced Oddyseus into his house as if it was really an old man. Could Eumaeus really not tell that the old man was really Odysseus? After that, Eumaeus gave a the old man food, water, and a place to sleep. He started to talk about his lost king Odysseus. Does Odysseus not want his loyal servant to know that he has returned? Why does he want to hide his face so much?
I was a little confused about the behavior Eumaeus was protraying. It felt as if Eumaues didnt want the man in his house but just let him in for a reason that has no yet been told. What is that reason? If there is no reason, why does he act this way?

D. I really liked the part when Odysseus asks Eumaeus about the king Odyesseus, himself. It shows me and everything how arrognat he is and how much he wants to hear about himself. It shows Odyesseus's true character and personality.

I. I agree with Matt Baker on the amount of wealth that Odysseus had. No where throughout the book till now does it say that Odysseus was wealthy. But it caught the audience as a surprise.

B. Although seeming slightly useless, I think this passage has a bigger meaning then it may seem. Odysseus has been on his journey for years and he has visited many different places. Unfortunately for Odysseus, all of those places he has visited, minus the Phaecians, have shown him pretty bad hospitality. But when he gets home and visits his “loyal swineherd” in disguise, he shows Odysseus great hospitality, even though he looks like a beggar. “It’s wrong, my friend to send a stranger packing- even one who arrives in worse shape than you are. Every stranger and beggar comes from Zeus and whatever scrap they get from the likes of us. They’ll find it welcome.” (Lines 63-68) quotes Eumaeus. Now one could argue that the Phaecians showed Odysseus great hospitality, and that is true, but what if Odysseus was disguised as a beggar? Would they have done the same? Somehow, I doubt it. Eumaeus is the perfect example Greek hospitality that Odysseus had been looking for.
I. I agree with what Peter was stating in his response to letter C. I too do not understand why Odysseus cannot reveal his true identity. To be honest, I don't think Odysseus needed to hide. He has had his problems and has gone through hardships so I don't believe that revealing his identity would be a big issue for him. The only thing I would consider being a logical reason as to why he keeps his identity hidden is that Odysseus had done something wrong and Eumaeus had "business" to take care of.
F. Eumaeus and Odysseus have a really strong relationship. Eumaeus treats Odysseus very well even though he is a guest and treats him just as well as anybody else and really cares for him even though he has no real obligation to do so. Odysseus really appreciates all the treatment he has been given as well which really makes the relationship strong.