Creation Stories

Now that you have researched a creation story of your choosing and have also read the creation story from the Bible, what similarities do you notice between your story and the story from Genesis?  Do your story and the story from Genesis have a lot in common or is Genesis more similar to some of the other creation stories you learned about in class? If so, which ones? Do any of the similarities from any of the stories seem archetypal?

Death in the Great Hall!

So, you've seen all the blood and guts and death that make up "Death in the Great Hall."  Though Odysseus and Telemakhos kill dozens of people, certain people's death are featured more prominently than others and some are more gruesome than others. Select a character who dies in a prominent or particularly gruesome way and explain how and why you think the character's death is featured the way it is. Please be sure to include evidence directly from the text to support your analysis of the character's death.

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

Odysseus and Telemakhos are finally reunited after twenty long years of painful separation. Was their reunion what you expected? Did it surprise you? Which moments moved you most? Please be sure to include lines from the text as examples of moments when you had different reactions and explain why those lines from the text had the effect that they had.

Odysseus' Stories...

During class on Friday, we had the beginning of a debate about the the fact that Odysseus told Euamaios various untrue stories about who he was in order to protect his identity. It's time to sound off about Odysseus and his stories. Is he just being strategic and cautious upon arriving home after so long or is he a no good, dirty, rotten liar? Please cite specific examples from the text to support your opinion.

Choose your own adventure...

Quite a few things happen in Book 13...The Phaikians bring Odysseus home, they get punished for that by Posiedon, Posiedon gets angry with Zeus, Odysseus gets angry with the Phaikians (temporarily), etc.  For this blog entry, select an event or a passage that you think is significant and interesting and then explain why you think so. Feel free to focus on major topics, really small and specific lines or anything in between.

All those folks in the underworld...

In class on Thursday, a number of you expressed confusion about why Odysseus describes so many different groups of people in the underworld. For this entry, select one of those groups and write about what you think the significance of that group's inclusion is.  You are welcome to write about one of the individuals that Odysseus describes if you would prefer.

Odysseus Tells His Tale

In book VIII we finally learn what adventures and misadventures have kep Odysseus from reaching home in the last ten years.  Which of Odysseus' adventures do you find most intriguing, exciting, confusing or bizarre? This is an opportunity to write about our initial reactions so please be sure to explain why you feel as you did about whichever story you choose.

What Can We Learn About Ancient Greek Culture from The Odyssey?

Thus far we have read four chapters of The Odyssey and we have encountered a number of characters. We've learned about the law of hospitality, about augury, the gods, etc. Based on the chapters we have read and the people we have met in The Odyssey, what other values and customs might you conclude were important to ancient Greek culture? Are there certain personality traits that are important? Are there particular practices that the Greeks seem to honor? Let's use this time and space to gain some cultural insight into the society from which this great epic poem came. In your response, please cite the passage or scene that lead you to the cultural conclusions you write about. Also, please be sure to write about a concept or principle that we have not discussed in class.

Your entry should be four to six sentences in length and you are encourage to engage your classmates in your written discussion, so please read and consider the thoughts of others.