Tuesday, October 14, 2014
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.
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My favorite event from Book 13 is when Poseidon freezes the ship and the conversation that led up to it. The only reason I liked the conversation is because it was the first time we had seen Zeus and Poseidon talk to one and other in the book. I liked this event more than the rest because of the punishment Poseidon and Zeus gave the Phaiakians. I liked the punishment of turning the ship to stone because it was different than most of the other punishments from Zeus we have seen. Zeus tends to do something drastic or traumatic but it doesn't last forever. Poseidon does the opposite. This time they agreed on the punishment and I think it is a pretty brilliant one. The reason I like it is because it is drastic and it will stick with the Phaiakians forever. They are getting they major resource (the ocean) taken and they will have a constant reminder of their mistakes. This will also affect them if they have guests because they will become afraid of helping them and be for hostile, violating the rule of hospitality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Libby because the punishment for the Phaiakians was harsh, like a father hurting then abandoning his children because they made a mistake. Technically, they were just abiding by the law of hospitality and Athena influenced the people's decision by making them like Odysseus so that they would help him. The event I found interesting in Book XIII was when Odysseus woke up alone on an unknown island and became angry at the Phaiakians temporarily. He never considered that they had done their service without waking him and he was back on Ithaka as promised. He jumps to the conclusion that he's facing another trial saying, "What am I in for now? Whose country have I come to this time? Rough savages and outlaws, are they...? My lords and captains of Phaiakia were not those decent men they seemed, not honorable, landing me in this unknown country-no, by god, they swore to take me home to Ithaka and did not!" I find this interesting because it shows how wary he is of his location, how angry he is for having so many troubles, and how paranoid he is that at every turn someone wants to kill him. Then, realizing that the Phaiakians had not betrayed him and that he was back on Ithaka, we can finally see him rejoice.
ReplyDeleteI think that the most significant part of Book 13 is when Athena reveals herself to Odysseus. She fills him in on all of the events that took place in his absence, she reveals the role that she has played in Odysseus life leading to his return, and she and Odysseus decide to hatch a plan to get rid of the suitors once and for all. The fact that Athena, a god, has gotten so involved with Odysseus and his travels means that the situation must be pretty big. I think that since Athena is working with Odysseus to come up with a plan, then the next few books, and Odysseus' future encounter with the suitors, will be pretty important and a big part of the story. On another note, I think it is pretty cool that Odysseus receives praise from Athena, despite all of the times he screwed up while out at sea.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeremy. I think it is very significant that Odysseus meets Athena in real life. All through the books (chapters) we have seen her favour him, provide help and support, disguise herself to provide information and guidance, and she has also done the same for his son. When she reveals herself as a goddess, it is interesting to see his reaction. He doesn't believe her, and she compliments him on all the qualities she prides. It is nice that she agrees to counsel and help him until he has killed all the suitors back at his palace.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the near-ending part was my favorite. It was interesting because of Poseidon's deep and potent hatred towards Odysseus and how it almost stopped Odysseus from returning to his home in Ithaca. I also was amused by how easily the crew of Phaeacians abandoned the ship after realizing that the fate of Odysseus was unfolding. I also thought that Zeus' punishment was unique compared to his more blatant and violent ones. However, I was disappointed in how Zeus willingly listened to Poseidon and punished Odysseus. I actually wasn't expecting Zeus to punish Odysseus at all. Though all was well because Odysseus was finally at home after over a decade of war, monsters, obstacles, and longing for his home. It was pleasing because after all he has been through he can see his son and his son will finally see his father.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeremy that the most significant part was Odysseus returning to Ithaca in the end of book 13. It is shocking that he doesn't recognize his own land, and is suspicious that it might be a dangerous country with 'rough savages and outlaws' (page 236). This shows how long he has been away, and how easily he expects the worst after all he has been through. The ending of book 13 was also important because Odysseus encounters Athena in person for the first time in quite a while. She praises him and him that they are 'two of a kind' (page 239), which is very meaningful because she is a goddess. Odysseus also is informed of everything that has happened in Ithaca while he was gone, while is quite useful now that he has returned.
ReplyDeleteIn book XIII, I have to agree with Adedamola and Libby that Poseidon punishing the Phaiakians was the segment that stuck out to me the most. By punishing the Phaiakians, not only does Poseidon gain a reputation as a relentless brute, but we also see his in superiority on display. When Poseidon asks Zeus for permission to punish the Phaiakians it shows that he is not in fact the most powerful god of all, as Telemakos believed. As the book progress, Odysseus wakes up on an island, not knowing what lead him to get there. As the audience might have expected, a goddess is there to help him, and that goddess is Athena. This chapter continues the "TV Show" idea of the gods having little to do but interfere with Odysseus and his many travels. Furthermore, we see Athena and Poseidon take sides once again with Poseidon doing everything he can to avenge his son, and Athena doing her best to help him out in times of need....
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeremy, for I believe the most important part of Book 13 was when Athena told Odysseus that he finally made it back to Ithaca. The previous books had been leading up to the moment when Odysseus was finally granted the wish of returning home safely. Odysseus was not aware of where his family was or how they had been reacting to his disappearance for twenty years, but with the Help of Athena, he knows the important facts, and how to reenter his long, lost home. Finally, this plan that Odysseus and Athena discussed in Book 13 is a sign of foreshadowing and will most likely come to life in the books to continue.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeremy. I thought the most intriguing part of book XIII was when Athena reveals her identity to Odysseus. They discuss the role Athena has played in the outcomes of Odysseus’s adventures. She has guided, and protected him and his crew to many places, and without her, Odysseus would have had a hard time achieving what he did. This made me realize how much Athena has actually done for Odysseus in the past fifteen years in order to help him, but she has also messed up often. This is also an interesting part of the chapter because a goddess who never usually reviles herself, reviles her identity. But know that Odysseus know that Athena the goddess is there to help him, they come up with a plane to get rid of all the suitors. Which will solve many problems in the castle.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter overall is very significant. Odysseus finally returns home! It actually happened. Everything has lead up to this event, and it eventually becomes to clear to Odysseus that Athena has been helping him in disguise. This time, Poseidon doesn't directly hurt Odysseus' chances of getting home because he's already there and all he does is sink the Phaeakians' ship. Athena, as herself this time, assures Odysseus that he is in Ithaka and helps him figure out what to do now that he is there. These are just a few things that set book 13 apart from all the others
ReplyDeleteI thought that this chapter had lots of different important aspects to it. My favorite part is when Odysseus sets sail for Ithaca with Phakians. Instead of helping the crew and leading the ship, Odysseus sleeps till he wakes up on Ithaca. When on Ithaca, Odysseus assumes the worst of the people that brought him home and claimed that they left him on a deserted island. This contradicts the whole idea of Odysseus being a hero because he just let others do the work for him....
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