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20090908-930 The Odyssey, Books 20-24 (Group 4)

Page history last edited by Aaron Tourtellot 14 years, 6 months ago

Summary

 

The recurring act of "metis" throughout our readings served as the foundation for our class discussion. The class worked in tandem to outline various examples of metis found in the last books of the Odyssey. A strong comparison was eventually drawn between the way in which Athena and Odysseus' relationship mirrors that of Odysseus and Penelope; both relationships are built upon mutual respect and good will, yet involve the craft of metis as a way of gauging loyalty between both parties. Discussion regarding the need for a 24th book then ensued; while some scholars and fellow students argue that Book 23 served as a perfect ending to an epic poem in that the general theme of uncertainty and somewhat melancholy overtones of the text remained intact as Odysseus and Telemachus walk the streets of Ithaca, a contingent of equally-reasoned individuals exists maintaining that Book 24 provides a much more appealing ending, capable of both leaving the reader in good spirits and tying up any loose ends. All discussion heretofore ultimately culminated in a short examination of Lord Alfred Tennyson's dramatic monologue "Ulysses," eventually leading into a debate regarding whether or not we could surmise if Odysseus was a hero or a jerk based on Tennyson's vision of the latter years in Odysseus' life. After establishing the setting of and ultimate purpose for Ulysses, the class was instructed to fragment into two sections; those sitting on the left hand side favoring the position that Odysseus was a jerk, while those on the left believing Odysseus to be a hero. The validity of arguments for each side was high, with well-reasoned thought and specific lines of the poem being utilized to support each position, but the ultimate consensus reached was that Odysseus is too complex to be characterized in such general terms.

 

Terms and Definitions

 

Ulysses - A dramatic monologue written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1833. The poem details Odysseus' (titular character of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," Greek variation of the Latin word "Ulysses") relative dissatisfaction with the current state of his life, wherein Odysseus has been resigned to remaining in Ithaca with Penelope (his wife) and Telemachus  (his son), all the while dreaming about the myriad adventures still yet to be experienced.

 

Dramatic Monologue - A type of poetic technique featuring one speaker narrating a diatribe to an implied (though often unspecified) audience. Dramatic monologues allow the reader to learn more about a particular character, though the extent to which "background knowledge" is gained often is amplified through dramatic irony.

 

Setting - An encompassment of both the physical location(s) detailed in a written work and the specific time/era in which said work takes place. For example, Lord Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses" is set in Ithaca at the end of Odysseus' life.

 

Metis - An Ancient Greek word translated literally as craft; it describes the ingenuity and cunning associated with using trickery and intellectual deceit to gain advantage in a given situation.

 

Enjambment - The utilization of a new line within a written work to signify the separation of two clauses, phrases, sentences or thoughts. The lines progress with the writers' thoughts, but the reader's eye is forced to move to the next sentence. Enjambment can also be used by writers to delay a thought in order to surprise the audience. Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses" contains many instances of enjambment throughout the poem. An example of enjambment from Shakespeare's The Winter Tale: I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are; the want of which vain dew

 

Examples of Metis- Books 20-24

 

1) Pg.546-Lines 198-213- 'Come, Eurycleia, move the sturdy beadstead out of our bridal chamber- that room the master build with his own hands. Take it out now, sturdy bed that it is, and spread it deep with fleece, blankets and lustrous throws to keep him warm." Putting her husband to the proof-but Odysseus blazed up in fury, lashing out at his loyal wife: 'Women- your words, they cut me to the core! Who could move my bed? Impossible task, even for some skilled craftsman-unless a god came down in person, quick to lend a hand, lifted it out with ease and moved it elsewhere. Not a man on earth, not even at peak strength, would find it easy to prise it up and shift it, no, a great sign, a hallmark lies in its construction. I know, I built it myself-no one else..."'

 

This series of lines shows the cunning and craft that Penolope exemplifies when trying to prove Odysseus' identity; it also helps show Odysseus' skill and craft in the area of bed making. Penelope used Odysseus' own qulality so she can show him that she was loyal to him since nobody knows about the secret of the bed.

 

2) Pg. 522-Lines 78-92- "Listen to me, my overbearing friends! You who plague this palace night and day, drinking, eating us out of house and home with the lord and master absent, gone so long- the only excuse that you can offer is your zest to win me as your bride. So, to arms, my gallants! Here is the prize at issue, right before you, look- I set before you the great bow of King Odysseus now! The hand that can string this bow with the greatest ease, that shoots an arrow clean through all twelve axes- he is the man I follow, yes, forsaking this house so filled with the best that life can offer- I shall always remember it, that I know... even in my dreams."-

 

This series of lines allows the reader to see Penelope's intelligence by allowing insight into her ulterior motives. Penelope uses the archery competition to allow Odysseus more time to come home and reclaim his kingdom, as well as to postpone her own betrothal to any of the suitors. 

 

3) Pg. 531 - lines 1-7 - "Now stripping back his rags Odysseus master of craft and battle vaulted onto the great threshold, gripping his bow and quiver bristling arrows, and poured his flashing shafts before him, loose at his feet, and thundered out to all the suitors: 'Look-your crucial test is finished, now, at last! But another target's left that no one's hit before- we'll see if I can hit it-Apollo give me glory!'"

 

Ahh the great reveal, while it may seem odd to stretch metis so far, not three words later the poem describes Odysseus as a "master of craft and battle." The use of the line "another target's left that no one's hit before" is used almost as if to say without anouncing it that they are all about to be killed. 

Take notice that there is no chaos yet, everything is business as usual. As soon as the first arrow is loosed, the chaos and slaughter Odysseus had planned takes place. This slaugter of the suitors goes directly against the concept of metis. Instead of treating his guest's, the suitors, with respect and hospitality, Odysseus kills them all. The suitors also go directly against proper metis by not treating the host and host's kingdom with respect and honor. 

 

Class Discussion

 

"Is the character of Odysseus depicted in Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem 'Ulysses' better characterized as a 'hero' or a 'jerk?'"

 

Reasons Odysseus can be considered a hero: Unwillingness to rest after travels, overarching desire to seek further adventures, honest, many experiences, strong will.

 

Reasons Odysseus can be considered a jerk: Boastful, willingness to leave family to pursue personal passions, unequal law, ease with which he "dealt" with the sacrifice/death of his shipmates, derision of both Penelope and Telemachus.

 

Though not necessarily the debate's intended purpose, a point raised regarding the validity of defining Odysseus in such general terms served as the most poignant message of our class period. Heroism and callous arrogance are not mutually exclusive, essentially allowing Odysseus to simultaneously possess both heroic and jerkish qualities. Additionally, the terms "hero" and "jerk" are not polar opposites in the way that heaven and hell can be considered completely different ends of a spectrum, so defining Odysseus as one or the other would be slightly misleading. 

Comments (4)

Brian Croxall said

at 2:00 pm on Sep 12, 2009

I have to say that I'm a bit underwhelmed by the notes for today's class. The summary is only 129 words (please include a word count in the future), which is not even half of what you're allowed to say. You cover very generally the gist of what we did in class, but the notes will be much more useful to you for exams (and much more what is intended) if you go more in-depth in the summary. The point is not to give an outline of the day's topics but to choose portions of the day that seemed most important and write about why they were important. For example, you are missing any discussion of the violence of the ending of the poem and the problems that lead to the need for the 24th book.

You've chosen two good terms, but the definition for enjambment is very unclear. Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I thought I was being, but you should look at a dictionary to get a sense of how to better convey what this term means. (You'll notice that I didn't say to copy and past from a dictionary.)

You've chosen two fine passages, but they should be transcribed in full here. What's more the explanation of them should be a bit more complete than it currently is. But the passages you've chosen only reflect one aspect of the day's work: metis. There is--again--nothing said about the violence of Odysseus's attack on the suitors nor is there anything here about the poem. (For what it's worth, a key strategy that you should think about for future if you find yourself running out space for the summary is to use passages to talk about other aspects of the class.)

The absence of our discussion about the poem is perhaps most startling to me. We spent at least 25 minutes of class (a full one-third) on Tennyson's poem. The amount of time that I spend on something in class is generally a pretty good representation of how important I think it is. And if I think it's important, then it should be accounted for on the notes for the day.

Brian Croxall said

at 2:01 pm on Sep 12, 2009

Finally, the notes could use some careful copyediting. You are scored not only on the completeness of the notes in representing the day's discussion but also on how well they are presented. Copy errors detract from this presentation.

Aaron Tourtellot said

at 10:42 am on Sep 14, 2009

sorry about the confusion guys; I reverted the old copy that I incorrectly changed and transcribe two of the quotations in full. Feel free to edit in accordance with Prof. C critique.

Brian Croxall said

at 12:54 pm on Sep 19, 2009

I've just looked at your revised notes, and they've been much improved. The summary has been expanded and covers the main points of the day (metis, the violence of the poem's end, and the poem). The passages have been written out, and explained in a useful way. And the terms look pretty good.

A few points to consider. In the summary the language is a little flowery. I can certainly see that members of the group have good vocabularies, but it would be more useful to just tell me simply and clearly what's going on. The floweriness gets in the way of really telling us why the poem might end at 23 (family integration, the supposed point of the poem) and 24 (civic integration). For the terms, I don't think that I would have included "Ulysses" and I think that a better or simpler explanation of enjambment could be made. For the passages, you've stuck to just examples of metis, and it might have been nice to see you think about passages from the poem that would be useful.

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