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20090827-930 The Odyssey, Books 9-12 (Group 1)

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on September 1, 2009 at 8:17:58 am
 

Summary

     During today's lecture, we discussed the previously mentioned conventions shown in the reading.  This included magic (Circe), similes, and invocations (Muse).  We talked about the term "in medias res", which is when a story begins in the middle of the turn of events.  Along with "in medias res" we reviewed the timeline of events in Odysseus' life. Odysseus was a hero of the Trojan war which took place before the events in The OdysseyThe Odyssey starts out on Calypso's island which is in the middle of Odysseus' journey home from Troy.  The story then backtracks and tells the hardships Odysseus faced, including his encounter with the cyclops, Sirens, journey to the underworld, Scylla and Charybdis, and Circe.  We also mentioned some of the more famous passages in The Odyssey that have made it into modern culture like the Sirens' song and Scylla and Charybdis which is analogous to the saying, "stuck between a rock and a hard place."  Then, we discussed what the early scenes in the book revealed.  The opening lines in the story show that Odysseus is the protagonist of the story and he has gone through many trials amidst his journey home.  The beginnig also shows the state of affairs at his home and what has become of his family in his absence. 

Suppliants and xenia was the Greek concept of hospitality back in Homer's day.  Xenia had three aspects to it: respect for the host from the guest, respect for the guest from the host, and a parting gift from the host to the guest.  Practices like diluting the wine to show self restraint was also a way to demonstrate being civilized. In ancient Greece, anyone who violated one of the aspects of xenia was at the mercy of the gods, especially Zeus who was seen as the protector of travelers.

 

Word count: 291

 

Passages

 

"Just as an angler poised on a jutting rock

flings his treacherous bait in the offshore swell,

whips his long rod--hook sheathed in an oxhorn lure--

and whisks up little fish he flips on the beach-break,

writhing, gasping out their live...so now they writhed,..." (Book XII, lines 271-275)

 

     The above passage is an example of Homeric simile that was found in the reading for today's class.  Homeric similes are one of the conventions of an epic poem discussed in the last class.  Homeric similes usually involve the crafts of men and nature.

 

"Thick, luxuriant woods grew round the cave,

alders and black poplars, pungent cypress too,

and there birds roosted, folding their long wings,

owls and hawks and the spread-beaked ravens of the sea,

black skimmers who make their living off the waves.

And round the mouth of the cavern trailed a vine

laden with clusters, bursting with ripe grapes.

Four springs in a row, bubbling clear and cold,

running side-by-side, took channels left and right.

Soft meadows spreading round were starred with violets,

lush with beds of parsley.  Why, even a deathless god

who came upon that place would gaze in wonder,

heart entranced with pleasure.  Hermes the guide,

the mighty giant-killer, stood there, spellbound..." (Book V, lines 71-84)

 

     This passage shows how the The Odyssey is like an instructional book for Greek culture.  The aspects of Calypso's island are described in such detail and with such awe that it shows that the Greeks of Homer's time found those things to be beautiful.

Terms

  • invocation- calling for the assistance of some greater being (e.g. invoking a muse to help tell a story)
  • xenia- the concept of hospitality towards strangers seen in Ancient Greece.
  • suppliant- someone who humbly requests something such as hospitalty.

      *  in medias res- when a passage or reading begins in the middle of the turn of events

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