Reading Log 1: The Odyssey Book I

            So! I pride myself on saying that I actually accomplished my active reading of the Odyssey: Book 1, on Thursday night. (Because I have no life.) *ahem* Anyways! I really enjoyed this week’s reading. I wish you all could see how many notes I took; my fingers were practically stained with highlighter ink and charcoal by the time I was done. In coincidence, our class actually read an excerpt from the Illiad this week in English 10A—that’s the predecessor to the Odyssey, so the two really went nicely together.

Summery:

The story begins with a prayer to the muses, as most (if not all) ancient Greek Tales do. It then segues into the gods discussing why they both like and dislike Odysseus—Ulysses— and how he has been stranded on an island for 10 years under the watchful eye of goddess Calypso.

The goddess Minerva, who I’ll more often then not refer to as Athena, takes pity on Ulysses and goes to visit his family in disguise. She goes to the man’s home to find men constantly flocking to his wife, Penelope, and trying to seduce her or win her hand in marriage. She, however, cannot accept the fact that he “died at sea,” and relies on these men and her son, Telemechus, for support.

Telemechus greets the disguised Minerva warmly and ushers her inside, giving her food and drink while the men are treated with less dignity then the visitor. The goddess, disguised as a family friend of Ulysses’, constantly drops hints that the adventurer may still be alive, and Telemechus should go and get word from other men around Greece about his father.

As she departs, Telemachus realizes that he was just in the presence of a goddess, and Minerva transforms into a bird and flies away. Telemachus returns to the house, demands that the suitors return home and never spend the night in his father’s mansion again, and bids them good night. As he readies for bed, he thinks about the voyage that has been assigned to him by the gods and about the preparations he must make.

Thoughts:

All in all, I was very interested throughout the story! I was a lot easier to read then a lot of other ancient Greek tales, and I think that made it a lot more fun as an assignment. One thing, however, that was a stumbling block for me, was that I mostly identify with the Greek gods—not the Roman ones. I call Jupiter Zeus, Minerva Athena, Ulysses Odysseus, ect. So, I was constantly looking up on the internet who was who, and that kind of spoiled the immersion for me.

Another thing that stood out for me was the good examples of foreshadowing placed into the story. For one, when Telemachus is talking about how he will never see his dead father again, that’s a fabulous example of situational irony: that is, we know something that the character doesn’t. I’m really looking forward to read about Telemachus’ reaction when he discovers that his father is actually alive and well.

Now, did anybody else besides me notice this? Was it just me, or did Minerva really seem to have a… for lack of a better term, flirty attitude towards Telemachus? I dunno if I’m just reading too much into her behavior, but I actually think that pairing might be cute later on in the story. (Though I’m fairly sure that might just be moi talking.) However, I will have to admit that Telemachus is my favorite character so far. He just seems like a very strong individual, having kept most of the suitors at bay and taking charge after his father’s death.

All in all, I’m really pleased with the reading and it was a real struggle not to move farther along in the story. I’m excited for the next assigned reading chapter!

Predictions:

• Ulysses will be helped by the gods (but will meet challenges from Neptune) on his journey home.
• Telemachus will begin his journey to get word of his father’s possible whereabouts.
• Some battle between the suitors and Ulysses will ensue if he returns home. (I mean, if somebody treated my spouse like that, I’d get a whoopin’ on their buts goin’!)

Questions:

Just a couple for this section. Now, at the very end of the story, when the maid—Euryclea—was helping Telemachus prepare for bed, I was a little thrown off. I mean, wouldn’t that be something that Penelope would do, or a mother for her own child in a broader sense? I don’t know if it’s just a bit of culture shock and that’s how women took care of their children (as in, had a maid do it,) but that just seemed a bit odd for me.

And lastly, why didn’t Penelope fend off the suitors for herself? I mean, wouldn’t that be considered being unfaithful to her (albeit dead) husband? I mean, sure it’s been ten years, but I wouldn’t let two dozen men stay in my house after my spouse drowned at sea? Is that just me, or would others do that too?