Reading Log 4: The Odyssey Books VIII-XII

My gosh this reading took me so long! With exam season wrapping up, I went into a bit of a hibernation for two days of vacation. =) Took me a while to get back out, and here I am almost done with my NaNoWriMo and finished with my PATH work! I lowered my word count to 18000 words, but that's because I was so busy doing other things. I'm proud that I managed to get all that done, 'cause I usually can't just write one thing. So this was a big accomplishment.

Anywhoooo... to the reading! Awayyyy~!

Summery:
This reading begins with Ulysses on the island. He feats with the Phaecians, listens to their bards sing, and competes with them in events. Finally, as the night wears on, King Alcinous finally demands to know just who this stranger is. Ulysses reveals his identity, and begins to regale his tale of misery and hardship to the king.

First, he and his men were wrecked near the islands where the Cyclopses make their home. However, the main cyclops (Polythemus as he is called in the Greek Tale, son of Neptune,) does not take kindly on the visitors, and eats many of Ulysses' men. The hero and his remaining men manage to blind Polythemus and trick their way out, but after Ulysses taunts the Cyclops, Polythemus prays to his father that Ulysses shall be punished in that all of his men will die before him, and he will not return home for many years.

Next, Ulysses and his men journey to another island, and there find the goddess Circe. She instill a false sense of security in Ulysses' men, and turn them all into pigs. However, Ulysses manages to get his men turned back when Circe, who was waiting on him, sees him unhappy. After the two sleep together (oh god...) she tells him that he and his men must journey to the underworld and receive a prophecy from the blind prophet Teiresias. Ulysses and his men journey to the land of Hades, and Ulysses recieves his prophecy after battling the demons of the many dead people that he had known.

Finally, the group returns to Circe, and Ulysses sets out again for his home. They encounter Sirens and the monstrous Scylla, whom they fight past in order to proceed. Finally, they journey to the island where the sun god kept his cattle. Though Ulysses' men swore not to touch them, they ate some of the sacred cows, and where punished harshly. Just as they were about to reach their home, the men foolishly unleashed the power of the winds that wrecked their ship and sent all but Ulysses to his death. He was then found by the goddess Calypso, and the story catches up with the present.

Thoughts on the Reading:
I actually really liked these few chapters, though I did find the 30+ pages a little daunting to read. It got strong, then weak, then strong and weak in the writing time and time again, and was a little bit hard to get through. However, since I've read the Oddessy before and did a massive project on Ulysseus' time in the underworld, I didn't have to take as many notes since I knew what was going on, which was nice.

Predictions:

• Ulysses will come close, or will, get back to his home soon.
• Telemachus, with or without the help of his father, will rid the house of the vile suitors.

Questions:

Only one. Why in the word have I been finding so many typos?!?!