Book 8

I commend you for taking to heart my exhortation to root your comments in the text. The past two days have included numerous references to the text and better discussions. You are even beginning to pry open the text and make connections and illuminate connotations. Eventually, you will make many attempts at any particular passage before moving on to the next one.

One moment in Book 8 that captured your interest was the story of Hephaestus, Ares, Aphrodite sung by Demodocus, the harper. We learn that Poseidon offers to pay Ares’ fine if the smith sets the war god free. Though among the other gods, “laughter broke” (8.386), Poseidon finds nothing amusing in the embarrassing display in which two gods are caught in a net by a third who humiliates himself by so brazenly displaying his jealousy. I was intrigued by your insight that Poseidon seems set against Hephaestus as “the cripple wins by craft.” Odysseus, too, is crafty. Poseidon is straightforward in his anger. You could take this association even further by analyzing the word, craft.

You also noted that the Phaeacians all had names connected to the sea and sailing, and reflecting their primary identification as a people and the economic activity that sustains their country. The prophecy remembered by Alcinous as he promises to give Odysseus safe passage home seems far more poignant when one considers how deep the Phaeacians’ association with the sea runs.

You also noted a very good epic simile describing Odysseus as he wept at the harper’s song about Troy: “Great Odysseus melted into tears...” (8.595). Homer compares Odysseus to a woman who watches her husband die and then dragged at spear point into a life in bondage. You did a very good job revealing the main thrust of this comparison: that Odysseus remembers seeing so many comrades die before being held captive by Calypso. You could, however, find even more interesting meaning by looking at the words Homer, and Fagles the translator, chose. Odysseus “melted.” The woman is “dragged” off. “Bondage” has interesting connotations for a female captive. I could go on.

Keep up the good work, but also keep pushing yourselves to examine words and phrases in greater detail.

Book 7

Because I carted your discussion today, I didn’t take notes, so cannot give you a very accurate reflection of the ideas you discussed today. I can say, however, that I didn’t have enough time in class to fully go over my discussion map, so I want to reiterate and deepen some points. Most importantly, the discipline you showed today far surpassed that of the past few discussions. Perhaps the knowledge that I was keeping track of how you shared the table kept you mindful of your behavior, but what ever the reason, I hope you emulate it often.
Regarding what you discuss, remember to look deeply into the next. You already do a good job figuring out plot and character; now use discussions to focus on specific words and phrase and tease out the connotations that support or challenge your more general insights. You may have realized that this kind of focused analysis is what I want you to do in your essays, and the class discussions give you ample opportunity to practice.

Book 6

When focused on Book 6, your class discovered a number of interesting ideas. However, repeatedly through the class your good discussion disintegrated nearly hopelessly into chaos. Part of the problem may be the seating arrangements in the class. Certain pairs and trios seem to play off each other and encourage each other into distracting behavior and tangents. Because we sit in an oval, does not mean that I can’t assign seats. If you want to continue to sit near your friends, be more disciplined about your behavior in class. Be aware when you start to pull the class away from its purpose.

Also, let people finish their thoughts before sharing your own. Beginning your comments before someone has finished hers communicates the message that you don’t think the rest of what she has to say is worth listening. If waiting until someone else stops speaking means that another person gets to talk next, that’s okay. You will get your opportunities. If you have shared a lot during a discussion, take a pause between the completion of someone else’s thought and the beginning of your own. If someone else fills the silence, give way. If no one does, offer your insight. You are not sharing the table right now, with some of you dominating, others holding back, and many of you talking while your classmates speak, which is just plain rude and must stop. Tomorrow, I will chart your discussion. More on that tomorrow.

As far as the substance of Book 6 goes, you did well to notice Odysseus’ craftiness. The phrase, “Odysseus, torn now” perfectly captures his strategic dilemma: embrace the Nausicaa’s knees or flatter her first (6.154). You did not consider why embracing her knees might be a good strategy (perhaps you will when you discuss Book 7) and why it is the wrong choice here, but you did note the effectiveness of Odysseus’ flattery: “I have never laid eyes on anyone like you” (6.174). Nausicaa clearly begins imagining marriage to Odysseus and helps him because of it.

You also offered a good reading of the epic simile beginning on line 142. The simile shows Odysseus’ physical power in that he “stalked/as a mountain lion.” He is so driven by hunger, literally from lack of food, but also metaphorically for his home, that he is driven to approach the princess, the “best-defended homestead.”

Return to Book 4

The Discussion: We seem to have reached the inevitable point in the semester where you are no longer afraid of me and no longer overly worried about succeeding in 9^th grade. The collective sigh of relief manifests in the fun of following random thoughts, especially when they’re humorous or about attractive movie stars. On the one hand, I am thrilled that you’re feeling relaxed and safe enough in my class to have fun. On the other hand, indulging too much in the fun of random association, keeps you from making progress in your understanding of The Odyssey and in your development of critical reading and writing skills. Continue to have fun, please. However, also work on developing the discipline to stay focused in your discussion. Nearly every page in The Odyssey offers rich possibilities for insight, like the excellent reading of Menelaus’ response to Helen’s story.

In that reading, you focused on the connotations of specific words. These connotations revealed important discoveries about the relationship between Helen and Menelaus. Menelaus responds to Helen’s story by saying, “There was a tale” (4.298). You noticed that the word tale implies a fictional narrative. The choice of that word suggests that Menelaus does not believe his wife’s version of what happened. You then went on to reveal how Menelaus sets himself up as an expert when he says “I have studied” and recounts his broad experience of the world. He even goes as far as to imply that Helen is evil, attributing her motivation for her actions outside the Trojan horse to some “dark power” (4.308).

Similarly, you noted that Helen’s story seemed very egocentric (“I alone” (4.281)). You also noted the frosting over of the scene after the exchange of stories as Helen speaks “briskly” to her servants. Furthermore, you picked up that Telemachus picks up on the tension he is the one who “ventured” (4.327) the idea that it is time to end the part. He is “Clear-headed Telemachus,” after all, and he would not have to venture a suggestion if there was no danger; he could just offer it.

Granted, I’m something of an English teacher geek. I have a hard time seeing how anything could be more fun than revealing the kind of literary insight outlined above. However, if this fun is not a strong enough inducement for you to stay disciplined in your discussions, remember that I do grade each discussion that you have.

Book 5

Okay, so you put the wheels back on the bus except for when you made your teacher feel as if he had misled you into thinking that there was something called an epic smile when he had actually typed epic simile!

Calypso was the focus of your conversation today, though Odysseus is the hero of the story. Perhaps you focused on Calypso because she is the one caught in a dramatic conflict. Hermes, voicing his disdain for Calypso’s out of the way neighborhood, delivers Zeus’ message that she must let Odysseus go, though she wants to keep him. She even invites Odysseus “to be immortal” if he will stay with her (5.231).

However, though Odysseus admits to Calypso that Penelope “falls far short” of Calypso in beauty, he still wants to go home to her. He says, “”Nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days—/to travel home and see the dawn of my return” (5.242-3). Yet, that night Odysseus and Calypso “lost themselves in love” (5.251). To explain this seeming contradiction and Odysseus’ reluctance to stay with Calypso despite her beauty and offer of immortality, you suggested that his feelings for Calypso tended more toward lust, and that he loved Penelope. You offered Odysseus’ tears and longing as evidence of his love of Penelope (though I wonder whether he longs so much for Penelope as for Ithaca). However, you offered no such proof that Odysseus only lusted after Calypso except, an a very elegant bit of interpretation, that Calypso’s possession of Odysseus makes him unable to trust her enough to love her.

Odysseus, when told of the gods’ plan for him, greets Calypso with skepticism and doubt: “Surely you’re plotting/something else, goddess” (5.192-3). Clearly, Odysseus mistrusts the woman he’s been sleeping with for years now. He feels compelled to share her bed. You brilliantly suggested that Odysseus lack of trust may come from Calypso’s unwillingness to treat him as an equal. Even in her invitation to stay—“stay right here, preside in our home with me”—you found an unwillingness on her part to allow Odysseus any autonomy. Though she acknowledges the home would belong to both of them, she implies that she is the one currently presiding over the home and his ability to preside with her would be at her discretion.

I was surprised that you were less upset by the way Hermes treats Calypso, especially given her charge that the male gods get to sleep with any mortal woman they want, but don’t allow the female gods the same pleasure. You also spent little energy on the injustice of Odysseus sleeping with other women while Penelope is expected to remain steadfastly loyal.

Lastly, keep examining epic simile for their nuanced meanings and the way they promote Homer’s themes. Perhaps the blog would be a good place to make note of epic similes, not epic smiles?

Book 4

The wheels came off the bus a little bit today. Your discussion was scattered and difficult to follow, and as a result several of you began whispered conversations with the people sitting next to you. (Yes, I notice such things even when I don’t acknowledge them in class). Part of the problem stems from the length of Book 4. There’s a lot to talk about. with Telemachus being welcomed by Menelaus, Helen drugging their wine, Helen and Menelaus sniping at each other, and the story Proteus tells Menelaus. When faced with such riches, choose one aspect to begin with.

Though Book 5 is shorter, a good deal happens in it as well. You might decide to begin tomorrow by discussing Odysseus’ relationship with Calypso, or you might decide to focus on the gods. Which ever path you choose, make sure you refer to the text and challenge yourselves to read more deeply into the passages you quote before giving up and moving to the next topic.

Today, for example, someone quoted, “’I yearned/to sail back home again! I grieved too late for the madness/Aphrodite sent me, luring me there, far from my dear land’” (4.292-3). You noted that the speaker, Helen, voices contrition for her role in the war and then moved on. However, these lines contain much more than Helen’s regret. Notice she identifies her feeling as a yearning, an aching for something absent, suggesting that she feels bereft of something important in her life. She also experiences this emptiness as a loss because she grieves, as one grieves for the lost life of a loved one. Notice she refers to Sparta as “home” not Troy. Though she lived in Troy within the royal family, she reports feeling alienated from Paris and Deiphobus. Helen also calls her decision to run away with Paris, “madness” sent to her by Aphrodite. Here, she denies responsibility for her actions. Temporarily insane, Helen left Menelaus. She goes to great pains, even referring to her old self as a “whore” (4.163), to represent herself as a different person than the one who hurt Menelaus so many years ago. Clearly, from his response, Menelaus is not ready to forgive, though they have been back together for 10 years at this point.

One last note: On page 135 you will find an epic simile. Can anyone tell me what an epic simile is and what the one on page 135 does for Homer?

The Odyssey, Book 3

I don’t have a lot of time today, so I will make it quick. Your discussion was grand; I am very pleased with how well you listen to and build upon the comments of your classmates. The quality of your ideas is also quite good. Today the main focus staid on Athena and Telemachus and how she supports him and challenges him like a mother would a child. You noted that Telemachus remains hesitant in his adventure, that from his boat “he climbed out last” (3.14), but that Athena “mentors” him and pushes him to do the difficult tasks, like talking to the old war hero, Nestor. Homer relates, “the bright-eyed goddess urged the prince along” (3.15).

Much was made of Athena’s eyes. For the record, the brightness of Athena’s eyes may reveal her passion as well as her godliness, but the grayness of her eyes symbolize her and her wisdom. A common epithet for Athena is “gray-eyed goddess.” According to Merriam-Webster, an epithet is “a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing.”

The Odyssey, Book 2

Though yesterday was an impressive first attempt at discussing The Odyssey, today was even more stunning. You rose to my challenge of seeing ideas through. Even when you jumped from the beginning of Book 2 to the end, you did so in pursuit of a single idea. You proved yourself very adept at tracing a theme throughout the book. When I asked you to focus on specific words and phrases in support of your ideas, you added some nuance to your understanding of Telemachus journey toward maturity. As you become more adept at this method of discussion, I hope that you pay attention to the connotations of specific words as a matter of course. As good as the ideas presented during today’s discussion were, you should be most proud of the fact that everyone in the class spoke. This 100 percent participation rate means that all of you feel comfortable enough to speak, and that all of you are welcoming enough to make room for others to have their say. Keep up the good work.

It did not take you long to notice that Book 2 is about Telemachus beginning to grow up. From the opening lines in which Homer tells us he “sprang up from bed and dressed” (2.2), Telemachus makes attempts to gain control of his destiny as the son of his father should. The mastery embodied in the word “strode” (2.10) contrasts with Telemachus’ weakness the day before has he sat “Daydreaming…as he sat among the suitors” (1.138), and had his nurse tuck him in. Had we had time, you might also have noticed that the sword Telemachus dons at the beginning of Book 2 is “well-honed” (2.3), suggesting that Telemachus has sharpened his sword to be ready for action. He also straps on “rawhide sandals under his smooth feet” (2.4). The sandals symbolize Telemachus’ journey. They are rawhide and so durable and tough, suggesting his road will be difficult. That his feet are smooth tells us that he is not yet well traveled, that he has not taken many steps along his path. Such details can reveal a great deal. What other details did we not have time for you to share?

If you were to reflect on your ongoing development into young women, you would no doubt notice that your progress has not been linear. Though one moment you seem adult and mature enough to take command of your lives, in the next you may be a little girl again, petulantly bemoaning your circumstances. So too, Telemachus’ journey has its reversals. You noticed, for example, that he has difficulty commanding his crew without Athena’s inspiration. You also noted that after taking abuse from the suitors, he…. Tears are a complicated business, and you will see that they often had different meaning for men of Ancient Greece, but the action of throwing down his spear is quite childlike.

One detail I hope you notice is the name of the man whom Athena impersonates to help Telemachus.

The Odyssey, Book 1

How the Discussion Went: Book is long and offers much to talk about. For the most part, you did very well identifying important aspects of Book 1. You touched on the relationship Telemachus doesn’t have with his father, how Athena’s presence seems to have changed Telemachus, and the relationship between the humans and the gods in Ancient Greece. I think you could also have examined Penelope’s role in Book 1 and looked into the suitors a bit. You also gave up on teasing apart how Telemachus grows in Book 1, which is very important for the first four books of The Odyssey, which are known as The Telemachy.

You listened to each other well as well, though at times your rush to contribute lead to moments of confusion and chaos. Remember, it is all your collective responsibility to make sure that everyone speaks. If someone who has not said much is trying to get into the conversation, make room for her to speak. Also, rigorously and scrupulously refer to the text. When citing a passage, give page number and line number so your teacher and classmates may follow along. Speaking of your teacher, he will try to limit his involvement in the conversation to the role of facilitator and purveyor of background.

What You Said: You began by looking at how Telemachus reports his parentage. “Mother has always told me I’m [Odysseus’] son…” he tells Athena (1.249). You keenly noted that Telemachus confesses his lack of relationship with his father. He does not know his father. You also noted the implications of this lack of knowledge: Telemachus does not know what it means to be a man in his society and consequently weakly allows the suitors to take advantage of him. You impressively noticed that Homer connects Telemachus standing up to the suitors to him growing up. Athena tells him “You must not cling to boyhood” (340). Suddenly, Telemachus tells off the suitors and takes steps toward throwing off his boyhood.

Natalie also noted the not so nice connotations of Telemachus’ crack about his parentage, but the class did not give the insight its appropriate due. Women give birth, making their relationship to a child indisputable. Prior to DNA testing there was no way of a man being absolutely certain that he is the father of his children (one of the reasons female sexuality has been so rigorously policed over the centuries). Telemachus here suggests that someone other that Odysseus may have impregnated Penelope. Telemachus also must depend upon his mother to tell him how much he resembles Odysseus because he’s never seen his father.

The conflict between human self-determination and fate will resurface again and again in The Odyssey. As I have run out of time, I will address this conflict in a later blog. You can learn more about Agamemnon and his family at the Encyclopedia Mythica.

Medea

In general I was very pleased with your first attempt at discussion using the Harkness Method. You were particularly effective when you remembered to root your comments in specific passages from the play. Some of you had some difficulty breaking into the conversation. It helps to sit up at the table. Remember also that the group bears responsibility for the participation of everyone. You must keep all the participants in view and cede the table to those who have something to say but have not had the opportunity to speak. Somewhat predictably, the moments when yesterday’s discussion degenerated into wild and unstructured conversations were the moments when you gave up on finding specific passages in the text and when a few of you got locked into a debate that excluded others. Fortunately, these things did not happen often, and you succeeded in holding a very good first discussion.

The most interesting ideas debated yesterday dealt with the conflict between premeditation and passion in Medea’s character. On the one hand, Medea envisions a bleak future for her children in Corinth and concludes somewhat rationally that she must kill them. She tells herself “Forget that you love them, forget that you are their mother” (52). On the other hand, she tells Jason that she killed their children out of spite: “To break your heart” (58). She also argues that “passion is stronger than reason” though it is also “the grief of the world” (47). As a schemer and a sorceress, Medea plots to take revenge against those who hurt her and allows her passionate hate to overwhelm her love for her children. Unmentioned yesterday is the way the Euripides connects Medea’s unnatural passion to her eastern, non-Greek, roots.

You also briefly considered Creon’s actions in the play, and I think you could have looked more deeply into his conundrum. He tells Medea that he banishes her because “I am afraid you will harm my daughter” (20). He also says “I will strike first. In self-defense” (sound familiar?) (20). Yet he also goes against his better judgment and gives Medea a 24 hour reprieve.