Class 5 - September 27

In the flow of our discussion, Odysseus has returned to Ithaca and is planning his revenge on the arrogant suitors.  We noticed the use of foreshadowing and irony as the time for Odysseus to reveal himself draws near.  He must resist mounting temptations to unveil his identity too early as the suitors pile up offenses.  We have opportunities to contrast noble characters (such as the swineherd and the oxherd) with the ignoble (such as Antinoos and the goatherd).  We discussed the futility of an appeal of innocence offered by "not-so-bad-as-the-others" suitor Amphinomos.  Though he is the most noble of the suitors, he has allied himself with the master's enemies and so shares their fate. What implications does this have concerning man's tendency to find confidence and security in righteousness relative to other people?

What character impressed you the most this week?  Why?

For next week:
Be prepared to narrate books 20-24 of The Odyssey
Preread Beowulf

1) Survey
Familiarize yourself with the book and how it is structured.  What is contained between the front and back covers?  Make a list 10 observations about the book on the inside of the back cover.

2) Highlight (pink, orange, green)
Quickly scan the text of the entire poem.  As you do, use your highlighters to mark as follows:
Pink - Mark references to people and places (usually proper nouns).
Orange - Block off all dialogue/speeches and write the name of the speaker near the opening quotation marks.
Green - Mark words, phrases, or clauses that suggest structure, such as a change of setting (time/place) or order (and then, later, afterwards...)
ex: at the top of page 17 "Time went by"

3) Compare
Compare Beowulf (what you learned from steps 1 & 2) to The Odyssey.
On the back cover of Beowulf, list three similarities and 3 differences.

Class 4 - Sept 20th

Today's discussion took us through Odysseus' tale of wanderings, and back to Ithaca. We discussed the absence of hope in the pagan universe depicted in book XI - Odysseus' journey to Hades.  The Greek word for the journey of an epic hero to Hades and back is neukia (consider Aeneas, Orpheus, Heracles, and Dante among others).  In pagan literature, there is no hope of heaven without deification, and Odysseus has already turned it down.  Even the best of the best are destined for eternal misery.  When Odysseus tries to console Achilles, the greatest warrior hero of the Greeks, with the legacy of fame and glory he achieved in life as well as his great authority among the dead, he rejects the consolation.  His reply is heartbreaking.

"I would rather follow the plow as thrall to another man, one with no land allotted him and not much to live on, than be a king over all the perished dead."

In the words of Anthony Esolen (literature professor, Dante translator, and editor of Touchstone magazine), "there is a lid on the pagan universe."  There is no salvation for the perished soul.  Contrary to popular religious sentiment, the ancient myths deny that all roads lead to heaven, even for the virtuous.  Only the Christian hero, the one all poetic heros foreshadow, Christ himself, blows the lid off that pagan universe! He does more than console the dead.  He quickens him, as he did Lazerus, and says to his beloved, "come forth!"

What about you?  What stood out to you in today's discussion?  Use the comment space to let me know!

For next week, finish highlighting and prepare to narrate books 21-24.

Class 3 - September 13th

Our focus this week was on the Wanderings of Odysseus in books 5-8.  We read and briefly discussed Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem The Lotos-Eaters, which explores the experience of Odysseus' men who ate the flower which caused them to forget their journey home.  There is much in this poem that reflects temptations common to every journeymen, including the Christian who must resit the lure of earthly comforts in hope of heavenly ones.  I'm providing a link to the poem in the right margin, and encourage you to reread it this week.  Can you relate to the struggle of the sailors on the island of the Lotos eaters? 

Assignment for next time:
Read, highlight, and prepare to narrate through book 20.  Pay special attention to book 9, the journey of Odysseus to Hades.

Looking forward to our next class!

“God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.” - Frances Bacon

It amazes me that we can often behold the clear teachings of scripture echoed in the mythology of pagans (like Homer), and in nature.  The universe truly sings the truths of its maker at every level!
Click on the picture of the elephant to the right of the screen for a fantastic example, courtesy of Linda Simcox!
Enjoy!

Class 2 - September 6

Polytropos, xenia, and kleos...today we shook hands with a few Greek words that represent themes woven throughout the Odyssey.  Odysseus is known as "the man of many ways, or turnings" - polytropos.  Xenia is the hospitality shown to strangers.  And Kleos is one's reputation (as in glory or renown).  The theme that emerged most predominately today is xenia.   Through discussion so far we've become aware of many instances (and several violations) of the ancient culture of hospitality  as seen in The Odyssey.  To highlight this theme for us, Mrs. Simcox brought a pineapple and shared some history on its development as a symbol of hospitality.  It is connected to the ancient Greeks, which I never knew!  And of course the pineapple was a tasty addition to the snack table :-) 

*Here are the assignments for next week:
1) Do a careful read of books 9-16: 
Use your yellow highlighter to track the flow of thought.  Y-highlight the main action or event in a sentence that is part of the flow of the story. Use your blue highlighter to mark any passages that impress you or that you think are relevant to discussions we've begun, or to your own questions about the book. 

2) Narration:
Be prepared to offer a very short (1-2 minute max) narration of ALL of the books that remain to be discussed (5-16).  Its helpful to write the main events of the chapter either on the first page of the chapter (where a title would go) or along the tops of the pages.  We'll take turns narrating, but you won't know which chapter you're doing.

History:
Who else is reading The Birth of Brittan?  Let me know who you are, and we'll try to get some posts going on that!

Expectations:
I'll be checking to see if assignments are complete each week.  Since formal writing assignments are not part of the class this semester, my assessment will be based entirely on participation.  I will be able to offer a participation percentage in leiu of a grade at the completion of the semester.   For example, if I have given 20 assignments, and you completed 16 of them, you will receive a score of 80.  Low participation may affect eligibility to continue in the class in the spring.

Blessings til next time,
Mrs. Rape