I am almost sure that this was the shortest chapter in the book. In it, Odysseus and Telemachus wrap up the slaughter of the impolite suitors and Odysseus is finally welcomed into his own home. In what one would expect to be a heart warming reunion, Penelope is quite cold to Odysseus, his nurse, Eurycleia, and Telemachus as she believes in her heart that it is still impossible for him to have returned. Penelope appears to be excessively stubborn when it comes to hearing news of her husband. However, things take a turn when Penelope slyly comments on having some one move their wedding bed to a more suitable place, "move the sturdy bedstead out of our bridal chamber-", a test to see if it was the true Odysseus, for only he would know that their bed was the ultimate wood bed, carved out of a tree, and still planted in the ground as they built around it. By trying to pull a fast on the unsuspecting Odysseus, Penelope not only manages to prove she is quick thinker, she angers Odysseus. He views it as a slap to the face of Odysseus implying that he would not know the most private details of their relationship, but if Penelope had thought further she might have realized that it would anger him, proving she is not the wittier one. In order to protect herself and cover up for her mishap, she begs mercy from exclaiming about how she is so happy to see him and how the gods' plans stressed her out. Ultimately, in the end the two become reacquainted in that marriagey way. However, this chapter did bring up the importance of trust and openness in a relationship. If you think about it, any sort of inside joke or connection you have with only a specific group or person strengthens your bond .
Guiding Question: If you were stuck in a situation were you trying to identify a stranger, would you be as cautious and cunning as Penelope? What would you do if the stranger knew your most personal secrets?
Once again in this book Homer refers back to the history of a specific object, in this case, Odysseus's wooden bed. While the history of the bed is intriguing, it isn't used to add some flavor to the situation, like the history of Odysseus's bow a few chapters before. The history of his bed is used in order to show the deep relationship it symbolizes between husband and wife. It adds a sense intimacy with the characters, letting the audience know about how much Penelope mattered to Odysseus.
Along with his use of history, Homer uses irony, but not of the dramatic sort. In order to spice up the story, Penelope uses wit to make sure she protects herself from a rouse. The ironic thing is that she attempts to out wit the most cunning man in Greek mythology.
The translator's notes were incredibly valuable in this section as the non existent entries explained everything. :D
Guiding Question: Throughout the Odyssey, histories have been the main source of description of objects and people. Is that the same in today's society? Is it possible to understand anything past or present with out knowing its history?
This chapter revolved around the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope and the return of the palace to the rightful order of things. As for themes, Penelope's trick reminded me of every movie that involves a sense of identity. There is always that moment when the person is tested to see if though who they really are. First example that came to mind was the opening scene of Inception, where Leonard DiCaprio is being tested about how he knows that the person's dream is under attack, Leonardo answers wrong, and the whole world collapses. While I don't believe that the world would just spontaneously combust in the Odyssey, I do believe that it would not be the story it is if Odysseus failed to convince Penelope that he was her husband.
Similarly, I found me listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade while writing. The symphony is based of the story 1001 Nights, a story were a young girl, Scheherezade, wins the king over by telling him enticing stories, always stopping halfway through to get him absorbed in the story, and craving to hear the end of it. In the end, they fall in love due to the shared nights together. It reminds me of the Odyssey in the fact that Scheherezade won her man over in a cunning fashion. However instead of testing the bond, she created the bond. BUT, in both cases, the couples had a shared history that drew them together and instilled the king with enough trust in Scheherezade to make her queen much like answering the question gave Penelope enough faith in Odysseus to let him reclaim his throne.
Guiding Question: Do you believe the use of Penelope's suspiciousness is a reflection on human behavior? Can you have blind trust in human society, or must you have a background?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajnnCN_tFp0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheherezade
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ReplyDeleteI feel that I would be instinctively cautious. I think that most people in this situation would be hesitant to believe that a stranger that you have never seen is claiming to be one of your family members. Me personally I think I would ask questions that only that person could know to actually identify the stranger. It would be weird if the stranger seemed to know many secrets about my life, but I’m sure that would convince me, just as Penelope was.
ReplyDeleteYes I think that people can understand something without really knowing any background information. People do it all the time when say their opinions on current events when they have failed to research the topic’s history completely. As much as it helps to understand aspects of life with background information it is possible to understand parts of life without any history.
Yes, all humans a suspicious to some level. No one wants to play the part of the fool and we all make an effort to avoid putting ourselves in those situations. Penelope was suspicious about Odysseus, but I think everyone would be in that situation. It is human nature to be some what suspicious.
#1. If I were in a position where I had to try and identify a stranger, I would certainly be suspicious as if my eyes were deceiving me. If I asked questions that no one but my husband knew the answers to and the stranger, claiming to be my husband, knew the answers, I would be weirded out more than anything. I would want to know what else they knew. I would probably be less trusting and more suspicious as to how he knew.
ReplyDelete#2. History is not as important now as it is in Homer's novel. People focus on the present and future rather than the past. It is possible ot understand something without knowing the history of it, but history gives a better understanding as to where it comes from and reasoning as to why it is the way it is.
#3. It is natural for people to put up a guard towards others. Sometimes one person turns on the charm and seems trustworthy. Those are the people that most likely need a background check. There is a vibe some people give off, like they are being too kind and wanting to be trusted for the wrong reasons. I watched "Taken" this weekend, and there is a man that finds foreign girls at the airport, finds out where they are staying, then kidnaps them and drugs them, using them as prostitutes. He seemed like a nice, trustworthy guy, and those were his intentions to get to the girls to get what he wanted.
If I were trying to identify a stranger I would probably be as cautious and suspicious as Penelope because if someone I don’t recognize claims to be someone I know of course I’ll be a little skeptical. Even so, if they knew my most personal secrets I guess I would have no choice than to believe what they say.
ReplyDeleteI feel that history is not as important in today’s society as is in Greek mythology, despite it being able to teach us a lot. Homer uses history to describe the bed because it had a personal connection to Odysseus and Penelope, therefore the history of it means a lot more to them than anyone else. History is essential in knowing how things came to be, but I feel that most people today only care about the here and the now.
Yes, I believe her suspiciousness definitely reflects peoples’ nature of being distrustful. I find it hard to believe that anyone can have blind trust in society and believe that these people are way too naïve.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely would be cautious in this type of situation because I do not think it’s easy to just let your guard down completely and open up to others that you have never met. I absolutely agree with Penelope’s testing of Odysseus’ validity and I think she approached the situation in a clever and interesting way. Bringing up something that was so personal to herself and him alone was a good move.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in a position where a stranger knew my most personal secrets I would be really scared and probably would have trouble understanding how they do. I would probably ask lots of questions about where they got the information.
Your second guiding question is great. You brought up a valuable point by talking about how vital knowing the history of things during the time period of The Odyssey is in comparison to now. I think it is not necessary to know the history of something to understand it. However, by knowing the history you will absolutely have a greater connection to the material. You said so yourself, the translator’s notes helped explain some passages in the book for you. You probably had some idea about the passages meaning before reading the notes, but after reading them you found that they “explained everything”. Doing some extra research and getting the background details is always good.
Love that you connected it to 1001 Nights! Really great story. I think that Penelope’s reaction in this situation was completely justified. She’s only human and not acting wary of her husband’s intentions would be strange because she has been through so much and is in no position to let her guard down and be placed in a position of vulnerability.