IRP Blog Post 12
In the end of the novel, Penelope is so thankful that he is home. She is very weary though that this is just an illusion because throughout the whole novel, there is always illusions about people and disguises and she does not want to be tricked. She makes a comment about the bed being moved and immediately Odysseus claims that it can not be moved due to what it is made of. When saying this, she realized that it is her husband and immediately is filled with joy. Odyessus then says that he has one final quest to go back to Laerte's farm. He returned and explained everything that happen and how it finally was over with the suitors where Laertes was so happy that he embraced him for a hug. News gets around about the slaughtering that took place at the palace, so Athena gets involved and helps out and kills the Suitors that are planning an attack at Larete's farm. In the end, Odysseus gets to go back home and peace is given back yet again.
IRP Blog Post 11
Penelope still longing for her husband to come home, says that whomever can string this bow will be her next husband. All of the suitors try and give it a go, but no one can succeed. They all feel very inferior to Odysseus and continue to try. While this is going on, Odysseus reveals himself to Eumaeus and says that if he will fight with him, he will consider him one of Telemachus's brothers. Eumaeus decides to help so very willingly. Odyessus then goes inside and pulls out the bow and strings it quickly and starts shooting at the men. "Fear drained the colour from their cheeks and each man peered round to find some sanctuary from sudden death.." (Page 329) After the battle, Odysseus wins and kills all of them. But decides that it is more disrespectful to hang them.

http://www.santharia.com/weapons/bow.htm ; here is a link that describes a bit of what the bow is like and how it is used with terms and things. I think its interesting how complex in the making it was for something of that time period.
IRP Blog Post 10

(In this particular picture, you can see Odysseus really stepping up to the plate and protecting his family. You can see Telemachus really hiding in the other room, while his father fights the suitors. )



During this particular section of the novel, Telemachus and Odysseus's relationship really starts to progress and work together. Interestingly enough, they do not do more than work together with their arms, but you can definitely see the bonding throughout this section. The symbol of hiding is shown again in this section, because Odysseus's doesn't want his being home to get back to Penelope. The whole time they are back together at home, they are trying o figure out how to kill the suitors. Ironically throughout this, the suitors are trying to figure out how to kill Telemachus. Penelope does have a breakdown where she is so distraught of her husband not being home, that Zeus needs to get involved. He sends down a huge clap of thunder to try and restore any peace that can be made back to them.
IRP Blog Post 9

After Odysseus and Telemachus talk for awhile about the "suitors" and how they plan to kill them, Telemachus decides to head home to Penelope. Upon returning home, she is so thrilled that he comes home, that she starts to cry. As they are feasting together (Something that they love to do in this story, symbolic of strong family ties), Telemachus tells his mother a small portion of him hearing about Odysseus. While he is talking, he does not mention the fact that he has seen him in the hut at Eumaeus's. While this is going on, Eumaeus and Odysseus head to the palace. When they arrive back home, Odysseus is incognito as a begger and tries to sneak to Penelope's room so that the Suitors do not see him. All the while, fighting breaks out among Odysseus and some other begger, but Athena gives him more strength so that he is able to fight back. Then Penelope comes out and claims that she was told that she could have another husband if Odysseus had not returned before Telemachus became more of a man and matured physically. The suitors try to win over Penelope by giving her presents.

"...they brought a long embroidered robe of the most beautiful material on which were fixed a dozen golden brooches, each fitted with a curved sheath for the pin.." (Page 283)

It was interesting how detailed Homer went into the items that they brought. I think it shows the wealthiness of Penelope and how Odysseus and her, really should have been equated with royalty.

http://www.search.com/reference/Telemachus ; here is a link to a reference site that talks a little bit about Telemachus and what his name means. I think it is interesting that in Greek his name means "far away fighter", yet he is always the peacemaker in the story and does not really fight a lot.

IRP Blog Post 8

Along his travels, he meets up with Eumaeus, whom gives him some pork and other foods. Homer goes into great detail describing the place that he meets with Eumaeus. I believe that the hut that he describes symbolizes a sort of hope for Odysseus that he will return home to his family eventually. Hope was something that Odysseus carried with him throughout the whole novel, and it really showed through here at the hut. Without the hope of being able to eventually make it through, he would never have been able to survive such trivial and vigorous activities. I think this really connects to The Motorcycle Diaries, because Ernesto really had a sense of needing other people to survive, where as Odysseus did not need someone to survive but it was nice having that short comfort. Telemachus was eventually brought back up and Athena convinced him to return home from the area before a man took his mother’s hand in marriage. Telemachus then gets news that his father is in Eumaeus’s hut. When he arrives there, he realizes that he is not because Athena changes Odysseus to someone else. After Eumaeus goes to Penelope to tell her that her son is home, Odysseus turns back into himself and they embrace each other

Interesting Fact: A heavy metal band, named Slough Feg, formed in PA, wrote a song after the character named Eumaeus. The song is named "Eumaeus the Swineherd". Although the words are hard to understand, it is interesting enough that this character that Homer writes about is famous enough to influence music being made in our own area today. Here is a link to a youtube video of the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3VsonyGLqY
IRP Blog Post 7

After fleeing the scene, Odysseus sails away on his ship and returns back to Circe, the witch. He asks her many questions and she insists that she knows what is going to happen to him. She knows all of the obstacles that he is going to face along his journey.

“When your crew have carried you past this danger, you will have reached a point beyond which I cannot fully guide you. Two ways will lie before you, and you must choose between them as you see fit, though I will tell you both. “(Page, 190)

This particular passage demonstrates her knowledge about the journey that he faces in the future. After Odysseus leaves Circe, he meets Scylla, the horrible sea monster.

“She has twelve feet, all dangling in the air, and six long necks, each ending in a grisly head with triple row of teeth” (Page 191).

As he describes her, he claims that no one can really get by her on the ship. After she only eats a few of the men, he gets away, but barely. Then he heads to the island of the sun, where he tries to avoid it as much as he can. After he ends his story, he looks forward to leaving Scheria and heading home. After the land changing a lot, he doesn’t know right from wrong, so he goes out and asks a shepherd, (Athena) where he is. She tells him that he is in Ithaca.

IRP Blog Post 6

Odysseus continues on his story about how he is on is ship and a witch type thing, lures all of his men but one in bu her beauty and they never returned. The one man that is left, approaches him and asks him not to go after the crew, because it is going to cost his life, but he says its his duty and leaves the man behind. He then finds that all of his friends are turned into pigs which really bothers him, and the witch is impressed by him because the poison doesn't affect him. Circe and him eventually become "lovers" so to speak, and she eventually lets them all go. He then travels to the sea of the dead where he starts to see a lot of people that have passed away including the one crewman who committed suicide. After he continues on his story, he goes to try and stop and the men tell him to keep going that his story is really interesting and they start questioning him.

For the picture, ignore the watermark in the middle of the picture, that has no significance, it was the only picture that really demonstrated how beautiful she was, and how the pigs (the crewman) were so entranced by Circe the witch.