Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Book 14 blog


Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, and Eumaeus all faced many challenges and obstacles both physically and emotionally. In what ways do their hardships relate to each other? Who do you think had the easiest/hardest challenge to overcome? If you had to become one of these four characters which one would you want to be and why? Why do you think Homer put Eumaeus in the story (what is role and what does he show us about Odysseus)?

14 comments:

  1. All of their hardships are related to each others in that they all had a longing for home. Not physically, but at heart. Home to them was when Odysseus was back with them, and home to Odysseus was when he was back with his wife, son, and kingdom.

    Odysseus had the easiest hardship to overcome because although it was by far the most physically demanding, he enjoyed the adventures. Penelope had the hardest challenge to overcome because she had to remain loyal to Odysseus for 10 years with suitors at her doorstep.

    If I had to become one of these characters, I would be Odysseus because I love adventure, even if it is dangerous.

    Homer puts Eumaeus in the story to show how kind and loved (and therefore missed) of a king Odysseus was. He is a goatherd, and faithfully watches over all of Odysseus animals after all these years because he loved him so much.

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  2. All of their hardships relate to each other because they all have to do with somebody missing their loved ones or searching for them. I think that Telemachus had the easiest challenge to overcome. Also that Odysseus had the hardest challenge to overcome. If I had to become one of these four characters, I would want to be Odysseus because I would have a great legacy and people would honor me and have high respect for me. In addition, I would want to be Odysseus because he has a lot of glory and is has proved himself as one of the greatest mortals to ever live. I think Homer put Eumaeus in the story to present how greatly Odysseus is missed, and how important his safe return means to Ithica, and especially his family. This story shows us that Odysseus is very loved, kind to everybody (no matter what class), and a highly respected man. Eumaeus' role is to take care of the swine.

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  3. The hardships of Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, and Eumaeus related to each other because they all involved Odysseus coming home. Odysseus wanted to come home to be with his family and the other people wanted Odysseus back so he can rule again.

    I think the character with the easiest obstacles was Odysseus mainly because he was determined to have kleos, so the obstacles were a means to the reward of being remembered in high esteem.
    The character with the toughest obstacles was definitely Penelope because she had to fend of suitors for many years and she was faithful to Odysseus for 20 years which is a long time to hold hope, and is not easily done.

    If I could be one of the four characters I would be Penelope because she has a strong heart and is respected though for many different reasons.

    I think Eumaeus was put into the story to show that Odysseus was actually missed while he was gone and that at least one person hadn't lost faith. This shows us that Odysseus was a very good ruler and that people still remembered him all these years later.

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  4. The hardships that involve Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope and Eumaeus all relate to each other by wanting Odyesseus to return home. Also, another way to connect it is that they want to be with the people that they love agian. The character with the easiest obstacles, I believe, is Telemachus. The character with the hardest obstacles I think was Odysseus. If I had to be one of the four characters I think that I would want to be Odysseus. Even though he has been away for so long and is constantly missing his loved ones, his name will be remembered. He is a great hereo, and I would love to be a hero and also someone that people talk about once I have died. I think Homer but Eumaues to show that people missed their master while he was gone. It also shows HOW good of a king Odysseus was. It shows how great of a role model and a leader Odysseus was and what a leader Odysseus is capable of being.

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  5. All of their hardships are physical and emotional, as mentioned in the statement portrayed before the question. They all face difficult decisions that they must complete. I think that Euchaeus had the easiest challenges to overcome, especially when compared to Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. I think that Odysseus had the hardest challenges to overcome, especially when compared to Euchaeus, Penelope, and Telemachus, throughout his Odyssey, and "homecoming". If I had to become one of these four characters in the Odyssey, then I would probably choose Euchaeus, because he probably had the least physical and/or emotional burdens, especially when compared to Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. Homer probably put Euchaeus in the story to demonstrate loyalty, on different levels. He is an ally of Odysseus, in different ways. He helped Odysseus, even when Odysseus was disguised as an old man/beggar, which shows, or portrays, that Euchaeus is a good man. Euchaeus' qualities, such as his kindness and hospitality, most likely reflect off of Odysseus himself, because the two of them are considered to be quite close, throughout the novel.

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  6. Their hardships relate to one an other because they all are searching for love ones or just trying to find more information on their love ones. Telemachus definitely had the easiest challenge to overcome because he only had to travel certain places without risking his life. Odysseus had the hardest challenges to overcome because his life was constantly at risk. If I could become one of the characters i would be Odysseus because of his persuasive talking abilities and the amazing hardships he overcame. I think Homer put Eumaeus in the story to show how great of a king he was and how well he treated his people. Also i think Homer put Eumaeus in the story to show how much his people loved him, and how the suitors are hated by the people of Ithaca.

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  7. Odysseus's, penelope's, telemachus's, and eumaeus's hardships relate to one another because they are all from being broken away from loved ones. The person with the easiest hardship to overcome was eumaeus, since he was taken away at such a young age there was not much for him to miss. He didnt seem in too much despair about the situation and he had been treated very kindly in ithaca. The hardest was Odysseus's hardships. He did not just loose a loved one he had to leave which is een harder, then he had to fight in troy and loose so many of his beloved crew. Moreover he lost even more crew on the journey home and had to resist many temptations and say goodbye to many people and deal with the consequences of his and his mens actions. Examples of this is him having to deal with countless storms and a shipwreck and almost dying trying to make it to phaecia in poseidons storm with no ship. If i had to be one of the four characters i would want to be penelope. Her hardship wasnt very hard at all. Yes her husband left but she has this multitude of adoring men all around for her giving her gifts and just waiting for her to decide who to marry. Men leave now a days all the time, its different for penelope becasue she has to choose wether or not to wait for odyseus. What if he comes hom,e finally and she has wed someone new? that is her only hardship, having to make that decision. Homer puts eumaeus in the book to show how compassionate and caring to his service men odysseus is. His role is a herder who has always been loved by odysseus and well treated in his new home of ithaca, making hius hardship of leaving home easier to bear.

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  8. All their hardships are related because they are all about how they are all longing for their loved ones and trying to see them once more. telemachus hardship was the easiest to overcome because he never got to know his father before he left and he never really had to go on a long journey or leave his loved ones for long. Odysseus journey was deffinatly the hardest to overcome, considering all the obstacles that were in his way. if i had to choose to be one of these characters i would want to be telemachus because hes still got a long life ahead of him and he already has a good reputation because of odysseues. I think his role in the book is to show the reader that odysseus was a very good, kind, and caring man towars any who asked for it.

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  9. All the hardships are related because they all wanted Odysseus home, and they felt as if it wasn't home without their kind and generous ruler of Ithaca. The easiest challenge was Telemachus's because he could have easily figured out how to find out more of his father without Athena's help. I think that Penelope's challenge was the hardest, as she was stuck with suitors for many many years, and it must've been very hard for her to stay loyal to Odysseus, not knowing if he was dead or alive. If i was to be one of these characters, I would be Odysseus because I enjoy journey and challenges, and it would be nice to have as much honor and respect as Odysseus has. Homer puts Eumaeus in the story to show how loyal a servant can be to a kind master, and how dedicated someone can be to an honestly generous and smart ruler like Odysseus.

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  10. All these hardships are connected through a difficult task. I believe the easiest task or hardship would be Eumeaus' due to the fact of him being taken when he was young. Although the task of Telemachus may seem easy due to the fact he really never remembers his father, it is still tough for him to see his mom being flirted with. The toughest one would be Odysseus' because he missed home and family. He also had to go through physical hardships thought unbearable. The character I would like to be would have been Telemachus because I would have enjoyed this mysterious search of my father. The reason of Eumeaus being in the story is that he compliments Odysseus and shows that Odysseus has good character.

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  11. Odysseus's, Penelope's, Telemachus's, and Eumaeus's hardships relate to one another because they are all from being broken away from loved ones. The person with the easiest hardship to overcome was Eumaeus, since he was taken away at such a young age there was not much for him to miss. He didnt seem in too much despair about the situation and he had been treated very kindly in Ithaca. The hardest to overcome was Odysseus's hardships. He did not just loose a loved one he had to leave which is een harder, then he had to fight in Troy and loose so many of his beloved crew. Moreover he lost even more crew on the journey home, had to resist many temptations, had to say goodbye to many people, and deal with the consequences of his and his mens actions. Examples of this is him having to deal with storms and shipwrecks, almost dying trying to make it to Phaecia in Poseidons storm with no ship. If I had to be one of the four characters i would want to be Penelope. Even though not the easiest, her hardship wasnt very hard at all. Yes her husband left but she has this multitude of adoring men all around her giving her gifts and just waiting for her to decide who to marry. She has so many choices and opportunities for the rest of her life. Men leave now a days all the time, its different for Penelope because she has to choose wether or not to wait for Oddyseus. What if he comes home finally and she has wed someone new? that is her only hardship, having to make that decision. I didnt choose Eumaeus as the hardship I would prefer because i would always be wonderind what if I had grown up a prince and had all the opportunities and been able to travel the world and live in a palace. This would always haunt me and it would be hard to live like that knowing that because of someone else's mistakes you have to live a life less than what your life would have been before. Homer puts Eumaeus in the book to show how compassionate and caring to his service men Odysseus is. His role is a herder who has always been loved by Odysseus and well treated in his new home of ithaca, making his hardship of leaving home easier to bear.

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  12. Odysseus's, Penelope's, Telemachus's, and Eumaeus's hardships relate to one another because they are all from being broken away from loved ones. The person with the easiest hardship to overcome was Eumaeus, since he was taken away at such a young age there was not much for him to miss. He didnt seem in too much despair about the situation and he had been treated very kindly in Ithaca. The hardest to overcome was Odysseus's hardships. He did not just loose a loved one he had to leave which is een harder, then he had to fight in Troy and loose so many of his beloved crew. Moreover he lost even more crew on the journey home, had to resist many temptations, had to say goodbye to many people, and deal with the consequences of his and his mens actions. Examples of this is him having to deal with storms and shipwrecks, almost dying trying to make it to Phaecia in Poseidons storm with no ship. If I had to be one of the four characters i would want to be Penelope. Even though not the easiest, her hardship wasnt very hard at all. Yes her husband left but she has this multitude of adoring men all around her giving her gifts and just waiting for her to decide who to marry. She has so many choices and opportunities for the rest of her life. Men leave now a days all the time, its different for Penelope because she has to choose wether or not to wait for Oddyseus. What if he comes home finally and she has wed someone new? that is her only hardship, having to make that decision. I didnt choose Eumaeus as the hardship I would prefer because i would always be wonderind what if I had grown up a prince and had all the opportunities and been able to travel the world and live in a palace. This would always haunt me and it would be hard to live like that knowing that because of someone else's mistakes you have to live a life less than what your life would have been before. Homer puts Eumaeus in the book to show how compassionate and caring to his service men Odysseus is. His role is a herder who has always been loved by Odysseus and well treated in his new home of Ithaca, making his hardship of leaving home easier to bear.

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  13. The toughest one would be Odysseus' because he missed his home and family.The character I would like to be would have been Telemachus because I would have enjoyed this mysterious search for my father. In the first sentence I added "his" and in the second I took out "of" and replaced it with "for".

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  14. All of their hardships are related because they all involve separation from loved ones and the heros quest. Eumaeus's hardships were by far the easiest. The only challenge was him being separated from his father and homeland and forced to live as a swine herder, which many other people had to do as well, not in Ithica but through out the world. Odysseus' journey was the hardest by far. First he had to fight a war in which he received nothing from. He had to watch fellow soldiers perish and was worn on by the stress of battle. He had a ten year journey in which he experience many hardships as well as not being aware of how his family was. He also watch all of his friends perish. If given a choice i would have been Odysseus because i would be remembered forever. Eumaues was an important addition to the story because he showed the people of Ithica's loyalty and respect for Odysseus, the people's perspective of the suitors doing and it filled Odysseus in on the situation . It also is a prime example of Xenia and greek culture.

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