Book 20
In this book, Penelope prays to Artemis to shoot her with an arrow and kill her. She does this because of her grief over Odysseus. If you were in this situation, would you wish for the same thing? How long would it take for you to start wishing you were dead too and what would you do about it? What does this show about Penelope's feelings for Odysseus? If you had to give her ONE characteristic, a one word description to describe her throughout the story to this very book, what would that word be? Why?
If I were in this situation I don't think I would ask for death. If I heard news that the person I loved were dead might be the time when I would but not as soon as Penelope was ready for. This shows that Penelope truly loved Odysseus. The ONE characteristic that describes her would be faithful because she never tries to cheat on Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteIf I were put into the same type of situation, where the person I loved most was gone for 20 years, I would be very distraught but I don't think I would ask for death either. If I heard that they person I loved most was dead I would be really upset but I still wouldn't ask for death in a literal way of "shooting me with an arrow" but I think I would be pretty depressed... This shows that Penelope truly loves Odysseus with all of her heart. One characteristic that I would describe Penelope is courage. She does the trick with the burial shroud even if it could get her into trouble. And I believe she has to have courage to deal with her husband being away for so long and also because of the suitors.
ReplyDeleteWell Penelope asks to be killed due to the constant stress she undergoes through her long wait for Odysseus. I would NOT kill myself because that would not only end her life, obviously, but it would cause uproar and endanger Telemachus. This shows that Penelope is really in love with Odysseus to the point she would commit suicide due to his absence. My one characteristic I would describe her as is depressing. She is constantly sad and later in the book she also is very skeptic. I call it depressing because she constantly cries and mourns.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in this situation, I would not wish for the same thing. This shows us that Penelope is such a passionate lover and that she is in great agony and pain when Odysseus in not present. Also, it shows that she loves Odysseus so much, that she basically cannot live without him anymore. The one characteristic that I would give Penelope is that she is passionate and loyal. I give her this characteristic because she is going to such great measures just to save herself for Odysseus and not marry a suitor. Also, i give her this characteristic because she has been waiting for 20 years!
ReplyDeleteIf I was in this situation, I wound better sad and upset, but I would not do the same thing. This shows that Penelope really loves Odysseus and couldn't live without him. Also, it shows that she would rather die than not have Odysseus as her husband. If I could give Penelope one characteristic, it would be faithful. I would giver her this characteristic because she has been faithful to Odysseus by not getting married to one of the suitors.
ReplyDeleteFor penelope to pray to artemis to shoot her shows how in love she is with odysseus and how heartbroken she is over him. I couldnt say i would wish for the same thing but at the same time ive never been so in love so its different. if i was this in love it wouldnt take me long to wish i was dead but i dont think i would ever actually want to die in hopes of him returning and being able to see him again. Even if it did take 20 years as long as i didnt know for sure he was dead i would wait for him. one characteristic of penelope is faithful. She never gives up on odysseus and never re-marries even though there are so many suitors.
ReplyDeleteIf I were in the same situation as Penelope I think I would wish for the same thing. It would be really hard to live without the one person that you loved the most. Eventually it would drive you crazy to the point where you wouldn't even be able to think straight anymore. I think that if I were Penelope, I would have started to wish I was dead as soon as Odysseus was said to be dead. I don't know if I would have been able to make it as long as she did. I think that Penelope wishing she was dead is a sign of her true love towards Odysseus. You have to be very hopeful and confident in your husband's return to wait that long. I think that my favorite characteristic about Penelope is how strong hearted she is. It would require a lot of heart and faith to not just totally give up on someone after 20 years.
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ReplyDeleteI would not shoot myself over the grief for Odysseus, or pray for a god or goddess to shoot me with an arrow, either. I would probably start wising I was dead soon after I would hear such news, but I probably would not kill myself at all. I would not really do anything about it, except feel bad, and wait to feel better, or for an opportunity to make myself feel better. I think this shows that Penelope has very, very strong feelings for Odysseus. I think that the one word that I would use to describe Penelope throughout the whole story up until this book would be, "PATIENCE", because she has been extremely patient, for a ridiculous amount of time, throughout the whole book.
ReplyDeleteNo i would not have wished for this because then it opens up the possibility of it actually happening. Also she has been told numerous times that Odysseus is coming or already here. The time i would start wishing I was killed would be when i knew one hundred percent that my husband was dead. It shows you that Penelope truely loves Odysseus but also that she has lost optimism. One characteristic i would give Penelope is faithful because she has waited 20 years for Odysseus and has not even thought of marrying a suitor.
ReplyDeleteFor Penelope to pray to Artemis to shoot her shows how in love she is with Odysseus and how heartbroken she is over him. I couldn't say I would wish for the same thing but at the same time i've never been so in love so it's different. if I was this in love it wouldn't take me long to wish I was dead but I dont think I would ever actually want to die in hopes of him returning and being able to see him again. Even if it did take 20 years, as long as I didnt know for sure he was dead I would wait for him. It would be so horrible to commit suicide and then he returns. One characteristic of Penelope is faithful. She never gives up on Odysseus and never re-marries even though there are so many suitors.
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ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think I would even be in Penelope's situation. I would have forgotten about Odysseus and moved on. But if I happened to be in her position, I probably would ask for Artemis to end my life swiftly and peacefully, because I give up on things easily, and want the easy way out. It wouldn't take me very long to start wishing I was dead if I had to wait for Odysseus. It would take me maybe about 2 years. Therefore, because Penelope somehow managed to wait 10 whole years for him, it shows how passionately she loved him. If I had to use one word to describe Penelope throughout the book, it would be stubborn. She shows this trait perfectly, by waiting 10 years, and by refusing to believe he is alive.
If I was in this situation, I would not wish for the same thing. In fact, nothing would make me wish I was dead because I believe that life is a blessing that should not be taken advantage of. This shows us that Penelope is such a passionate lover and that she is in great agony and pain when Odysseus in not present. Also, it shows that she loves Odysseus so much, that she basically cannot live without him anymore. The one characteristic that I would give Penelope is that she is loyal. I give her this characteristic because she is going to such great measures just to save herself for Odysseus and not marry a suitor. Also, i give her this characteristic because she has been waiting for 20 years!
ReplyDeleteFor Penelope to pray to Artemis to shoot her shows how in love she is with Odysseus and how heartbroken she is over him. I couldn't say I would wish for the same thing but at the same time i've never been so in love so it's different. if I was this in love it wouldn't take me long to think about death but I don't think I would ever actually want to die because of hopes of him returning and me being able to see him again. Even if it did take 20 years, as long as I didn't know for sure he was dead I would wait for him. It would be so horrible to commit suicide and then he returns. One characteristic of Penelope is faithful. She never gives up on Odysseus and never re-marries even though there are so many suitors.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't wish for death if i was in her situation because there is always hope that he could return and i would be as extreme anyways i would just mourn but nothing more. This shows us that she has given up hope completely and that she love Odysseus with all of her heart. I would say that the one word to describe her would be strong. She is able to resist the temptations of giving up on Odysseus and choosing a suitor. She is able to keep her kingdom under control. In addition she also able to raise a son all while having a broken heart think her husband is dead at sea.
ReplyDeleteIf the love of my life had left me for an adventure and hadn't returned after 20 years have passed, I know I would be very upset and probably would be an emotional wreck. I don't think I would wish for death. If I heard he was dead, I would be such a mess but still I don't think I would ever wish to die. This proves how much Penelope loves Odysseus and how strong her love is. If I had to choose one word to describe Penelope, I would have to say she is loyal. Throughout the epic, Penelope stays loyal to Odysseus and she does anything she can to stay loyal to him.
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