Odyssey Test
1. What have you learned about Greek culture, values, and religion? Address the roles of women and men, honor and virtues, gods and goddesses, etc.
The book the Odyssey, represents Greek culture, values, and religion at its finest. Homer shows how Greeks welcomed guests of any kind into their houses, no matter what they had going on. Not only did the Greeks welcome strangers, women were not powerless during the time the Odyssey takes place. Women did not have more power then the men or the boys did, but they did have a surprising amount of input considering the time period they lived in. For example when Odysseus was away, Penelope has rule over the palace when Telemachus is young. Even when Telemachus gets older, Penelope still has the final say in many decisions related to the suitors.
One of the biggest things I learned about Greek values is that they are hospitable. Every time Odysseus and his men came to an island with non mortals they would be welcomed with a huge feast. Not only do the Greeks love to feed their guests, but also they do not seem to mind the length of your stay. The only bad value that I have noticed while reading and watching the Odyssey is that sometimes the visitor can get a little rude and out of hand. The suitors that hung out in the courtyard of Odysseus’ palace became greedy and demanding. Greek values might not actually be like this but these actions can make one think that Greeks can sometimes be unruly. In the Odyssey, you can tell that Greek religion is very much centered around gods and believing in mythical creatures. Every island that Odysseus lands on and almost every thing he meets on his odyssey is a god of mythical creature. Take for example, his way of travel is by sea, or Poseidon the sea god. Athena, the daughter of Zeus would appear whenever an Odysseus family member needed help. Odysseus meet Cyclops, a nymph and many gods all while on his journey.
2. What resonated with you in reading about Odysseus' adventures? Why? When you hear someone talk about the Odyssey, different thoughts may pop up into your head. For some it could bring up memories of reading an incredibly long and boring book in school. For others it could make them think of ancient
3. This epic poem is dated nearly 3000 years ago, why is it still relevant?
Some documents are written with the purpose of being able to withstand the future. But some are not always able to make it through history. The Odyssey is one of those documents that did. When Homer told this epic poem, he did not tell it hoping that it would last for many years. It just did. For a document to be able to last a very long time it must be flexible or in the Odyssey’s case easy for everyone to relate to. Since a good part of the plot is about adventure and family it becomes something that most people can relate to. Not only is the plot one reason for it staying relevant, the fact that it is an epic poem made it last longer. Many centuries ago when stories were only told, after Homer told this story, generations later were probably still hearing it. Once storytelling was no longer the way to tell a story, the Odyssey began being put into written format. So because people knew the story and how good it was it would just be translated over and over again.
4. How would you characterize the narrator, the fictive "Homer" whose voice we imagine as singing the verses of the Odyssey?
When Homer first comes to mind, I think of a very peaceful, down-to-earth kind of guy. But when I think about who he could have been and what he wrote, I began to think of someone else. The Odyssey is full of the things that would make a movie X rated. It has violence, sex, and drugs. This makes me think that Homer would have been a very interesting man. I think that he would know and probably even experienced violence and sex. He was probably a typical man back in his time except the fact that he could write poems, epic poems for that matter. He must have been very into literature and maybe even a little sensitive.
5. What kinds of behavior are treated as contemptible in the Odyssey?
Every single aspect of the Odyssey is not like today at all. One of the biggest that has changed over years is behavior. The Greeks are showed to be these kind, open people, but they do have some things that are just not allowed. Welcoming strangers into their homes was a normal thing to do but once the strangers are in your house, the hostess has a certain way to behave. Not wanting to feed certain visitors or treat them with respect is not acceptable no matter how rude they might be. Women being unfaithful to their husbands were also disgraceful but it would be treated a little differently.
6. How does the poem represent mortal women? Since Penelope is the most important woman in the Odyssey, what qualities does she possess, and how does she respond to the troubles she faces? (Some of the other women are of note, too-Eurycleia the serving woman, the faithless maidservants, Nausicaa the Phaeacian princess, and Helen of
Women have never really had a good stand in stories and in real life. Their rights are not always given and they are not treated right either. But in the Odyssey, things are a little different. Mortal women do not have a complete say in things but they do have some. Penelope for instance, has control over the palace most of the time even though Telemachus is there. She is portrayed as a strong woman because she can face all of the suitors and tell what to do. Not only that but she has to live 20 years never knowing for sure if her husband is dead or alive. Some of the other women in the Odyssey do not have as big parts but they are still strong. Eurycleia, even though she was a maid, would not stand all those suitors in the palace and would refuse to serve them. The women in the Odyssey are showed to be strong and courageous.
7. How do Homer's gods think and behave? How do their actions and motivations differ from the conception of god in other religions of which you have knowledge? What role do the Homeric gods play in human affairs, and what is the responsibility of humans with respect to those gods?
Homer’s and Greek gods are very different from a god of a western religion. In the Odyssey they worship their gods with a passion. Statues are built in big temples just for a god. They pray every day to them and ask for help and guidance. As much as they worship them though, few are actually blessed with being able to see the gods. Having a god speak to you was a great honor. The god knew they were important too. They acted with confidence, but almost to a point were it was cocky. The gods would choose to help certain mortals, demanding on their problem. Or in Odysseus’ case the gods could just be in love with you. In religions from the more modern world, gods do not act this way at all. For instance, some of the Greek goddess would sleep with the mortal men. This is never portrayed or thought of in modern religions.
