Sep 10 2014
Books 12-16 – Post for Tomorrow’s Discussion – Sam Kreisberg
During Odysseus’ recounter of his travels to the Phacians, we are introduced to the Sirens, who attempted to lure Odysseus and his crew with their beautiful enchantments. (We will be discussing this in beginning of the discussion). Odysseus’s struggle with self-control, in my opinion, is something most people our age can relate to. Please be prepared to share a short story about having little or no self-control over a situation.
While exploring for a scholarly article I came across “The Pattern of Guest Welcome in the ‘Odyssey'”, written by Cynthia Shelmerdine. This journal entry exposes a “motif” throughout the poem. Shelmerdine’s main focus lies within the initial four guest welcome instances. However, the pattern she discusses relates to the later Eumaeus’ welcoming of Odysseus. In the journal entry she identifies the pattern as welcoming the guest, sharing food and drink, and questioning the origins of the traveler. In today’s society, it is my opinion that people would not welcome a stranger into their home and offer food and a place to rest. Do you agree? Would you give food, drink, and a place to sleep of a random stranger knocking on your door?
These two discussion points caught my attention. We can talk about how human’s back in Ancient times either relate or differ from human’s in contemporary society.
Please keep in mind there will be more to discuss, such as the reunion of Telemachos and Odysseus.
**Disclaimer – I could not figure out the formatting (I’ve been trying to fix the citation for too long).
Citation for Scholarly Article
Shelmerdine, Cynthia W. “The Pattern of Guest Welcome in the ‘Odyssey'” The Classical Journal 65.3 (1969): 124. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3296256?ref=no-x-route:881881879999e69a84373a89d4207ec4>.
-Sam Kreisberg
3 responses so far
3 Responses to “Books 12-16 – Post for Tomorrow’s Discussion – Sam Kreisberg”
I believe humans now than in the past because of technology. In the past you would greet strangers more often because at times it was the only form of communication and meeting people was to invite a stranger into your household in order to hold a conversation with someone because you might no meet a new person ever unless you travel somewhere. Also with technology now people are not as in tune with what goes on around them because they rather have a conversation through email or text them before ever actually meeting them.
Sam, I found your discussion of the Sirens very interesting. I appreciated how you related this ancient struggle of Homer to everyday struggles one may undergo today and exercise self-control. I think that Homer provides a fascinating blueprint for one to deal with such a struggle. Firstly, he suggests advice. Odysseus takes council in the gods to prepare for the dangerous adventure. It is important to seek council and to understand the difficulties that may lay ahead. After that one may begin prepare for the conflict to come. Only with the proper preparations is Odysseus prepared to take on the Sirens. Most interestingly was the way in which Odysseus actually “exercised” self control. Knowing that it would be difficult to control himself, he empowered his fellow crew members to help him through it. He did not attempt to undertake more than he was capable. These are important ideas to bear in mind when presented with a challenge to one’s self control.
Ovadia,
Thank you for your comment. Reflecting on this discussion and your previous post I find myself wondering what would have happened if Odysseus was never warned. As you stated, Odysseus was “prepared” for the Sirens. However if he was never given the knowledge of what to do, do you think he would have possessed the self-control he exhibits? I believe if he had no warning the Sirens, it would have been too much for him to handle, and the whole crew would have been led to their own demise.