Author: m.severin

“Only Breath” (a poem by Rumi on page 353 in the Norton Volume B) is an extraordinary piece of poetry that really grasped my attention and imagination. This poem is a perfect example of how “mystical” and unique Rumi’s style is. The meaning of this poem can be up for interpretation for the audience, since part of the beauty of this work is to not explicitly state the purpose of it. The reading experience requires some creativity on the reader’s side as well. The “two worlds” that are described could mean “mother and father” or “inner self vs. the outside” or even “inner self vs. relationship with God.” For me, the meaning behind this poem is that in reality, regardless of origin/religion/race/ethnicity, we are all humans defined by our breath, co-existence, and survival.

Please let me know if you have any opinions to share about this piece!

I greatly enjoyed reading all of the opinions on the meaning of love in Plato’s Symposium.

One of my favorite speakers in the work is Eryximachus (the doctor) because he introduced the concepts of “common” and “heavenly” love, which we touched on in class. He mentions that aside from medicine – athletics, agriculture, and music are all forms of love as well. Music is a form of love because a whole piece creates “agreement” between all of the notes.

We mentioned in class that common love is when one “loves” another person’s body. This type of love is based on lust and simple/mindless desires. Heavenly love; however, is when one is ready for a committed relationship. This kind of love is usually felt for boys of developing maturity who show signs of intelligence and with whom a life-long partnership is possible. This type of love is emotional (can be physical as well) and meaningful.

I also enjoyed the structure of this work. Its setting is mostly at dinner with the characters taking turns explaining their meanings of love while getting drunk. Also, I noticed that the conversation keeps getting deeper after every speaker. This is a very unique work, and that’s why it really kept my attention.

 

I personally do trust in Odysseus’ desire to return home, even though I can see why some readers may think otherwise. Odysseus (and his men) do get placed in some “sticky” situations during his voyage home, and sometimes they make stops that may be unnecessarily long. However, I believe that this showcases the “polytropos” concept that we talked about in class. Yes, Odysseus does have sexual intercourse with Calypso and yes,  Odysseus does have emotional and/or physical relationships with other females (Nausicaa, Circe, etc.) – but Odysseus made the best of every situation he was in. He was just saving himself and tried to use his abilities to get himself out of tight spots. He went on the good sides of people/goddesses that could have hurt him, but chose not to because of Odysseus’ charm and cleverness. At the end of the day, I still believe that Odysseus wants to get home to his wife and son. Otherwise, he would stay with Calypso or just not show an interest in returning.

I also believe that Homer himself trusts in Odysseus’ desire to return home. The reason why there is such a delay in his return is because Homer wants to show his readers how much of a heroic figure Odysseus is. By showing what Odysseus overcomes throughout his journey home, it makes  the readers feel a great sense of relief when he finally makes it home. The stops that Odysseus makes are necessary because they record his journey and showcase his persistence and strength.