Again, with this blog assignment, due Tuesday (2/17), you’ll start with reading the next four books of The Odyssey (9-12). (Don’t worry yet about the Margaret Atwood poem listed on the syllabus; if we have time, I’ll bring that to class so we can discuss it there.)
For your last assignment, you focused on noticing things about the poem and raising questions based on those observations. This time, we’re going to think about how to turn those observations into analysis. Another way to put it might be that, instead of just noticing things in the text, we’re going to start working on interpreting those observations. Interpretation means offering what you think is the most convincing way of answering questions that your observations about the text raise. It may be tempting to think of interpretation as just arbitrary (just one interpretation among many), and it’s true that the texts we’re reading for this class are open to many possible interpretations. However, when you offer your analysis of a particular passage, you’re trying to show, with evidence, that your analysis is not only sound (based on clues that the text itself gives rather than just your own assumptions or preconceived ideas) but also compelling (able to persuade your reader that other possible interpretations aren’t as capable of taking all of that evidence into account).
As with your last assignment, you should start by choosing a passage that is interesting to you, one that raises questions or that you initially find puzzling. This time, your post should (in no more than 500 words) provide an analysis of that passage, one that offers your most compelling interpretation. Your post will have three steps: 1) Make sure to begin by letting your reader know which passage you’ll be analyzing. 2) Then, tell us briefly what important question or questions that passage raises for you. 3) Finally, give us your analysis of the passage: your best answer to that question, backed up with evidence that you’ve observed.
Here’s an example of an analysis of a passage that I find particularly interesting:
I’ll be looking at a very short passage in book 9, around lines 282-288, when the Cyclops Polyphemus first confronts Odysseus and his men. It seems to me like a major question raised by the depiction of Polyphemus throughout this episode is whether we can regard him as evil, a monster. That is, if the Cyclops, as a group, don’t abide by laws (as Odysseus tells us), then can we really think of Polyphemus as breaking any (the “law” or taboo against cannibalism, for example)? This matters, I think, since Odysseus’s poor treatment of Polyphemus leads to Poseidon’s punishment, which is so central to the poem from the very beginning.
I would argue that Polyphemus does have a moral code; he just chooses to disregard it, which is precisely why we can designate him as evil. That is, he commits crimes not out of ignorance but out of malice. Polyphemus first demonstrates that he has a moral code when he accuses Odysseus and his men of violating that code by intruding in Polyphemus’ home. The monster hurls epithets at the crew, calling them “pirates, sea-wolves raiding at will” (Homer, book 9, line 285). Polyphemus’ language is especially revealing here, as he clearly associates the men’s actions with particularly extreme violations of traditional morals. “Pirates” are not just thieves but terrorists, violating the security those on a ship might otherwise feel out in the open sea, with no one around to disturb their tranquility. The compound “sea-wolves” takes this accusation of violation even further, as the combination “sea” and “wolf” suggests an impossible and frightening combination. Polyphemus is, interestingly, calling Odysseus and his men monsters here; their acts of burglary are so severe that the Cyclops finds them freakish. Moreover, both labels (“pirates” and “sea-wolves”) suggest that Polyphemus is particularly disturbed by the fact that the sailors have made their way on land; their evident amphibian natures make them even more threatening. It is as if he understands that there is nowhere he can go to be safe. Overall, it is important to note here that Polyphemus not only feels violated by the intrusion of these men into his home; he also feels the need to tell them that they have done something wrong. That Polyphemus knows that the crew’s acts are wrong, knows that their acts violate an implicit code of order, clearly demonstrates that Polyphemus has a moral code. This should also lead us to question Odysseus’ claim that the Cyclops, as a species, are lawless, a claim that otherwise undermines any attempt to accuse Polyphemus of immorality. If Odysseus is right, and the Cyclops have no laws, then it would be difficult to demonstrate that Polyphemus violates laws. On the other hand if, as I’ve attempted to show, Polyphemus does understand laws, then it is possible to show that he violates them, in his words, “at will.”
(You’ll see that the whole of my analysis here is really of a single line and its context. I try to make a case for why that line is important and why the particular choices made by the poet in that line are worthy of unpacking at length. You are, however, welcome to analyze more details than I have here.)
One last thing: looking ahead, your next assignment, for 2/24, will require you to memorize a short passage of The Odyssey (of no fewer than 8 lines; more than 8 lines is great but not required). I’ll provide more details when the time comes (though I can tell you that you will not be required to recite in front of the class), but it might be a good idea to choose a passage now that you would like to memorize. Your passage can be from any part of the poem (not just the reading for that week), and it may be a passage you’ve already written on for a blog post. You may choose any passage you like as long as it meets the length requirement, but I’ll give you one piece of advice: try to choose a passage that ends with concluding punctuation (usually a period), so that you don’t just stop mid-sentence.
As always, let me know if you have questions, and, remember, you can always stop by office hours!