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The New York Times on October 13^th featured an article, “Across the U.S. Long Recovery Looks Like Recession”.  Currently we are making a slow recovery from the recession in the United States. They have done as much as they can do already, but what more can be done? And if the government steps in and does more, will that just make the economy worse? At the moment there is still a low unemployment rate and not enough jobs to go around. Foreclosure although improving is still pretty high and the housing market is still down as well. The best thing at this point for the Fed to do is to wait it out.

In the scene of the Odyssey with Circe and Odysseus we see a comparable situation. Odysseus learns from Circe that he has 2 terrible encounters ahead of him and that he must choose one. The choice is between Scylla and Charibdys. No matter which path Odysseus chooses these two monsters will lead to impending death. Circe advises Odysseus that the best choice would be to steadily row straight through Scylla because, “[b]etter by far to lose six men and keep your ship than lose your entire crew.” (A, 402) If he chooses Charibdys the entire ship would be engulfed by the whirlpool. Odysseus initially questions his ability to fight of Scylla, but Circe advises him that the best course of action is to just row straight along through the monster. This is similar to the situation spoken about by economist Barry Eichengreen of the University of California: “But we’re going to be living with the overhang of our financial and debt problems for a long, long time to come.”  These unavoidable hardships we are to face in the U.S. as a result of the recession create a great parallel to the previously mentioned situation from the Odyssey.

           In The Odyssey, readers are introduced to a great Greek hero, Odysseus. After fighting an infamous war in Troy, most of the warriors returned home, all except the king of Ithica, Odysseus. Ten years elapsed and most of the townspeople gave up on the hope of Odysseus’s arrival. However, Odysseus’s wife , Penelope, and son, Telemachus, still believed he would return home. Meanwhile, suitors from all over Ithica were trying to take over the kingdom and court. During this time, Odysseus faced many obstacles in order to return home. He had to battle with the Cyclopes , Polyphemus, who was held captive by the Goddess Calypso and survived a brutal storm sent by Poisdon as punishment for blinding the Cyclops while he was at sea. Even through all these unfortunate events, Odysseus was determined to be reunited with his family. In book nine we read “So nothing is as sweet as a man’s own country”. Odysseus had a great longing to return home and would do go through even more hardships if it would mean he could return to his kingdom and family.

      We can compare Odysseus’s determination to the recent headlines of the Chilean miners. Since August 5^th, 33 Chilean men had been trapped in an underground mine. At first, no one had known if they were alive. After a starteling discovery of two notes sent by the trapped miners, rescue missions began. The mission was seen as a challenge from the start since no one had ever attempted to go so far underground. Engineers worked day after day to build a hole that would bring the men back to safety. On October 12th, after much aniticipation the miners were finally rescued. Much like Odysseus, the miners had undergone a struggle to return home. Most of their resources were limited, they were living in poor health conditions and couldn’t see their family for 68 days. However these men were determined to get home and kept positive that their life wasn’t over. In a quote from the New York Times article “Trapped 68 days, first Chilean miners taste freedom” written by Alexei Barrionuevo and Simon Romero, we read “during their more then two months confinement, the miners and their determination to survive have inspired this country and riveted the world”. Both the story of The Odyssey and the 33 Chilean miners teach us that once you set a goal for yourself you can accomplish it, and even though you might have to go through some obstacles, the reward will be that much greater.

New York Times writer Ben Shpigel released an article about the New York Yankees struggles against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees are on the verge of elimination from the playoffs. If they lose one more game they will  lose their oppurtunity to achieve the coveted world series title. Their struggle is very similar to Odysseus’s struggle against the suitors. Both the Yankees and Odysseus are nearing the climax of their battles, so close to their goals. The Yankees and Odysseus need an extra push; someone or something to get them over the hurdle. The Yankee star players, like Mark Teixera, is injured and the question of giving up may be in their heads.  Similarly, Odysseus find himself struggling against the suitors in the first battle. He calls for Athena for help. Athena relpies with “Where its gone, Odysseus-your power, your fighting heart?” (A, 526)

That is a question for both the Yankees and Odysseus. The Yankees have persevered in the past. They have a history of being proven champions. Odysseus is known to be a champion himself, a fierce warrior. Both Odysseus and the Yankees need to look within themselves and find the strength for victory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/sports/baseball/20yankees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

1.- How is the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu

2.- How is the behavior of the God\gods in Genesis and Gilgamesh

3.-Describe Odyseus leadership

By;

Weng, Kinga, Tsheten, Monique, Eric, Miosotis

So these are the three questions our group came up with.

Please add or comment anything you think might help the question help us!!

1.) Describe how the character’s personalities differ from Polytheism (The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey) to Monotheism (Genesis and The Book of Job).

2.) Agree or disagree that Gilgamesh learns his lessons of hybris where Odysseus never does.

3.) Explain how the stories of Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh demonstrate that men are in charge and also have power structure.

1. Compare the personality of God in Genesis and The Book of Job.

2. Compare and contrast the use of trickery by Odysseus and Penelope.

1) How does Genesis and the Odyssey show that incurring the wrath of Gods is dangerous?

2) How is the power of a higher deity in the Book of Job and Gilgamesh different? How is it similar?

3) In The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Genesis, how is the theme of doubles prevalent?

1. What is the role of Penelope in Odyssey; discuss how she is portrayed in this epic.
2. Compare the Underworld in Gilgamesh and the Underworld in Odyssey. what did Gilgamesh and Odyssey learn from the experience?

1. Compare Odysseus’ leadership to Gilgamesh’s ledership. Who was a more successful leader?

2. What are the differences between the God in the Book of Job and the God in Gensis?

3. How does God’s punishment given to Job compare and contrast to the punishment God gives to Eve?

Lauren D’Aquila, Limor Shalev, Steven Katz, Brittany Dourne, John Paredes

1.A common theme in the stories we have read is the role of a God or Gods in human life. Explain the influence on humans the Hebrew God, the Greek Gods and the Gods of Gilgamesh have. Use a citation from the text to explain each.

2.How does the character of Enkidu compare to Adam in Genesis? How are they related? Cite and explain a key similarity or difference to support your argument.

3.The characters of Odysseus and Gilgamesh are powerful men whose lives are altered by the Gods. What did the Gods do to punish the hubris that was displayed? Did the characters deserve their punishment? Why or why not?

4. Were females a positive or negative presence in the stories we’ve read? Give examples to support your argument.

Aleksandra C., Amanda T., Thomas M., Jhosemary G., Maria P., Alena V., Sajjad A.