Part One
Book nine begins with Odysseus introducing his story to King Alcinous, the king of Phaeacia. As he begins his story, he first compliments Alcinous by telling him that his palace “is the best that life can offer” (9.11). After this, Odysseus continues with the rest of his journey and finally confesses his name to the people of Phaeacia. But, while sharing his journey, he mentions Calypso and Circe before anything else. He told them this before even saying why he was with them or all the events that happened before the two women. Why? Throughout Odysseus’ story he tells the Phaeacians about all the traps people had set for them and how people had tried to convince Odysseus and his crew to stay. After Odysseus and his crew traveled and escaped Ismarus and the land of the Lotus-eaters, they arrived on the Cyclops’ land. The Cyclops, Polyphemus, is Poseidon’s son and Odysseus blinded Polyphemus. This helped Odysseus and his crew escape, but only for Odysseus to taunt the Cyclops and almost getting crushed by a giant rock. This, I believe, really showed Odysseus’ character because his actions were irrational and but everyone’s lives in danger. Odysseus yelled back to Polyphemus only to make himself feel better and to prove he was smarter than him. But at the end, Odysseus and his crew finally escape the Cyclops’ island.
Q: To what extent is Odysseus to blame for the trouble he and his crew find themselves in? Does he redeem himself at all by being the one to help them eventually escape?
A: I do not believe that Odysseus is entirely the one to blame, but a lot of their misfortunes are because of him. When Odysseus and his crew arrive on the island of the Cyclops, they explored the island to see what kind of people live there. But, once they come upon a cave, Odysseus walks inside. When the Cyclops returned, he was not happy to see them in his house and continued to kill members of Odysseus’ crew two at a time. Eventually Odysseus manages to escape, but he did not fully redeem himself. He put his crew in danger and continued to taunt the Cyclops once they had left and telling the Cyclops his name put him in even more danger.
Q: Why is it easier to attribute Odysseus’ troubles at sea to one single cause—Poseidon avenging his son—than to acknowledge that it might just be a series of unrelated events (bad weather, inept navigation, etc.)? Is it possible that our own modern religions serve a similar purpose in our lives?
A: It is easier to attribute Odysseus’ troubles to Poseidon because it might have been what they believed in at the time. In Ancient Greece, all of the people believed that the Gods controlled everything and that Zeus created paths for everyone. This was the easiest thing to do because no one would have questioned it. Our own religions have the same purpose because many people believe that God is responsible for a lot of things that happen in our lifetimes. There are also others that believe in something other than a god. This serves the same purpose, but if something bad were to happen to someone, they might blame it on something like karma, not necessarily God punishing them.
Guiding Question #1: If you had witnessed someone kill people that were close to you, like what the Cyclops had done, would you seek revenge? How would you react? Would you be hotheaded like Odysseus or respond calmly and sail away without a word?
Part Two
Literary Devices:
Simile- “Here was a piece of work, by god, a monster built like no mortal who ever supped on bread, no, like a shaggy peak, I’d say—a man-mountain rearing head and shoulders over the world” (9.211-214). Homer uses similes to show what is going on without being able to show it. By comparing objects and people to things we actually know, it is easier to picture what is happening.
Foreshadowing- The Cyclops says, about Odysseus, at the end of book nine, “…let him come home late and come a broken man—all shipmates lost, alone in a stranger’s ship—and let him find a world of pain at home!” (9.592-595) This is foreshadowing because almost everything the Cyclops had said has come true. Odysseus is already coming home late and a broken man, so maybe before he returns home he will lose all of his crew and be alone the rest of the journey.
Epic Machinery:
Epithets- “When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more…” is used throughout every book in The Odyssey. This line is used when the characters are expressing a new day and it is almost described as a beautiful woman that is responsible for bringing about the new day. But, I feel like this line is only said when the character telling the story is about to explain or share something that is really important. In book nine, the first time it is used is to show that Odysseus was approaching the Cyclops’ shore. The second time is when they meet the Cyclops, the third is when they blinded the Cyclops, the fourth is when the Cyclops threatens Odysseus, and the fifth is when Odysseus and his men finally escape.
Translator’s Notes:
In book nine, Odysseus says, “But I would not let our rolling ships set sail until the crews had raised the triple cry, saluting each poor comrade cut down by the fierce Cicones on that plain” (9.74).
Translation- the triple cry: A funeral rite, presumably a farewell to the dead; three times presumably to make sure the dead hear the cry.
I thought this was very interesting because I was wondering why everything happened in combinations of three, and reading about this made some sense. This was significant because in order to honor his men, Odysseus made sure they could hear their farewell. Although everyone probably did this for their loved ones, I think it showed Odysseus really did care about his crew and was sorry that they were gone.
Guiding Question #2: Do you think what the Cyclops said will come true? Do you believe that if Odysseus never revealed his name to the Cyclops, none of this would have ever happened? Why or why not?
Part Three
One of the themes that I noticed while reading book nine is pride. Odysseus has the problem of excessive pride when he shouts his name back to Polyphemus and says, “Cyclops—if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye…” (9.558-561). Odysseus has too much pride to stop himself from making a huge mistake. He is furious with the Cyclops for killing his men and not being hospitable towards him on his journey and he tries to say something to upset the Cyclops, while in return it ends up hurting him. Fate is another theme because, as I stated earlier, the Cyclops cursed Odysseus and that curse has become Odysseus’ fate. He will not be able to prevent it until he reaches home because Poseidon has control over Odysseus’ fate while he is out at sea. The movie The Patriot reminds me of Odysseus’ problem with pride. This movie is about war, and a certain character wants to avenge his brother’s death. His pride overwhelms him and he believes he can seek revenge on his own, but ends up getting killed by the same man who killed his brother. Fate is also a theme that is found in many love stories. There is one novel, The Notebook, that shows how after many obstacles in ones life, fate will always find them. In book nine, Homer shows that Odysseus’ fate might eventually catch up with him.
Guiding Question #3: Do you think Odysseus’ pride will continue to be a problem? Will his fate continue to stay the same or will he be able to return home safely?
