LITERATURE CIRCLES

Literary Luminary
Name: Javier Gamboa
Text: The Odyssey
Date: September 2, 2010
Books: 16-19

Literary Luminary: The Odyssey features a powerful array of epithets and figures of
speech. Your job is: (a) to prepare a summary of the reading. Make a quick statement to discuss
the UNIVERSAL TRUTH found in the text; (b) to identify “Golden Lines”—or special passages
in the text (interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important sections). You will also ponder on
how certain lines in the text are further illuminated in succeeding scenes. Decide which passages
or paragraphs are worth remembering, and indicate how you plan to present them: (a) You can
read the passages aloud yourself, (b) ask someone else to read them, or (c) read them together
as a group. Make sure to discuss your analysis of the selected text.

Quick Statement: What, for you, is the UNIVERSAL TRUTH in the text? Compare
this with others’.

In my opinion, the universal truth for these books is that Odysseus' revenge
is absolute, merciless, and well-deserved. I think that is is absolute because
he is being helped by the goddess Athena, which is a guarantee that his
vengeance on the suitors will happen. I say that it is merciless because he
will kill just about anyone in his palace who he thinks has wronged him while
he was gone, suitors and maidservants included. There is even one line that
states that he will slaughter them regardless of whether they were just or
not. Lastly, I say that it is well-deserved because it's been over a decade
since the suitors started taking advantage of the household's resources, and
they've caused enough trouble as it is, so Odysseus, as well as Telemachus
and Penelope, avenging his house has been building up to this inevitable
climax.
 LITERATURE CIRCLES
GOLDEN LINES
“But Telemachus did not look at her nor
perceive her; for the gods do not show
themselves in this way to everyone; but
Odysseus saw her and the dogs did; they were
not barking, but cowered away, whimpering, to
the other side of the shelter.”
“No, you are not Odysseus, my father, but
some divinity beguiles me, so that I must
grieve the more, and be sorry. For no man who
was mortal could ever have so contrived it by
his own mind alone, not unless some immortal,
descending on him in person, were lightly to
make him a young or old person.” -
Telemachus
“And it is a light thing for the gods who hold
wide heaven to glorify any mortal man, or else
to degrade him” - Odysseus
“Dear friends, I for my part would not be
willing to murder Telemachus; it is terrible to
kill one of royal blood; we should first have to
ask the gods for their counsel. Then if the
ordinances of great Zeus approve of it, I
myself would kill him and tell all others to do
so but I say we must give it up, if the gods
deny us.” - Amphinomos
“Peiraios, since we do not know how this will
come out, or whether the haughty suitors will
kill me here in my palace treacherously and
divide up my father's possessions, I wish that
you yourself, or one of these men, should keep
them and have the profit. But if I can plot their
death and destruction, bring them to my
house; and there will be gratitude on both
sides”
- Telemachus
“See how the rascal comes on leading a rascal
about; like guides what is like itself, just as a
god does.” - Melanthios
“Even so there is no suppressing the ravenous
belly, a cursed thing, which bestows many
evils on men, seeing that even for its sake the
strong-built ships are handled across the
barren great sea, bringing misfortune to
enemies.” - Odysseus
“The suitors raised their tumult across the
halls; but Athena came then and stood close
by Odysseus, son of Laertes, and stirred him to
go collect his bits of bread from the suitors,
and so lear which of them were fair, which
Book Significance and Analysis
This instance shows how gods like
Athena are selective with who can
Book XVI sense her presence, and how a
Lines 160-163 gods presence itself is powerful
enough to make lesser creatures,
such as dogs, cower in fear.
Telemachus is skeptical of his
father's revelation that he is
Book XVI Odysseus because he believes
Lines 194-198 that he is either a divinity, or
someone manipulated by a divinity
to trick him and burden him.
Odysseus tells his son that the
Book XVI gods are so powerful, that they
Lines 211-212 have the power to make a single
person's life glorious or miserable.
This particular passage shows how
there are some suitors who, out of
fear of punishment from the
Book XVI
heavens, do not want to, in cold
Lines 400-405
blood, kill Telemachus, lest anger
the Olympians, who so favor
royalty.
Telemachus is uncertain himself is
he and his father will succeed in
defeating the suitors, so in a feat
Book XVII of wealth preservation, he keeps
Lines 78-83 his gifts and possessions with
Peiraios, so that whatever
happens, the treasures are not lost
to enemy hands.
This shows the prevalent
discrimination towards “lesser
men” such as swineherders and
Book XVII
beggars and how many typecast
Lines 217-218
these people as lowly,
unintelligent and part of a “blind
leading the blind” scenario.
Odysseus describes the need for
food and constant hunger as
humanity's bane, as it has brought
Book XVII
a lot of pain and death and
Lines 286-289
suffering brought on by either
starvation or, implied in this quote,
cannibalism.
Book XVII Athena believes that Odysseus'
Lines 360-364 exacting of revenge on the suitors
should be all-encompassing
meaning no man left standing.
Regardless of whether they were
 LITERATURE CIRCLES
unfair; but even so, she would not deliver any
of them from disaster.”
“Antinoos, you did badly to hit the unhappy
vagabond: a curse on you, if he turns out to be
some god from heaven. For the gods do take
on all sorts of transformations, appearing as
strangers from elsewhere, and thus they range
at large through the cities, watching to see
which men keep the laws, and which are
violent.” - suitor
“For the mind in men upon the earth goes
according to the fortunes the Father of Gods
and Men, day by day, bestows upon them. For
I myself once promised to be a man of
prosperity, but, giving way to force and
violence, did many reckless things, because I
relied on my father and brothers.” - Alkinoos
“How I wish chaste Artemis would give me
death so soft, and now, so I would not go on in
my heart grieving all my life, and longing for
love of a husband excellent in every virtue,
since he stood out among the Achaians.” -
Penelope
“Eurymachos, all my excellence, my beauty
and figure, were ruined by the immortals at
the tie when the Argives took ship for Ilion,
and with them my husband, Odysseus.” -
Penelope
“The behavior of these suitors is not as it was
in time past when suitors desired to pay their
court to a noble woman and daughter of a rich
man, and rival each other.” - Penelope
“I think I will go to Telemachus, you bitch, and
tell him how you are talking, so that he will cut
you to pieces.” - Odysseus
“Now I cannot escape from this marriage; I can
no longer think of another plan; my parents
are urgent with me to marry; my son is vexed
as they eat away our livelihood.” - Penelope
“But I shall never welcome him home, come
back again to the beloved and of his fathers. It
was on a bad day for him that Odysseus
boarded his hollow ship for that evil, not-to-be-
mentioned Ilion.” - Penelope
“Human beings live for only a short time, and
when a man is harsh himself, and his mind
knows harsh thoughts, all men pray that
suffering befall him hereafter while he lives;
truly malevolent, Athena believed
they should be punished just for
being in Odysseus' house.
When one commits harsh acts in
those times, the transgressor is
not berated for the deed actually
Book XVII harming another, but they are
Lines 483-487 called out for potentially angering
or wronging a god, showing that
their sense of morality is highly
different from current times.
Alkinoos argues that one's skills
and talents are bestowed upon
each and everyone by the gods,
Book XVIII
but what one does with these
Lines 136-140
talents is up to that person,
leading either to prosperity or
misfortune.
Penelope expresses that she would
rather die than continue living a
Book XVIII
life in which she grieves for her
Lines 202-205
perfect man, whom she believes
will never return.
Penelope believes that Odysseus
brought out the best in her, and
Book XVIII once he was gone, she was
Lines 251-253 reduced to a shadow of her former
content, gracious and peaceful
self.
Penelope articulates how the
tradition of suitors has changed
Book XVIII
over time, and how it has become
Lines 275-277
more chaotic and less courteous
as compared to before.
Odysseus lashes out at a
maidservants, showing that his
Book XVIII
anger and vengeance against his
Lines 338-339
household's abusers is not gender-
specific.
Penelope ways her options,
showing that her decision to
Book XIX remarry has pressure from two
Lines 157-159 generations: her progenitors and
her offspring AKA her past and her
future.
Penelope is extremely bitter about
Odysseus leaving for Troy, and
that it was false judgment on his
Book XIX part to embark on that voyage.
Lines 256-260 Because of her bitterness and
anger, she doesn't want to accept
Odysseus back in Ithaca despite
her grieving and longing for him.
Book XIX Penelope concludes that what one
Lines 328-334 does in his/her lifetime affects not
only how others treat a person,
but what their legacy is. If you
 LITERATURE CIRCLES

and when he is dead, all men make fun of him.

But when a man is blameless himself, and his
were bad/good in your lifetime,
thoughts are blameless, the friends he has
then your name is remembered as
entertained carry his fame widely to all
being either good/bad.
mankind, and many are they who call him
excellent.” - Penelope

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