Saturday, December 5, 2015
"The Iliad?" "The Odyssey?" What Do We Think?
With reference to The Iliad/Odyssey Video, what did it make you
contemplate regarding archetypal patterns? Homecoming? Pride? The hero?
Divinities? Heroic Code? Guest/Host? Hubris? Other? Please quote from
either text or the video. Please complete this blog response during
class on Dec. 8th.
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23 comments:
After watching this video the archetype of the guest/host relationship made me contemplate wither if this meant that if an outside traveler came knocking on your door that it was your obligation to house them for a period of time, this seems very unusual to me due to that what if a person came into your house looted it and threatened your life to take all of your stuff. In the revolutionary war civilians had to house British troops in their homes, this raises some concern to me that during the time of The Iliad/Odyssey people were doing the same thing so what changed so that people were not allowed to house travelers in their homes anymore?
Odysseus was very similar to the other heroes We have learned about this semester. He has a huge ego, making him guilty of Hubris. In the Odyssey, guest/host relationship is broken. When Odysseus and his crew take refuge in the Cyclops cave, they betray his hospitality. This isn't the first time guest/host relationship has been broken, so it makes me think that maybe guest/host relationship wasn't as serious as the Greeks made it out to be.
The guest/host relationship between Polythenus and "Noman" or Odysseus is a broken one at the least. Odysseus presented himself with an alias in the first place, because he knew that if he hadn't he would be served for dinner for the giants. Following that, the giants just ended up eating Odysseus' crew mates for dinner instead. Then All of the men teamed up and poked the giant in the eye with a huge stick. This story from the video made me question the reality and functionality of the guest/host relationship that the Greeks held so close to them. If a guest isn't welcome in the home in the first place, like Odysseus, then eventually the demise of both the host and the guest will come. It won't always work out even if they both start on good terms.
It showed how a hero doesn't always have to be great or godlike, it can just be an average man like Odysseus. Also it talks about the importance of the guest host relationship when the cyclops gets speared in the eye because he was being a bad host and eating Odysseus' men.
Odysseus is similar to some of the other heros we've read about. He is guilty of hubris like many other heros. He declares his real name after defeating the cyclops. They also break the gyest host relationship. Odysseus' mend are turned into pigs after behaving badly at someone else's table.
This video really illustrated how much challenges and hardship Odysseus was faced with. Through all of the challenges that he went through he was still focused on his goal of getting home. No matter how long it was going to take or what he us to go through he was going to continue living his life. The whole journey took 10 years and in the end he was the only person who returned was the Trojan war. This shows me that the heroic code was a real thing, he went through struggles and prevailed and he was greatly tested but being the hero that he was, he still prevailed.
There are many different aspects of Odysseus' journey that we have learned about in this class, for example, the Guest/Host relationship. This is seen with the giant cyclops he and his crew meets in the cave. Odysseus have a huge ego and he is very arrogant. He and his crew most of the time betray the hospitality they are offered in various situations.
After watching this video It made me question ego. Because Odysseus had such a ego he decided when leaving the cyclops to tell the cyclops who had blinded him. This lead to the entire Odyssey, which if kinda funny. you cant help but wonder what would've happened if Odysseus hadn't had such an ego and shouted his name at the cyclops.
This video showed Odysseus and his voyage home after the Trojan War. He was incredibly prideful; it was this pride that caused his voyage to last 10 years instead of 2 weeks. Odysseus wanted to go home to his country and to his wife, but Poseidon would not let him. He kept throwing Odysseus off his path and causing delays. Each time he was offered immortality or something else to prevent him from going home, but he continued to decline. At the beginning of The Odyssey, Odysseus was prideful and almost immature it would seem, but by the end he realized what being a human truly means and he was a hero for that reason. Not because of his pride or his daring adventures, but because he overcame the struggles he was set with.
While watching the video I noticed that Odysseus would do anything to get home. He would put his men at risk just to get home for his own benefit which I feel isn't that heroic. Odysseus was not the typical hero. He was more human than others and was more about himself then others. He didn't follow the heroic code and was about his own pride. Odysseus often bragged in a way like he did to the cyclops yelling that he was the king and that he lied to the monster causing great pain and difficulties to him and his men.
The Odyssey set many of the archetypes we can see in modern art and literature including the guest/host relationship, hubris, great journeys, and romantic heroes. We can look at heroes in modern times, like Indiana Jones and compare them to Odysseus; revealing many similarities. Another common subject in modern literature that Homer created was the search for the meaning of living. The video showed a man talking about Odysseus, saying, "Odysseus learns what it means to be human".
Guest/host relationships are shown through the actions of Odysseus and his men and Polyphemus the Cyclops, as Odysseus is a guest in Polyphemus' house and the Cyclops kills some of his men, violating the relationship. This leads to heroics by Odysseus, whom comes up with and executes a plan that blinds the Cyclops. As he escapes the island, whereas before he went by the name 'Nobody' so as to hide his identity, he shouts out that he, Odysseus, blinded Polyphemus. He wanted to claim his heroics, a form of hubris that ends up backfiring on him and causes the wrath of Poseidon to fall upon him. Divinities are involved very little besides Poseidon causing the plight of Odysseus, mainly because it is a story more centered around the humanity of Odysseus and his men rather than the fickle behavior of immortality. After all is said and done, though, Odysseus is finally able to return home after 20 long years, though the reunion isn't as to be expected. He too must violate guest/host relationships in a way because of the rowdy suitors, though they violated the relationship first, and he kills them. He reveals himself to his wife, son, and father, and each in time believe that he is who he says to be.
In the video about the odyssey the guest host relationship is challenged many times. Odysseus and his men betray their hosts over and over again. They betray the cyclops by blinding him only to discover that his father is Poseidon and they will be punished severely. They also behave awful at a women's table and all of the crew will be punished besides Odysseus. Odyssues is excessively prideful and has a huge ego making him guilty of hubris
With regards to the guest/host relationship, through out greek mythology, it is so commonly found that this relationship is broken. That shatter in the relationship is the cause for many problems. In the story of Odysseus, the relationship if broken when Polythenus, a cyclops starts eating his guests. Provoked by the action, Odysseus and his men poke olive wood into the cyclopes eye. But further in the list of heroic characteristics and elements is Hubris, or excessive pride. This is something that Odysseus is guilty of, for example, after the incident with the cyclopes, he could have gotten away with out being named the causation of the incident. He was known to the cyclops as "Noman" a play to allow Odysseus and his men to be free of blame, but with his ego, Odysseus shouts his name, letting Poseidon, Polythenus' father know who to blame, causing more problems for Odysseus and his men on their journey home.
In the video, it shows the archetypal patterns that they has to endure. For example, to leave wuth hundreds if men and only come back alone. All the things that he had to go through to complete his quest 20 years later, all the things that can kill you, yet powers through.
After watching the short film, it made me realize how self involved the gods are. It also showed me how the gods were constantly putting each other through tests. Think of Jason or Perseus as examples. They were both put through tests just as Odysseus was put through I lot of tests. In the odyssey guest/host relationship is broken. This is shown in the cyclops cave. Odysseus lies to the cyclops and pokes him in the eye.
Hubris was represented during this video about the Odyssey. The reason that it took Odysseus so long to get home was because of his hubris. He knew he could defeat the cyclops, which violated the guest-host relationship and the relationship of humans and gods. So because of this hubris, Posiden took matters into his own hands. By the time he arrived home he came to the conclusion that "life with all its suffering is better than anything else" which means he eliminated his hubris and lived life sans hubris.
This video about the Odyssey made me think about Odysseus and his pride. He was so eager to get home to his wife Penelope and yet he let his pride hinder him from that. His journey that should’ve only taken a few week took years. Hubris, or excessive pride, is something that Odysseus is guilty of. While it may not have led to his demise on his journey it led to his entire crew’s demise. He let his ego get in the way of the people’s who he was responsible for safety to be compromised. It also brought up the point that while he still had divine help the gods and goddess can still challenge each other and he is not completely safe even with some of them on his side.
While watching this video I realized how the Greeks appreciated the guest host relationship. The video showed how the guests were thankful to the hosts. There are multiple ways of a guest host relationship. For example, when a god or goddess helps a hero it's a guest host relationship.
It shows how an ordinary person, like Odysseus can be a hero. Odysseus has a lot of pride in himself like other heroes we have learned about causing him to be guilty of hubris. This video shows guest/host relationships in various ways. Sometimes people betray others and sometimes they help each other but either way there is a guest/host relationship.
This video that talked about the Odyssey made me think about Odysseus' pride. He was so eager to get home to his wife Penelope and yet he let his pride stop him from that. The journey that he was to make to his wife was only supposed to take a few weeks turned into years. On his journey, Odysseus kept his life and never met any treacherous fate, but this journey led to his crew's demise. His massive ego prevented him from keeping his crew safe, ruining the guest/host relationship. It also pointed out that he did have help from divine authorities, but there was still a risk of Odysseus getting hurt because the gods and goddesses fight all the time, rendering Odysseus not completely safe. Odysseus is practically the poster child for Hubris.
Sometimes Heros arent always the ones that look perfect and "should be a hero". Sometimes the hero is the person that hides in the shadows. What makes a hero is a person that help others.. Overall.. Anyone can be a hero but not many people have that characteristic in them that makes them want to help others.
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