The Homer Series-The Final Entry
For most of my mature life, which has been a very vast majority of it, I’ve never been one to do well with endings. Saying goodbye has never been my strong suit and as such, I tend to shy away from it and do everything within my power to deter myself from having these experiences. So, while I am still young, I try not to get too emotionally attached in relationships because that would mean that when everything goes south so would I. Moreover, funerals have the same effect and my mother played a part in nurturing these particular sentiments. She’d always either insist on my sister and I not attending any whatsoever. Whilst if it was one that certainly required our attendance, we were to never, under any and every circumstances, look at the body. I guess it was her way of keeping the lively images of those gone and missed in our minds. Hence, they were gone but never dead as our memories were the anchors that kept them alive for us. This mindset might have spilled over in so many other aspects of my life and it will be the mindset that carries me through the conclusion of this course.
“All good things must come to an end.”
- Geoffrey Chaucer
This year has brought about many casualties and uncertainties, especially on the topic of online university. This class was definitely a safe place for me, a safe haven even. The Iliad and the Odyssey taught me lessons that I’d never think epic poetry could and made me look at life in a whole new perspective. Thank you Dr. S for making this experience a little more bearable and for enlightening me on so many different things. As I wrote to my hearts content during this semester, I was slowly reminded of how much I love to write. You made a joke about maybe back then I would’ve been a really good writer adding my own inspirations to the Iliad. Funny enough, I do write poetry. Probably someday you’ll get the chance to tell me what you think of mine. Until then, I can only hope that I will make the likes of Sappho, Homer or even the great Maya Angelou proud.
This week marked the end of Fall classes of Freshman year, one step closer to the finish line. I had completed my three books on Saturday prior to class because I was way too excited to see what Book 24 had to offer. Books XXII-XIV had so many climax moments that I literally had a racing heart reading through each book. It had commenced with the disguised Odysseus winning the archery contest that all the other suitors and his son Telemachus failed to even try. Where after revealing himself as he shot Antinous through his neck, killing him on impact. The fighting in the palace took place for an entire book, Odysseus slayed all the suitors, except for Amphinomus that was killed by Telemachus. Leoides the herald and Phemius the bard were saved upon the request of Telemachus. Telemachus is then asked to capture Melanthius, the goat-herd that aided the suitors and rebuked Odysseus-the-beggar and Eumaeus. In addition, Eurycleia is asked to denounce the disloyal women that are then instructed to be executed after they clean the palace yard.
In Book 23, Penelope and Odysseus are reunited in the most amazing way ever. We are faced with the strength of Penelope’s cunning and how Odysseus is tested in the same way he has toured the world testing the individuals he encountered. Throughout the Odyssey, we have been given the opportunity to explore the mind of Odysseus as he ventures home to his family and isle. We see how he manages to use his crafty mind to test the likes of everyone he encounters- one of my favorites is the tricking of the Cyclopes Polypohemus. However, we have see very quick snippets of Penelope and each time we get to see how alike she and her husband is. In this scene, the skepticism that we have been realizing in Penelope as well has shown its brightest colors. Upon being told by Eurycleia that the disguised Odysseus is in fact Odysseus, she refuses to believe as she believes that it is just another greedy person trying to deceive her to become King of Ithaca. Due to her uncertainty, she decides to test the knowledge of the stranger to see if it was actually Odysseus. She decided to instruct Eurycleia to have the bridal bed moved and Odysseus’ response was to be the test of who he really was. An outraged Odysseus responses to Penelope, making an inquiry into who has moved his bed and proclaiming that no mortal man could ever move his bed because of how he had built it. You see, Odysseus had built his bridal bed from the trunk of a very strong olive tree that he trimmed and built his stone room around. Only himself, Penelope and a single maidservant Actoris knew this information. This is what is known as a Token of Recognition, another example of this would be Odysseus’ scar that is used by Eurycleia to identify him and the fruit trees given to him by his father. Anyways, in that moment she knew it was her Odysseus who had truly returned to her. In one of the most tearful and beautiful ways she makes it known that she has now recognized him and is truly sorry for not noticing that it is him immediately. This scene is a true demonstration that Penelope is indeed Odysseus is his equal. The trickster was tricked by someone of equal likeness, homophrosune had shown itself in the most obvious way throughout the entire Odyssey. They spend the rest of their time together that evening recounting their journey both physically and mentally-something they both found interest in doing.
“Perfect love cannot be without equality.” — Proverb
In reading Book 24, we were faced to look into the eyes of another great epic and say goodbye. I don’t think this will be my last encounter with the likes of these epics and as such, its more of an ‘à bientôt’ — see you soon. In my opinion, the Odyssey and the Iliad aren’t and shouldn’t be considered as two separate books. Though they might focus on opposing ideologies, they carry a central core that focuses on the same story. Dr. S would say “one isn’t complete without the other” and that is the best explanation for it. Laertes is reunited with his son, Odysseus, in the most tearful way after testing him. The maturation of Telemachus had reached its peaked as the once discouraged youth now argued with his father in the midst of his grandfather about being braver. Peace was restored by the Goddess Pallas Athena, after Antinous’ father is killed by Laertes. The concluding book not only ends the storyline of the introduced life of Odysseus and the people of Ithaca, but answers the unfinished business of the Iliad. We see this as the book begins with a look into Agamemnon and Achilles’ relationship in the underworld. The Iliad introduced an argument that cost the lives of so many Achaeans, a quarrel between both individuals that didn’t really get an acceptable reconciliation in my opinion. We studied the components of Agamemnon’s apology, his great speech denoting ate to be the reason for his behavior. Now he was in the Underworld sharing the story of Achilles’ death, tearful funeral and tremendous funeral games. We never go the chance to read about the death of Achilles nor the likes of his funeral much less the games. Book 24 gave us a better look into the conclusion of the Iliad that we once discussed in class that we’d insert if we had the chance.
This has been a very amazing experience and I look forward to more amazing adventures. This has been a journey of the minds that I hope stays with me forever.
