Homework Assignments
Group 1 – Final Project – An Analysis of Gender in The Odyssey
Introduction Within the world of Ancient Greece–along with the myths and legends of the time–we are able to catch a glimpse of what life was like all the way back then. Whether this be the wars fought in Sparta, Troy, and marathon, the way the gods interacted with the...
Group 1 – Creative Narrative – Athena
In the Percy Jackson series books, Athena is portrayed as a godly figure. One of the first times she was seen in the books, she appeared in an elegant white dress and was described as a beautiful woman. She was seen helping her daughter multiple times in battle where...
Group 1 – Image Reading – Athena
This specific image was created in the 1700s by Giuseppe Bottani and depicts when Athena meets Odysseus for the first time and reveals The Island of Ithaca. As the goddess of wisdom, she uses her powers to disguise the entire region where Ithaca is with mist so that...
Group 1 – Close Reading – Athena
In Book 13 Two Tricksters, Odysseus meets Athena for the first time. After traveling far and wide to find his way back home to Ithaca, he approaches an island with his crew and is saddened and homesick to not know where he is due to a thick mist. He begs the gods to...
Group 1 – Creative Narrative – Penelope
I believe that the Penelopiad is important in relation to the Odyssey because it provides an entirely different perspective. The Penelopiad provides Penelope’s perspective from when she was running the kingdom of Ithaca during Odysseus’ absence. It...
Group 1 – Creative Narrative – Circe
In ancient Greek history, Circe, the Goddess of Sorcery, is an intriguing character with a captivating tale to tell. Madeline Miller, the author of 'Circe,' takes a fresh approach to her story. Instead of painting her as a typical wicked witch, Miller portrays...
Group 1 – Image Reading – Penelope
The image I chose portrays Penelope weaving while surrounded by her maids and suitors. In the background you can see what I assume to be the kingdom of Ithaca out of a window. In the image, Penelope is seated and wearing a bright red dress while she weaves. Her dress...
Group 1 – Image Reading – Circe
The image I have chosen is a painting that depicts a scene from Odysseus' stay on Circe's island, where he confronts Circe and demands her to free him and his men. In terms of fashion, we see Odysseus wearing what appears to be traditional Greek armor, given his...
Group 1 – Close Reading – Circe
Introduction The 10th book of ‘The Odyssey’ focuses on the accidental journey to the Island of Aeaea, where the witch, Circe, lives. From her palace, she turns Odysseus’ men into pigs and locks them in cages, where they wait to be eaten by Circe. In...
Group 1 – Close Reading – Penelope
Introduction In Book 2 of the Odyssey, we are introduced to the cunning and intelligent side of Odysseus’ wife Penelope. The book begins with Telemachus calling for a meeting with all the suitors. Telemachus voices his discontent with all the suitors and complains...
Group 2-Final Project-The Odyssey Through Another Lens
The Odyssey Through Another Lens Introduction The Odyssey, an epic that honors Homer, perpetuates the conventional gender norms of a patriarchal culture. In terms of roles, influence, power, and interpersonal interactions, men dominate women. Men played the prominent...
Group 2-Creative Narrative-Odysseus
Looking at the character Katniss Everdeen, from The Hunger Games, we see a multitude of similarities between her and Odysseus. Katniss is a witty character who sacrificed herself and has the goal to make it back to her family, just as Odysseus does. Throughout the...
Group 2-Creative Narrative-Case Study
Yubaba from Spirited Away is a valuable homage to Circe from the Odyssey. In her story, Yubaba is a powerful sorcerer, leveraging her magic to control the affairs of those around her. She runs a large bathhouse, defining herself by her industriousness, and surrounds...
Group 2- Creative Narrative- Sirens
https://youtu.be/ooidhwN3GL4 “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby” in relation to the Odyssey represent the depictions and characteristics sirens display toward men. We could not include the Sirens from the well-known film "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" since it is a...
Group 2-Image Reading-Circe
In the painting by Wright Barker, Circe is given a portrayal of how Odysseus perceives her. She is shown to be perfectly beautiful, with a flawless face and figure. Her expression is vague. She gives a cold smile accompanied by relaxed cheeks and lifeless eyes. She...
Group 2-Image Reading-Odysseus
The photo I have chosen depicts Odysseus being discovered by Princess Nausicaa after washing up on the beach. The first thing that I noticed when looking at this photo is the nakedness of both the servants and Odysseus. We see that Nausicaa’s female servants...
Group 2- image reading- sirens
Image link 944 × 63 a.This image represents femininity, temptation, and death through an artistic yet descriptive lens. The overall tone of this image evokes a feeling of fear–death. You can see the decaying male bodies lying underneath these women looking up to the...
Group 2-Close Reading-Circe
This section, lines 308-320 on page 269, is a case study on the difference between appearance and character in the Odyssey as well as a continuation of the overarching themes of sexism and objectification. Book 10 of the Odyssey, Odysseus’ crew arrives at the island...
Group 2- Close Reading- Odysseus
In book 5 of The Odyssey, Hermes visits Calypso to order her to free Odysseus. In the line 81-84 we see the grave effects that Odysseus entrapment has had on him. The imagery of Odysseus sitting alone on the beach and staring out at sea gives the reader an image of...
Group 2 – Close reading- Sirens
Introduction- In the Book 12, where sirens were first introduced, the sirens attempt to lure Odysseus and his crew to their fate– death. His crew sails down the sea knowing the temptations of death that lie ahead, but they continue on. Odysseus has his men put wax in...
Group 3-Final Project-Gender in the Odyssey
Introduction Homer's The Odyssey, a Greek literary masterpiece, has transcended its era to become a global literary icon. This epic of adventure, heroism, and human nature has lived over millennia resonating with fresh generations and varied civilizations. Its...
Group 3-Creative Narrative-Penelope
Throughout the Odyssey, we are introduced to many different characters, most of which are not given a background explanation of who they are. Penelope, although we learn much about her, is more or less only perceived as the wife of Odysseus, and much less as her own...
Group 3 – Creative Narrative – Athena
Athena sticks out as the main motivator in The Odyssey. She is the Mickey to Odysseus's Rocky. In Rachel Platten's 2015 hit "Fight Song", there are quite a few lyrics that speak true to Athena's character. The song doesn't just cover what Athena feels on the inside;...
Group 3-Creative Narrative-Sirens
The Sirens of Greek mythology were stunning to look at and captivating to hear. They were gorgeous, dangerous beings that enticed sailors to shipwreck on their island's rocky coast. ”Sirens” can now refer to anything that lures someone away from safety and down a...
Group 3-Creative Narrative-Calypso
Calypso I decided to pick a song for this week’s blog post and the song I chose to represent the type of character Calypso is in the Odyssey the song is called Calypso by Suzanne Vega. I feel like this song does a really great job at illustrating the type of character...
Group 3- Image reading-Sirens
This is a painting done by John William Waterhouse that depicts sirens in the Odyssey. It was completed in 1891 and is an oil painting and was part of the Victorian era of paintings. It was different from the works of the times as the artist depicted the Sirens as...
Group 3-image reading-Athena
In this image, we see Athena and Telemachus. This image represents Athena's story element to help multiple characters, not just Odysseus. Athena could be seen as the rock of this story. She’s a character for others to lean on and receive advice. Athena helping...
Group 3-Image Reading- Calypso
For this image reading study, I picked this picture of Calypso which is illustrated above and it is her and two other men and by the looks of the picture you can see that they are on her island and she is having a conversation with the two other people which I presume...
Group 3-Image Reading-Penelope
For my image study, I chose this photo of Penelope presumably weaving and also unwinding the funeral shroud for her father. With the suitors asleep on the ground, Penelope has an expression of dismay on her face. She cannot control the suitors and her last hope of...
Group 3-Close Reading-Penelope
In book 19 of the Odyssey, Odysseus has finally returned home, but he is unrecognizable to the eyes of Penelope. Although Odysseus was dirty, in rags, and did not look like his past self, Penelope still showed him kindness and showed great kindness to him in hopes...