Lawrence Odyssey

Trojan war analysis

Nov 10, 1200

After Odysseus got caught trying to act like a madman, he went to the Trojan War. Odysseus had a lot of ideas when it came to defeating the Trojans. He came up with ideas like the wooden horse. Odysseus thought if he tricked the Trojans to think that the Greeks have given up and left. In the end we all know the Greeks won thanks to Odysseus.

Trojan War Summary

Nov 10, 1200

Odysseus didn’t want to go to the Trojan War. An oracle told him that if he goes to war, 20 years later he will come back a beggar. Odysseus acts like a madman to get out of going to the war. He starts to sow his field with salt instead of seeds. When officials came to get him, they felt like Odysseus was tricking them, so they put his son in front of the sow, but Odysseus saved his son, something a madman wouldn’t do.

Cyclops summary

Nov 11, 1200

When Odysseus arrived where the Cyclops lived his took some of his best men and told the others to stay and hide the ship. After hiking up the tall hill Odysseus and some of his crew meet the Cyclops. The Cyclops got angry at Odysseus mainly because he said he was from Ithaca and also because he praised Zeus and not Poseidon. Cyclops started to eat Odysseus crew but he left Odysseus because he gave the Cyclops gifts. When he stabbed Cyclops in the eye, Odysseus took Cyclops’ herd.

Cyclops analysis

Nov 11, 1200

This location help develop the themes in “The Odyssey” because if the Cyclops hadn’t praise to Poseidon, Odysseus would’ve went straight home to Ithaca to his wife and son. Trickery in the war was fine because your fighting against the other side, but trickery with the wrong people or mythical creature. Especially when you have to go off track because you defied the wrong person or mythical creature.

Lotus eaters summary

Nov 12, 1200

When Odysseus goes to the land of the Lotus Eaters, he picks two men and have them search the area. When they saw the Lotus Eaters, they thought they meant them now harm. When the two men come back, they forget about home and want to stay with the lotus forever. Odysseus finds out that when you eat the lotus, you forget about your home and why you want to go home.

Lotus eaters analysis

Nov 12, 1200

We learn that Odysseus’ crew are swayed, when deciding what to do, to go straight to the side with the nicer things without thinking it through yet. When they first came across the lotus eaters, they were thinking they did no harm. Just when Odysseus and his crew were starting to trust them, they figured out when you eat the lotus, it makes you forget about everything and make you want to stay with the lotus forever.

Aeolus- Bag of Wind Analysis

Nov 13, 1200

We learn here that Odysseus’ crew is untrustworthy. They are untrustworthy because when they saw the bag of wind they didn’t think that Odysseus had it there for a reason, they thought that he was keeping gold all to his self. So when they opened the bag of wind they felt like they made a grave mistake by not trusting Odysseus. What they should of did is ask Odysseus what was in the bag before they tried to jump to conclusions.

Aeolus- Bag of Wind Summary

Nov 13, 1200

Odysseus sailed and landed on Aeolia, were they met Aeolus, the wind god. Aeolus let Odysseus and his crew stay for a month. Aeolus gave Odysseus a gift, a bag of winds to get him home. When Odysseus was asleep the crew thought the bag of winds was really gold and Odysseus was keeping it all to himself, but when they opened it, the winds came together to form a big storm. They sailed back to Aeolia, and Aeolus thought that their journey was cursed by the gods and didn’t help him again.

Circe summary part.1

Nov 14, 1200

When Odysseus arrived at Aeaea, the home of Circe they split into two groups, and when the first group met Circe, she invited them for food and wine. When they drank the wine Circe immediately turned them into swine. One of Odysseus’ crewmen told him about what Circe did. Odysseus had the molu so he was immune to Circe’s magic. When Odysseus gets to Circe she offers him some of the wine.

Circe summary part.2

Nov 15, 1200

Odysseus makes Circe promise that she’ll never use her magic again, when she says ok, she brings him in front of a feast. When she asks why he wouldn’t eat, Odysseus says how can he eat if all his crewmen are in danger. So Circe lets Odysseus’ crew go. Circe is also being a really nice person now. She guides Odysseus to all the places he must go and all the dangers he must face.

Circe analysis

Nov 16, 1200

This location helps develop themes of The Odyssey because if Odysseus never befriended Circe, he would’ve never found a way home. It also shows that Circe is actually good person deep down on the inside. We also learned that Odysseus cares for his crew more than his crew cares for him. Odysseus told Circe that he wouldn’t eat unless she changed his crew, which were swines, back into humans. We also learn that assumption without thinking has consequences.

Sirens summary

Nov 16, 1200

Odysseus was told by Circe to stuff his crews ears with beeswax but if he wanted to hear it he would have to get tied to the mast by his crew. When his crew set sail, they tied Odysseus up so he wouldn’t try to steer the boat into the rocks. While sailing to the other side the ocean, the sirens start to sing. When Odysseus hear the sirens singing he is unable to control himself and begs his crew to set him free. When the ship gets to the other side Odysseus’ crew sets him free.

Sirens analysis

Nov 17, 1200

We learned that Odysseus’ crew listens to Odysseus and doesn’t ignore him. Odysseus was begging to get untied from the mast because he was listening to the sirens song. The crew had beeswax in their ears, so they couldn’t hear his cries for freedom anyway. When they pasted the sirens Odysseus was glad his crew listened to him because if they didn’t, they would all be dead.

Scylla and Charybdis Summary

Nov 18, 1200

Scylla is a female, monster with 6 feet and 12 legs. She devoured six of Odysseus’ men while they were trying to sail across the river. Charybdis lurked under a fig tree and created large whirlpools that resulted in the destruction of passing ships.

Scylla and Charybdis

Nov 19, 1200

One thing Odysseus learned is to let go of the people you care about most. When Circe told Odysseus that he has to let some of his crew die, he tried to find a way out of it, but he couldn’t. He had to let his crew mates go.

Helios cattle summary

Nov 20, 1200

When Odysseus and what is left of his crew sails past Helios island, they see the cattle. The crew begs Odysseus to pull over because they are starving. When Odysseus pulled over he warned his crew to not eat the cattle or they would be doomed, driven by hunger the crew ate the cattle. Helios made the gods avenge him and Odysseus was the only one who survived.

Helios cattle analysis

Nov 21, 1200

This location helped develop themes of “ The Odyssey” because in this moment Odysseus is trying to get home. His crew on the other hand is driven by hunger, and eat all the cows or cattle. When Odysseus survives the shipwreck, he stays with Calypso for nine years and then returns home to Ithaca.

Suiters/Home Summary

Nov 22, 1200

Odysseus returns home after 20 years to find that suitors have raided his home and wants his wife as their bride. When he finds out he covers himself in rags so no one will know he has return. Only his son, and two of his servents know he is there at the time. In the end he kills all the suitors, just to be with his wife. She tests Odysseus to see if he’s an impostor or not.

Suitors/ home analysis

Nov 23, 1200

Odysseus gained his family back but lost all the time he could’ve spent with his wife and his son. He lost so much time I don’t think he can get any of that time back. He could continue his life with Penelope but it’s not worth it if they come back together in their 40’s and got married in their 20’s. All the time they spent apart broke that loving bond between them.