Blog #38 - Satina Chen - Period 1 - 5/15/2020

March 15, 2020

Satina Chen

Period 1

Aim: How does the concept of “nostos” enhance our understanding of Homer’s 

Odyssey and the cultural significance of Odysseus’ homecoming?

To this day, there are 4.48 million coronavirus cases, 1.61 M recovered and 304k deaths. From these stats, 343k cases and 22k of those deaths are in New York. Now more than two thirds of the United States have lifted restrictions but New York is not one of them. And especially in New York City, which is the “hotspot” for the coronavirus. Now the economic state of the US is in jeopardy according to https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/us/coronavirus-updates.html. It states “The shutdowns across the United States devastated retailers in April, as retail sales plunged a record 16.4 percent, according to government data reported Friday.

That followed an 8.3 percent drop in March, producing by far the largest two-month decline on record. Total sales for April, which include retail purchases in stores and online as well as money spent at bars and restaurants, were the lowest since 2012, even without accounting for inflation.

Many economists expect spending to rise in May because most states have begun to lift barriers to commerce and movement.”

What I’m learning about the world based on the reactions of people towards coronavirus is that even though we’re approaching a recession, people are still finding ways to donate to hospitals, organizations, or shelters. For instance, people are trying their best to give back by donating masks to hospitals, donating food to shelters, creating encouraging videos to support front line health workers, and also in some cases free labor. This also makes me feel like I need to help support the community as well since this virus can only be ceased if everyone unites together.

The coronavirus also makes students around the globe stay at home and receive virtual education. I’d like to share about my experience of being indirectly affected by the impact of covid-19.In my school, I have 3 cycles and each cycle has 3 classes which each lasts 90 minutes. Then, there is a 45 minute break, and the next class begins.

Although every class is different, most teachers give around 2 days worth of classwork and it is due on the next cycle. The workload is pretty manageable and I’m really glad I have a lot of time to complete it. This also gives me an opportunity to further research about the subject if it sparks my interests. During the class sessions, teachers hold a zoom or google meeting to explain the assignment and also answer any questions. Some teachers like to review the classwork while others just assign everything as homework. The teachers are also really friendly and quickly respond to emails or private comments on google classroom if any trouble arises. This makes the learning experience very enjoyable because it also allows me to balance my family and social life. My schedule has become very flexible ever since virtual learning began.

Reflection:

•  Today I learned about the importance of the thematic theme kleos(fame) and nostos(return) in the Odyssey. This is because the themes are contrasted through Odysseus and his Achaean comrade Achilles. Odysseus achieved kleos and nostos by living through his near death encounters and being able to survive the wrath from the gods, monsters, and suitors that prevents his nostos home. However, in the end he was able to return home safely to spread word of his travels which gained him kleos. Achilles on the other hand values nostos above kleos, which in return he was honored with kleos because of his loyalty to his family. His strong will to return home made him declare “he would rather be a slave on earth than a ruler among the dead” (Od. Xi. 556-558). This was an empathetic theme since it was honorable to die on the battlefield rather than to return home with a loss.This shows that he didn’t want to die for kleos and willed nostos but in the end died for kleos, while Odysseus lived for nostos. 

• This is important because in The Odyssey there are multiple moments of nostos and kleos. The two themes are intertwined, and can be shown when Odysseus desires to return home but also gains kleos for being able to survive through his travels. Furthermore, it is also displayed in other characters like Achilles. Their will for nostos and kleos gives us a deeper insight into the characters’ aim and their actions. For example, he rejects the offers from Calypso and the Phaeascians even though it was aligned with his interests and beneficiary to him. But this was also ironic because his desire for nostos gave him kleos which showed that he was able to balance both of the concepts. This also shows how he differed from other epithets since Achilles died because of his unwanted desire for kleos, but still achieved kleos.

• I will use these thematic themes in further understanding Odysseus and the epithets. This is because these themes can be correlated to the characters in the Odyssey and Iliad and allows the reader to understand their motives and actions.