Blogger #20, Kenneth Ng, Period 2, 10/20/2021

 Freshman Lit 2022

Aim: How does Homer’s invocation establish the tone for the beginning of the Odyssey?

We began the class by changing team names. 

The Nine Muses

Muses were used as inspiration for poets and artists. There were 9 muses in total, of which were goddesses of art, literature, and science. 

The Nine Muses are:

Calliope - Muse of epic poetry

Clio - Muse of history

Erato - Muse of poetry

Euterpe - Muse of music

Melpomene - Muse of theater

Polyhymnia - Muse of lyric poetry

Thalia - Muse of theater

Terpsichore - Muse of light poetry and dance

Urania - Muse of astronomy

We also watched a video on the Nine Muses. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKCWfbrY8k&ab_channel=SeeUinHistory%2FMythology

Homer’s Invocation

Homer’s invocation pays homage to the goddesses of Ancient Greece.

He expresses the purpose of the story and includes traditions familiar to the reader.

Group Discussion

1. What is your opinion of Odysseus so far after hearing Homer's invocation to the muses and learning about the Trojan War?

2. How does Homer maintain the audience’s interest in the story, knowing that the audience is aware of the outcome from the very beginning?

3. What does the invocation of the Muse in the opening lines clarify about Odysseus’ culpability (responsibility for a fault or wrong; blame) during his voyage home?

For the first question, my group said that Odysseus was a good person after hearing Homer’s invocation to the muses and learning about the Trojan War. Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan War after knowing he wouldn’t see his family for a long period of time, and he prioritized saving his peers before himself. 

Reflection

In today’s lesson, we learned about the Nine muses and how they influenced Ancient Greek art, literature, and science. Poets, artists, and scientists prayed to these muses if they sought good luck and fortune. We also learned about Homer and his invocation, and how he expresses his story through traditions. In conclusion, this lesson helped us understand more about Greek mythology.