Aim: How does Penelope’s test for Odysseus establish their fidelity toward each other while finally providing closure for Odysseus and his journey?
Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION
To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not,
You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy.
In order to arrive at what you do not know
You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.
In order to possess what you do not possess
You must go by the way of dispossession.
In order to arrive at what you are not
You must go through the way in which you are not.
—T. S. Eliot, “East Coker III” (From Four Quartets)
At the beginning of class today, we were asked to share what we thought, “East Coker III” , a poem by T.S. Eliot meant. We were asked to pay close attention to poetic devices used in the poem and to share the ones we found. The poem that we read was about journeys and how we should go through them to get to the end. Poetic devices that the class found were repetition and cacophony. The phrases “You must go by” and “In order to possess” were repeated in the poem creating repetition. Someone also said that the poem used words that had many letters that sounded cacophonous. The poem’s message was that to get from where you are right now to the end of a journey, you must change yourself or not be yourself.
We then spirit read Penelope’s Test. To summarize the story, Penelope tests if the man that strung and shot Odysseus’s bow is really Odysseus. To do this, Penelope tricked Odysseus into describing their secret bed, and if he could describe it well then he was Odysseus. Odysseus goes on to describe their bed in rage since that bed was not to be moved and after Penelope calms him down, they rejoice in a happy ending.
Penelope: The Faithful Wife of Odysseus - Mythology Dictionary - See U in History [3:00]
We then watched this video in class relating to Penelope.
TEAMWORK
How does Athena improve Odysseus’s appearance?
Athena improves Odysseus’s appearance by changing him head to toe from a beggar to a taller, more massive, crisping hair like petals of wild hyacinth but all red-golden, and overall giving him beauty.Explain why Odysseus is displeased with Penelope. What is Odysseus’ complaint in 1553-1560? Explain the metaphor he uses → “Her heart is iron in her breast”.
Odysseus is displeased with Penelope because she doesn’t believe that he is Odysseus and complains about this in lines 1553-1650 of the story. He also is furious at her later on because he believes Penelope replaced their old bed. The metaphor that Odysseus uses, “Her heart is iron in her breast,” compares Penelope’s heart and iron. He compares these two because Penelope seems so reluctant to believe that he is Odysseus.
How does she respond to his complaint? Why does she doubt his identity even after his disguise has been lifted?
Penelope responds to his complaint by explaining the moment Odysseus left her for the war in Troy and then proceeds to test him with the bed. Penelope doubts Odysseus’s identity even after Athena transforms him from a beggar to this handsome man since she has not seen her husband for so long and many have tried to become her husband. She thinks that everyone at that point was trying to trick her.
How does Penelope outwit Odysseus in this book? Fully describe Penelope’s test, and how Odysseus “passes” it
Penelope outwit Odysseus in this book by angering him with their secret bed. Penelope tells Odysseus that she has moved their old bed and Odysseus gets furious because that bed was not to be moved. Odysseus then goes on to describe their secret bed and Penelope then believes that he is Odysseus.
What explanation does she give for not acknowledging Odysseus sooner?
Penelope apologizes to Odysseus for not acknowledging him sooner because of the amount of men that have tried to trick her into becoming her husband.
Analyze the epic simile in the lines below. What is being compared? And how is this simile a powerful and fitting image for the conclusion of the Odyssey? Now from his breast into his eyes the ache of longing mounted, and he wept at last, his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms, longed for as the sunwarmed earth is longed for by a swimmer spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidon's blows, gale winds and tons of sea. Few men can keep alive through a big surf to crawl, clotted with brine, on kindly beaches in joy, in joy, knowing the abyss behind: and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband, her white arms round him pressed as though forever.
Odysseus is comparing his long journey and finally arriving to his wife to a swimmer getting out of a cold ocean and getting warmed by the sun's rays. The feelings of both are similar and are being compared to each other and is a very powerful and fitting conclusion for the Odyssey.
WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION:
How does Penelope’s test for Odysseus establish their loyalty/fidelity toward each other, while finally providing closure for Odysseus and his journey?
How does Odysseus’ journey and its conclusion align with the perspective of the journey expressed in Eliot’s poem; from the Do Now?
Penelope’s test for Odysseus establishes their fidelity toward each other since it proves how well they knew each other and how they shared secrets. Her test also provides closure for Odysseus and his journey since it reunites them for a happy ending for the Odyssey.
Odysseus’s journey and his journey aligns with the perspective of the journey expressed in Eliot’s poem since it proves how changing yourself throughout a journey is the key to making it to the end. We see Odysseus change throughout the story and that helped him to get back home.
Enrichment:
The Odyssey by Homer | Book 23 Summary and Analysis [2:18]
REFLECTION:
After today’s lesson I learned the ending of the Odyssey and more about Penelope. Penelope is a very smart character and used that to find a way to find out if Odysseus was claiming who he was. I also learned how loyal and close Odysseus is to Penelope if the test worked to prove Odysseus’s identity. Learning about Penelope and Odysseus’s relationship makes me wonder if I should make stronger bonds with friends in my own life. Strong relationships with other people might help me in the future to succeed. They may also help me through my own journeys in life such as through high school.
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