Odyssey Test

1. What have you learned about Greek culture, values, and religion? Adress the roles of women and men, honor and virtues, gods and goddesses, etc. (250 words)

Well greek culture is pretty amazing, I mean all the gods and goddesses and their powers, its all enchanting. I learned by reading and watching The Odyssey that in Greek culture alot of honor and pride is represented in people's land and possesions. I didn't really notice that much religion in the poem/movie. I mean i'm sure they are religious people, but I didn't witness that much religious practices or anything. I do remember the animal sacrafices though, which is Santaria, but I really don't think the greeks practice that. It bothered me though how Oddysseus could just go and have sex with Calypso and Circe, and Odysseus was worried that Penelope had betrayed him and his love. The roles of women and men are pretty obviously like the roles of any olden time story. The men go out and fight like brave warriors, and the women sit around making tapestries and crying over the loss of their men. It really must have sucked to have been Penelope, I mean she didn't even get over Odysseus afer 20 whole years, she stayed true to him which is really amazing. I expected more out of the last seen when Penelope and Odysseus were reunited. I can't really imagine how I would react in that situation. Honor is deffinately a large part of greek culture and society. It's like everyone has their land, and their grudges and allies, and they all abide by those unwritten rules. To me Zeus is just like a huge, empowering god of silence, because we never got to see him. I mean why didn't we get to experience the wrath of Zues? All we got to see was Poseidon and other small gods among Greece. The unwritten rules of Greece though, seem really simple. Everyone listens to Zeus above all others, and you have to do what people say or else you will get punished in some kind of way. When that wind god told Odysseus not to open that satchel, and his stupid crew opened it when he was sleeping, they got sent all the way back to some deserted island. It was just as he had warned and It seems that it wouldn't be too hard to abide by peoples commands, because they are never really that out there in terms of being difficult to obtain by. From what I've gathered most of the greek values are also pretty simple. They hold strong principle in attaining trust, honor, loyalty, strength, and courage, for the men at least.

2. What resonated with you in reading about Odysseus’ adventures? Why? (150 words)

Well probably number one resonation in Odysseus adventures, was when he returned to Penelope and Telechamus. Its hard to imagine, how it would feel to have your significant other gone for twenty years without knowing where he was or even whether or not he was alive. It was also immense for Telechamus because he had never really seen his father ever, besides when he was an infant. Also it was wonderful when Odysseus and Telechamus killed the suitors together. They were so rude, and obnoxious and when he turned into himself again and killed them all it was fantastic because they deserved to die. When Odysseus goes to hell to talk to that guy, and sees his mother, it's very moving. Seeing his mother in hell must have been frightening and a little heartbreaking because he didn't even know she died. It was also resonating when they had almost reached Ithaca, and Odysseuss' crew opened the winds and they were flown all the way back to a deserted island. I mean they were almost there, almost home, and Penelope and his mother can feel it. Then they are thrown away miles and miles away, only to be kept from returning home for at least ten more years.


3. This epic poem is dated nearly 3000 years ago, why is it still relevant? (150 words)

The Odyssey is still releveant today because it represents the trials of events that happen here in the present, and so many stories throughout the world. It is told in almost every Disney, or fairy tale, about the brave man (Odysseus), with his Queen or significant other (Penelope), and the discouraged prince (Telemachus) and so on and so on. It can be related somehow to almost every tale or book or movie. Also, The Odyssey is classic literature, one of the stepping stones of literature everywhere. People are interested in the tale of Odysseus and his struggles of twenty years to return home. It enchants people, the unsolved mystery of who Homer is, and how he supposedly orally concieved this epic poem. It is relevant because no matter how old it is, people are still amazed by the tale of Odysseus and everything else having to do with the author and the mystery of Homer.


Short Answers-
Answer in complete sentences. Cut and paste each question and answer underneath the prompt.

4. How would you characterize the narrator, the fictive "Homer" whose voice we imagine as singing the verses of the Odyssey?

I can't really imagine Homer singing the verses of the Odyssey, because I never heard the songs, or read the verses. I can visually concept an image of him in my mind. To me Homer is a broad, strong, intelligent man, much like Odysseus. I think he portrayed his dreams and visions through Odysseuss' tale. In my mind, they are two similar men, Homer having a more realistic life than Odysseus.

5. What kinds of behavior are treated as contemptible in the Odyssey?

Behaviors that are looked down on in the Odyssey are things like dishonor, and unloalty. There are no real written laws, more so common laws, and people abide by being honorable, intelligent and brave.

6. How does the poem represent mortal women? Since Penelope is the most important woman in the Odyssey, what qualities does she possess, and how does she respond to the troubles she faces? (Some of the other women are of note, too-Eurycleia the serving woman, the faithless maidservants, Nausicaa the Phaeacian princess, and Helen of Sparta, Menelaus' queen, whose elopement with Prince Paris sparked the Trojan War.)

The poem represents the mortal women as beautiful, intelligent, and hardworking for the most part. Penelope possess all those qualities at least. She is always very calm, about the dilemmas she confronts, and goes about resolving them in a smart and clever way. Other women though are portrayed as whores, like the faithless maidservants. They don't have any good qualities, except for their devotion to their men, and ability to surrender to the men's sexual desires. Eurycleia though is very faithful, and that is probably her best quality/portrayal.

7.How do Homer's gods think and behave? How do their actions and motivations differ from the conception of god in other religions of which you have knowledge? What role do the Homeric gods play in human affairs, and what is the responsibility of humans with respect to those gods?

Homer's gods behave on impulse to their desires. They have a system of authority, Zeus being the most empowering god, and gods like Posiedon being feared, but not above Zeus. Their actions and motivations differ from god's in any other religion, because they are more like humans, and they are less devoted to participating in self sacrafice for others. They instead recognize their power and use it for their advantage. The Homeric gods are, unlike gods in other religions, part of everyday life to the humans. They are visible and they are able to communicate to mortals. There is a definite responsibility for humans to respect gods, and the humans suffer the consequences if they don't. Homer's gods have a more realistic relashionship with humans, and they are able to communicate on the same levels.

Miyazaki Movies

Oh my goodness. Those movies where the shiz man. There were deffinately some similarities in the movies. In Spirited Away and My Friend Totoro, there were those little soot balls. Also the whole pulling things out of spirits thing. There are spirits period in all of them, but I think that may just be a Japan thing. I noticed the difference of animation in Princess Mononoke from the other two movies. It was sharper and more real life, less typical cartoonish. It's really cool how anime characters can like be attractive. Usually you wouldn't find a cartoon character attractive because I don't even know why. anime is made differently and the characters seem more real and beautiful. In Spirited Away though the little girl Shihiriho screamed alot and her face squinched up too, that happened a little bit in Totoro. Those little bone shaker things in Princess Mononoke were really cool. Im trying to connect them to the other two movies, but I can't really. I liked them none the less. I was really frustrated how the humans kept on trying to destroy the forrest. They really could have just lived there, and everything would have been at peace. The end was really awesome though because everything got green and it made me happy. Plus in the end of all of these movies, all was well and everyhing was bright and happpy, but that happens in alot of movies. OH plus in the end of Spirited Away, Haku and Shihiro had to agree to love each other and be appart for a while and so did Wolf girl and Ashitaka.

Waking Life/Eternal S.o.S.M?

What did you get out of Waking Life and Eternal S.o.S.M?
I though some of the things in Waking LIfe were really introspective. I never would have thought of that and I think the connections people made between life and dreams were really amazing. Some (stories) I thought were really unimportant and some of them I didn't really understand. I also thought that Rotoscope thing was really cool and I enjoyed the things that the artists added. I didn't get the part in the beggining with the little girl and the dream catcher and the boy. Now that I think of it now though, those things are called dreamcatchers I belive so maybe that is the connection. Anyways it didn't really make any sense to me. My favorite story was probably the one with Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy. I liked what they said, I thought it was the most interesting. The thought that your whole waking life could just be the six minutes of dreaming after you die is amazing and incredibly just weird to think about. I really want to watch it again so I can listen to what they say again. But like what Virginia said those peoples lives must be really boring. To talk about all that stuff for your whole life, but maybe they don't do that. Oh well. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was really really good too. I thought Waking Life was more interesting in the aspect of being a really different movie, but the story line was really well written and interesting. It was really confusing at times though. At the end it made more sense though. I really liked Kate Winslet's hair. She made me want to dye my hair orange. I'll probably do it when I turn 20. I seriously deliberated it. The acting in E.S.o.S.M was really good. It was good to see Jim Carrey in something seriousto show his talent. Elijah Wood really annoyed me in this movie. God he was so clingy and ugly and annoying. I like it when stories end up unfolding like that in the end like in Crash. Both of the movies were really good and well directed though

The Closet

I am in the closet of his apartment. God he is so dirty without me around. I am beginning to look around his room…but the door starts to open. I quickly look for a hiding space. I go inside the closet. Ew this is where he keeps his dirty clothes, but there is nothing else for me to do. I hear him talking to someone or maybe just himself. Has he gone completely crazy? Well I can’t say much because here I am hiding in his closet. Maybe he really is talking to a person. I look through the slits of his door. I hear a woman’s voice. I can’t believe him! It hasn’t even been that long, two or four weeks maybe, and he’s already out with other girls? Maybe I should just let go, I’ve been holding on too long. He hasn’t even come by to get his things yet? I should just throw them out then. They start to come in here. She’s laughing. God it’s annoying. It’s so familiar though….
They are walking in here. I thought it was bad at first, but I can’t believe this. I can’t believe she would sleep with him, my best friend. She knows how I felt, how could she do this to me?? All night I thought she was working. I knew something was weird about her voice, I thought she may be lying. I trusted her though and man it does not feel sweet. I just sit there and watch.
She’s saying she had a lot of fun last night. That slut. He smiles and pulls her to him.
He whispers close, right next to her ear, “So did I.”
She giggles. God I never really realized how annoying her laugh is.
She says, “I’m glad we went back to my house though, do you think she’ll find out about us?” They’re talking about me. I can’t believe they’re talking about me. It feels like them and the world against me, this really hurts. I really don’t want to hear his reply, but I listen harder anyways. I close my eyes and listen to him comfort her, “No she won’t I promise, I won’t let it happen.” I can’t really take this, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to listen anymore; I don’t want to be here. There is nothing I can do I can’t leave. They start kissing, and he lays her down on the bed. Ugh last night and again in the morning. I knew they liked each other, but this is some passion romance goin’ on here. Will they ever get enough? It’s suddenly really hot in this closet and I am burning up. My mind is going a mile a minute, just thoughts of hatred and deceit. I don’t know what to do. I’ll just stay here, close my eyes, and try not to listen. It’s really hard though when they’re making so much noise. Then he stops and they start to stand up. I believe they’ve agreed to take this to the shower. Thank god. What if they open the closet to put their clothes in here? Luckily they just go into the bathroom, I guess they are just going to leave them on the floor......

Research topic

Ms. Chiang, well as you know I just changed my research topic to using the human body for drug trafficking. I'm really excited about my topic because I have strong feelings against this junk, and It will be intersting to learn about. Even though its really just sad. Ok, but I'll save all that for my paper. Oh, p.s do you think you could help me with some ideas for my presentation like how robin is gonna make a pie with us? except for drug trafficking and such.

Handicaps and Such-Journal

Okay, well number one handicap I would say is my height. I mean I'm not some midget, but I would maybe prefer to be taller. Like today in gym when we were playing ultimate Frisbee, I probably could have caught at least 3 of the really high throws my way that I didn't. Ultimate Frisbee doesn't really matter though, sometimes people think I'm younger than I am, which is annoying. Uh, moving forward in the topic... lets see another handicap is that sometimes I sort of have trouble like reaching out friendly like to people I don't know. That is defiantly workable and I can totally fix that easy, like cake. That doesn't mean it's still not there or anything, whatever it is really no biggie. Oh haha, back to my height jig, I thought it was funny because today Jade said "the runway defiantly wasn't calling my name," that sure was a clever one. Oh! Well a privilege I hold is that I can run fast, which can defiantly be helpful in times of need. Like the other day when we ran the mile, I got a 7:32 and came in first in my group, be very proud. Just kidding I'm not some like major gloater or anything. I also think I have a good work ethic when I put my mind to something. If I'm just like: Ok I am going to do this, I can just plow through that task, whatever it may be. Oh also I am a really good cleaner. If all my plans in life fail, I know I can be a maid. For like rich people, that would be better than just like a hospital or hotel maid. Yeah I really didn't cover this journal topic because I had other things lingering in my mind that were totally taking control of m thoughts.

A to Z Biography-Journal

I am a very Athletic person. I play softball and plan to play soccer this year because I used to be really good at it when I was little.
My backyard had a lot of Bamboo in it, but it got cut down.
I had a Cat. Her name was Lily. My family also went Camping a lot.
I always wanted a Dog when I was little. When I was like 6 or 7 we got two dogs. One was named Dixie the other was named Annabelle.
I was a really good Eater when I was really little. I also really liked Easter. Plus now Eating is one of my all time favorite pastimes, but not in the disgusting fatty way.
As a child I was never really Fat. I also had a Fun childhood.
Me, my mom, and my brother used to walk up the street to this lake that had a lot of Geese. They were fun to watch.
When I was little I got Homesick really easily. I discovered this best when I was at Camp Juliet Low, and it was the worst camp experience of my life.
I had an Iguana named Iggy, he was really mean though because he tried to bite off my thumb once.
When I was 10 my piano teacher gave me Jordan Almonds after every lesson.
My name is Katie.
I enjoy feeling Loved, and Loving people back.
I never really had that Much Money when I was little. I remember thinking saving up 8 dollars was like one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.
My best friend Anna loved Noodles, I thought they were OK. Also, in kindergarten I was the New girl because I had just moved from Stone Mountain.
I have never been to the Optometrist.
My other best friend was named Pete.
I could run really Quick. In 5th grade, me and all the fastest guys used to race, and I have to say I never came in last.
My favorite TV shows used to be Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, and Rocko's Modern Life. Man I miss those shows.
My last name is Stanhope. I also really love to Swim.
I had Two best friends, Anna and Pete, together we made a Threesome (always getting into minor Trouble).
I soak in many UV rays because I am often outside.
Even though I soak up a lot of UV rays I was very Vulnerable to them.
I hate it when people Walk really slow in front of me.
I have never professionally played the Xylophone.
I do a lot of Yard work, especially in the fall.
I used to really hate Zucchini except I don't mind it too much anymore.

Cadaverous-Journal (online)

When I die I want to be cremated, because I don't want any one to be able to body snatch me and I don't really want to be taken apart. That just ruins everything in the solitude of death. I want to be sprinkled probably in the Hiawasee River, or in the ocean. I want it to be somewhere really serene and beautiful. That's where I want to when I am dead. But maybe i'll let someone have me. Like in meet the parents they have their dead grandma on their mantle and then Ben Stiller like ruins it. He like knocks over the remains of her cremated body on the floor. It's funny, but anyways maybe like my husband if I ever get married can have me in one of those vases. I want it to be real unique you know. Ian got sprinkled in the ocean I think. That's what someone told me. I think that is really neat. I prolly want be like sprinkled in water. Not like the bathtub though . I also don't want myself to get cut up and stuff that is just weird. I think my dad like donated his eyes or something like that on his drivers license it says if your a donator or whatever. Except I want to be whole before I am cremated. My cousin will got cremated. I remember after his funeral someone told me he was getting burned and like cremated and I just imagined him in this room of fire, but my aunt Betsy was there (that's his mom) and she was like watching while he was being cremated. She was just standing there you know. I never really thought about where he is. Like in heaven or hell or anything. He is deffinatly not in hell, but I don't really belive in heaven and hell. He is in the air. Where he loves it the most. That is what I believe. When you die, to me, you just go where your spirit is most welcome and where you love it the most. I've never really thought about what happens when you die. But the other day there was a whole bunch of ants on my bathtub and I thought about what do you do to become an aunt. I mean people have this whole recessive gene thing and hereditary stuff and its like what do ants to. How do you get to be an ant. I am not like trying to be an ant or anything, duh. But like what if you die and you are reincarnated into an ant. My uncle Will wants to be an otter when he dies. hmm if I was to be reincarnated, I'd probably want to be like... god, I don't even know what I would want to be reincarnated as. Probably some kind of water animal. Not like a fish though. I don't know why I love the water so much. In Anthony Kiedis's autobiography he talked about he was like a water person and stuff. I am like that too. I love water. Ok anyways I would like to be a turtle. You could chill out in the water and you would have a hard outside so no one really could hurt you that bad. Plus turtles are peaceful like so I'd like to be that. Man, I don't know where your soul goes though. Probably in like the wind. I can relate that to Pocahontas kind of. I mean like your soul doesn't jus jump out of your body. Well, to me if your burned then your soul can like jump out of there because your like being burned. Well, I don't think it jumps out it more so floats out of there. Plus if you donate yourself. Then when people are cutting yourself up, to me, I don't think your soul can go anywhere. I just cant see that. Your soul has got to go somewhere though so I mean I guess it just floats on out of there.