Monday, November 15, 2010

Aelous and Circe--What do we learn about Odysseus' character?


In your pods today, please brainstorm answers to these questions. After you've come up with ideas, please post them to the blog. If there's time, please respond to other people's ideas, too.

1. What new impressions of Odysseus did you get from this part of the story?
2. In what ways is Circe a danger to Odysseus and his men? Is she more or less dangerous than the Cyclops? Support your opinion with text from the epic.
3. Eurylochus' character contrasts sharply with Odysseus' in this episode. What aspect of Odysseus' character are revealed through this contrast?*Consider:~how each feels about Circe~what each wants to do after Cice has transformed his first group of men~how Eurylochus criticizes Odysseus~how Odysseus reacts to Eurylochus' criticism.
4. What heroic (or anti-heroic) qualities does Odysseus reveal in this episode? Explain your thinking.
5. As a metaphor, what does Circe suggest Odysseus needs to learn or overcome?

92 comments:

  1. i learned that he may have a big mouth but does he have a brain. Odysseus knows how to use his brain and when to use it. i think thats what i got out of this part of the stroy

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  2. That Odysseus is very sneaky and when he doesn't get what he wants then he manipulates people to get what he wants.

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  3. between Aelous and Odysseus i think Aelous is the better leader because Odysseus is cursed never to go home and it is Odysseus fault that they aren't home yet

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  4. Odysseus isn't putting his mens safety before his, and he isn't thinking of others when they go to Circe's island

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  5. Odysseus gets distracted way to easy the only reason it is taking so long to get home is because of him.

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  6. I think that Odysseus is very strong and smart and her could get by a lot of things if he would just think before her talked. He always says things that backfire on him and he needs to give the gods more respect.

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  7. Odyssus fallows his emotions. He does not think about his actions logically. This is why he may not be a vary good leader.

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  8. Odysseus seems to be changing his heroic ways because he's being very unfaithful to his wife for an excuse that won't even matter once he tries to explain what he and Circe did.

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  9. I think Odysseus is learning to be a better leader and he is starting to make good decisions to save his men.

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  10. I learned that Odysseus is arrogant and likes to do things his way and only his way. He is also very distrustful and in some ways he is not a very good leader.

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  11. Odysseus was blind when he realized he was there for five years and he was messing with a goddess and she can tamper with time.

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  12. Good reasoning, ladies and gentlemen. This is an important element that distinguishes Eurylochus and Odysseus-one is driven by curiosity and the other is driven by caution.

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  13. I agree with Sabrina. sometimes he doesn't think things through but he always fixes his mistakes in the end.

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  14. odysseus needs to learn to put other people before himself

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  15. it seems like Odysseus gets whatever he wants

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  17. why did he not believe the goddess in the first place?

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  18. Yes, Hannah. Remember that an epic hero must be loyal. He is not loyal to his wife. But, his excuse is that Circe is a goddess, and bowing to her is the only way to get his men back.
    Do you believe him?

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  19. Some new impressions that I got about Odysseeus are that he will basically do anything to get home and to save his men. Also I learned that he could use to shut his mouth a lot more.

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  20. I think that Odysseus need to stay focus but i think he isn't the worst leader or best he needs to step it up a little bit.

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  21. i mean why is it just Odysseus's fault. His men were the ones to open the bag and that was there way home, so how is it just Odysseus's fault?

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  22. i think he does whats best for his men sometimes. When he was on Circe's island and he went to get his men i think he really cared about them. But sometimes he doesn't think.

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  23. Interesting idea, Gabby. Do we appreciate people who are human and make mistakes, then learn from them more than people who make good choices from the beginning?

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  24. I believe that Circe is more dangerous than the cyclops because she hindered their progress home by about a year and the cyclops only hindered them a few days.

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  25. i agree with parker cause it really does.... he says the gods hate him and whatnot but he doesnt seem to realize they have helped him alot and give him everything he needs to go through the journey

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  26. the qualities that Odysseus reveals in this episode is that he broke the rules by making out with another woman,sacrificing, mean, nice at times, make his mean jealous that he had food and they didn't, his men breaking the rules by them opening the bag that had the wind in it that made them move farther away from their home land and Odysseus said not to open it

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  27. He forgot about what he was doing when he entered the palace of the goddess. So that would put his leadership qualities pretty low considering they stayed there for five years and totally forgot about getting home.

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  28. It seems that Odysseus has to work for what he wants.

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  29. That was not Odysseus's fault but the only reason they are there in the first place is because of him.

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  30. i think odysseus carea about his men because when they are turned into animals he knows he could get turned into an animal but he still goes to rescue them but in the past he hasn't looking after his men as much

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  31. He only thinks about himself and he doesn't want to do anything unless it means getting back to his wife, son, family, and friends.

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  32. Even though the Cyclops is bigger has more strength than Circe, I believe that she is more dangerous than the Cyclops. Circe made it feel like it was five days to the men, but it was actually five years. This impacted the men and how they were going to escape back to home. Circe also enjoys playing tricks on Odysseus and his men. When she tells Odysseus that he has to go to the underworld, she is basically telling him that he might never see his family again. Circe is dangerous and has evil tricks.

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  33. He is not selfish but can be at points in time. He tries his best but nothing happens like he wants it to. Why did the goddess not tell him about the time problem inside her walls?

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  34. I agree with Sam when you come to think of it, it was kinda the mens fault Odysseus was just being the leader and being who he is, a leader.

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  35. To me circe's is equal the danger as cyclops, Even if she is human she is till danger she is still a witch which should not be trusted but odysseus gave in to her charms and thanks to that he has lost 5 years and his mother is dead to. In this chapter we learn that odysseus is a foolish man to not except help from eurtlochus when he first told him to eat the moly. He thinks he can do everything on his own and doesn't get that he and his men are one.

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  37. I think Circe was a turning point for him because he cared a lot more for his men after that and he learned that time flies bye under the walls of her palace

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  38. How is it Odysseus fault? he didn't do anything, But I think it's his men's fault because they were the ones who opened the bag and that was their way home and they ruined it.

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  39. but jack they didn't know it was five years.... to then it was like five days. but i do agree with the idea of that putting his leadership qualities pretty low

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  40. I think that Circe is more dangerous than the cyclops because she can use her powers to change people into animals, bu the cyclops is just an over-sized, mutated human who can crush things and eats whatever he pleases.

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  41. odysseus is a ok leader i would not want him to be my leader though. i dont think that it is his falt that they arent home yet though!

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  42. Yeah it wasn't Odysseus's fault that they were on Circe's island. He was asleep and then his men just opened the bag and they seemed to be blaming Odysseus for what he didn't do. But he should have told his men what was in the bag so they wouldn't open it and be blown away from there home.

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  43. Samantha makes a good point. His men did open the bag; they did not trust his leadership. But, did he do anything that was in poor taste, too?

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  44. At the same time though i think Odysseus has some really strong qualities as a leader. He is bold, and he did make some sacrifices for his men, (like climbing up a huge rock wall in mandles.) I think he just has some flaws like being selfish and compulsive.

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  45. I think it is the whole teams fault or everyone because they all got sidetracked by the girls. Other wise they would not be in this predicament and they would be going to the underworld already.

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  46. I don't understand why the Gods help him so much i mean don't they hate him?

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  47. i think the cyclopes would kill them so they would never get home but circe only delayed them so i think that the cyclops is more dangerous

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  48. Odysseus is rather blind which is why five years had passed in front of him without him even realizing it and thats probably one of his biggest anti heroism qualities.

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  49. that is true gabby because the men will just open anything probably!

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  50. I agree with you Skyler. His strongest suit is his physical ability.(not many people can climb a cliff in mandles hahahahaha)

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  51. Leslie makes a good point. Odysseus' main problem is that he tries to do things on his own. What do you think he learns from his time on Circe's island? What does hse represent that he needs to learn on his journey?

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  52. I think that Odysseus is willing to do anything for his men because he knows he cant go through it all on his own but i also noticed that he is put in a weird situation. He can trust his men at points but then he cant at others. For example, he learned fast that he shouldn't trust his men after the wind incident, but he then realized on Cerce's Island they are telling the truth about the witch and the animals, but right now i think Odysseus is willing to do anything to keep his men safe and that is important in a leader.

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  53. He does get a lot of help from the Gods but he also has to work for other things.

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  54. How might you all answer Kylie's question? Do all the gods hate him? Do you remember what Aeolus said?

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  55. i think that Circe is more dangerous then the Cyclops because sure the Cyclops is HUGE but Circe has powers to do different things to different people. I think she is danger to Odysseus because she has the power to make him sleep with her and to turn him into an animal. She has very many things she can do to get into Odysseus's head.

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  56. I think Odysseus can be very greedy. Like when he didnt share the grain and thats what got them into the situation in the first place.

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  57. Well yes i would believe him for saving his men Mrs. Ackerman, but I'm sure there would be another way to save them. Just think... if he loved his wife that much he would never do such a thing to hurt her if she found out. but on the other hand there is nothing you can do to stop a Goddess; so theres both sides of the story i agree with.

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  58. Yeah Gabby but they should just trust him as there leader and know that he is doing what is best for them so it is NOT Odysseus's fault that they are in Circe's island.

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  59. I mean i agree with him sometimes he dose fix his mistakes but he wont always have the opportunity to fix his mistakes. I believe there must be communication from his men to him so this stuff won't happen that's what i think failed when they open the bag they wanted to know what was in it and it could have been avoided if odysseus told them what was in it.

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  60. Good, Josie. So, then, he is learning to rely on others, to buy into team work, in order to be successful. Linus, can you tell us more about what things he has to work for?

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  61. Why is it the Odysseus' so lonely and why does he always try to do things by himself. Does he just feel like he is a great power among everyone and can do it all on his own.

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  62. yes linus like climbing cliffs by choice lol he could have gone around the bear

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  63. I think Odysseus needs to learn how to have faith and trust in someone other then himself and that he needs to focus on other things other then himself too.

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  64. I agree with Skyler and Jack, he does work those mandles! but Odysseus is selfish to his men, their all in it together and sometimes it seems like Odysseus just does things for him and to get home.

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  65. only posiedon hates them becuase odysseus did not thank poseidon so nly posiedon hate them

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  66. True, Hannah. I think that if he tried above all else to be loyal to his wife, that other gods might come in and help him maintain his faithfulness.

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  67. Yeah! I think he is very ungrateful for all the things the gods do for him. Like, when Poseidon helped Odysseus and Odysseus gives him no credit at all. He was really prideful, but i think that is something he will learn from in the end.

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  68. Odysseus acts tough and everything but the gods are whats right from wrong, but when it comes to his men he has a very good brain unlike his second in command, he train of thought is to kill and ask questions later, but Odysseus comes up with an idea of how to get out of certain situations.

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  69. A heroic quality that Odysseus represents is that he is very brave and determined. I say this because he climbs the steep mountain just to save his men from Circe. The only way to turn his men back into human form though was to sleep with Circe, and he did. He actually cares about his men and he was brave enough to save them. Not to mention he actually listened to one of his men and didn't try to kill the pig. He has learned a lot from his last mistakes.

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  70. It seems that the gods are pretty nice to Odysseus, and Poseidon hasn't really made it a challenge to get home.I was expecting like storms and more encounters with Poseidon but we haven't had like any. Where did Poseidon go?

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  71. Troy I think the bear would have eaten him or maybe bye the smallest chance he could have told Odysseus where Circe is.

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  72. no he doesnt like to climb cliffs linus that would not be fun becuase he is in sandals

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  73. odysseus's men should trust Odysseus more!

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  74. Would his journey been different if he didnt climb the cliff? Would he have survived? Would he have met the god?

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  75. linus who likes to climb cliffs? like really

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  76. I'm just kinda disappointed about the mother :( She obviously doesn't share the same qualities as his son because she doesn't care about the people she is leaving behind.

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  77. i want a pair of mandles...maybe I'll get some crazy abs like Odysseus too.... :D

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  78. Absolutely, Colin. And, speaking of mandles, Aeolus said that he appreciate Odysseus because he thought for himself; he was strong. However, Colin and Andrew make the point that his strength also becomes arrogance.

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  79. i agree with john, he is very brave and has a big goal set. he takes actions that are very intense in order to save his men.....

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  80. Hmmm. How 'bout we focus and stuff?

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  81. In this episode Odysseus reveals several qualities in himself that are both good for a leader and horrible for anyone to have. One of the good qualities he has is the fact that he will do anything to help his men. That is because he sacrificed his life trying to save his men from a life as a bear, lion, monkey, or pig.

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  82. What if the Bear was a god? Zues maybe?

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  83. i think rock climbing is cool and that is like climbing cliffs

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  84. Or dimples like the god of soul or whatever that cute guy was :)

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  85. Odysseus.And if he went around the bear there might of been more bears on the trail.

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  86. Circe suggests to Odysseus that he needs to overcome to trust and beleive cause when he ate the grass and then he ate the grass and then when he drank the wine nothing happened to him

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  87. he could have went around those too lol

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  88. bhenderson said...
    I think Circe is almost like a goddess of time, She made time pass so quickly when Odysseus was in her bed. She wants him to forget about his wife. She is upset because she turned Odysseus' men back to humans and Odysseus stayed in her room for five years instead of leaving with his men. He threatened to end her life if she didn't tell him what he had to do to get home. I think Odysseus is changing, he is becoming less selfish. Instead of having one of his men travel to the underworld to get directions to Ithaca, he is doing it himself for him and his men. He wants his men to be safe. I think he trusts his men more now because it turned out that the guy who said one of their brothers turned into a pig, wasn't lying. He will do whatever it takes to return to see his son and his wife. He trusts that Penelope hasn't forgotten him, even though Circe tried to convince him otherwise.

    November 17, 2010 8:08 AM
    bhenderson said...
    I still don't understand why Odysseus' men were mad at him after the opened the wind sack. Does anyone understand that?

    November 17, 2010 8:12 AM
    Elester said...
    i think circe is a very important godess to him, because she does things that most gods or godesses canot do. but he is also upset with her because she held him captive for so long. he thought it was 5 days when in reality it was 5 years.

    November 17, 2010 8:13 AM
    bhenderson said...
    I agree with Kylie, Odysseus' is not the reason they are on Circe's island. His men are the ones that opened the wind sack to early, which is what got them there in the first place.

    November 17, 2010 8:18 AM
    bhenderson said...
    If that pretty flying fellow came up to you and asked you to eat a poison plant while hanging from a cliff, would you?

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