Odysseus Strings His Bow

Odysseus Strings His Bow

Odysseus' Bow and Thor's Hammer

Strength:

• The bow is significant, because it shows Odysseus' strength. Odysseus has faith in himself and his skills. Even through hardships, he still perseveres.
• From him receiving his bow from his once living friend can reveal the importance of the bow.
• The relationship between Thor's hammer and Odysseus' bow is very similar due to the fact that they only have the power to control their weapons

Ancient Messene

Briana Brown

Book #21

Vocab Word

Is that Katniss Everdeen?

"...like an expert singer skilled at lyre and song- / who strains a string to a new peg with ease, / making the pliant sheep-gut fast at either end- / so with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow" (Homer 21. 453-456)

Virtuoso(n): a person who is highly skilled in music or another form of art

(vir·tu·o·so)

Synonym: genius, expert, prodigy

Antonym: beginner, incompetent

Sentence: An amazing flute virtuoso (me..jk) plays her flute with great skill.

Virtuoso can be used to describe Odysseus' abilities in a way that puts him on a pedestal for greatness.

Bruh...I don't think so...

Summary

• Penelope creates an archery contest to test the skills of her suitors.

• Odysseus comes home. He creates a disguise as he prepares to display his skills at the competition. (Appearance vs. Reality)

• Penelope sends Emuaeus and Philoetius to retrieve Odysseus' bow which causes them to break down in the memory of Odysseus (displays Odysseus' impact on the ones around him).

• All of the suitors tried to string his bow, but they were unable to do so.

How is Odysseus affected by this event?

• Odysseus reveals his true identity to his servants Emuaeus and Philoetius.
• Odysseus performs in an archery contest in order to regain his role as King.
• Odysseus tries to prove himself to everyone even through his appearance. His appearance impacts his identity and the way he is treated.

Odysseus and Telemachus

Significance of the Contest

• Their bond is retied after Odysseus' return back to Ithaca
• They will later on (in Book 22) advance into a "war" together against the suitors. The dream that Penelope has is coming true in how he swoops down and kills the suitors

• Penelope uses this contest to test the strengths of her suitors.
• This contest gives the reader an opportunity to view the strengths of Odysseus
• Telemachus attempts at stringing his father's bow but doesn't succeed after 3 tries (he has to uphold a title that is given to him as Odysseus' son)
• Odysseus identity throughout the contest reveals that a hero can be a hero without looking like one
• Everyone in this book has a specific role to play which can relate to the roles in the garden of Seedfolks.
• Antinous suggests that it is moved to tomorrow but Penelope insists that Odysseus should try

"Come, hand him the bow now, let's just see... / I'll tell you this-and I'll make good my word-if he strings the bow and Apollo grants him glory, / I'll give him a good sharp lance to fight off men and dogs..." (Homer 21. 375-379).

• This moment leads to suspicions of Penelope knowing Odysseus' true identity.
• She defends him out of all of the other suitors

Language Illumination

"So they mocked, but Odysseus, mastermind in action, / once he'd handled the great bow and scanned every inch, / then, like an expert singer skilled at lyre and song- / who strains a string to a new peg with ease, / making the pliant sheep-gut fast at either end- / so with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow" (Homer 21. 451-456)

Characters

What does this reveal about Odysseus' identity?

Telemachus

• Even through the mocking, Odysseus is still determined and he has faith in himself
• Odysseus' disguise as a beggar can cause deceit
• The suitors mock his appearance but they do not know who he really is (Appearance vs. Reality)
• Can relate to a teenager's life in high school

Odysseus

Penelope

Eumeaus and Philoteus

Significance of Characters

Antinous: he is constantly found discouraging/mocking others (including the suitors, Odysseus, and Telemachus)

• Symbol: challengers or doubters along a hero's journey

The Servants: Eumaeus and Philoteus longed for Odysseus' return

• Loyal companionship
• The servants are relieved, because the thought of him never returning impacts them (comradeship: All Quiet on the Western Front)

Iphitus: When they both traveled to Messene to handle buisness, it eventually led to Iphitus giving the bow to Odysseus. The bow was his father's.

Where does this book take place?

• Takes place 10 years after the Trojan war.

• The story tells of Odysseus returning home to Ithaca. From the previous book, Odysseus is worried about how he will beat all of the suitors at his palace. Athena reassures him by stating that all things are possible by the power of the gods.

• Penelope sets up an archery contest due to the inspiration of Athena's words . The contest is held at Odysseus' palace.

• The story of how Odysseus got his bow is set in Messene.

Antinous

Athena

Iphitus