BOOK 21

Part 1:

Why does Penelope now want to stage the test of the bow? How do you think Penelope is probably feeling at this point in the situation? Do you think she might suspect the stranger is Odysseus? What arguments could be mounted in support of such an opinion?

Penelope is using the test of the bow to decide witch of the suitors she will marry. “The hand that can string this bow (Odysseus’ bow) with greatest ease, that shoots an arrow clean through all twelve axes – he is the man” Penelope will follow and marry (426.86-88). Even though Penelope is following through with the plan a part she is dying inside and does not want to remarry. When Penelope is retrieving Odysseus’s bow, Homer describes her, “Reaching, tiptoe, lifting the bow down off its peg, still secure in the burnished case that held it, down she sank, laying the case across…” (426.62-64). As I read this, reading the words “down she sank” I knew immediately she was feeling horrible and dirty. One sinks in a pile of mud not when they are going to get married and through these words, I believe Homer is stating that Penelope feels like scum on the bottom of a shoe for lack of better words. She is falling, sinking slowly to something she does not want to be at. She does not want to remarry. Continuing on, knowing she does not want to remarry she still continues on with the plan because I believe that she suspects that the stranger is Odysseus. When the stranger (Odysseus) asks to try his hand at the bow the suitors laugh while Penelope wants him to try. Penelope says, “Come, hand him the bow now, let’s just see…”(435.375). I think Penelope suspects that the stranger is Odysseus and she wants him to attempt to use the bow so it can stand as proof whether the stranger is Odysseus or not. It can be argued that if she knows the stranger is Odysseus then why is she still holding the contest but in my opinion, I state that Penelope is unsure and she rather know for sure than make any assumptions

To whom does Odysseus now reveal his identity and why? Discuss the way Odysseus has decided whom he can trust and whom he cannot. Has he made good decisions in that regard?

            In this book Odysseus decides to reveal his identity to the swineherd and cowherd. Odysseus feels he can trust them both but he also needs more people to help him bring down all of the suitors. Before revealing his identity, he asks, “How far would you go to fight beside Odysseus?” (430.221) Odysseus is testing their worthiness. If they respond in aments and say they would do anything for Odysseus and fight to their death he can trust them. If they respond with any sense of doubt, they are a lost cause for Odysseus and he cannot reveal his true identity. Of course the suitors say they will fight beside their king and convince Odysseus of their worthiness. In return, “certain at least these two were loyal to the death,” Odysseus reveals his identity (431.232). Odysseus in the past and in this scene has revealed his identity because he feels that these people are loyal to him to death and can be trusted. I agree with his antics and think they are the right way to decide who he should reveal his identity too.

The main idea of this book was the competition to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. Penelope gives the suitors the opportunity win her hand by being able to string Odysseus’ bow and shoot and arrow cleanly through twelve axes in a row. The suitors all being hot heads immediately get riled up and they all want to be the first to get the arrow through the twelve axes. As quick as they were to jump to their feet, they were even quicker to sit back down. The challenge proved to be too difficult and they all underestimated the strength of Odysseus. Antinuous who has always been the one to talk smack tries first but he fails to bend it. He says the rest of the suitors, “Friends, I can’t bend it. Take it, someone – try. Here is a bow to rob our best of life and breath” (429.172-174). Like Antinuous, Melanthius, Eurymachus, and all the strongest suitors all failed to bend Odysseus bow. They tried to lather it with oil but everything they tried and everyone who tried failed. It is made clear that Odysseus’ strength is far more superior to that of the suitors. But in this, I also recognize how the mind of Odysseus is also stronger than those of the suitors. The suitors after one try immediately give up but Odysseus who has suffered defeat after defeat never gave up.

Eventually, Odysseus gets his hands on the bow while he is disguised as the beggar bends his bow in front of the suitors. “Horror swept through the suitors, faces blanching white,” (437.459). At this point the suitors know they are in for it and doomed. As Odysseus reveals himself, Telemachus draws his sword and the two prepare for battle.

GQ1:           

Even though the suitors are given the opportunity to win Penelope’s hand in marriage through the bow contest, it seems as though Penelope has given them an impossible task. Is the task truly impossible to achieve, is their a more significant reason that Penelope chose this task for the suitors to accomplish? What does she gain from giving them an impossible task if it is impossible?

Part 2:

Literary Devices

SIMILE:

1. 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” (437.451-456). This simile allows Odysseus to be seen as the master of the bow. He is the expert and he is the only one who can string the bow and use it properly. With that said, Odysseus is now revealing to everyone one he is Odysseus and he is the only one with the might and power to string his bow.

Epic Machinery

            In book 21, Homer once again emphasizes on the number 3. He describes Telemachus attempting to string Odysseus’ bow, “Three times he made it shudder, straining to end it, three times his power flagged—but his hopes ran high…”(428.143-144). Here Homer is bringing in the idea of three times is the charm. If you fail, try a second time, and a third time but fail again on the third time there is no use trying again. Homer is saying that no matter how hard Telemachus tried each time he could not string the bow even after the charmed third time.

            Homer also uses epic machinery to describe the bow’s origins. This occurs on page 424 on line 15 and ends on page 425, line 44. In this the reader finds the bow was given to Odysseus from Iphitus who was murdered by Apollo. In the translator’s notes we find how this can affect the story.

Translators Notes

21.16 Eurytus: One of the great archers Odysseus mentions when he claims mastery of the bow among the Phaecians (8.246-60). Eurytus had even challenged Apollo to a contest, an insult for which the god killed him. According to later sources, Apollo had given him a bow and trained him in its use; if so, the bow Iphitus gave Odysseus comes from the hand of the archer god himself, to be used against the suitors on Apollo’s feast day.

These notes can be interpreted in two ways. One way is that because the bow is from Apollo himself Odysseus will kill the suitors with ease due to the amazing power the bow has. On the contrary, Odysseus may offend Apollo by using his bow on his feast day and Odysseus may suffer because of this.

GQ2:

Now knowing even more about the origin of the bow and how it originates straight from Apollo, do you think Odysseus’ use of it will provide any significance in his battle with the suitors?

Part 3:

 A theme that has recently been brought up in the book is the swineherd and cowherd’s loyalty to Odysseus. For the many years Odysseus has been gone they still continue to show their loyalty to their unforgotten king. In book 21 this loyalty is emphasized when Odysseus asks the suitors how far they will go for Odysseus. In the end Odysseus feels they are loyal to him to their deaths and he reveals his identity to them. With that said, the swineherd and cowherd would crawl on their hands and knees and fight for Odysseus to the end. Like wise, soldiers today fight for their country everyday even to the death. They crawl on their hands and knees and do what they can for their country. The essay below gives an opinion on why soldiers do what they do.

http://www.zabalaza.net/pdfs/leafs/soldiersdie.pdf

GQ3:

Would you ever crawl on your hands and knees and fight till death for someone or something? What qualities make that someone or something worth fighting fore? What qualities does Odysseus have that make him worth fighting for?

Equal?

Men and Women are equally dependent on each other and need the other in order to survive. Without one there can be no other.

Browsing the Internet, I came across this quote. When reading it I immediately thought about Krogstad and Kristine. During the story, Kristine discusses how Krogstad needs her and she needs Krogstad. I could not rap my mind around the reasons why. Kristine was working and earning money for herself and Krogstad was getting along just fine. It then hit me. Maybe Kristine does not want to work. Maybe she wants to live under a household ruled by a man where he does all the work and she gets to stay at home and watch the kids. Krogstad also probably wanted a wife that would stay at home and watch the kids. So in the end if they did get together both of their needs would be met. Kristine would no longer have to work and Krogstad would have a wife at home to take care of the household. If neither of them had each other, they would both be out of luck and have to do everything on their own. So maybe it is true that Men and Women are equally dependent on each other. What do you think?

Forging Signatures

Forging signatures even for the first time is not a smart idea. You will either face a judge even possibly a jury. Forging signatures can get you anywhere from 6 months to 2 years in jail, and a fine of not less than $100 dollars. Think of the consequence before forging signatures.

The line above is from www.lawfirms.com and it describes the consequences of forging signatures. As stated above, there is jail time punishment for the act of forging a signature. In A Doll’s House, Nora forged her father’s signature so that she could get the loan from Krogstad. Unfortunately, Krogstad found out about her forging and used this as blackmail so he could keep his job. I am not sure what the punishment was for forging signatures during the time of the story but it was bad enough to worry Nora. To keep herself from any punishment, she tried to convince Torvald as best she could to allow Krogstad to keep his job. It’s to bad though because Torvald is set on his ways and hates Krogstad. One of the reasons he hates him is that Krogstad committed the crime of forgery. Unfortunately, forgery can mess up people’s lives just as it does in the story.

Anchor Man

Ron Burgundy:
I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science.


This quote from Anchorman summarizes the view of many men in the 1970’s. In the 1970’s women’s liberation was huge. Women were trying to gain equality in the world and through that wanted the same job opportunities as men. In Anchorman, Veronica Corningstone wants to be one of the lead anchors on one of San Diego’s top news stations. The only problem with this is that it was a male dominated business at the time so many people did not want her to be the lead anchor. One of these people was Ron Burgundy. His quote above summarizes his view of why Veronica should not be one of the anchors. This was the view of many people and it seems that Torvald had the same view on Nora in the story A Doll’s House. Like in anchor man women in A Doll’s House were not seen as equals to men. Torvald would call Nora pet names just to show his superiority over her. In the story, the men had all the power in the relationship because it was they who worked and made the money to support the household while women were expected to stay at home and take car of the kids. Torvald only saw Nora as just a woman with a small brain.

Grenade

Grenade Lyrics
Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, Cause what you don't understand is
I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah , yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah) Oh, oh
I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya baby ; But you won't do the same
                                                        ~Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars is describing a relationship where he had more love for his significant other than she did for him. He describes how he would do anything for her because he loved her so much but she would not do the same. Similarly, in A Doll’s House, Nora would do anything for Torvald and she believed he would do the same for here but she soon found out that in the very worst way he would not do the same. Nora put herself in danger and financial problems to borrow money so that she could save Torvald’s life by going on a trip. Unfortunately, despite her intensions, Torvald was disgusted with her actions. When Torvald read Krogstad’s letter describing how Nora had borrowed money from him and forged her dad’s signature to do so, Torvald instead of taking the blame and protecting Nora, like she had hoped, he went on a rampage and thought about he could save himself. It was then that Nora found that Torvald’s love for her was not the same love she felt for him. Nora felt uncontrollable love for Torvald but Torvald just love the idea of having Nora. Torvald never really truly love Nora the same way she love him. In the end, Nora would die for Torvald, but he would not do the same.