The Odyssey Book 5 “Sweet Nymph and Open Sea”

The Odyssey Book 5“Sweet Nymph and Open Sea” Mrs. Gurney

Question-Time If You Had a Chance to Be Immortal, Would you take advantage of that opportunity? What if you could be immortal with your family? What are the pros? The cons?

Summary of Key Themes In this book, there are two main thematic topics: Odysseus being helped and hurt by the gods before he eventually makes it to a shore closer to his goal, Ithaka; and loyalty triumphing over temptation, as demonstrated by his commitment to Penelope despite his contradictory behavior with Kalypso. How O is helped and hurt by the Gods: • Athena gets Zeus to instruct Hermes to tell Kalypso to free Odysseus. • Kalypso argues with the edict, saying she was the only one who saved him from death, but agrees to help because she can’t defy Zeus. With Kalypso’s help, he builds the raft and she stocks it with wine, water and victuals (food) in a bag. • Poseidon returns from his feast and throws great waves into his path, toppling Odysseus from his boat.

Summary of Themescontinued… • Ino, a nereid, ascends from the sea and offers Odysseus her veil to wear around him so that he doesn’t drown. • Then Athena intervenes and instructs Odysseus on how to get to shore. Second Theme: Loyalty wins over temptation: Odysseus still feels loyal to Penelope even though he sleeps with an immortal goddess. • Specifically when Kalypso expresses her jealousy of Odysseus’ love for Penelope, Odysseus tells her that – as a mortal - Penelope is only a “shade” compared to Kalyspo, but yet he longs for her. Point of Confusion: If Odysseus is so in love with Penelope, why does he sleep every night with Kalypso?

Question-Time Does the book judge Odysseus for sleeping with Kalypso? What would our society think of his behavior? How does this compare to how Penelope and women (Klytaimnestra) are viewed? Can they cheat? What ancient Greek cultural value toward the sexes does this reveal?

Heroic Qualities “Special Qualities and Abilities” “’O Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, let no man holding scepter as a king think to be mild, or kind or virtuous; let him be cruel, and practice evil ways, for those Odysseus ruled cannot remember his fatherhood and mercy of his reign’” (X. 9-15). In this passage, Athena remarks about Odysseus’ unusual statesman-like traits of mercy and fatherhood.

Question-Time What kind of values do you think a good leader should have? Are mercy and fatherhood (taking care of others) appropriate leadership values in all conditions? What about for people who have committed genocide (the Nazis) or other atrocities? Athena, here, suggests that people don’t really remember merciful leadership. Do you think people remember harsh leaders – such as the “Sarg-like” coaches in the world – more? Why?

Heroic Qualities “INTERVENTION BY the Gods” “During this meditation, a heavy surge was taking him, in fact, straight on the rocks. He had been flayed there, and his bones broken, had not Athena instructed him: he gripped a rock-ledge with both hands in passing and held on, groaning, as he surge went by, to keep clear of its breaking” (X. 192-194). This passage shows that Odysseus received help from Athena. Without it, he would have been hurled against the rocks. In fact, Athena’s intervention, plus Ino’s scarf, result in Odysseus’ survival.

Question-Time There’s a saying that behind every great man is a great woman. To what extent do you believe people alone can accomplish great things? Are two usually better than one? What does this suggest about life?

Heroic Qualities“Wins Despite Desires to Give Up and the Odds against Him” “Two nights, two days, in the solid deep-sea swell he drifted, many times awaiting death, until with shining ringlets in the East, the dawn confirmed a third day… and… he caught a glimpse of land” (V. 405-410). After Poseidon wreaks Odysseus’ raft, Odysseus drifts at sea for two days, defying death numerous times. Although he almost gives up at several points, Odysseus finally makes it to the safety of shore.

Question-Time Odysseus’ case here is a clear example of someone overcoming significant odds. What is it about this that we find so appealing? Do we all want to overcome obstacles? What values does this reveal? Is the value present in our culture? How?

Connection Intro • The book Night by Elie Wiesel is about a teenage boy who is imprisoned in Nazi work camps. He eventually is freed but only after losing his entire family. Aside from the obvious parallels of both characters being imprisoned against their will and both eventually escaping from their respective prisons, there are additional connections between the two texts.

Connections After Kalypso tells Odysseus he may go home, Odysseus is asking her what “guile" (trickery) (X. 184) she’s hiding. She assures him that she has “no further spells to work against you,” and he believes that his trip home will be safe (X. 198). InNight, right after the Jews are taken to the ghetto, they are scared of the Germans’ intentions. However, that is soon replaced by “optimism” and the Jews’ belief that the Germans would “stay in Budapest” (7). Both Odysseus and the Jews in Night initially are skeptical about their situations, but end up feeling safe and hopeful. In both cases, however, their hopefulness proves to be short-lived as they both end up in dangerous situations that cause them significant suffering.

Question-Time In both these cases, the characters are initially skeptical of another’s intention but then become hopeful. To what extent do you think people have a natural tendency to be hopeful? How might this tendency help us?

At one point after Poseidon, the god of the earthquake, has thrown one obstacle after another in Odysseus’ way, Odysseus almost gives up. He can see the shore, but there is no way for him to ascend it as he hears “the trampling roar of sea on rock” (V. 419). His knees grow “slack” and his “heart faint” (V. 424), meaning he is too exhausted to continue. At various times in the march at the end of the book, Elie almost gives up. At one point, his father cajoles Elie to wake up – so he will not die – and Elie says to himself, “How could I get myself out of this fluffy bed [of snow]? I could hear what my father said, but is seemed empty, as though he had told me to lift up the whole building in my arms” (84). Connections Both Odysseus and Elie almost give up their quests, but both continue because of the intervention of someone else. In Odysseus’ case. Athena intervenes; and in Elie’s, it’s his father who keeps him going.

How would you feel if you were in Kalypso’s position, having to let the love of your life go? • What quality do you most admire about Kalypso? • What quality do you most admire about Odysseus in this section? • If you were Homer, would you have this book end this way? What other ways could you end it? • The title of this book is “Sweet Nymph and Open Sea.” What if it was called “Ungrateful Mortal and the Open Sea” or “Odysseus’ Escape from Purgatory”? Would those be better titles?

The Odyssey Book 5 “Sweet Nymph and Open Sea”