Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey; Part B

 Odyssey: Ghost of Erebus, Homer's Odyssey by Tony Kline

  • For the most part, the style of writing is dramatic, being somewhat consisting of several run-ons. Perhaps write more as though you were writing as you are speaking?
  • In particular, something that I liked most about this story was the inclusion of prayers to the gods. We all know that in ancient Greek times, especially in epics, the relationship between gods and mortals is something that is prevalently mentioned. Here, the author mentioned the main characters' prayers to Persephone and Hades, which were the 'rulers' of the underworld. This statement here says that the gods play an all-around important role in the daily livelihoods of humans and their wishes, as we can see in the curse of Odysseus during the previous chapters.
  • Perhaps the most intriguing part about this story was the inclusion of ghosts. Normally creatures and monsters that are not fully human would appear in the story, however, the author also included the spirits of the afterlife and also included the conversation between them as if they were real and actual alive human beings. 
  • The ghost provided a sense of pathos, one being Elpenor, which was one of Odysseus' crew members that died at Cerce's halls. He seeks nothing more than fore Odysseus to return to his unburied body, cremating and burying him. This was a meaningful moment between Odysseus and his friend that has been through it all with him throughout, even after the curse that was enacted by the Cyclopes. 
  • Also, the inclusion of Teiresias, the ghost of a once known for his prophecies. He tells Odysseus about what to avoid if he wanted to return home as if he slipped up, he either would not return at all or if he did return, there would be a number of issues as well as distress that would be awaiting him. However, he said that this can be avoided if he offered a sacrifice to Poseidon, who laid the curse on him for blinding the Cyclopes, his son.
(The Ghost of Teiresias. Source: Wikimedia)


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