At this point in the Odyssey, I am slightly disappointed. I thought that Ulysses would be lost at sea and face many more dangers than he did. Hopefully the ending and rest of the book is exciting.
Even though humbleness is a hero's trait, Ulysses is not very humble. He boasts and brags to almost everyone he meets, even when he is telling a made-up story! I find this very annoying. Ulysses and Telemachus must be excellent actors or everyone else must be very gullible, because they lie/make up stories often, which are always believed. I was wondering why everyone counts on the gods so much, when they are often let down by them. It seems like the people wouldn't trust the gods all the time, as they have lived with them all their life and should have learned something about them by now.
At one point in the story, Antinous calls Eumaeus a "Precious idiot". What kind of insult is that? It kind of seems to contradict itself. I think that part of the reason everyone is so hospitable is because they are afraid that someone coming to their home could actually be a god in disguise.
This part of the book was interesting at times and boring and long at others.
I am laughing as I read your post! I am also very annoyed by Ulysses and his boasting! I like that you included what you thought about the "Precious Idiot" insult! (: Great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the god part. All the villagers must be paranoid that a god will come and blow up there house or something :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes finishing a book can make me sad, as I don't want it to end - or is it just boring you?
ReplyDeleteI really found Odysseus fairly annoying too. I almost hoped another character would be better than him, just so he would learn humility.
It's an oxymoron!
I never thought of that - it's an intriguing thought.
I'm not exactly sad about the book ending; it is a great story. I think that the things I've heard about the Odyssey brought my expectations of the amount of adventure up. I feel like I'm waiting for that great moment....when BAM! something completely unexpected happens.
ReplyDelete