ELA Review: 5/5

What did you do this semester in ELA that was most meaningful to you, and why was it meaningful?

The most meaningful thing I did in ELA was blog post and make a movie. The blog post, just because I love blog posting, and making a movie because I think it's so cool how we can do almost anything we want to for our response projects, and I love making movies.

What was the most challenging thing about ELA this semester, and why?

The most challenging thing for me, personally, in ELA, was catching up. It wasn't too difficult, but since I came to POHS in the middle of the first semester, I had to see where everyone was and read Maus super fast because we were at the end of it.

What would you like to change about ELA, and why?

I've tried, but I really can't think of anything that I would like to change.

What would you like to stay the same in ELA, and why?

I love how we get to keep and annotate our books because I love getting books and I actually really enjoy annotating. Contrary to other people, annotating actually helps me to read the book faster because I have to stay engaged and aware of what is happening. If I wasn't annotating, it would take me twice as long because I would zone out or not pay attention and then I would have to read the passage over again because I wouldn't know what was going on. 

If you have any further comments about the class, please include them.

I LOVE YOUR CLASS, MS. HARRISON!

Explaining Epithets

Find three heroic epithets. Explain how you think these epithets were useful to the singer of poems in the Greek oral tradition. (Explain: give a detailed account including reasons or causes.)

An epithet is a descriptor used over and over again to describe a person or place. It is usually a two-worded adjective, with some exceptions. Examples from The Odyssey include: "Athena, the owl-eyed goddess," with owl-eyed being the epithet (3: 87); "Menelaus, the red-haired king," with the epithet as red-haired (52: 284); and "Poseidon, the Lord of Earthquake," in which the epithet is Lord of Earthquake (196: 151).

I think epithets were useful to the singer, or bard, of poems in the Greek oral tradition for many reasons. One reason is that since these bards had to memorize everything, it was a way for them to have easy descriptors of their characters. While it also helped them to remember who the character was, it probably assisted the audience too, because these poems took several days to tell and it's very easy to forget who is who. 

Another example of why they were useful is the use of the dactylic hexameter. The dactylic hexameter is the Greek formal rhythm that is different from our English iambic pentameter. If the poet needed to have more syllables in his line, then he could easily put in the epithet, or the longer version of the epithet.

As you can see, the epithets were extremely useful in many ways to the singer of poems. One of the many things I liked about Lombardo's translation, that is different from the other translation I read (Fagles), is that he didn't use the same epithet the whole time. While it had the same context, he changed it up. For example: "Athena's seagrey eyes glinted," with seagray as the epithet (6: 192); or "Athena, her eyes grey as saltwater," with eyes grey as saltwater being the epithet (10: 331); and "Grey-eyed One," with the epithet as Grey-eyed (10: 336).  

Comparing Acts of Xenia

Find two passages in The Odyssey that are examples of Xenia. Compare these two passages. Be sure to cite them as well. (Compare: give an account of the similarities between two (or more) items or situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout.)

Xenia is a Greek term for guest friendship or hospitality that was only for aristocrats to show that they were a good trading partner to have. There is a lot of Xenia in The Odyssey, but two examples are when Athena politely refuses Telemachus's gift and when Telemachus refuses Menelaus's gift, also politely. 

In the first example, Athena, disguised as Mentes, tells Telemachus that she wants to continue on her journey but "Whatever gift you feel moved to make, Give it to me on my way back home," (10: 333-4). In the second example, Telemachus has been offered many things, including horses, by Menelaus. Telemachus says that "As for gifts, Give me whatever treasure you will, But I will not take horses to Ithaca." (61: 632-5). He reason he rejects the gift of horses is because Ithaca does not have proper land for horses.

These two examples of Xenia are similar, because even though both Athena and Telemachus declined their offerings, they accepted a different one or requested it at a different time. They are also similar because they both turned the gift down cordially, which is a sign of proper Xenia. Lastly, they are alike because they both tell their hosts to give them whatever gift they will.

All About Telemachus

The first four books of The Odyssey are known as the "Telemachy," as they introduce us to the voyage of Odysseus' adolescent son, Telemachus. Why do you think that The Odyssey begins with this story, and what are the most important things that we learn about Telemachus?

I think The Odyssey begins with the Telemachy because it clearly shows how desperate people are for Odysseus to return home. Telemachus is being eaten out of house and home by suitors who are constantly pursuing Penelope. Meanwhile, even the gods think it is time for Odysseus to have his homecoming. Telemachus leaves Ithaca, which we can assume he hasn't done so before, just to search for news of his father, Odysseus. 

There are a lot of important things that we learn about Telemachus, but the most important things that we learn about him include: he has never met his father because he left for Troy when Telemachus was still a baby; he is not a man yet, since he has not grown his beard and is barely of age; he looks and sounds like Odysseus; Athena is assisting him; and he is repeatedly compared to Orestes, and uses Orestes as a role model to take action, make his name in the world, and take his father's fate into his own hands. 

My Transfer

I recently transferred back to Post Oak from Duchesne. I have gone to Montessori my whole life, except for those two months at Duchesne. I found that I didn't like the traditional teaching method because it makes you learn things by memorizing them, and to me, that isn't learning. I also wasn't feeling academically challenged and thought I was losing my hard working skills that I got from being a Montessori student my whole life. It was hard for me to admit that I had made a mistake in choosing Duchesne, but I knew that I needed to in order to get the education I need. 

Now that I'm back at Post Oak, I have found that I like it more than I thought I would. Everyone has been super welcoming and I feel like I never left. I'm super glad that I came back, and even though I wish I had trusted my gut and gone to Post Oak in the first place, I wouldn't give up my experience at Duchesne. Being at Duchesne taught me a lot about myself that I never would have learned otherwise, but now I'm just glad I'm back.