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.