Week 4 Feb 2, 4, and 6

Feb 2 Slide Deck

Odysseus: The Lord of Lies

Why tell the story now?

• Odysseus is a nameless “castaway” at a feast.

• He weeps at the song of Troy (8.521).

• He needs a ride home and gold.

If you are trying to convince a King to give you a ship, do you tell him you lost your last 12 ships through bad leadership?

1: The Cicones (Book 9)

“The Crew Made Me Do It”

• Odysseus’s Story: “I said we must leave, but my men were fools… they stayed for the wine.”

• Who is the Captain?

Why does Odysseus frame himself as the only “rational” person in every disaster? Does this make him more or less believable?

2: The Cave (Book 9)

Who Broke Xenia First?

• Odysseus’s Story: Polyphemus is a “lawless monster” for eating guests.

• Odysseus broke into the cave, ate the cheese, and waited for the owner to “give him a gift” (9.229).

If someone breaks into your house and eats your food, are you the villain for reacting?

3: The Bag of Winds (Book 10)

•  The ship is in sight of Ithaca. Odysseus falls into a “deep sleep.”

• The crew opens the bag; they are blown back to start.

 Is “I was asleep” a convenient way to avoid responsibility for his crew’s lack of trust? Why didn’t he tell them what was in the bag?

4: The Cannibals (Book 10)

The Lone Survivor

• 11 ships enter the harbor; Odysseus stays outside.

• 500+ men are eaten; only Odysseus escapes.

Did he save himself or abandon his fleet?

How does he justify being the only survivor to King Alcinous (who is currently lending him a ship)?

5: Circe (Book 10)

•  Odysseus conquers the witch and stays for a year.

• His men eventually have to beg him to leave (10.472).

Who was actually trapped on the island—the men turned to pigs, or the Captain who forgot his home?

The Power of a Story

“Odysseus’s stories are not just memories; they are currency. He pays for his passage home with the ‘truth’ the Phaeacians want to hear.” (Rose, 1992).

 If Odysseus is a “man of many devices” (polytropos), why should we believe he’s being straight with us now?

Feb. 4th Slide Deck

The Odyssey: The Return in Disguise

Books 13–19

The Art of Testing and Being Tested

From Magic to Manners

In Ithaca, the “monsters” are no longer Cyclopes or Sirens; they are social violations.

• The Shift: Odysseus moves from physical survival to a tactical “Social Siege.”

• The Strategy: Use the status of a beggar (the lowest social rung) to gauge the integrity of the highest.

Breakout: The “Loyalty Test”

Small Group Task (15 Mins)

Compare how the following characters treat the “Beggar”:

1.  Eumaeus (Book 14): The model of Xenia despite poverty.

2.  Melanthius (Book 17): The abusive servant; a foil to Eumaeus.

3.  Antinous & Eurymachus (Book 17-18): The suitors’ arrogance.

Question: What does their treatment of a stranger reveal about their right to live in the palace?

The Centerpiece: Book 19

The Interview Between Penelope and the Beggar:

Each group should spend 5 minutes comparing their example to this one.

This is the most debated scene in the epic.

• The Surface Narrative: Penelope is desperate and grieving; she does not recognize her husband.

• The Recognition Theory: Penelope suspects or knows this is Odysseus and uses the interview to test his resolve.

Class Discussion: Did Penelope Know?

Reflection: The Burden of Disguise

• Internal Conflict: Odysseus must watch his wife cry and his dog die (Argus) without breaking character.

• Ethics: Is it cruel for Odysseus to keep Penelope in the dark, or is it a necessary tactical move for her safety?

Feb 6th Assignment

”The Odyssey”: From Lingering Questions to Research

Objective

To document the evolution of a lingering question you may have into a formal research question and record your initial steps at answering it. This is an exercise in process, not a final polished essay.

Step 1: Identify Your Lingering Question

Think back through our reading of The Odyssey. What is the one thing that still feels unresolved, contradictory, or strange to you?

• The Initial Question: This may have a “correct” answer found in the text or deals with basic plot/character motivation (e.g., “Why didn’t Odysseus just tell his crew what was in the bag of winds?”). Your goal is to refine it into a more open-ended research question that would take interpretation and argument.

• Research Questions: The are arguable, multi-faceted, and requires looking at the text through a specific lens—historical, psychological, feminist, or narratological (e.g., “To what extent does the crew’s repeated ‘disobedience’ serve as a narrative device to insulate Odysseus from the moral failings of his voyage?”).

Step 2: Refinement Process

You can do this on your own or use the Course Chatbot to refine your thinking. I have provided it with specific system prompts to help with this assignment. If you do use it (or any other chatbot), briefly document this interaction by including a sentence or two about what you asked and how it helped (please do not copy and paste long text, summarize)

1. Input your “lingering question.”

2. Ask the AI: “Help me turn this into a formal research question. What are the different scholarly angles I could take with this?”

3. Ask for research keywords or specific types of primary/secondary sources that would help answer it.

Step 3: The Preliminary Search

Spend 20 minutes searching for a source or context that addresses your new question. This could be a JSTOR abstract, a historical detail about Bronze Age seafaring, or a commentary on Homeric epithets. You can ask the Chatbot to help point you in the right direction, but again document the help in it provides. Try to find reputable information, not slop, and you can check with the chatbot about your sources. If it is a long article, don’t feel like you need to read the whole thing, but summarize what you hope to find in it to help answer your questions. 

Submission Requirements

Total Length: ~300–500 words.

1. The Evolution: State your original question and your final Research Question.

2. The Process Log: Briefly describe your AI interaction (if any) or the process you used and developed. Did the AI suggest a lens you hadn’t considered? Did it help you narrow your scope?

3. Preliminary Findings: A short paragraph describing one source you found (or a specific lead) and your “working” answer to the question.

Note on AI Accuracy: While the AI is excellent at helping you narrow your scope, it may “hallucinate” specific scholarly citations or misattribute specific Homeric theories. Your job is to verify any claims it makes through our library databases. Do not take its “tips” as absolute truth—treat them as hypotheses to be tested.