Unit 5

English 201:    Masterpieces of Western Literature

Questions:
Chat:  Consider these questions before you log-on to the chat session.  You do not have to write essay answers, but you should look at relevant passages of the text & jot down several points before the chat session so that you can easily contribute to the discussion.

• Why is this scene so funny?  When Nausikaa accurately says:

6.199    Stranger, there is no quirk or evil in you
            that I can see.  You know Zeus metes out fortune
            to good & bad men as it pleases him.
            Hardship he sent to you, & you must bear it.
Image OD's situation as he listens to this.  What is the tone of Nausikaa?
• Explain OD's thinking & attitude when he tells Nausikaa:

6.233    I take no bath, however, where you can see me--
            naked before young girls with pretty braids.
The Greeks were not shy about the human body.  Perfection was almost tangible in the form of divine bodies illustrated in sumptuous statues.  Why is OD so modest in the scene, when he has slept with Kalypso, Kirke, & no doubt other other women &/or goddesses?
• In book 7.156, OD rather miraculously appears, makes his plea to Arete for mercy & help, & humbly sits in the ashes.  Without asking any questions, Alkinoos declares a kind of holiday to celebrate OD's visit & promises him a quick & easy ride home.  Why does he do this?  Support your answer with textual evidence.
• Explain Arete's thinking & attitude when she asks OD where he got the clothes he is wearing.  What is she likely to be worrying about?  Why does OD seem to avoid answering the question to go on about his experience in Ogygia: 7.272?
• Explain these lines:

8.497    All men owe honor to the poets--honor
            & awe, for they are dearest to the Muse
            who puts upon their lips the way of life.
How closely does the Greek poet resemble the Hebrew prophet of the Old Testament?  How do they differ?
• What do you think of Phaiakia?  How plausible is it?  No violence, no labor, & lots of art:

8.257:   feasting,
            harpers . . . dancing choirs,
            changes of dress, warm baths, & downy beds
            . . . we excel the world in dance & song
Is this plausible?  Can you think of a place in our world that even slightly resembles this?  If something like Phaiakia could be developed, would it be utopia?  Would you want to lie there?  Would you want to date/marry or just hang out with a Phaiakia?

1. Why does Nausikaa go to the river?  What is her purpose in doing so?
2. After he left Ogygia, OD's raft fell apart.  How long did OD spend floating in the Med.?
3. Having been provoked by Seareach, OD says he will compete with anyone in any game, but:

8.231    I hold myself the best hand with a bow
Is this one of the contests at the Phaiakian games?  How do you know?  Quote a line of text to support your answer.  What does archery symbolize?
4. Is Ogygia a pleasant island or desolate?  Quote the line that answers the question.
5. Who is called "Great Gamelegs"?  Why?  Who is the "cleanlimbed beauty"?