Week 2: Reading Diary- The Odyssey

Reading Diary- Homer's Odyssey

The Cyclops: Chapter 1-4 (Click next link to continue)

• ·      Odysseus and his crew reach the island of the Cyclopes. It seems as if they are on an island untouched my man. The land is untouched and the plants grow wildly.  They then hunted and ate many goats. They had a great feast.
• ·      Once again they referenced the wine they got from a previous island. Maybe it is important.
• ·      They went into the Cyclops cave and they decided to wait for his return to see it if would be friendly or not. What they found inside was a herd of goats and rams. They also milk, cheeses, and piles of hay.
• ·      Once the Cyclops can back Odysseus went to him and said that they were friendly. The beast didn’t listen and immediately he took 2 of his men and ate them whole.
• ·      It was so gross the way they described the Cyclops eating the humans. It was extremely vivid and made me feel like I was in the danger myself.
• ·      After the devouring, the men hid behind the rocks in the cave and the Cyclops went about his day.
• ·      The crew couldn’t escape because when the Cyclops entered and exited he rolled a huge stone in front of the entrance.
• ·      The Cyclops ate 4 more men before Odysseus came up with a plan to hurt the beast.
• ·      Odysseus decided that he would stab it in the eye with a heated stick.
• ·      Once the Cyclops came back, he went to eat two more men, but this time Odysseus offered the beast wine. The Cyclops loved at and begged for more.
• ·      Me became drunk and passed out.
• ·      Then Odysseus and his crew jabbed the stick in eye of the Cyclops.
• ·      The beast was outraged and screamed out to the heavens that he was hurt by “Nobody” which is what Odysseus told him his name was.
• ·      The other cyclopses came to aid but he said Nobody hurt him.
• ·      The men then escaped using the sheep to hide under so the blind Cyclops couldn’t see them.
• ·      They then escaped the island and Odysseus mocked the giant and told him is real name.
• ·      The beast prayed to Poseidon and cursed him.

Part Two: Circe and the Trials

•  Odysseus and his crew sailed to the mysterious island of Circe. When they arrived they had a great feast with the sheep they took from the Cyclops Island before.
• ·      After eating, some of the men excluding Odysseus went on top of the mountain in search of was at the peak.
• ·      The men found a magnificent. Castle
• ·      They entered only of find a goddess like being accompanies by loins, and wolfs.
• ·      The woman named Circe offered the men food for there travels.
• ·      The offered the men yellow honey and wine, but she also mixed in her magic potion.
• ·      As the men drank, she touched them with her man and all the men were turned to pigs.
• ·      One of the men saw this and ran back to Odysseus.
• ·      He told him what became of their soldiers fate.
• ·      Odysseus then took the rest of his men to go conquer Circe. On the way the mighty god Hermes came to aid Odysseus. He warned of Circe’s plot. Hermes gave him a root. The root would let Odysseus withstand her magic. He was instructed to charge Circe whenever the see realizes that the potion would not work.
• ·      He did this and then Circe wanted to go to bed with him.
• ·      He did, but after he pleaded for the life of his men to be saved.
• ·      She turned them back to men and they were so happy to see each other again!.
• ·      The crew ended up staying there for 1 whole year celebrating!
• ·      Once they left Circe told then they must go to the house of Hades and speak to the ghost of Theban Teiresias.
• ·      Once there Odysseus had to perform a ritual and sacrifice two sheep in order for  Teiresias to come and speak the truth.
• ·      He said that great danger awaited him because Poseidon was angry.
• ·      Odysseus spoke to his dead mother and other familiar faces.
• ·      After visiting the land of Hades the crew returned to Circe and see told them how to get past the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis.
• ·      They went on their way and when they reached the sirens.
• ·      The crew is not supposed to hear the sirens voice so they put beeswax in each other’s ears to get by. Once past the Sirens they reached Charybdis a water-sucking monster that tried to sink the ship.
• ·      Also Scylla approached with resembled a giant squid came at ate 6 of Odysseus’ men.