The Merchant of Venice: Act One

In Act 1, we are introduced to the major characters in the play. Which one do you find most interesting and why?

     In Act One, the character "Shylock" stood out to me. Shylock is a Jewish money lender who seems to be depicted as the antagonist in the book and is treated harshly. Antonio was requesting a loan from Shylock for Bassanio and Shylock did loan him the money despite Antonio's hatred towards him. The terms of the loan were interesting to me. Shylock says he'll make the loan without interest if Antonio is to remove a pound of his own flesh in the case the loan isn't repaid. Shylock is noted as "kind" by Antonio because of the deal he has offered. It seems that there is more to this deal and relationship between Shylock and Antonio which I am interested to learn about in the upcoming acts we read. I think Antonio thinks of Shylock as a stereotypical Jew who cares largely about money over anything else, but I think Shylock may have other intentions in mind.

Athena's Effect on the Suitors' Death

For my final post, I have decided to write about how Athena affected the suitors' death once Odysseus had reached his palace.

       I found Athena's actions toward the end of the book particularly interesting. Athena began to make the suitors act even more unkindly to Odysseus while he was still disguised as a beggar. The suitors began to enfuriate Odysseus and it encouraged his rage even more. I feel that the outcome of the book may have been completely different if Athena hadn't controlled some of the actions of the suitors. If they weren't as harsh, I think Odysseus may have spared more of the suitors.

      Aside from Athena controlling the actions of the suitors, she affected many important events in the book by changing the appearance of characters. The first, very obvious example, is her disguising Odysseus as a beggar. This was the reason Odysseus was able to attack the suitors unsuspectedly. Another example would be Athena changing Penelope's appearance and making her more attractive. This led to the increased desire for Penelope and the gifts given by the suitors. 

      I think that Athena contributed to the achieved outcome in the book equally as Odysseus did, if not more. It seems Odysseus would not have made it very far at all without Athena's help. 

Foreshadowing of the Suitors' Death

“In Book 17, there is a lot of foreshadowing of what will happen to the suitors. Find three examples of this (quote them in your post), and explain what you think this means for the fate of the suitors.”


This week we read books 17-20. In book 17 Telemachus goes to the city and the castle. Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, ventures into the town with Eumaeus. Later on Odysseus and Eumaeus go to the palace. During the time while Odysseus is at the palace, some of the characters foreshadow the upcoming fate of the suitors. On page 271, Odysseus says “May death come to Antinous before marriage does.” He says this after Antinous attacked him. On page 273, Penelope is speaking to Eumaeus and she talks about the suitors and how Odysseus would make them pay for this “Outrage.” Telemachus then sneezes at her words. Sneezing when someone says something is believed to reveal the truth in a statement. Afterwards, Penelope says, “Didn’t you see my son sneeze at my words? That means death will surely come to the suitors, One and all. Not a single man will escape.” Lastly, on page 275 Eumaeus is speaking to Telemachus about the suitors. Eumaeus says “Many of these men are up to no good. May Zeus destroy them utterly, before any harm can come to us.” Telemachus then replies, “Amen to that. Go after supper. But at dawn come back with your best boars for sacrifice. Everything here is up to me, and the gods.”


Overall the message is pretty clear. In the first quote, Odysseus simply wishes death before marriage upon Antinous.  In the second quote, Penelope's message about the suitors death being confirmed by Telemachus' sneeze was very interesting. In the third quote, Telemachus asks Eumaeus to bring boars for sacrifice and says he and the gods will control what will happen. From what Odysseus, Eumaeus, Penelope, and Telemachus have said, it seems the suitors will face death soon. 

Formulaic Language

Find three examples of formulaic language (include them here) and explain how you think these might have been helpful when singing or speaking the Odyssey in the oral tradition.




I chose to discuss some of the formulaic language used in the Odyssey. One example is “The Owl-Eyed Goddess.” This refers to Athena, and it can be found throughout the book. Using this language gives the listener or reader a sense of the personality of the character. 

On Page 80, Book 6, the phrase “Godlike Odysseus” is used. It gives an idea of Odysseus’s power, popularity, and other qualities which resemble a God, even though he is not one. 
This last example is “Quicksilver Hermes.” Quicksilver generally refers something that moves rapidly. It’s a very interesting description of a character. 
Overall I think that this language is very important to give the reader a deeper understanding of the characters and the book. 

The Odyssey - Beginning Proem

“The proem is the very first part of the Odyssey. It begins with "Speak Memory -" and ends with "And tell the tale once more in our time." The proem sets up many of the major topics/themes of the Odyssey.  What do you think you might be able to tell about the topics/themes of the Odyssey just by reading the proem? Use evidence from the proem to support your claims.”


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SPEAK, MEMORY—
Of the cunning hero, The wanderer, blown off course time and again
After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights.


Speak Of all the cities he saw, the minds he grasped,
The suffering deep in his heart at sea
As he struggled to survive and bring his men home 
But could not save them, hard as he tried— 
The fools—destroyed by their own recklessness 
When they ate the oxen of Hyperion the Sun, 
And that god snuffed out their day of return.


Of these things,
Speak, Immortal One,
And tell the tale once more in our time.
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By now, all the others who had fought at Troy— 
At least those who had survived the war and the sea— 
Were safely back home. Only Odysseus
Still longed to return to his home and his wife.
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The first part of the Odyssey book begins with a proem. It’s a brief introduction into some of the things occurring before the Odyssey began. It tells the story of Odysseus, and how he is unable to return home. Odysseus is trapped in a cavern by the goddess Calypso. One of the main themes you’ll notice towards the beginning brings up the theme of cunning versus strength. The importance of intelligence and cunningness over muscle can be found throughout various places in the book. After the first couple lines, themes of capture and fighting are visible. Another theme is family / loyalty. This is shown towards the end of the selection of text. The poem speaks about how Odysseus wants to return home to his home and family. This leads to Penelope, who is waiting for Odysseus, who is showing her loyalty to Odysseus (Which you learn about out past this poem). 

Edward Covey

"Write about anything having to do with the book that interested about which you did not get to write or discuss yet." 

     Edward Covey was very important in Douglass' life and escape from slavery. Covey was a poor farmer that was known in the community for being a "n***** breaker." This reputation was very important to him. Douglass was sent to Covey in the 1830's so that Covey would "Break his spirit." Covey would often beat and whip these slaves for long periods of time. The turning point in Douglass' life was when he defended himself from Covey. The interesting thing is, Covey did not punish Douglass' or have him sent away. Covey needed to maintain his reputation to avoid embarrassment, and didn't beat Douglass again. Even so, it's surprising to me that Covey didn't find a way to punish Douglass without letting others know about his previous defeat in the fight. The only reasoning I can find behind this is that since Douglass wasn't his slave, only loaned to him, he couldn't kill him, or it was just easier for Covey to let Douglass maintain his dominance. I believe this win for Douglass was a great motivation for him and it made him feel more powerful. 

Education and Human Freedom

"In the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, how is education related to human freedom?"



      During Douglass' autobiography, he speaks about he and other slaves were not allowed to receive an education. In the book, Douglass describes how his ability to read led him to reading abolitionist papers and learning about freedom. One specific moment in the book which was very important was when he was denied further education from Mrs. Auld by Mr. Auld. By restricting a slave's education and keeping him less knowledgable, they were more easily able to deceive and control their slaves. From the experience with the Auld's he became motivated to learn more. Douglass' education gave him a greater awareness and understanding of the world, which led him to escape slavery. With this education, he learned about slavery and freedom in the North.