Mariela Rodriguez
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 14, 2011 First Essay
The first half of the book, The Odyssey of Homer, provides codes of behavior that each character must follow. Two of those codes of behaviors are of loyalty and fidelity.
When Odysseus doesn’t return home from the war and the others do,Penelope and his son, Telemachus begin to worry. While Odysseus is away from his home, suitors take over his palace and begin to take control of everything that’s available there. Then Athene, daughter of the god Zeus, predicts to Odysseus’s son Telemachus that his father is indeed alive. He needs to be strong and his journey to find news of his father doesn’t end there. He continues to travel from place to place to find out about his father.
Before Telemachus heads out to the seas in a ship, he asks one of the servants, Eurykleia to promise him, she will not tell his mother. Eurykleia promises she won't tell his mother and her promise is a good example of loyalty because she keeps her promise. Eurykleia is a faithful servant and someone who Telemachus trusts.
Telemachus says to Eurykleia: “Do not fear, nurse. This plan was not made without a god’s will. But swear to tell my beloved mother nothing about this until the eleventh day has come or the twelfth hereafter, or until she misses me herself or hears I am absent, so that she may not ruin her lovely skin with weeping” (Odyssey II, 49). Eurykleia is one of the servants who has been loyal to Odysseus and his wife and Telemachus.Eurykleia swore to Telemachus not to tell his mother of his sailing in search of his father. People would often have secrets because in certain situations in life they might not trust others and sometimes the secret itself is a lie. Inthis situation, Telemachus didn’t want his mother Penelope, to suffer more of what she was already suffering.
Meanwhile Penelope is at the palace and captivates the suitor’s attention but she doesn’t want to be with any of them. This is an example of fidelity because she prefers to not be unfaithful to her husband. The code of fidelity is respecting, sacrificing, and accomplishing the goal to stay true to the other person She has the chance to be unfaithful but she chooses not to be. In certain cases, when people are in a relationship it is up to them to stay true to their spouse. In spite of her sorrow, and all the time that has passed,Penelope decides to continue with her faithfulness. As a wife she knows that this is her main duty, to be honest.
The codes of behaviors are the rules people live by; whether it is loyalty, cunning, endurance, eloquence or hospitality, each plays a role in an individual’s life. In The Odyssey, it’s noticeable that for example with Penelope,she decides to stay true to Odysseus but also to herself by not committing an act that she will later regret. She is also loyal to Odysseus by waiting for him for twenty years. Meanwhile Odysseus had to go through very much endurance in the first half of the book. But then he went through reverence and figured out those who were very loyal to him. The person he notices the most is his wife Desdemona, who he then admires for being faithful and loyal while he was gone. Odysseus then proves to Desdemona that he is loyal as well by returning back to Ithaka. Even though he isn't as faithful as Penelope is to him, he proves to her that he has come back because he loves her and chooses to.
Mariela Rodriguez
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 14, 2011 Second Essay
Odysseus is loyal to his country and his family and he exhibits great endurance. A hero is someone who is admired for a good action he or she has done. It is an action that many people know about and are constantly remembering; that action is most likely performed by someone who is brave and strong. Loyalty, bravery, and endurance make Odysseus heroic.
Throughout The Odyssey of Homer we see Odysseus enduring pain and suffering. After the Trojan War,Odysseus ends up on the Kalypso’s Island. While staying at Kalypso Island, he is missing his family: “His eyes were never wiped dry of tears, and the sweet lifetime was draining out of him, as he wept for away home, since the nymph was no longer pleasing to him”( V 92). Odysseus greatly suffers while being on the Island of Kalypso. He is longing to go back home and the goddess Kalypso sends him off to the seas to sail on a ship which he fashioned for himself. This is where Odysseus continues his endurance. Out in the seas Poseidon, the god of the seas takes charge of making Odysseus suffer.Odysseus faces a storm which he endures because he is trying to survive. He has to survive on his own for a while with the torture that Poseidon is causing him to go through.
When Odysseus and some of his companions arrive at another land, the home of Cyclops, they enter inside a cave. After seeing his companions eaten,Odysseus is the next victim that Polyphemos sees and wants to kill. Odysseus grows in anger because of what he Polyphemos does. Odysseus defends himself because if he hadn’t defended himself from Polyphemos, he would have died. He proves to be brave. After losing six men and escaping from that land, Odysseus arrived at the land of Aiolos afterwards. When Odysseus is on the island of Kalypso, he has the choice to stay there and be treated extremely well as he is by the goddess Kalypso. Odysseus chose not to though because missing his wife and his son and just wanted to be back into his palace. He knows that back home he is admire by his family and others because of he is loyalty as a great man. He knows that it is dangerous to be out in the sea in order to travel back home. And he knows that on top of that, he is going to face hardships and as a brave man, he doesn't listen to what is said to him and willingly faces the consequences and at last arrived at his palace. A person that is not a hero could have done what Odysseus does and not survived.
In conclusion, Odysseus survives his long journey to come back home because of his endurance. He has the choice to stay at the Kalypso Island and be treated like never before. He chooses not to stay at the island and heads back home. When he arrives at his home, he knows that not everyone has been loyal to him or his wife. So he defends his rights and has a battle with the suitors. After he murders the suitors he also murders the servants that were not loyal to him, while he was gone. Odysseus realizes that his wife has been loyal and faithful to him and that means a lot to him. In return he proves to her his loyalty by returning back home. At the end he proves to everyone, as well as the goddess Athene that he is a brave man.
Mariela Rodriguez
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 13, 2011
Third Essay
The appearances Iago uses as heavenly shows are an honest man, friend,and counselor. Iago disguises his real intentions with these heavenly shows to manipulate Othello, Roderigo, and Cassio.
His first victim is Roderigo whom he knows desires Desdemona for himself. Iago knows that if he convinces Roderigo to go after Desdemona his plan is going to work. In the beginning of Othello, Iago is showing to Roderigo that he is his friend. Iago tells Roderigo that maybe after all Desdemona wont be with Othello for too long: It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor Put money in thy purse, nor he his to her. It was a violent commencement in her, And thou shalt see an answerable sequeatration, put but money in thypurse. Fill thy purse with money (I.iii. 51)
After he convinces Roderigo, Roderigo falls for his and Iago ends up stealing his money and jewels. He also ends up counseling him to not give up when he wants to. Roderigo tells Iago at one point that he is going back home.Then Iago advises him not to give up on Desdemona. Roderigo believes everythinghe says.
The next victim is Cassio, who thinks that Iago is a good friend andvery honest to him. Iago takes the advantage of convincing Cassio to not give up on getting his position once again as Liuetenant. Cassio loses his job after getting drunk, this was part of Iago’s plan. In order for his plan to continue working he lies and tells Cassio to speak to Desdemona. Iago tells Cassio as follows:
Our generals wife is now the general I may say so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the Contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces. Confess yourself freely to her; importune her help to put you in your place again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she hold it vice in her Goodness not to do more than she is requested. (II. iii. 99,101)
Then after he convinces Cassio to speak to lady Desdemona, Iago knows that if Othello sees them together he is going to grow suspicion on his wife.In order for his plan to continue working he goes up to Othello when he has achance and begins telling him about his wife. Iago begins by playing around a bit with Othello at first. He tells Othello to watch over Desdemona and Cassio. He wants Othello to grow suspicion on his wife so his plan can continue working. He presents himself to Othello as an honest man, someone that he could trust fully. Iago tells him as follows:
You shall by that perceive Cassio and his means. Note if your lady strain his entertainment With any strong or vehement importunity; Much will be seen in that. (III.iii 129)
Overall Iago is not a friend nor a counselor nor someone whom Cassio,Roderigo, or Othello should trust. Iago's main plan is his revenge on Othello for not having given him the position as Lieutenant. He is angry at Othello and he takes the advantage of the fact that Cassio, Othello, Roderigo are going through some problems. He doesn't want to be a counselor to them; instead, he lies, and he doesn't want to be a friend; instead, he pretends to be one. And he is not someone they should trust because Iago only trusts himself and believes he can get away with anything.
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 14, 2011
First Essay
The first half of the book, The Odyssey of Homer, provides codes of behavior that each character must follow. Two of those codes of behaviors are of loyalty and fidelity.
When Odysseus doesn’t return home from the war and the others do,Penelope and his son, Telemachus begin to worry. While Odysseus is away from his home, suitors take over his palace and begin to take control of everything that’s available there. Then Athene, daughter of the god Zeus, predicts to Odysseus’s son Telemachus that his father is indeed alive. He needs to be strong and his journey to find news of his father doesn’t end there. He continues to travel from place to place to find out about his father.
Before Telemachus heads out to the seas in a ship, he asks one of the servants, Eurykleia to promise him, she will not tell his mother. Eurykleia promises she won't tell his mother and her promise is a good example of loyalty because she keeps her promise. Eurykleia is a faithful servant and someone who Telemachus trusts.
Telemachus says to Eurykleia: “Do not fear, nurse. This plan was not made without a god’s will. But swear to tell my beloved mother nothing about this until the eleventh day has come or the twelfth hereafter, or until she misses me herself or hears I am absent, so that she may not ruin her lovely skin with weeping” (Odyssey II, 49). Eurykleia is one of the servants who has been loyal to Odysseus and his wife and Telemachus.Eurykleia swore to Telemachus not to tell his mother of his sailing in search of his father. People would often have secrets because in certain situations in life they might not trust others and sometimes the secret itself is a lie. Inthis situation, Telemachus didn’t want his mother Penelope, to suffer more of what she was already suffering.
Meanwhile Penelope is at the palace and captivates the suitor’s attention but she doesn’t want to be with any of them. This is an example of fidelity because she prefers to not be unfaithful to her husband. The code of fidelity is respecting, sacrificing, and accomplishing the goal to stay true to the other person She has the chance to be unfaithful but she chooses not to be. In certain cases, when people are in a relationship it is up to them to stay true to their spouse. In spite of her sorrow, and all the time that has passed,Penelope decides to continue with her faithfulness. As a wife she knows that this is her main duty, to be honest.
The codes of behaviors are the rules people live by; whether it is loyalty, cunning, endurance, eloquence or hospitality, each plays a role in an individual’s life. In The Odyssey, it’s noticeable that for example with Penelope,she decides to stay true to Odysseus but also to herself by not committing an act that she will later regret. She is also loyal to Odysseus by waiting for him for twenty years. Meanwhile Odysseus had to go through very much endurance in the first half of the book. But then he went through reverence and figured out those who were very loyal to him. The person he notices the most is his wife Desdemona, who he then admires for being faithful and loyal while he was gone. Odysseus then proves to Desdemona that he is loyal as well by returning back to Ithaka. Even though he isn't as faithful as Penelope is to him, he proves to her that he has come back because he loves her and chooses to.
Mariela Rodriguez
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 14, 2011
Second Essay
Odysseus is loyal to his country and his family and he exhibits great endurance. A hero is someone who is admired for a good action he or she has done. It is an action that many people know about and are constantly remembering; that action is most likely performed by someone who is brave and strong. Loyalty, bravery, and endurance make Odysseus heroic.
Throughout The Odyssey of Homer we see Odysseus enduring pain and suffering. After the Trojan War,Odysseus ends up on the Kalypso’s Island. While staying at Kalypso Island, he is missing his family: “His eyes were never wiped dry of tears, and the sweet lifetime was draining out of him, as he wept for away home, since the nymph was no longer pleasing to him”( V 92). Odysseus greatly suffers while being on the Island of Kalypso. He is longing to go back home and the goddess Kalypso sends him off to the seas to sail on a ship which he fashioned for himself. This is where Odysseus continues his endurance. Out in the seas Poseidon, the god of the seas takes charge of making Odysseus suffer.Odysseus faces a storm which he endures because he is trying to survive. He has to survive on his own for a while with the torture that Poseidon is causing him to go through.
When Odysseus and some of his companions arrive at another land, the home of Cyclops, they enter inside a cave. After seeing his companions eaten,Odysseus is the next victim that Polyphemos sees and wants to kill. Odysseus grows in anger because of what he Polyphemos does. Odysseus defends himself because if he hadn’t defended himself from Polyphemos, he would have died. He proves to be brave. After losing six men and escaping from that land, Odysseus arrived at the land of Aiolos afterwards.
When Odysseus is on the island of Kalypso, he has the choice to stay there and be treated extremely well as he is by the goddess Kalypso. Odysseus chose not to though because missing his wife and his son and just wanted to be back into his palace. He knows that back home he is admire by his family and others because of he is loyalty as a great man. He knows that it is dangerous to be out in the sea in order to travel back home. And he knows that on top of that, he is going to face hardships and as a brave man, he doesn't listen to what is said to him and willingly faces the consequences and at last arrived at his palace. A person that is not a hero could have done what Odysseus does and not survived.
In conclusion, Odysseus survives his long journey to come back home because of his endurance. He has the choice to stay at the Kalypso Island and be treated like never before. He chooses not to stay at the island and heads back home. When he arrives at his home, he knows that not everyone has been loyal to him or his wife. So he defends his rights and has a battle with the suitors. After he murders the suitors he also murders the servants that were not loyal to him, while he was gone. Odysseus realizes that his wife has been loyal and faithful to him and that means a lot to him. In return he proves to her his loyalty by returning back home. At the end he proves to everyone, as well as the goddess Athene that he is a brave man.
Mariela Rodriguez
World Literature
Professor Gruesser
June 13, 2011
Third Essay
The appearances Iago uses as heavenly shows are an honest man, friend,and counselor. Iago disguises his real intentions with these heavenly shows to manipulate Othello, Roderigo, and Cassio.
His first victim is Roderigo whom he knows desires Desdemona for himself. Iago knows that if he convinces Roderigo to go after Desdemona his plan is going to work. In the beginning of Othello, Iago is showing to Roderigo that he is his friend. Iago tells Roderigo that maybe after all Desdemona wont be with Othello for too long:
It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor
Put money in thy purse, nor he his to her. It was a violent commencement in her,
And thou shalt see an answerable sequeatration, put but money in thypurse.
Fill thy purse with money (I.iii. 51)
After he convinces Roderigo, Roderigo falls for his and Iago ends up stealing his money and jewels. He also ends up counseling him to not give up when he wants to. Roderigo tells Iago at one point that he is going back home.Then Iago advises him not to give up on Desdemona. Roderigo believes everythinghe says.
The next victim is Cassio, who thinks that Iago is a good friend andvery honest to him. Iago takes the advantage of convincing Cassio to not give up on getting his position once again as Liuetenant. Cassio loses his job after getting drunk, this was part of Iago’s plan. In order for his plan to continue working he lies and tells Cassio to speak to Desdemona. Iago tells Cassio as follows:
Our generals wife is now the general
I may say so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the
Contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces.
Confess yourself freely to her; importune her help to put you in your place again.
She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she hold it vice in her
Goodness not to do more than she is requested. (II. iii. 99,101)
Then after he convinces Cassio to speak to lady Desdemona, Iago knows that if Othello sees them together he is going to grow suspicion on his wife.In order for his plan to continue working he goes up to Othello when he has achance and begins telling him about his wife. Iago begins by playing around a bit with Othello at first. He tells Othello to watch over Desdemona and Cassio. He wants Othello to grow suspicion on his wife so his plan can continue working. He presents himself to Othello as an honest man, someone that he could trust fully. Iago tells him as follows:
You shall by that perceive Cassio and his means.
Note if your lady strain his entertainment
With any strong or vehement importunity;
Much will be seen in that. (III.iii 129)
Overall Iago is not a friend nor a counselor nor someone whom Cassio,Roderigo, or Othello should trust. Iago's main plan is his revenge on Othello for not having given him the position as Lieutenant. He is angry at Othello and he takes the advantage of the fact that Cassio, Othello, Roderigo are going through some problems. He doesn't want to be a counselor to them; instead, he lies, and he doesn't want to be a friend; instead, he pretends to be one. And he is not someone they should trust because Iago only trusts himself and believes he can get away with anything.