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Post by Mr. Thomas on Sept 2, 2013 14:19:15 GMT -5
Make your postings about the Mycenaean Saga here. Review the message board rules first if necessary.
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Post by kyleconnolly on Sept 9, 2013 16:20:00 GMT -5
C) Atreus, why do you act so harshly towards your brother Thyestes? What has he done to your wife that you should decapitate his children, and your nieces/nephews? Did you not know about the family curse? It says that “Thyestes has several children as well, but as the first victim of the curse, is possessed by a base desire to attack Aerope.” Clearly you don’t because you would’ve understood why your brother randomly attacked Aerope. Paris, what on earth made you believe it was a good idea to run away with Helen, after just recently selecting Aprhodite, the most beautiful girl in the world? Also, did you not know she is married to Menelaus?
E) I believe that Pelops was a greedy, selfish person. Myrtilus helped Pelops win the charioteer competition when it says “To counter these advantages, Pelops encountered Myrtilus, the charioteer of the king, whom he influenced to substitute a wax pin for the normal axle pin used in the chariot.” Without Myrtilus’ help, Pelops didn’t stand a chance. So when Myrtilus came to claim his reward for helping Pelops, Pelops kills him. This shows how greedy and selfish Pelops is because Myrtilus is the main reason Pelops won the grand prize of marrying the king’s daughter Hippodameia, along with the ruling the kingdom.
F) I feel that Odysseus was dishonest to the Greeks and Achilles. He was being dishonest to the Greeks by “pretending he was insane in order to avoid being a part of the expedition to Troy.” Here he chickens out and hides from the upcoming war. He was also being unfair to Achilles because he came after him to bring him to the war, when he was never going. Achilles mom also never wanted him to go either when it says “Thetis had received an oracle which said that Achilles would never return from the fields of Troy”
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Post by phillipgay on Sept 9, 2013 17:23:31 GMT -5
C) How is it that when it says “Agamemnon (eventually king of Mycenae) and Menelaus (eventually king of Sparta). Thyestes has several children as well, but as the first victim of the curse, is possessed by a base desire to attack Aerope. In punishment for his Heinous act, Atreus decapitates the two children”, how is it that the children become kings if their heads get cut off and are served at the dinner table? Also, why would the children have to suffer for something that the parents have done wrong? The person who has done the wrong thing should be the one to pay for their actions, not their descendants. “Pelops kills him and mas he dies Myrtilus calls a curse down upon the family of Pelops.”
E) When I saw the lines “Decapitates the two children of his brother and serves them up to him at a dining table. Thyestes, driven mad by the whole experience, wanders aimlessly through Greece” I thought that even if your brother attacks your wife, you should not cook his children and before that cut their heads off. That is just cruel to do, especially if he is your brother. I understand that he should not have attacked the wife but he should have not turned into a cannibal for a short period of time.
F) The relationship between Atreus and his wife seems to be very close if he is willing to kill his brothers children for her. “Atreus Decapitates the two children of his brother and serves them up to him at a dining table.” He seems like he is almost too much in love with his wife to do so. I also understand that the curse was probably brought down on him so he was evil like his brother as well so maybe that is why the family does not have such a close relationship.
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Post by martinsteffens on Sept 9, 2013 19:28:51 GMT -5
The Mycenaean Saga
A) My brothers and I fight a lot but never to the extreme that Atreus went with his brother Thyestes. My brothers and I always realize that we are still family so we will never get to the point of criminal activity. The main thing that Thyestes forgets that he is still the son of Pelops so the curse given to Pelops is still with Thyestes. “Pelops kills him and as he dies Myrtilus calls a curse down upon the family of Pelops. The curse passes Pelops who dies a natural death as does his wife”. That quote means the curse must pass down through their two sons.
D) There were a few lines of this passage that I enjoyed. I like most others in the class heard the story of Achilles but I for one did not recognize the beginnings of the story. I knew the part of when he was dipped : “Mother of Achilles , who haddd been dipped by her into the protective waters of the Styx River.” I enjoyed this part because I appreciate the Greek mythology. I also liked this part because it helped become more knowledgeable of the story I thought I knew.
F) This next observation is very obvious but I’ll just talk about each major relationship in the passage. Myrtilus started out as a friend of Pelops but once Pelops kills him that friendship is obviously over. Atreus and Thyestes had a normal non significant relationship before the curse killed one of Atreus’s children. Then the relationship goes downhill from there. Those were the main two relationships in the passage.
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Post by chrisnoble on Sept 9, 2013 19:43:04 GMT -5
A) An aspect of the reading that relates to a current social issue is when Atreus decapitates his two nephews and serves them to Thyestes to eat. The passage says “Atreus decapitates the two children of his brother and serves them up to him at a dining table” (page 1). This aspect relates to the war that is happening in Syria because of the violence. These two things are also connected because Atreus killed his brother’s children who are part of his own family and the war in Syria is among its own people. So there are two violent issues where people are fighting against their own people.
D) When Paris was chosen by Zeus to decide which prize he wanted, the passage said “Paris was offered all power by Hera, queen of the gods and wife of Zeus; all knowledge by Athena, goddess of wisdom; the most beautiful woman in the world by Aphrodite, goddess of love” (page 2). I enjoyed this quote because it brought Greek gods into the story and they were used in a good way within the story. For me this part was very interesting for me to read.
E) When Pelops cheated in the chariot race by rigging Oinomaius’s chariot, my reaction was that Pelops is a dishonest person. I don’t think it’s right that he cheated in order to marry Hippodameia and to obtain command of the kingdom. The passage says “Pelops marries Hippodameia, obtains command of the kingdom and produces two sons, Atreus and Thyestes” (page 1). When Myrtilus came to Pelops to claim rewards for rigging Oinomaius’s chariot and Pelops killed him, I think this makes Pelops a terrible person. Even though Myrtilus was also wrong for rigging the chariot, I feel that Pelops should have given him some kind of reward because Pelops commanded the kingdom because of Myrtilus’s help.
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Post by kevinmcmahon on Sept 9, 2013 19:44:22 GMT -5
D) One line that I found interesting and somewhat enjoyed in “The Mycenaean Saga” was “In punishment for this heinous act, Atreus decapitates the two children of his brother and serves them up at a dining table”. I found this quote interesting because I am surprised on how a family can react to a problem and can lead to such a problem that murder is the only option. I enjoyed this line because of this part of the story leads up to the rest of the story. It also explains what occurs in the future events of what happens in the rest of the story.
E) One character that I found particularly interesting in the “The Mycenaean Saga” was the character Atreus. I believed that Atreus was a hateful and evil character. I believed Atreus was a hateful character because of what he could do to his own family. He was so hateful that the only way for him to get even with his brother was to kill his children and his nephew in the most effective way with the form of decapitation. I know brothers can fight but Atreus took it to a whole new level.
F) One relationship that I believed was a good relationship in the story was the relationship with Thyestes and Pelopia. I think that Thyestes and Pelopia had a good relationship because it talks about how a father is reunited with his long lost daughter. With the rest of the time though had a child named Aterus and kept the story moving. But it also has the curse to continue
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ryan
New Member
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Post by ryan on Sept 9, 2013 19:49:20 GMT -5
A. The race between Oinomaius and Pelops reminds me much of life in general now a days where people are consumed with personal gains even if that means cheating and lying to get what they want. Both men in a way cheated, Pelops with the wax axle pin and Oinomaius with the horses of Apollo and distracting his opponents with his daughter Hippodameia. Another aspect that reminds me of what our world has come to is that Pelops kills the man that assisted him in winning. He backstabs him by not giving him the money he owed the man. In today’s day and age our lives revolve around lies and backstabbing to get the things we want and deprive others of the things they need.
G. If I were Thyestes I would feel a burning desire to do great things, but would often confuse right from wrong because of my curse. My curse would give me an itching desire to do evil and I would be constantly paranoid… afraid that I may snap at any moment. And when that moment happened and Atreus (my own brother) killed my children and served them to me I would feel rage, but mostly sorrow because I know that I brought this upon myself. So I would go mad, like I did, and walk forever into a direction with no purpose buried in my self-pity and anger at myself.
I. Philip Gay I believe you may have read it wrong because Atreus kills two of Thyestes’ children. But, Atreus’ children were the ones who became kings and were never harmed. And to answer your other question Atreus probably reacted irrationally and attacked the things Thyestes probably held closest to his heart.
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Post by alfredfrederic on Sept 9, 2013 20:07:55 GMT -5
C. Why would Oinomaius use his daughter to distract suitors, I don’t understand why he would use his daughter as a distraction. Also why would Pelops off the king just to get his daughter, that’s a bit screwed up isn’t it? Then with Myrtilus, after he did as asked why did Pelops kill him? Why did he betray the king at all? During the race how did the king not notice the wax axle? Then what was the curse supposed to do! Was it supposed to cause insanity or just kill the children? And why didn’t it affect the Pelops or his wife?
E. Thyestes seems to have all the bad luck in this story. I mean first a curse possess him to kill his brother’s wife, then in retaliation his brother kills his children and serves them for dinner! It’s understandable that he went crazy after this whole ordeal, wouldn’t you! At least he manages to find a wife and have a new son. Yet he still is forced to live with a curse! His life is virtually ruined because of it!
F. In Troy why did Paris marry Helen, who was already married to Menelaus? The response Menelaus has was understandable for the time! Yet did Helen want to go or was she forced? Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world! Why would she just disappear? Wonder how did Menelaus know who took her from him anyway? It all seems like a setup to start a war here!
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Post by nicholasleong on Sept 9, 2013 20:20:37 GMT -5
C. Questions on the Mycenaean Saga: Atreus- I don’t understand why you would get so mad at your own brother for trying to attack your wife. What made you get that sick idea to serve his own children to him? I feel like serving his own children to him is cruel for something Thyestes couldn’t even control. It was a family curse I think he went a little overboard and this is no longer something we could call a little revenge. Another question that I have is “how did this family curse even happen?” One of the last things that I have to question is how could Atreus tell his own brother that he ate his kids with a straight face?
A. I have a brother of my own and I know what it feels like when your little brother gets on your nerve. However, I never think “oh ill just feed him his own children” whenever he gets me mad. “
H. Atreus and Thyestes are sitting at the table. Atreus gets up and says “looks like the food is ready ill serve it to you. ” As he was saying this he was holding back a smile that looked evil. After giving Thyestes his bowl Atreus says “Im not hungry you eat” Upon finishing the bowl, Atreus tells him that he ate his own children and just going into shock. After Atreus says that, he runs out of the dinning room and out the front door with Atreus laughing very hard never to see his brother ever again.
H. Atreus and Thyestes are sitting at the table. Atreus gets up and says “looks like the food is ready ill serve it to you. ” As he was saying this he was holding back a smile that looked evil. After giving Thyestes his bowl Atreus says “Im not hungry you eat” Upon finishing the bowl, Atreus tells him that he ate his own children and just going into shock. After Atreus says that, he runs out of the dinning room and out the front door with Atreus laughing very hard never to see his brother ever again.
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Post by robertmaruca on Sept 9, 2013 20:32:35 GMT -5
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Post by robertmaruca on Sept 9, 2013 20:35:36 GMT -5
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Post by robertmaruca on Sept 9, 2013 20:38:11 GMT -5
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Post by jcktffy on Sept 9, 2013 20:39:11 GMT -5
C. Questions- Mycenaean Sea says, In punishment for this heinous act, Atreus decapitates two of his brothers' children and serves them up at a dinning table. Atreus isn't it enough that you killed both of his children and now you serve them to him? Don't you understand that he killed your wife because he was cursed for something that your father did? I also do not understand why Thystes marries his daughter and doesn't realize it. What happened to his other wife?
E. Confronting- Mycenaean Sea says, Myrtilus eventually returns to claim rewards for doing as he had been instructed by Pelops. Pelops kills him and as he dies. Myrtilus calls a curse on the family of Pelops. One thing that confused me was why Pelops just killed Myrtilus. I understand that he helped him get all his power and he should have just repaid him. Another thing that confused me was why the curse skipped out on Pelops....it doesn't make sense because after he dies why would it matter to Pelops, he's gone and his family did nothing. The last thing that had me confused was in the story it says that Pelops killed Oinomaius to get the power and cheated in the race but if he was to kill him why would you name Olympic games after him in memorial tribute if you were the one who killed him.
A. Comment Aspect of Current Event- Something that relates to a current event is how Pelops cheats to win the race relates to A-Rod cheating and taking PEDs to enhance his chance of playing better just like Pelops enhanced his chances of winning.
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Post by robertmaruca on Sept 9, 2013 20:39:13 GMT -5
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Post by robertmaruca on Sept 9, 2013 20:40:39 GMT -5
C) Oinomaius- What is the meaning of having you race against a potential suitor for your daughter Hippodameia. Shouldn’t you have someone else race against Pelops, because it is not like if you win the race you marry Hippodameia. This doesn’t make much sense.
E) Atreus went overboard with killing his brother’s children. I don’t think that anything mean or cruel allows somebody to kill family. To me Thyestes didn’t deserve to have his kids die. I think the cruelest part of the whole situation n is that Atreus served his brother’s children to his brother Thyestes. When I read the passage “Atrerus decapitates the two children of his brother and serves them up to him at the dining table,” I almost got sick. I could not even picture someone doing that to a dear family member. Thyestes did not the right thing either, so I believe that since both brothers did something terrible, Atreus should have received some sort of punishment. Reading this part of the saga made me think of the saying “two wrongs don’t make a right”.
F) One thing that I realized from the skirmish between Atreus and Thyestes is that they did not have a healthy relationship as brothers. They did not know how to forgive and I realized that they were really just concerned about retaliating and getting the last laugh. Another relationship that was weak was the one between Pelops and Myrtilus. Myrtilus helped Pelops out and then Pelops kills the man who helped him win the race.
Overall I think that this passage makes us realize that not everybody is able to be trusted.
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