Odyssey, Book 21

C. Why does Athena always have to help someone do something? Again, she helped Penelope: “The time had come. The goddess Athena with her blazing eyes inspired Penelope, Icarius’ daughter, wary, poised, to set the bow and the gleaming iron axes out before her suitors waiting in Odysseus’ hall-to test their skill and bring their slaughter on” (page 424 lines 1-5). I want to see a major seen in the book where Athena doesn’t help a character get through it. Athena has helped Odysseus a number of times, like when he was almost killed by Poseidon in the beginning of the book.
D. I liked the part of the book when Odysseus proves all the suitors wrong: “he let fly-and never missing an ax from the first ax-handle clean on through to the last and out the shaft with its weighted brazen head shot free” (page 438 lines 468-471). I liked this quote because Odysseus completely shuts up the suitors. The suitors have disrespected Odysseus so much and now Odysseus makes them all look like fools.
E. I was surprised by a line said by Eurymachus when he couldn’t bend the string of the bow: “What breaks my heart is the fact we fall short of great Odysseus’ strength we cannot string this bow” (page 432 lines 283-284). I was surprised because I didn’t expect one of the suitors to say something like this. All of the suitors are trying to impress Penelope, so why would you complement her wife? I just seems foolish to say this about Odysseus.

Eddie DiTolla
Mr. Thomas
English 10
11/19/13
The Odyssey Book 21
C. In Book 21 and other books since Athena is the goddess of wisdom why does she always have to help someone to do something? “The time had come. The goddess Athena with her blazing eyes inspired Penelope, Icaruis’ daughter, wary, poised, to set the bow and the gleaming iron axes out before her suitors waiting in Odysseus’ hall – to test their skill and bring their slaughter on.” (Book 21 lines 1-5) In this set of lines it shows Athena helping Penelope, but, it is also telling us that she is getting ready to go to battle in Odysseus’ house and hall where the suitors are. Even though there were times where Odysseus needed help and Athena helped him she didn’t have to be everywhere helping him.
D. The two sets of lines I liked in Book 21 was “he would have strung the bow, but Odysseus shook his head and stopped him short despite his tensing zeal. God help me, the inspired prince cried out” Book 21 lines 147 – 149. I liked these lines because it shows that Odysseus is struggling and once he stopped his short despite he was influenced by Athena to cry out what he said after. Another set of lines of lines I liked were “Horror swept through the suitors, faces, blanching white, and Zeus cracked the sky with a bolt, his blazing sign, and the great man who had borne so much rejoiced at last that the son of cunning Cronus flung that omen down for him. He snatched a winged arrow lying bare on the board – the rest still bristled deep inside the quiver, soon to be tasted by all the feasters there” Book 21 lines 459 – 465. I liked these lines because when Zeus sent an omen down to him, the him is for Telemachus and that something is good is going to happen and also and more importantly, in the lines before and after that set it tells me that Telemachus has almost finally become a man.
I. I agree with Chris Noble because I too was surprised by a line said by Eurymachus when he couldn’t bend the string of the bow: “What breaks my heart is the fact we fall short of great Odysseus’ strength we cannot string this bow” (page 432 lines 283-284).