The Odyssey Book 6

Peter Boustani
I. I do agree with what Kyle Connolly was saying about the importance and significance of the scene in which Athena appears to Nausicca, telling her that she needed to be naked and present to meet Odysseus and help him and show him where to go. Though this was a really important scene, especially one for the plot and character story of Odysseus, as if it had not happened Odysseus arguable could have ended up dying. Despite this though I thought that Athena could have avoided the trouble of appearing to, and making Nausicca do all the work, she could have simply just appeared to Odysseus and provided him with the necessary tools. It would have proven to be much simpler with faster results.
F. The one thing to be said about Athena’s outgoing action to approach Nausicca and make her the one to show Odysseus the way makes me think that she is more important to the story then simply just a tool to get Odysseus to his next checkpoint. With the descriptiveness and detail used to express Odysseus such as “And out he stalked as a mountain lion exultant in his power” and Nausicca’s thoughts at the end saying “Now who’s that tall, handsome stranger Nausicca has in tow?” I think there may be a love triangle between Penelope, Odysseus and Nausicca.
C. Why did it seem as though Athena wanted Nausicca to feel some sort of attraction toward Odysseus. It seems odd considering he has a wife and they took him off an island where he was being forced to cheat on his wife. The manipulation of these gods in the lives of these ordinary people is so odd and interesting and I am curious as to how others feel.

C. Who is the godlike king they call Nausithous? Also, isn’t it disrespectful that someone says “look at your fine clothes, lying here neglected-with your marriage not far off.”? Also, where does Odysseus come from out of nowhere when it says “to make Odysseus wake and see this young beauty and she would lead him to the phaecians’ town.”?

E. You can tell that all of the men were spoiled with what they had by looking at these quotes. “You really should be wearing spotless linen.” “but three are lust bachelors always demanding crisp shirts fresh from the wash when they go out to dance. Look at my duties-that all rests on me.” You can also tell that the princess was spoiled most of all because of what her father says to her. “I wont deny you anything. Off you go, and the men will harness a wagon, the tall one with the good smooth wheels, fitted out with a cradle on the top.” I also thought that it was kind of weird how the princess and her maids put on baby oil after they bathe. “a golden flask of suppling olive oil for her and her maids to smooth on after bathing.”

I. Well Peter, you have a very well thought out question. The answer is that Athena actually favors Odysseus over most other mortals anyway so it seems like she is always trying to give him more options. Basically, they wanted him off of that island because he was cheating on his wife with a goddess which is totally different than him cheating on his wife with another mortal.

E. I found Nausicaa a very interesting character when she was first introduced in Book 6. From what I can see the Phaeacian’s lead a very simple life and at certain points you could see Nausicaa thank the gods almost out of nowhere. She seems to take everything as an omen or sign from a god. An example of this are lines 219 to 222; she states “Surely you don’t think him an enemy, do you? There’s no one alive, there never will be one, who’d reach Phaeacian soil and lay it to waste. The immortals love us far too much for that.” From reading this you can clearly see she thinks highly of herself and her kind. Also I found it interesting that, in the beginning of the book she was shy to ask simple tasks from her father, but it seems almost within one wagon ride she has morphed into this poised and very well established young woman. I cannot wait to see the relationship between Odysseus and her grows because clearly she already has feelings for him and finds him almost like a “god” like figure. Another thing I found peculiar about Nausicaa was the manner in which she spoke in. When she speaks I find her words more easily to translate then the other characters an she seems like her language is resembling that of more of a very proper in the now English.
C. So far the relevance of this passage in relation to the book seems very irrelevant to the story. I do not understand why Athena is so taken by Nausicaa to even suggest helpful advice on the way she dresses or blessing her with courage to stand up to Odysseus when her maids run. Why does Homer even make a point of mentioning her in the story when all she really does is gives Odysseus directions to her mother and strides off?
H. If I were shooting a film of the scenes involving Nausicaa I would start her off in a very plain room (because she doesn’t seem to care for fashion) with a beautiful dress on her bed. I would depict her walking down the stairs and asking her father of simple things (for a princess) showing her extremely shy side as shown in the story. I would then show Odysseus duck for the bushes at hearing a wagon pool up which contains a beautiful woman and her maids. He would be watching them bathe and play around and almost forget his duties of getting home. He would then abruptly run on the sandy staged beach and confront Nausicaa while the maids abandon their mistress in fear. Odysseus would then go into a long dialogue filled with intricate movement and expressions and win over the trust of the princess.

Eddie DiTolla
Mr. Thomas
English 10
18 September 2013
The Odyssey Book 6
D. “ Only Alcinous daughter held fast, for Athena planted courage within her heart, dissolved the trembling in her limbs, and she firmly stood her ground and faced Odysseus, torn now- should he fling his arms around her knees.” ( pg 172-173 lines 152 – 154) I like these lines in this book because it shows that Athena help Alcinous daughter to get courage to help Odysseus. I also like these lines Alcinous daughter helped Odysseus get clothes and bath him while all of the other ladies ran away because they saw a naked gut coming towards them.
E. The character that I chose to talk about is Nausicaa, Alcinous’ daughter. I think she is a great character because she shows that she is caring. When she sees Odysseus coming she says “ Stop my friends! Why run when you see a man?” ( pg 174 line 218) She does not think that he is an enemy, but her friends do. Another time I think she is a great character towards Odysseus is “They laid out cloak and shirt for him to wear; they gave him the golden flask of supplying olive oil and pressed him to bathe himself in the stream.” This shows great kindness, but another way is that you know we have to be a man for others she is like a women for other a little bit because she gives clothes and oil and soap to Odysseus.
H. The scene I chose to do is when Odysseus is behind the bushes looking at the women, and then he comes out and they are freaking out. So Odysseus I now an older looking gentleman and he is naked and hiding behind a bunch of olive bushes. The scene is in Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood forest) with a water fall and a small pond and the ladies are there in their white gowns. When he comes out of the bushes all of the girls scream and run except for Nausicaa. She approaches him and has a conversation with him and then they go to a shed where they keep their items for bathing and they let him bath in the lake. Towards the end of that scene it would be somewhat romantic.

D. “… a mountain lion exultant in his power strides through wind and rain and his eyes blaze.” I liked this part in the book because of the imagery that came into my mind. Even though this had didn’t really do anything with the things happening throughout the story. But I was able to see a close up of the mountain lion the rain falling and fire in his eyes. I just thought the picture I had was fantastic so I thought I should share the quote for others to try to see a picture.
E. I thought that Nausicaa was a weird kind of person. I believed that she was weird because she just suggested going out and cleaning the clothes. I believed this because as a kid I wouldn’t just suggest to do it by myself. Usually I would be told that I had to do it. Also by the way she asked by saying “daddy dear I wonder wont you have them harness a wagon for me… so I can take our clothes to the river for a washing.” Why did she say daddy dear so that she could ask for a wagon to wash everyone’s clothes. I just thought that she was weird by what she was saying and how she wanted to wash the clothes.
G. If I was Odysseus I would be very grateful for Athena. This is because she stood her ground and wasn’t scared of Odysseus as he was naked. Another reason why I would be extremely grateful is because instead of her just saying that “he gave you pain, it seems.” This meaning that Zeus gave Odysseus pain that he had to go through. But instead of leaving Odysseus to his pain she helped him out and said that he won’t lack clothes while he was there.

C) How does Odysseus end up nude? How did he end up in those bushes? What did the princess mean by, “Stranger, friend you are hardly a wicked man, and no fool, I’D say- it’s the Olympian god Zeus who hands our fortunes out, to each of us in turn, to the good and bad.”? (204-209) Why was the princess so welcoming? It doesn’t seem right to me.

D) I really liked the lines, “She called out to her girls with braids, ’Stop my friends why run when you see a man? Surely you don’t think him an enemy don’t you?” (Page 174 lines: 217-219) I mean Odysseus has just gone through a lot, it doesn’t help his self-esteem to be rejected by the people who rescue him doesn’t it? Why were they running is what I’m wondering, I mean it doesn’t seem they’ve gone to war at all, why did they try to escape Odysseus? I really doesn’t make any sense to me!

E) The princess that saves Odysseus really seems to be able to change her mood at will. She is one moment carefree the next she is ready to help out Odysseus. And it seems that everyone truly respects her and what she says to the maidens. She really cares for Odysseus when he just got out of a problem. She clothed, fed and cared for him; now that is showing care for another person. It really takes guts to help out a random person who really needs your help. The princess really showed something don’t you think?

I would've had this posted earlier but the site was down.