A Reading Odyssey

Welcome

The Reading Odyssey, a non-profit, wants to make it easy for adults to play with culture - read great books, discuss important ideas, view art slowly. We run phone-based reading groups, lecture series, Facebook campaigns and live events like Slow Art around the world.

Sign-up for Slow Art - 16 museums in U.S. & Europe this month.

Fall 2009
Homer's Odyssey * Aristotle * Darwin * Darwin150

Winter/Spring 2009-2010
Stanely Lombar Presents Homer Live * Homer's Odyssey Xenophon's Hellenika * Slow Art

Archives 
Aeschylus Aristotle Homer Herodotus Old Testament  
Plato Thucydides Team of Rivals Seeking Wisdom

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Homer Odyssey Books 17-24 Study Guide Questions

Homer Odyssey

Study Guide Questions  - Discussion #3

Books 17-24: Revenge

17-20 Odysseus and Telemachus return to the palace in imminent danger

1.  Book 17 - Omens

As Odysseus first sets eyes on his own palace after 20 years, what are the ways that he is tested by Athena?  How much restraint is Odysseus forced to show?  Why?  How do the two omens in Book 17 work with respect to each other (i.e. Theoclymenus’ prophecy and Telemachus’ sneeze)?

2.  Book 18 - King of the Beggars

What does the fight between Irus and Odysseus symbolize/foretell?  Book 18 can be said to be important for Amphinomus, one of the suitors.  What part does he play in the rivalry between Odysseus and the rest of the suitors?  Why is his part necessary to the story?  Penelope’s timed appearance is significant here.  How does it heighten the mounting tension of the story?  How does Eurymachus’ quarrel with Odysseus at the end of Book 18 balance that of Odysseus’ fight with Irus at the beginning?

3.  Book 19 - Tease

The reunion of Odysseus and Penelope is somewhat of a tease.  How is Odysseus able to hold back his feelings?  Is he testing Penelope?  If so, why should he?  Why is Penelope so steadfast against believing that Odysseus will come back?

4.  Book 20 - Gods and Prophecies

For all of Odysseus’ cleverness and fortitude, he still requires encouragement to stick with his disguise until it is time for him to reveal himself.  At what two points do the gods respond to him?  How manifest are these divine responses to the situation at hand?  What is Odysseus’ main concern in Book 20?  What is Penelope’s?  How do these two differ, yet overlap?

Books 21-24: The contest of the bow and ultimate revenge on the suitors

5.  Book 21 - Contest of the Bow

With Athena prompting Penelope to announce the contest of the bow, the revenge on the suitors is set into motion.  How much of this plan is Odysseus in control of?  What is Penelope’s role in this overall plan?  What is Telemachus’ role in the plan?  Could the plan come together without Eumaeus’ or Philoetus’ help?  According to the text of Book 21, in what parts does Athena actively instigate events?

6.  Book 22 - Anger Unleashed

Although Odysseus’ anger is justified, shouldn’t he have taken Eurymachus’ offer for compensation after Antinous was killed?  Wouldn’t that have made sense in light of the family feuds and revenge killings that are sure to follow?  Why does Athena let Odysseus struggle in combat with the suitors for as long as she does?  Why does she show the "aegis" when she does, thereby making the suitors flee (p. 345), but not sooner?  In the midst of the killing, Leodes the soothsayer begs for mercy.  Leodes was the first to try the bow on p. 326 and foresaw this calamity, but Odysseus still kills him anyway.  Why?  Phemius the bard also begs for mercy, but he and Medon the herald are spared.   Why?  Are the punishments of the serving women and Melanthius just or too harsh?　

7.  Book 23 - Aftermath of Slaughter

Ironically, Penelope wakes up from a "sweet sleep" (line 17, p. 353).  Why is she now, all of a sudden, blessed with a "sweet sleep"?  Why does Penelope continue to hold back from believing that Odysseus has returned?  If Odysseus himself hadn’t killed the suitors, as she says, then who does she believe has killed them?  Why would this be frightening to her rather than happy?   How is Penelope finally convinced that this stranger is her husband?  Penelope finally recognizes Odysseus as her long-lost husband and Homer uses a simile to describe the moment (p. 360).  What does the simile show about the relationship between Penelope and Odysseus?

8.  Book 24 - Shades and Judgment

Book 24 opens by recalling some of the shades in Hades we met in Book 11.  Some commentators say that Agamemnon’s and Achilles’ conversation is out of place here.  Is it or is it not?  Why does Odysseus continue to put on a false front with his father, even after the suitors have been killed?   Eupeithes, Antinous’ father rouses up the Ithacans against Odysseus.   What sort of threat is posed to Odysseus and his family?  Zeus makes an irrevocable judgment of the situation on Ithaca.  How does Athena respond to what Zeus says?  Why must Zeus throw a thunderbolt?  What does the situation on Ithaca show about the Greeks in general? about the Greeks at Troy?

Sean Carroll's Darwin150 webcast is *tonight* at 8pm ET

Professor Sean Carroll's third lecture in the Darwin150 campaign still has a few webcast spots left. This will be one of this great scientist's best talks - a multi-media extravaganza supporting his great insights and writings.

It all begins at 8pm New York time (that's 7pm at the University of Wisconsin).

To sign-up for a free webcast pass, click here:

http://DarwinLecture3.Eventbrite.com

With the help of Darwin150 volunteers around the world, we have assembled a global audience from India to Mexico, from Europe to Canada and South America.

Phil

Darwin 2009: Origin Chapters 3 & 4 3 November 2009 Audio recording

We had a great call tonight discussing Chapters 3 & 4 of Origin of Species!  Here's the audio recording for the 3 November conference call -if you were unable to make the conversation (or just want to enjoy it again!) please download the mp3 here:

Download Darwin 3 November 2009 Chapts 3 & 4 call

Thanks! 

Stephanie Aktipis

Homer-1 November 2009 Books 9-16 audio recording

Here is the audio recording for the Homer-1 books 9-16 call on November 2, 2009.  Listen online or download the mp3 file on your pod and listen to it as a podcast.

Download Homer-1 Nov 09 books 9-16

Homer and Darwin reading groups this week

Tonight we have two sections of Homer meeting by phone to discuss this month's reading of The Odyssey - Books 9 - 16.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, the Darwin reading group is meeting to talk about chapters 3 and 4 in the Origin of Species. 

And the Aristotle reading group is finishing its year of reading with Rhetoric and Poetics. 

Good week for the reading groups.

On another note, we have open registration for two reading groups starting January 2010:

- The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika

Free sign-up here (for first-time readers): 
http://Xenophon2010.eventbrite.com

- Homer's Odyssey

Free sign-up here (for first-time readers): 
http://Homer2010-1.eventbrite.com

Phil 

Help!

Creationists continue to mount attacks on our Darwin150 campaign and we need your help.

How can you help?

1. Join our Facebook page (250,000+ members)

Join our Darwin150 group on Facebook and get as many friends, colleagues, faculty, students, church members to join with you. Show we can continue to grow even in the face of their concerted illegal attacks.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53320310123 

2. Organize a group to watch a live webcast

Organize a group viewing of an upcoming live webcast either with scientist Sean Carroll, E.O. Wilson or the New York Academy of Sciences. Let's bring the words of these top scientists out to groups all over the world. This is a free and wonderful resource.

Register free here:

Wednesday, Nov 3 @8pm ET with Sean Carroll (great writer, scientist and speaker)
http://darwinlecture3.eventbrite.com

Tuesday, Nov 24 @1pm ET with E.O. Wilson (great time for high school and college classrooms to watch together this legendary biologist)
http://darwinlecture4.eventbrite.com

Tuesday, Nov 24 at 6pm ET with New York Academy of Sciences
webcast link coming soon

3. Consider volunteering

We need volunteers to help us build the campaign and continuously manage/clean-up from the creationist attacks. E-mail Phil at pterry at reading odyssey dot com, if you'd like to volunteer.

Why do they attack us?

We know how to reach mainstream Americans through the web and that it is a real threat to the creationist camp. We have more than 250,000 Facebook members making us the largest Darwin/evolution group by far. The size of our group shows the breadth and depth of support for evolution and it means all of our online activities are a target for continuous 24/7 attack by creationists. 

Plus we have free webcasts with some of the top scientists talking about Darwin and evolution. Fun but serious and compelling talks by the likes of Sean Carroll, E.O. Wilson, Jonathan Weiner and others threaten the creationist community. 

Look forward to your help!

Phil 

P.S. Why are we going public now with the attacks? We have been under daily 24/7 attack since we began in January 2009 with a Darwin birthday celebration. But the small group of extreme creationists that attack us have stepped up their efforts as we get closer to the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species."

P.P.S. Why don't we detail the attacks? We don't want to help more creationists attack us by giving ideas out. Our all-volunteer campaign just keeps working and striving to stay positive and focused on what's important (and btw - we do *not* condone nor want illegal counter-attacks on creationist websites).

Seeing the Troubled Queen

Jeff Doyle at the Open Museum attended the Boston Slow Art last weekend and just published a piece about his experience - including a video of his experience looking at Jackson Pollock's "The Troubled Queen."

Ezra Pound, Jackson Pollock and Madonna all play a part in his post. See his text, video and photos here in Learning to Look with Slow Art.

If you are interested in attending or hosting Slow Art in your city, then go here to http://SlowArtDay.com.

The Virtue of Wild Things

There was an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday from David Brooks that re-examines the classical notions of character against a modern notion. The philosopher's notion of character according to Brooks  is one that's ingrained (see myth and Homer) and expressed though heroic action. The modern, psychological notion of character is something that depends on the situation. Brooks is setting up something of a straw man here, since those of us in the Aristotle reading group know that Aristotle said that character and virtue depends on the situation. Virtue requires hard work and practice and is not necessarily achieved through innate “character.” So it's something of a false comparison.

Brooks uses the new film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book Where The Wild Things Are. In the film version a boy named Max tries, and fails, to control a group of whiny and adrift monsters. He pretends to be their virtuous king, but cannot make them happy by heroic action. Their happiest moments are when they are working together as a community, building a fort, sleeping in a big pile, etc.

The key section of the column is this:

In the philosopher’s picture, the good life is won through direct assault. Heroes use reason to separate virtue from vice. Then they use willpower to conquer weakness, fear, selfishness and the dark passions lurking inside. Once they achieve virtue they do virtuous things.

In the psychologist’s version, the good life is won indirectly. People have only vague intuitions about the instincts and impulses that have been implanted in them by evolution, culture and upbringing. There is no easy way to command all the wild things jostling inside.

But it is possible to achieve momentary harmony through creative work. Max has all his Wild Things at peace when he is immersed in building a fort or when he is giving another his complete attention. This isn’t the good life through heroic self-analysis but through mundane, self-forgetting effort, and through everyday routines.

Readers, don't you think Aristotle would have sided with the moderns here?

Slow Art Boston - amazing

Michelle May, Payal Kripalani and the other artists at eInvite, who hosted Slow Art Boston and Slow Art Worcester this last weekend, described their Slow Art experience today on their corporate design blog (and posted many photos).

Slow Art was pretty amazing! I walked away from my museum falling in love with the work of   Redon, learning about the tale of a long lost Del Sarto found in a church attic here in town, and seeing the excitement one "Slow Art-ee" felt when she saw the signature on a Albrucht Dürer woodcut print. 

And here's a photo of two participants looking at an El Greco.

Thanks to Payal and Michelle for hosting Slow Art this weekend - and for their blog post. 

See their whole piece here.

Dawkins "Greatest Show on Earth"

New York Academy of Sciences, partner to Darwin150 and the Reading Odyssey, is hosting Richard Dawkins tonight in New York talking about his latest book, "The Greatest Show on Earth." This book is squarely about evolution - and few write as well about evolution as Dawkins. I'll be at the private reception and his subsequent talk. I look forward to meeting Dawkins. I've always loved his writings on evolution. 

The event is over-sold and protestors are expected. Of course, our Darwin150 project is used to protest. We have removed thousands of creationist attacks from our Facebook page since we started it in January 2009.