Response paper 1 Odysseus Decent to the Underworld
Professor K. Ambroziak
Great Works of Literature I
10 February, 2015
Odyssey – Decent to the Underworld In book XI the story begins with Odysseus and his crew sailing to the Underworld, following Circe’s direction and offering instructions to meet and talk with Theban Tiresias ghost, after cutting the sheep’s throat every ghost that wants to talk to Odysseus has to drink sheep’s blood from the cup. Ever since, human have been fascinated about spirits and how heaven and hell looks like and what is in there, but the book does not say anything about this place being hell because nothing is been mentioned about ghosts suffering or being punished there in the underworld. It is really fascinated that Odysseus has been able to travel to somewhat different dimension to meet and talk with spirits, and that the only way to get to that place is through death but he was able to get there alive and as a human being. What makes me wonder was the use of sword to stop the ghost from drinking the blood. Why where they afraid of it? We know that they are dead so it should not harm them but somewhat it prevented them from reaching the cup. Odysseus has somewhat experienced god like status and feeling, something very rare and unique by descending to the underworld that only the chosen one’s were able to do it. I felt really sad reading about Odysseus mother meeting with him and having a talk, but once I have looked at it from different perspective I have realized a good side of it. I am sure the conversation has answered Odysseus questions about what is happening in his home town and it eased the mother’s and Odysseus pain because I am sure when she was passing away she had this though in her head that they two would never see each other again after her death. After reading the story I find few similarities between it and religion. The offering from sheep and drinking the blood from a cup reminds me off how Christians make there offering by
Great Works of Literature I
10 February, 2015
Odyssey – Decent to the Underworld In book XI the story begins with Odysseus and his crew sailing to the Underworld, following Circe’s direction and offering instructions to meet and talk with Theban Tiresias ghost, after cutting the sheep’s throat every ghost that wants to talk to Odysseus has to drink sheep’s blood from the cup. Ever since, human have been fascinated about spirits and how heaven and hell looks like and what is in there, but the book does not say anything about this place being hell because nothing is been mentioned about ghosts suffering or being punished there in the underworld. It is really fascinated that Odysseus has been able to travel to somewhat different dimension to meet and talk with spirits, and that the only way to get to that place is through death but he was able to get there alive and as a human being. What makes me wonder was the use of sword to stop the ghost from drinking the blood. Why where they afraid of it? We know that they are dead so it should not harm them but somewhat it prevented them from reaching the cup. Odysseus has somewhat experienced god like status and feeling, something very rare and unique by descending to the underworld that only the chosen one’s were able to do it. I felt really sad reading about Odysseus mother meeting with him and having a talk, but once I have looked at it from different perspective I have realized a good side of it. I am sure the conversation has answered Odysseus questions about what is happening in his home town and it eased the mother’s and Odysseus pain because I am sure when she was passing away she had this though in her head that they two would never see each other again after her death. After reading the story I find few similarities between it and religion. The offering from sheep and drinking the blood from a cup reminds me off how Christians make there offering by