Book 23- Part 1

Part 1: 
            Book 23 is my favorite book in the Odyssey mainly because it is where the reuniting of Odysseus and his beloved wife takes place. This book starts off as Eurycleia goes up to tell Penelope of the great news that her husband, the man Penelope so dreamed of seeing once again, has returned at last to his home after a long, painful journey. However, Penelope refuses to believe that what she is being told is true. She tells Eurycleia that the man she speaks of is not her husband but rather a god made to look like her husband. As Eurycleia continues to reassure Penelope that her husband has really come home and he is the one responsible for the bloodshed of the suitors, there is no doubt in Penelope's mind that the man that Eurycleia speaks so fondly of is no more than a god "up in arms at their outrage, heartbreaking friends". I think Penelope is both suspicious and reluctant to believe that Odysseus has returned. She has been through so much with the suitors and everything they have tried to pull, just so they can get the throne. She doesn't know who to believe anymore because the one man who she trusted completely, left years ago, and as far as she knows, he never returned. But then on the other hand, I feel as if she is just being reluctant and just doesn't want to accept the fact that her husband has returned because in her mind, he is already dead. She has already grieved for years and told herself that he will never return.
            Not knowing what to believe, Penelope decides to test the man who claims to be Odysseus by telling Eurycleia to go and move their bed out of the bridal chamber. By saying this, Penelope knows only her true husband can correct her and tell her that that is an impossible task "even for some skilled craftsman". He goes on explaining how only a god could move the bed because of the way it was built by himself. The significance of this exchange about the bed is that it shows the foundation that their marriage was built on and it is the one point in the poem where we see Penelope believe in her husband's return for the first time in a very long time.
            After they reunite, Odysseus explains that they must keep the news of the death of the suitors to themselves so that a passerby will not know what took place in the castle earlier. He is concerned what people might think and how they might react if they find out. He is also concerned about the suitors' families and how they will take the news of their sons' death. Odysseus then explains to Penelope that he must travel once again inland where he must sacrifice a ram, a bull and a wild boar to Poseidon when he comes across a stranger who asks him why he carries a winnowing-fan on his back. He explains that he must do this last thing because when he traveled to the House of Death, that's what the ghost of Tiresias prophesied to him. I think the message that Homer is trying to get across to the reader is the concept of promises and keeping your word. Odysseus is known as a man who keeps his word. When he visited the House of Death and came across the ghost of Elpenor, where he promised him that as soon as he arrived back to Aeaea, he would burry his body and so he did. Like the promise made to Elpenor, this last task serves the same purpose.

1. What do you think was the reason behind Penelope's reaction towards the news of Odysseus' return?
2. If you were Odysseus, what would you be concerned about after you had killed the suitors?
3. What do you think angered Odysseus about Penelope's request for the bed to be moved.

Book 23- Part 2

Part 2:
            Homer uses several different techniques to captivate the reader and make them want to appreciate the poem more. Some of these being Literary Devises, epic machinery and a few other topics. Some Literary Devises used in Book 23 are imagery and flashbacks when Odysseus talks about the bed. Homer does a terrific job painting a picture of the bed and how it came to be. He flashbacks to the time when Odysseus created the symbolic bed: "there was a branching olive-tree inside our court, grown to its full prime, the bole like a column, thickset. Around it I built my bedroom, finished off the walls with good tight stonework, roofed it over soundly and added doors, hung well and snugly wedged...clean-cutting the stump bare from roots up, planing it round with a bronze-adze- I shaped it plumb to the line to make my bedpost, bored the holes it needed with an auger". Whenever I read this part, I can actually envision the bed and how Odysseus made it with his two bare hands. This is what Homer is known for. His intense skills of imagery and placing the reader back to a time of significance. Homer also uses a lot of Epic Machinery in his poem. One of them is histories and descriptions of specific artifacts and this is already explained above with the history of the bed and how it came to be. This allows the reader to see the significance in an artifact that is spoken so much about.
            The last thing that Homer uses in his poem is a theme or rather an observation that I have noticed whether or not it has to do with host-guest relationships or some other idea. I've noticed that every time that someone asks for information or wants to know a story of the past, the host or whoever is being asked has no choice but to tell what happened. They always say "I'll hide nothing" or "I'll hold back nothing". This happened several times through out the poem like when Telemachus visits Nestor and Menelaus, they both tell him that they will tell him the whole story and later on in Book 23, when Penelope asks Odysseus to tell her of his journey, he also tells her that he will tell her everything.

Guiding Question:
1. Do you think there is a significance of how the bed was made which makes it so sacred and praised?
2. Do you think there might be a rule stating that if asked a question, one must not hold back anything? Or do you think it's just a cool incidence that every time someone asks for information, the host says "I'll hold back nothing" and does not hesitate to tell the story?

Book 23- Part 3

Part 3:
            Trust and Belief is a huge theme in Book 23. When Eurycleia tells Penelope that Odysseus has returned, it takes her a long time to believe the possibility that this might be true. Even when she goes downstairs and a sees Odysseus right in front of her, she still can't believe her own eyes. She just sits there, staring at him, in disbelief because she doesn't know if she can trust what others have told her, let alone her own heart. This part of the poem reminds me of the movie Castaway starring Tom Hanks, specifically the scene where he returns home and sees his wife but she is in so much shock and disbelief that she just cant find it in herself to go in and meet him again. She just stands outside and then leaves because she doesn't know what to believe. Everyone is telling her all sorts of things and just like Penelope, she had already told herself that her husband was dead long ago. I really wish I could find a video clip for this part of the movie, but unfortunately I couldn't because it was removed due to copy right restrictions :( But I am hoping that all or most of you guys have seen the movie and remember this part.

Guiding Questions:
1. If you were Penelope, what would you do? Would you trust that the man who killed the suitors was your husband or would you react the way Penelope reacted when she heard the news?

Sacrafice for Love

Hi again. Ok so up until now you have heard three songs that are a little old but still fit the context of the play, right? Well this next song is relitevly new and was released in the end of September, 2010 by my personal favorite, Bruno Mars. The song is called Grenade and I still can't stop listening to it lol.  Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B75PUBcSbE

Grenade Lyrics:
Easy come, easy go,
That's just how you live, oh,
Take, take, take it all,
But you never give.
Should've known you was trouble
From the first kiss,
Had your eyes wide open.
Why were they open?


Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash,
You tossed it in the trash, you did.
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'cause
What you don't understand is


[Chorus]
I'd catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah)
I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain!
Yes, I would die for ya, baby,
But you won't do the same.


No, no no


Black, black, black and blue, beat me 'til I'm numb,
Tell the devil I said "hey" when you get back to where you're from.
Mad woman, bad woman, that's just what you are,
Yeah, you'll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car
Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash,
You tossed it in the trash, yes you did.
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'cause
What you don't understand is


[Chorus]
I'd catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah)
I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain!
Yes, I would die for ya, baby,
But you won't do the same.


If my body was on fire,
Ooh, you'd watch me burn down in flames.
You said you loved me, you're a liar, 'cause you never, ever, EVER did, baby!
[Chorus]
But, darling I'd still catch a grenade for ya! (yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah)
I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah)
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain,
Take a bullet straight through my brain!
Yes, I would die for ya, baby,
But you won't do the same.
No, you won't do the same
You wouldn't do the same
Ooh, you'd never do the same
Ohh, no no no

Although the whole song is good, only the first part of the chorus makes sense for A Doll's House. In my last blog, I was talking about how Mrs. Linden left the love of her life, Krogstad, to go marry a richer man in order to take care of her family. But not long after, her husband died and she once again found herself by Krogstad. In the play, there was a part when Mrs. Linden was willing to do anything and "risk everything" for Krogstad, just like what Bruno Mars is saying in his song when he sings, "I'd catch a grenade for ya, Throw my hand on a blade for ya, I'd jump in front of a train for ya, You know I'd do anything for ya, Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain! Yes, I would die for ya, baby". Though this may be going to extremes, the message is still the same. Bruno Mars is saying that he will do anything for the one he loves, just like Mrs. Linden was willing to do anything for Krogstad.

Love

Hey heyyy. Welcome back. If you have already read my last two blogs by now, you probabally know that I use songs to connect to plays like A Doll's House.

This next song I have no doubt that everyone has heard it. It was played in an a famous 1997 film that won 11 Oscars, 4 Golden Globes, 1 Grammy, 1 Screen Actors Guild Award, and many, many more. So, can you guess the movie and the song? Yup that's right, Titanic, with it's famous My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.
But just incase there are a few people out there who have never seen the movie or heard the song, I will once again put the link and lyrics below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-0YAmY_vDQ

My Heart Will Go On Lyrics:
Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on


Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on


Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on


Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone


Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on


Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on


You're here, there's nothing I fear
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

When I think of this song, I have the image of Mrs. Linden and her love for Krogstad. Since her mom was not well and she had to take care of her brothers, Mrs. Linden had to leave the one man she loved, Krogstad, and marry a richer man in order to survive and take care of her family. But I think that eventhough she was away from Krogstad, she thought of him constantly and never stopped loving him, just like Celine Dion sings in her song. When Celine says, "Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on, Once more you open the door, And you're here in my heart, And my heart will go on and on", that is saying that no matter where you are, I will still think of you and always love you, just like Mrs. Linden felt about Krogstad when she married another man that she didn't love.

Breaking Free of Love

Hey, so in my last blog, I talked about how the song Reflection by Christina Aguilera portrays Nora's character from A Doll's House. And if just incase you're wondering, yes; I have a lot of songs to choose from so all my connections will be songs.

So looking through my play list again, I realised that the song, You Lost me from Christina Aguilera, once again, also fits Nora's personality and character. Here is the link and lyrics for your convenience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XjZ5KhBCrI

You Lost me Lyrics:
I am done
Smoking gun
We've lost it all
The love is gone


She has won
Now its no fun
We've lost it all
The love is gone


And we had magic
And this is tragic
You couldn't keep your hands to yourself


I feel like our world's been infected,
And somehow you left me neglected


We've found our lives been changed
Babe, you lost me


And we tried
Oh, how we cried
Oh, we lost ourselves
The love has died


And we had magic
And this is tragic
You couldn't keep your hands to yourself


Oh, I feel like our world's been infected
And somehow you left me neglected
We've found our lives been changed
Cause babe, you lost me


Now I know you're sorry
And we were sweet
Oh, but you chose lust when you deceived me
And you'll regret it, but it's too late
How can I ever trust you again?


I feel like our world's been infected,
And somehow you left me neglected
We've found our lives been changed
Oh babe, you lost me

In this song Christina is saying that the love she once had with someone is now gone, just like Nora and Torvald. She says "And somehow you left me neglected, We've found our lives been changed, Babe, you lost me". This reminds me of how Torvald treated Nora...Like an animal and she felt neglected by him. Then at the end of the play, Nora realises that her love for Torvald "has died", as Christina puts it, and that everything seems different from how they started off. When I hear this song, I just feel as if Nora would be singing it to Torvald as she was leaving. To let Torvald know that it was him that drove her away. To let him know that he lost her, just like Christina is singing in her song.

Identity vs. Hiding the Truth

Heyyy. Ok so I just finished reading A Doll's House and realized that a lot of the songs I have on my ipod relate to this story and the theme of hiding your true identity and wanting the need to free yourself from the hidden truth.

The song Reflection by Christina Aguilera shows this theme in a deeper sense if you look at the lyrics. Below is a link for the song if you have never heard it, as well as the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vqL7W32M7U&feature=related

Reflection Lyrics:
Look at me,
You may think you see
Who I really am,
But you'll never know me.
Everyday,
it's as if I play
A part.


Now I see,
If I wear a mask,
I can fool the world,
but I cannot fool my heart.


Chorus:
Who is that girl I see?
Staring straight,
Back at me.
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?


I am now,
In a world
Where I have to hide in my heart,
and what I believe in.
But somehow,
I will show the world what's inside my heart,
And be loved for who I am.


Who is that girl I see,
staring straight
back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?


Must I pretend that I'm
someone else
for all time.
When will my reflection show,
who I am inside?


There's a heart that must be free
to fly
That burns with a need to know
the reason why


Why must we all conceal
What we think
How we feel?


Must there be
a secret me
I'm forced to hide
I won't pretend that I'm
someone else
for all time.


When will my reflection show
who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
who I am inside?


oh, ooh yeah

Ok so after reading the lyrics and maybe listening to the song, I think it is pretty self explanatory as to what Christina Aguilera is trying to say. She is saying that her true identity is hidden to the world and to herself, just like Nora. When I listen to this song, I think of Nora and how she hid from the truth for so long. How she lied to herself all that time and how she never revealed her inner identity until the end of the story. I feel like the message of this song is portrayed in Nora's personality towards the end of the play when she tells Torvald how she feels and lets him know the truth about herself and her life. When Christina says "Now I see, If I wear a mask, I can fool the world, but I cannot fool my heart", that shows how Nora felt her entire life living with Torvald. When Mrs. Linden visited her, Nora acted as if nothing was wrong in her life and as if she was married happily and life was good. Nora was putting on a "mask" and misleading everyone about how she really felt about Torvald; But she couldn't lie to herself. She couldn't just block out the emotions and feelings that she had. She just kept them bottled up inside until she could no longer keep them to herself and finally let Torvald know how she truly felt about their marriage. That is what hiding the truth does to people. You think you can keep it to yourself forever, but reality is that there will come a time when you can't take it anymore and you will do anything to just be free from your inner thoughts; Even if that means leaving your loved ones. Or in this case, once-loved ones.