Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

Image result for greek cyclops
(Cyclops and Odysseus Vase Painting: Wikimedia Commons)

I really like the description of the Cyclopes. There are basically savages that are still blessed by the gods. It would be interesting to maybe replace them with a group of people that could be considered lawless in today’s society.

I find it interesting how amazing the landscape is around the Cyclopes. I think I would like to change that to where they’re living in a barren wasteland to show a reason why they live the way they do.

Instead of goats coming to them willingly to be slaughtered I would like them to be attacked by a different kind of animal and they have to kill them to survive.

Instead of wine, I would like to replace it with another drink or something entirely different.

The cave should be filled with half eaten items and trash all over the place instead of cheeses and other stuff that would be worth stealing.

Originally, I was planning on making this Cyclops a nice one so that there would be a contrast. However, I think I am going to stick to the original story and have him be hostile and kill Odysseus’s men.

Once again, instead of Odysseus giving the Cyclops wine he should give him something else to drink or eat. Or he could just have a completely different plan on how to kill the Cyclops instead of stabbing his eye. Also, I need to figure out what I am going to replace the Cyclops with in my retelling in order to have Odysseus think of a different plan.

Although disturbing, I liked the image of the Cyclops throwing up wine and human parts.

I love the imagery used to describe Odysseus and his men stabbing the Cyclops in the eye. It really paints a vivid picture of what is going on. I also like how Odysseus plans ahead by telling him  his name is Nobody.

I think it is brilliant and hilarious that Odysseus tied himself and his men under rams. I want to keep this kind of comical event in my retelling of the story.

The conversation between the last ram and the Cyclops is funny to me because Odysseus is just tied under that ram and listening while hoping he can still get out. I think Odysseus taunting the Cyclops will come back to bite him, but I like how he still bragged about escaping. He just keeps egging him on and I will definitely include that in my retelling.

I found it interesting how the Cyclops’s prayer was answered and Odysseus will be punished because of his bragging.

It was interesting that Circe had wolves and mountain lions under her spell. I will change the animals to even bigger and more ferocious animals if I retell this part.

In retelling, I will probably keep the fact that she turned the men into pigs because of the irony.

I love how Hermes tells Odysseus that Circe will turn him into a pig and ways to stop her tricks, but tells him that he needs to sleep with her. It is just kind of a bizarre scenario.

I will change Moly to something different in my retelling. I am not a fan of the name of the herb.


I honestly was not expecting it to go as smoothly for Odysseus as it did. I will most likely add some drama into the retelling, but will keep the ending of him having to go see Hades.

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey, as translated into English by Tony Kline  

No comments:

Post a Comment

Tech Tip: Canvas Profile

I changed my display name in Canvas because I do not go by my first name. I chose the picture I did for my avatar because it is one of the o...