Week 4 Story: Circe and Coke

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(Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus: Wikimedia Commons)

The tracks of the beaten up Kia Sorento tear across the asphalt of a residential street as they come to a final stop. "Finally", explains Evan from the back seat. We've spent the entire evening trying to find a party and it looks like we may have just lucked out. Calling the residence in front of us a house was an understatement, it was like an island of its own. From the street, the lights of the house lit up the entire street and it was evident that a party was going on. Rather than just barge in and invite ourselves to the party, I sent Evan, Chance, and Mike in to check out the party and relay back to us. After thirty minutes, only Mike had returned. He was frantic, beads of sweat lined his worried face. He reported back that the party was incredible, however, Chance and Evan indulged in a drink called "Circe-Roc" it was a matter of minutes before they started acting like pigs. They were customarily the most respectful friends of ours, but this drink seems to have corrupted their minds. They were all over girls, asking them for their Snapchat, telling them to "hit them up on Kik" and even worse, they started DMing girls. At this point I realized that I had to go in myself and get them out of there. "Please Dave, don't go in, you'll end up just like them after one drink" pleaded Michael, but my mind  was set. As I made my way in the house my senses were overwhelmed by the smell of E-cig juices and Lil John lyrics. Despite the obvious revulsion to the situation I was experiencing I pressed on. After wading through what felt like a sea of people I finally caught wind of Evan and Chance. I went up to Chance and he had a full bottle of "Circe-Roc" in his hands. Everyone was drinking it. Rather than refuse and get forced out of the party I had to do as the Romans do. As I took my first swig I realized this was the best drink I have ever had. I went back out to the car and grabbed the rest of the guys. We stayed till the break of dawn. 

Author's Note: The original story is about Odysseus and his men landing on Circe's island after escaping the land of the Cyclopes. Odysseus splits up his men and they explore the island. One of the groups finds the goddess Circe's house and it is amazing, but also guarded by wolves and mountain lions under Circe's magic. The men are scared, but they are lured in by Circe and giving drinks that she had drugged. The men turn into literal pigs, but Eurylochus had a feeling it was trap and doesn't go in the house. He goes back to Odysseus crying and Odysseus decides to go save his men. Before he goes, Hermes warns Odysseus and tells Odysseus how to save his men and not end up like them. Odysseus successfully avoids Circe's attempt to trap him and his men get turned back into normal. I chose to tell this story from my point of view with my friends as the other characters. Instead of Circe, I chose an alcoholic drink named "Circe-Roc", inspired by Ciroc, to be what causes trouble in the story. Instead of the ending in the original where Odysseus doesn't fall for Circe's trap, I chose to make myself succumb to "Circe-Roc". The movie "Project X" also helped inspire me to write the story this way since it was about a big house party. 

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey: Circe's Magic, as translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part B

(Teiresias Foretells the Future to Odysseus: Henry Fuseli)

I find it interesting how basically every time we see Odysseus and his men in a new scene they are always crying or grieving. It is understandable, but I just think it is odd that the story always points this fact out.

It is sad when Elpenor’s ghost talks to Odysseus and tell him what to do with his body. He is ghost now, but he still has concerns with his body on Earth. It is even more sad when Odysseus sees his mother’s ghost since he didn’t know she had died. This would be a terrible way to find out your mother is dead and this is a very emotional part of the story that I will keep in the retelling.

It is amazing how Teiresias is able to tell Odysseus’s future in great detail. For the retelling, I could possibly add in some funny acts that Odysseus has to do in order to return home safely.

Odysseus talking to his dead mother is the most powerful part of the story. You can feel the raw emotion especially when he tries to hug her. I will definitely try to keep the essence of this scene intact in the retelling because of how memorable it is.

It is really cool how Odysseus got to talk to all of these famous ghosts and learn more about them. The most interesting was Jocasta because I read “Oedipus Rex” in high school so I knew what she did before Odysseus explained. I will keep her character in the retelling.

Seeing Agamemnon in this state is weird because he was just a power-hungry character in the Iliad. I like the contrast in his character now as it shows a different side to him.

Achilles is one of my favorite characters in Greek Mythology and hearing him basically say he would rather be a slave and alive on Earth than dead is interesting. However, it is not surprising because he only joined the Trojan War again to avenge Patroclus. I do want to include the part of Achilles leaving extremely proud of his son because that is a nice moment for Achilles that he can hang onto in death.

I don’t like how Ajax doesn’t say anything to Odysseus because he’s still mad at him. I will change that to where Ajax forgives him and they have a nice reunion like the other people Odysseus talked to.

The Sirens scene could be told in a more comical way. Odysseus could be trying to plead with his men and trying to negotiate to untie him and everything.

The last part with Scylla and Charybdis could be longer since it is such an epic scene. I feel like it was rushed and I didn’t get the full effect of what happened. 

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

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

(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