Reaction to The Odyssey

In general, I enjoyed the Odyssey as a book. I felt that, for the most part, it kept the reader interested in the plot and the characters. I think that learning about the gods and Greek traits was entertaining and a good mix up to what we normally do in English class. Although the book became slow and was a little long, I felt that Odysseus' story was somewhat inspiring, and if not that, pretty cool. It was good to see a real hero as the main character of the book, and find all of his heroic traits, whether obvious or not, throughout the book.

Water For Elephants Chapters 3-5

The next significant quote I found in Water For Elephants is in chapter 3. Jacob is a newcomer to the circus setting up crew, as he has just jumped on a train and gone wherever his life may take him.
" We are adjacent to a huge grassy lot. Beyond it are scattered brick building, backlit by the predawn glow. Hundreds of dirty, unshaven men pour from the train and surround it,like ants on conday, cursing and stretching and lighting cigarettes. Ramps and chutes clatter to the ground and six- and eight-horse hitches materialize from nowhere, spread out on the dirt." (Gruen 32).
This quote shows gives us an idea of what kind of lifestyle Jacob is jumping headfirst into. It is dirty, hard work, and overall not very pleasant. Jacob does not mind, however, because he knows he now has no family or money in his name, and this is a new source of income, food, and shelter for him.

Reaction to Books 15-19 in The Odyssey

My thoughts on the next series of books that we have recently read in Homer's Odyssey is overall frustration. It seems to me that the story has slowed down exponentially and has no more action or points of interest anymore. I feel frustrated that Odysseus has kept himself hidden throughout this whole time when he was interacting with the suitors. I found at least 4 points in the story where he could have easily revealed himself and killed all the suitors without breaking a sweat. Altough Odysseus' actions often anger me and make me want to stop reading the book, it shows the characters iron-clad will and ability to follow order (in this case handed down to him by Athena). These events demonstrate Odysseus' heroic charcteristics, those being that he is willing to be patient and stick to a plan in order to achieve his goal. I also see these characterisitics appearing more and more in the young Telemachus, who knows the suitors want to kill him but is sticking to his father's plan, too. Overall, I feel that Telemachus is almost a mirror image of his father and is bound to grow up just like him, just without as much arrogance as Odysseus.

Water for Elephants Chapters 1-2

The first chapter of Water for Elephants, written by Sara Gruen, is set in present time. The main character, Jacob, is in his early 90's and in a nursing home, his own personal form of hell. Jacob is a widower, and frequently regrets not having his wife with him until he dies. But he also shows some of his selfishness when he says the following: "Although there are times I'd give anything to have her back, I'm glad she went first. Losing her was like bieng cleft down the middle. It was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn;t have wanted her to go through that. Being the survivor stinks" (Gruen 13).
Jacob shows us in this quote that he was and still is immensly in love with his wife and would do anything for her at any time. It also shows us that Jacob is literally willing to die for his wife, and the quote may be forshadowing for a story to come later on in the book. This quote can also tell us about Jacob's character; obviously very unselfish, loving, and most of all, heartbroken.

Reaction To Books 1-10 of the Odyssey

I thought that most of the first part of Homer's Odyssey were quite interesting. It seemed like there was alot of Greek and Roman mythology that the reader needed as prior knowledge in order to understand the book. Taking notes and learning all about the gods and the battle of Troy has helped my exponentially during the reading. I also feel like this is the first book we have read in class this year which keeps me interested because of the complexity of the story, the nature of the characters, and the mystical overall feeling. For example, when we first meet Odysseus, we see him as a humble, sad, hardened man who just wants to get home to his wife and kid. But we quickly learn of his overconfidence and cocky decisions that ultimatly lead him to his doomed fate of drifting for years upon years at sea. Plot and character twists like these are what keeps me interested and urging to read more of the the book.