Life of Pi: Page 301 to End

I found the ending of this book to be simultaneously disgusting and depressing. Only now do we truly find out why this was such a bad experience which scarred him for years. Pi, the cook, Pi's mother and the sailor all represent the animals. The cook kills the sailor and Pi's mother, and participates in cannibalism. Pi gets revenge (as Richard Parker attacking the french cannibal) by stabbing the cook, and eats pieces of the human flesh. After the shocking story, Chiba and Okamoto are surprised, and finally inquire after the possible causes of the sinking of the Tsimtsum. They end up leaving, and the report only covers the lack of hard evidence and their choice to believe the animal version of Pi's story when th elast line of the book is "...and non in the company of an adult Bengal tiger."

Life of Pi: Chapter 93- page 300

I found this to be the easiest reading yet. Pi finally reaches land. Yay! But I felt sorry for him when he was sad that Richard Parker left without saying goodbye :(. People found him relatively fast, which was interesting to me since he could have ended up in the middle of nowhere, but he was able to go to the hospital. Part Three just started, and basically these two men Chiba and Okamoto are looking into the sinking of the ship. Pi is being completely honest, but he was sort of irritating in how he acts a little delirious in trying to prove the truth of his story. The whole bonsai, floating bananas and cookie storage thing seems a little weird....and I dont understand the cookie/food hording. I know he went through a time of starvation but it is still odd.

Life of Pi: Chapters 91-92

Chapter 91
Pi explores the man's boat, and his vision comes back. Pi also admits that he ate strips of him, and I was disgusted that he became a cannibal, since he was the same as the man was.
Chapter 92
Pi finds an island, which only has trees, algae, and meerkats. He is happy there, and eats a lot of algae and has fresh water. He eventually figures out that the island is carnivorous, which explains why the meerkats stay in the trees at night and how the fish are killed and then "digested" by the island. I was very creeped out when Pi opened the "fruit" to find a tooth, and impressed by his ability to reach such conclusions aobut the island in order for him to leave safely. He had earlier referred to RP as the omega animal, being compliant and trainable. That was one of the few positives, as is Pi gaining strength and eating.

Life of Pi: Chapters 83-90

Pi finally really uses his training of Richard Parker when they both are under the tarpaulin during the storm. Pi then talks about his numerous encounters with animals including a whale, dolphins, birds and his attempt to catch them. Religion again shows its face when Pi enjoys the "miracle" of the sight of lightning. I was disappointed when Pi sees a ship, yet the ship passes them by. Pi introduces his dream rag, which basically allows him to hallucinating by restricting his ability to breathe. It seems sort of dark and dangerous compared to the pure minded boy at the beginning of the book. Pi writes a letter in a bottle, and tells the reader about how the ship begins to worsen and the last pages of his diary in which he was sure he was going to die. I found chapter 90 to be extremely confusing, with Pi going blind. Pi has a conversation with someone, who Pi believes is Richard Parker, but apparently it is a blind man in a boat. When the man tries to attack Pi, Richard Parker kills the man. I was honestly really confused, and hopefully the next chapter will clear things up against.

Life of Pi: Chapters 71-82

Pi starts to really train Richard Parker, by irritating RP with his whistle, and then making him nauseous by turning the boat so it rocks. Basically by associating the sound of the whistle with the nausea. While training Richard Parker, Pi showed a remarkable amount of perseverance with being his off the boat five times by Richard Parker while attempting to train him.
Pi expresses his wish for a book, and brings up his faith with how he not only wishes for a scripture but how when he first saw a bible in a hotel he cried. Pi talks about how his diary is how he kept a record of his life, and the only book he had to read was the survival manual.
This reading is the first time Pi actually talks about practicing his religion(s), and he talks about how despite facing moments of hate and hopelessness, he still keeps love in his heart and God.
Chapter 75 was literally the saddest line i have read in the entire book. All it says is "On the day when I estimated it was Mother's birthday, I sang "Happy Birthday" to her out loud." It is a mention of his family, and how he misses them.
Pi talks about the problems of having food, and cleaning up after RP, and compares himself to animals in both how he eats and how he excretes waste. Also, the problems of facing the opposites of his situation is explained. Pi's story of how he caught a mako shark, and how RP finally made a mistake in letting the shark bite his paw seemed a little random. Pi finally shows his superiority and uses his training of Richard Parker to show Richard Parker that he deserves to keep the dorado.
Pi uses his knowledge of zoology to explain how he has power because he was the source of food and water for RP, and he talks about how he (Pi) has become an animal by wolfing down food like RP.
A little detail I found funny and ironic was how Pi was talking about being the center of a lot of circles, and he goes by the name Pi.

Life of Pi: Chapters 60-70

Chapter Sixty was interesting only because it referenced Pi's faith. It is a strong contrast with his animalistic will to live, and how his mixture of faiths can be applied in his situation.
In chapter sixty one, Pi tries to start fishing. He cuts his shoe apart, and after all the pieces are taken, Pi still does not give up. Pi  goes onto the lifeboat and gets hit in the face with a fish. This made me laugh a little, although when the school of fish begins to hit Pi it no longer is funny. I found it sort of sad how Pi had so much trouble kissing his first fist. He calls himself a killer, but probably the line which really hit me was "I never forget to include this fish in my prayers." It provides a connection between his will to live (fish) at the time and his faith with prayer. Another such instance is how Pi catches a large dorado, and thanks Lord Vishnu, yet he easily kills the dorado. I felt sad when Pi said "A person can get used to anything, even to killing." because this shows a change in Pi. He goes from a fragile boy to a killer, at least in his own mind.
Chapter Sixty Two is all about Pi and his discovery of how the solar stills work with having water. Pi seemed a little insane to me with him treating his stills as cows, and "milking" them. At the end of the chapter, Pi realizes the ship would have sunk a week ago.
Chapter Sixty Three is the beginning of a change. It first brings up different fictitious and real people and how long they survived at sea. Pi tells of how he survived 227 days, and his usual calendar. The important part of the chapter is how Pi tells of his depart from time. How events are in his memory, but they are a jumble, and that the loss of time allowed him to survive.
Chapter Sixty Four continues with the theme of a loss of time. All it talks about it how his clothes disintegrated, and he got salt-water boils.
Chapter Sixty Five was Pi reflecting on his lack of knowledge or control,  and mentions how he went on the Pacific equatorial counter-current.
Chapter Sixty Six is about how Pi improves at fishing, using gaffs and his cargo net to lure fish. Pi also goes into detail about the hard labor he went though to bring a turtle onto the boat. Even Pi brings up that he descended into a level of savagery, compared to his past self.
Pi tastes different animals in chapter sixty seven, showing how he is desperate for food, and how he watches the animals for fun.
Chapter Sixty Eight talks about the difference in sleep patterns between Pi, with RP napping constantly while Pi had difficulty making it more than an hour.
Rocket flares, and their smell occupy chapter 69, with them bringing back memories of Pondicherry.
Chapter 70 talks about the difficulty Pi had butchering a turtle. Pi gives RP the turtle, and decides "It was time to impose myself and carve out my territory."


In all these chapters, Pi slowly trains Richard Parker. First with whistling when giving RP the fish, and also with the water.

Life of Pi: Chapters 54- 59

The themes of hope and zoology are strong in these chapters.
Zoology
Pi come up with several plans in order to get rid of Richard Parker, and realizes that none of them will work that well based on how hardy, strong, and great swimmers tigers are. Pi decides he will train Richard Parker, and compares his available tools to those of circus tamers. It was sort of gross to me how Pi "marked" his territory on the tarpaulin by pouring his own urine on it, and then drank from the same beaker right afterwards. But, since he later comes to survive, I guess he knows best.

Hope
Pi's hope in his situation changes so often, I feel like he is bipolar. One minute he is happy because of one small victory, and the next he is breaking down in tear, sure that he will never make it home. For example, Pi has a lot of hope after he decides to begin training Richard Parker, and he fixes his raft.

Fear
Pi talks about the strong mental and physical repercussions of fear. As he says "It is life's only true opponent " Which is true, since fear can change how people act, and having too much fear can lead to giving up hope. Pi says that Richard Parker calmed him down, because RP made a sound the prusten. The prusten is a puff to express friendliness and harmless intentions.

Life of Pi: chapters 49 through 53

Chapter 49
It was sort of funny how Pi finds it unbelievable that Richard Parker was still on the boat, and he makes an analogy of how Pi lost hope so badly, that he had nothing to lose and kept trying hard. Pi realizes he is thirsty  and has not had food or water in three days. I find that sort of unbelievable, even with the constant threat of the hyena in the past couple days. Pi just throws caution to the wind and decides to climb to the middle of the boat. It took him a long time, but he faces his fear. Pi comes to a similar conclusion about why Richard Parker was so calm, with RP being sedated or seasick.
Chapter 50
I had trouble with this chapter with the description of the boat. Despite the numerous descriptions, I have no idea about how it would be shaped or set up. The funny part was how Pi talks about orange being the color of survival, as it was the color of the boat, tarpaulin, life jackets  and oars. Normally, orange is not thought of as the color of life and survival, which makes it interesting.
Chapter 51
I was very irritated by Pi in this chapter. He gets all these things, and throws these empty water cans into the ocean. It is like the ultimate hunger games or survivor, you need to keep that which could potentially be useful. Those cans could hold water from the rain catchers, or  food, or even be used to shovel out the boat. I was impressed with the descriptive passage about the positive affects of drinking the water, after three days without any.
Chapter 52
It was a long list about the supplies aboard the boat, and ended with Pi looking at the rain catcher, which will be very important in the future.
Chapter 53
Pi uses his problem solving skills to build a little raft, which seems to show how he might have to use his skills later on to solve other problems in order to survive. Finally, the tiger eats the hyena. Thankfully, it was neither  as gory as the zebra death nor in as deep of detail  I enjoyed this chapter because Pi is getting somewhere with his supplies, and trying to actually stay alive rather than watching the happenings of the animals.

Life of Pi: Chapters 44-48

Chapters 44 through 47 were a little dull, with alot of what Pi talks about being his fear of the night, the animals, and other things.
I found it odd how someone in Pi's position would still have hope after enduring a night on a lifeboat with a hyena, orangutan, and a zebra. It was disgusting how the zebra slowly died a painful death after a day or two of being consumed by the hyena.
I enjoy when little moments happen that vaguely connect to the zoology lessons Pi taught us in part one. Like how he enjoys one of those weird nature relationships in which Orange Juice was uharmed by the hyena for a couple of days (which ended up changing). I also found it ironic since in the evening of either the same day or the next day, the two animals end up in a roaring contest, ending with the violent killing of Orange Juice.
Chapter 48 was my favorite of this reading. It seemed to fit better with the method of storytelling shown in the first part. It was a little anecdote about how Richard Parker got his name, after Pi discovers Richard Parker's presence on the boat. It was more lighthearted, and the last line "I don't know if Thirsty None Given  ever got the man-eating panther." seemed like a little comic relief from the harsh, monotonous violence taking place on the boat.

Life of Pi: Chapters 37-43

There is a very noticeable difference between part one and part two of this book. While part one involves a lot of development of Pi as a character, these chapters are more story-line oriented. It was confusing and exciting. The themes of zoology and animals definitely made an appearance, with a talk about how hyenas are in the wild. I found it disturbing how Pi could have saved his family, but they were destroyed and he was the only one to escape. If Ravi had woken up, and not gone back to sleep, who knows what would have happened. Just because Pi did not want to wake up his father, his parents slept on. Another what if that Pi brought up was the what if the hyena was not on the lifeboat. It is a distinct possibility that Pi would have died. It is sort of crazy to think about how things would have turned out if only one detail was changed. This is true in most peoples lives, a sort of turning point, but it is especially true in this book.

Life of Pi: Chapters 28-36

I loved chapter 28, since it was a happy chapter in which Pi expresses his joy with his prayer rug and baptism. Afterwards, Pi discusses the reasons and difficulty of going to Canada, and all the hard work his father must do so they can leave. This part of the book I wasn't a fan of. It was boring and I was confused about this whole things with Mrs. Gandhi. I loved the chapter where the Mr. Kumars meet. I found it funny how both of the influential men had such similarities with their interest in zoos, but difference in viewpoints religiously.  However, my favorite part was probably chapter 36. I loved how it takes the author this long to finally meet Pi's family and see a different side of him. I was surprised by his having a teenage son, wife, and young daughter. It is a sort of light at the end of the tunnel while we go through the darker story.

Life of Pi: Chapter 18-27

I personally quite enjoyed these chapters, and the way each little anecdote fits like a puzzle piece in order to form a picture of Pi and his faith. The first portion of the reading covers how Pi sees a Muslim pray for the first time, and slowly begins to learn the brotherhood and beauty of Islam. I found it a confusing chapter to read when Pi’s parents are approached by the three holy men, who all wish to talk to his parents about his faith. There were many references to the difference between the religions, and Pi’s answer of wanting to love god was so very perfect and mature. This is one of the moments which decide whether or not you love a character. Oftentimes, when I dislike the main character I wish to discontinue reading since I don’t care what does or doesn’t happen to them. But these chapters about Pi and how he sees this beauty in religion and how this mixture of gods can result in a view of the world which is both pure and flawed. I can’t imagine being chased away from my own Jewish temple, just because people saw you as unworthy to practice your religion, as happened with Pi. When Pi asked his parents for a baptism and a prayer rug, I was reminded of when I asked for a razor. My parents reacted similarly, with talks between the two of them about whether or not they would allow it. This really make Pi as a character more human, and his life a little more average.

Life of Pi: Chapters 9-17

This reading portion goes over the themes of animals and religion.
Chapter nine covers what flight distance is, and how reducing flight distance allows for animals to be healthy. It leads into book ten, which talks about how animals must have a perfect place to live in order to be at peace, and they will be content to stay put. An anecdote in chapter 11 of a female leopard which hid for 10 weeks, and basically left its zoo in order to be comfortable with its surroundings.
These three chapters seem to sort of form one idea together. It develops the importance of being in a place where you are comfortable and then you will be content with your existence. It was a little boring at this section, and truth be told I took a nap before resuming with the rest of the reading.
Chapter 12 seems like an incomplete idea. It goes from the narrator's fear of how Pi gets agitated by his memories into how the author dislikes spicy food.
I did not understand why this particular chapter was put where it was. While it separated the ideas of inferiority and superiority from that of surroundings and safety, it had little to do with either topic.
Chapter 13 talks about how circus trainers only have control since they establish it as their territory, and makes himself the alpha male. The trainer must make  sure the lions know that they are inferior, and fill their minds with fear. Chapter 14 further describes this idea with pointing out how often the star of the show is the omega animal. It gets protection from the trainer by being compliant, and it is demonstrated in all sorts of animals.
Chapter 15 stresses the ideas of religion. It describes the various religious artifacts around Pi's house with the Virgin Mary, Ganesha, Krishna, Shakti, and Christ being celebrated in various ways. I found this chapter to be beautifully written with vivid descriptions, but confusing with a barrage of descriptive and religious words.
Chapter 16 delves into Pi's first experience with Hinduism and some of its basic ideas with Brahman and atman and Auntie Rohini bringing him to a temple as a baby. Chapter 17 also talks about religion from Pi's point of view, but rather about Christianity. Pi's family had gone to Munnar and Pi went to a christian church and met with Father Martin. Pi explains his confusion with Christianity and how there is only one real story to it. Pi talks about how he met Jesus, and how he feels that Jesus is a sorry excuse for a god for he suffers as a human, and lacks fantastic powers as the Hindu gods have, but rather talks and spreads ideas. The chapter ends with a comparison between the fast religion of Christianity and the slow religion of HInduism, and how Pi finds out that he is/ can be Christian if he so chooses.

Life of Pi: Chapters 5-8

What went down:
Chapter 5
Pi explains how he was tormented for his name and was called Pissing. When Pi changes schools, he changes his name to Pi. He explains how he finds refuge in no longer being made fun of, and how other people had some Greek nicknames as well.
Chapter 6
The author tells us more about modern Pi and how Pi is a great cook, and has many packages of food in his pantry.
Chapter 7
Pi tells about his biology Mr. Satish Kumar, who is atheist. A tale of how Mr. Kumar introduced Pi to atheism, and challenges Pi's beliefs really goes with the theme of religion.
Chapter 8
Pi's father teaches Ravi and Pi about how dangerous tigers are, along with the other animals of the zoo by showing how the tiger ruthlessly killed a goat.

My observations:
The theme of religion was repeated often in this section. References are made to the past people in the various religions, and how their situations are similar to that of Pi's. Also, the idea of faith and atheism is explored in chapter seven, with Mr. Kumar. I enjoy this building of Pi's character, it reminds me of how there is a lot of build up in To Kill a Mockingbird, so we care and understand the characters better.

Life of Pi: Author's Note and Chapters 1-4

Thus far, the Life of Pi has been made up of little short stories, yet we as the reader know very little about Pi himself.
Author's Note
The author talks about his journey to India, and how the story he attempted to write lacked the spark needed to make it a great book. They go on to tell us about how they met an old man, who introduced them to this fabulous tale, which the author gets more detail about from Mr. Patel, whose story it is..
Chapter One
The main character tells us about his life generally in this chapter. He goes on to tell about his study of zoology and religion, and his view on sloths. How sloths move slowly, yet survive both in spite of and because of their dullness and slowness. The character then tells about his being a good student, the strange relationship between death and life, and how work can kill. This all leads into a comparison between India and Canada, a paragraph dedicated to Richard Parker, and how the character was injured and in a Mexican hospital. The last paragraph tells the tale of a waiter making him feel bad for eating with his fingers.
I found reading this chapter to be a confusing yet rewarding task. We learn little small things about Pi and his view on life, and the descriptive passages make the rather uneventful moments spring to life.
Chapter Two
Chapter two was short, and describes a man. The identity of both the speaker and the man is undefined.
Chapter Three
An anecdote about how Pi got his name is described in great detail in this chapter. Pi was taught to swim by Mamaji, a family friend. Pi's brother Ravi and parents attempted to learn, yet they never had quite the same passion for swimming. Pi tells us about how Pi's father enjoys swimming tales, and Mamaji loves to talk about Parisian swimming pools. While many of them were enjoyed by Mamaji, Mamaji's favorite was the Piscine Molitor, and after that pool Pi was named.
Chapter Four
Chapter four is a large description of the zoo Zootown, which Pi's father ran. A large comparison of how running a zoo is harder than running a hotel compares the animals to different people in daily life. Yet this contrasts with Pi's description of the place as a child. Pi makes it seem like a paradise of sorts, with each animal improving the zoo. Pi goes on to compare how being free for an animal does not equate happiness, and how being in a zoo can still result in happy animals. I loved this part with the rich descriptions, and the different viewpoint on zoos than we usually get to hear.

Book Twenty Four: Peace

After a long story the book is over. I was honestly relieved. The suitors come down to the underworld while Agamemnon and Achilles talk about their deaths, Odysseus tests Laertes before finally revealing that he has returned. The parents of the suitors are angry and despite warnings, decide to attack. Athena makes Laertes strong and Antinous' father is killed before Athena stops the fighting and scares the suitors away. I was displeased with the sudden ending of the story, because it was so much faster paced than the rest of the book. Also, I was confused as to why Dolius would still like Odysseus after both Melantho and Melanthius (his children) were killed by him.

Book Twenty Three: The Great Rooted Bed

I felt like this was a very emotional book, but very little actually happened in it. Eurycleia tells Penelope that Odysseus has returned and even after sseing Odysseus, Penelope thinks that he can not really be Odysseus. Odysseus bathes and Athena makes him more attractive and magnificent. Penelope then tests him by telling Eurycleia to move the bed, to which Odysseus gets angry asking if the bed was cut down since it was made from a living tree. Penelope realizes it really is him since only the two of them and one maid have ssen the bed. Athena holds back the night as the couple talk about their past and Odysseus' last quest. Telemchus and Odysseus leave to raid and see his father.
I found it interesting how Odysseus tells the bard and the servants to dance and play music, so it seems like Penelope got married. After violently murdering one hundred some people, it would have been the last thing on my mind especially with truly seeing his wife for the first time in twenty years.

Book Twenty Two: Slaughter in the Hall

The very title of this book leaves little to the imagination. Slaughter= killing in the hall= in the palace. Finally, Odysseus kicks some suitor butt. How things play out:

1. shoots Antinous in the throat
2. many of the suitors think that Antinous killed by chance, but Odysseus then reveals himself saying that they would never imagine he would return
3. the men are scared, and Eurymachus makes a case that Antinous was the worse and just wanted the marriage to become king
4. Eurymachus offers for the suitors to pay Odysseus back, if they leave with their lives
5. Odysseus refuses and Eurymachus rallies the suitors to fight
6. Odysseus shoots Eurymachus, and he dies
7. Amphinomus rushed the king, but Telemachus spears him in the back
8. Telemachus decides to get arms for the four of them, and shields etc.
9. Melanthius accepts that there are on escape routes and decides to get some armor and weapons for the suitors
10. Telemachus realizes that he must have left the door open, and the swine and goatherd go to see if one of the women or Melanthius are responsible.
11. Eumaeus and Philoetius find Melanthius, and tie him up in the storage room.
12. Athena shows up as Mentor and asks Odysseus what happened to his fighting spirit
13. She then turns into a swallow and sits in the roof to test Telemachus and Odysseus
14. the suitors try to hit the four fighters witht ehri spears, but Athena had the spears miss, and the fighters kill suitors with their spears
15. the Cowherd killed Ctesippus and says that the spear is for the cow's hoof that was thrown at Odysseus
16. Leodes megs for mercy, but Odysseus cuts off his head
17. Phemius the bard begs for mercy, and Telemachus vouches for his innocence along with that of the herald
18. Hearing the prince, the herald comes out and begs for mercy, to which Odysseus tells them to stay in the courtyard
19. Eurycleia retrieves the unfaithful maids, and they are hung by Telemachus after cleaning up the bodies
20. Melanthius is hacked apart
21. Odysseus fumigates the house to purify it

Alot happened after the rather long and boring books. I found it weird how Telemachus so easily murdered a dozen women for them sleeping with the suitors. Also, although I understand why Odysseus did not grant their request, he did not even consider sparing the suitors for them to pay him. I would have given it some thought if it would mean peace in Ithaca. Also, 106 people were killed, but we only really heard about maybe a dozen. It just mentioned the stacks of bodies, and Odysseus is still considered a caring and good guy.

Book Twenty One: Odysseus Strings His Bow

Most of this book was pretty boring the usual Odysseus insults and Penelope crying about Odysseus. The book just has all the suitors trying to string Odysseus' bow, and all of them failing after Penelope removes it from storage. Odysseus meets up with Eumaeus and Philoetius and tests their faith before revealing his identity. Odysseus tells them to perform some tasks when signaled to. After taunts and debates with the suitors, Odysseus is allowed the chance to string the bow, which of course he does easily. Zeus decides its time to send a sign by having it lightning, and Odysseus shoots an arrow through all twelve axes. The swine and cowherd get all the women to be locked in their rooms and close the gates. Then, the sign is given to Telemachus and the book ends with Telemachus uniting with his father to kick butt.
After reading this book I was relieved that something was actually going to happen. The past 8 books or so have been about the preparation for this point, and finally blood will be shed. There have been enough predictions, enough signs, enough creepy blood dripping. Bird signs in the past books and seers have told the suitors their doom, and another seer who is also a suitor Leodes says that the bow they are trying to string will kill them all. Alcinous of course refuses his prediction, and antagonizes Odysseus, which is not good since he is fated to be killed first of all the suitors.

Class Analyzation of Book 20: Portents Gather

Portents: signs or omens

• Eagle with dove
• Amphinomus realizes will never kill the prince, concentrate on feasting
• Odysseus killing the suitors
• thunder and curse from maid as an omen from Zeus to Odysseus
• asks for another sign bc impatient
• not fully trust Athena's plan
• blood and laughing
• bleeding
• crazy laughter
• meat bleeding
• crying, grief
• walls with blood
• ghosts 
• mist and no sunshine
• creepy
• seems like the crawling meat with the Cattle of the sun
• used in sacrifices
• change something loved into hated
• don't have choice
• unfair bc make suitors more hated
• enjoys toying with mortals
• cruel to suitors, amphinomus, and Odysseus
• seems like very involved in Odysseus' lives
• make Odysseus suffer
• throw ox hoof at Odysseus
• selfish, needs something to do
• make sure that does not have his doubts

• had worried about people getting revenge after killing all the suitors
• can guard you since i am a goddess
• even if many, you could drive them away
• feel like shouldn't have to fight the suitors
• sort of vague, would continue the cycle of violence
• Melanthius returns
• makes fun of Odysseus
• Odysseus thinks about murdering Melanthius

Book Twenty: Portents Gather

Odysseus plots, and he hears the maids leaving the suitors. Odysseus decides he will kill all of the women for sleeping with the suitors, yet in some quotes he blames the suitors for dragging the maids to their chambers. It seems weird that they would use that as a reason why the suitors are in the wrong, yet since it appears to be the maids' choice, it incriminates them as well. It was weird how after Athena visits him, Odysseus still has his doubts about beating the suitors after hearing Penelope wish for her own death. Zeus made it thunder and a maid complain about the suitors. The next day there is a feast for Apollo, and Eumaeus and Odysseus talk to each other. Melanthius still uses what little superiority he has to make fun of Odysseus and Philoetius the cowherd wishes that Odysseus was back. Again, Odysseus assures that Odysseus will return to kill the suitors. Again, the bird omens present themselves when an eagle flew past holding a dove and Amphinomus told everyone to stop plotting and to feast. Athena is extremely irritating in that she wants to make Odysseus suffer and be angry by making sure that they continue to insult Odysseus, and Ctesippus threw an ox hoof at Odysseus. Telemachus ends up promising that he will not delay the marriage of Penelope, and all of a sudden the suitors begin to laugh uncontrollably. Blood comes from the meat and drips down the walls. Ghosts and mist surround the palace and Theoclymenus points out that none of the suitors will escape Odysseus' wrath. That scene is completely terrifying. How someone would come up with that as a warning is disgusting. Since its supposedly caused by the gods, yet the gods care for people and such, why would they come up with such a disgusting and unearthly way to express their displeasure.

Book Nineteen: Penelope and her Guest

In book nineteen, very little happens. It is mostly just preparation for the slaughter of the suitors. Telemachus and Odysseus move the weapons, Penelope questions Odysseus, Odysseus is bathed and recognized by Eurycleia, and Penelope asks Odysseus to interpret her dream. I feel like women are grouped as evil, such as when Odysseus says that "No women's wildness here in the house escapes the prince's eye." Also, that Odysseus promises to kill all of the women in his palace, seems sort of like an overreaction since they are just working for Penelope. They do not deserve to be killed as they are not hurting his wealth, they only damage Odysseus' pride. Melantho again points out how Odysseus should leave, and Penelope calls her out on being wrong and like her husband, threatens her with death. Killing people is not the best way to solve problems, and I feel that the royalty is letting their power get to their heads.

Book Eighteen: The Beggar-King of Ithaca

Book Eighteen is another chapter that I consider relatively boring. Odysseus reached home almost six chapters ago, and I am waiting for something to actually happen. In book eighteen all that happens is Odysseus fights with Irus, Penelope tricks the suitors into giving gifts, and Antinous and Odysseus antagonize each other. Athena continues to do her godly work when she makes Odysseus look more impressive before he fights Irus, Penelope becomes more beautiful to the suitors, and she stirs up rage among the suitors at Odysseus. The most irritating thing about this book is how Odysseus constantly has his pride hurt, and responds inappropriately to it. When Irus challenges Odysseus, Odysseus takes offense and ends up hurting Irus severely. One of Penelope's maidens makes fun of him, and he threatens to tell Telemachus and have her hurt or killed. Last of all, Odysseus takes offense when the suitors insult him, yet when they feel offended by his remarks it is considered wrong. Yet in their eyes, this beggar of a much lower status is offending them, which if Odysseus was the person it was happening to then it would not be acceptable.

Book Seventeen: Stranger at the Gates

At the beginning of book 17, Telemachus "forces" Odysseus to go into town, and the "beggar" agrees. He says that he does not want to be a drain on the farm, and he will go later. Telemachus then departs and finally comes into the palace. Penelope and Eurycleia cry with relief about his safe return. Everyone bathes, and Piraeus meets with Telemachus. When asked, Telemachus decides that he would rather have his gifts stay with his friends of Piraeus if Telemachus were to be killed than have the suitors split it up when they carve up his estate. Penelope asks about what happened on Telemachus' voyage and he tells that Nestor had no information but Menelaus told him that Odysseus was on an island with Calypso. Afterwards, Theocylmenus decides its time for him to talk about a bird sign that predicted that Odysseus was already home in Ithaca. I would have been irritated by him as Odysseus is trying to keep his presence a secret from all but Telemachus. Meanwhile, the swineherd and Odysseus start to walk to the town against Eumaeus' wishes. While on their way, Melanthius, the goat herd, insulted the "beggar" and kicked Odysseus. All three of them go to Odysseus' palace, and Eumaeus and Odysseus decide that Eumaeus will go in first and Odysseus will follow. Odysseus was extremely upset when he saw his dog on a dung heap, as it had not been cared for by everyone. After receiving and eating bread from Telemachus, Odysseus begs for scraps of bread from the suitors to separate the innocent from the guilty. Menlanthius recognized the beggar and announced that the swineherd was the "dirt" that led him into the palace. Antinous got angry at Eumaeus and complained about bringing people in to beg off of "their" plates. Telemachus tells everyone to give bread, but Antinous refused and threw a stool at Odysseus. Penelope finds out about the violence, and tells Eumaeus to bring Odysseus to her. Eumaeus talks about how the beggar has been many places and claims to know about Odysseus' location. When asked, Odysseus agrees but on the condition that they wait until sundown so the suitors do not see and hurt him.

Book 16: Father and Son

Telemachus finally reaches Ithaca, and goes to Eumaeus' shack. I loved how Eumaeus cried and was described as loving Telemachus as if Telemachus were his son. Eumaeus then left to tell Penelope about Telemachus' arrival and location. Athena changed Odysseus back into himself, and the two of them celebrated Odysseus' return. Father and son plan to have Telemachus hide all the weapons, except for those that Odysseus and Telemachus will use to kill the suitors. Meanwhile, the suitors return from their ambush, and decide to plan to kill Telemachus. Amphinomus decides that only if Zeus agrees will the suitors attempt to murder Telemachus. Penelope hears about their plans and tells them to not lay a hand on him, which Eurymachus agrees to. However, the suitors continue to plot afterwards. At the end, Eumaeus comes back to see Odysseus (once again old) and Telemachus.

Book Fifteen: The Prince Set Sail for Home

The Odyssey finally returns to Telemachus, who was at Menelaus's palace, worrying about his father. Athena comes over to Telemachus and urges him to go home since the suitors want to ambush him, but the earth will swallow some of them. Athena also points out that Penelope is being urged to marry Eurymachus. After reaching home, Telemachus is to visit the swineherd first, and send the swineherd to tell Penelope that he has returned. Telemachus wants to leave right away in the middle of the night, yet Pisistratus insists upon waiting for the morning and receiving Menelaus' gifts. Telemachus was given a mixing bowl, a robe for his future bride, and a two-handled cup. The gift giving exhibits the generosity of a host, and also the theme of hospitality throughout the book. While leaving, an eagle plucks up a goose, which is a sign that Odysseus will return and take revenge on the suitors. Telemachus goes onto his ship right away without seeing Nestor, and Theoclymenus asks to be taken aboard their ship. Theoclymenus is apparently a fugitive for killing a man with many brothers who are trying to kill him. Telemachus is a good host and allows Theoclymenus to tag along, and promises to care for him once they reach the palace. The seer Theoclymenus ends up staying with one of Telemachus' men as Telemachus is worried about the situation at the palace. Hospitality is displayed many times in this chapter, especially when Odysseus tests Eumaeus by suggesting that he (Odysseus) leaves and works for the suitors. Eumaeus disagrees, and Odysseus is allowed to stay. Eumaeus tells the tale of how he ended up in Ithaca with him being taken by a serving woman who escaped with some traders, and was sold to Laertes.

Book Fourteen: The Loyal Swineherd

Odysseus went to his swineherd, disguised as a beggar and the swineherd welcomes Odysseus into his home. This exhibits that hospitality is not practiced solely by royalty. The swineherd talked about how his master left, and the suitors eat up his fortune. When Odysseus asks for the swineherd's master's name, the swineherd refuses since he does not want the "beggar" to tell lies to the queen for riches. It really shows how kind of a ruler Odysseus was that after twenty years, his employees still care for him and his family. Odysseus promises that Odysseus will return this month, yet the swineherd does not believe him. After Odysseus tells the swineherd a fabricated story about his troubles, the swineherd still insists that Odysseus will not be returning, and the details of his story are fine except for those about Odysseus. Odysseus tells the swineherd that if Odysseus returns, then the swineherd should give him clothes and send him off or otherwise kill him. The swineherd protests talking about the shame of being such a bad host as to kill his own guest. Odysseus tests the swineherd by asking for a cloak, which the swineherd provides.

Book Thirteen: Ithaca at Last

It was amazing how Odysseus spent so long in Phaeacia while doing nothing other than tell his story and prepare his ship. When he finally leaves, Odysseus sleeps the entire way to Ithaca. The crew dumps him on a beach with all of his gifts, which seems like something odd. Why wouldn't they wake him up when they arrived at Ithaca? It only made their job harder, and Odysseus was extremely disoriented and irritate at the beginning. Poseidon punished the Phaeacians as was prophesied. He stopped one of the ships, the one that took Odysseus and decided to put a mountain around the Phaeacian port. Alcinous realized what was going to happen, and told his people to sacrifice twelve bulls to Poseidon. Athena surrounded Odysseus with mist so he could not tell where he was, and Athena disguised herself as a shepherd boy. After revealing that the land was Ithaca and asking about Odysseus, Odysseus told a lie about how he ended up in Ithaca. Only afterwards did Athena become a woman and reveal herself. Odysseus and Athena hid the treasure and talked about how Athena will get Telemachus back from Sparta and Odysseus, disguised as an old beggar, will seek information from the swineherd. Athena decided to hide Ithaca in mist and talk to Odysseus as a shepherd boy, which does not seem to make much of a difference. It would have been easier to just tell Odysseus what to do rather than test him thus. Also, how blocking off Phaeacia would express how angry Poseidon was with Odysseus escapes me as no one would go by there often enough to hear the news, and Odysseus is not immediately impacted.

Book Twelve: The Cattle of the Sun

Odysseus and his crew return to Aeaea and hold a funeral for Elpenor. Circe warns Odysseus about the journey ahead, and they leave. Odysseus' crew puts beeswax in their ears when passing by the Sirens and their enchanting song, however, Odysseus chooses to listen while lashed to the mast. Afterwards, Odysseus chooses not to tell his men about Scylla and just tells them to row away from Charybdis. Six men are taken by Scylla, and the men reach the island where Helios kept his cattle. Eurylochus points out that they should stay there, and Odysseus agrees but on the condition that the men swear to not slaughter any of the cattle. After a month of waiting because the south wind blew nonstop, the men run out of supplies and eventually kill some of the cattle. Helios was told, and Zeus ended up killing the crew by hitting the ship with a lightning bolt. Odysseus drifts on a raft, and ends up on Calypso's island. It seemed odd how Odysseus would agree to staying on the island where Helios's herds were after hearing about the possible doom of his crew, even with the crew taking an oath. Also, the way that Odysseus withheld information to his crew about Scylla seemed self centered, even if it was in their best interest.

Book Eleven: The Kingdom of the Dead

Odysseus and his men sailed to the underworld, and summoned ghosts. Elpenor asked Odysseus to bury him, since he died from falling off the roof. Odysseus met with Tiresias, who told him to not slaughter the cattle of Helios if his entire crew wished to go home. If Odysseus were to escape, then he would be alone, late and broken. Tiresias told Odysseus that he will have to kill the suitors and sacrifice animals to Poseidon. Afterwards, Odysseus talked to his mother and mothers of famous greek heroes and kings. After talking to Alcinous about staying one more day, Odysseus launches into his story of meeting greek heroes and his deceased comrades. Odysseus found out about Aegisthus from Agamemnon, talked to Achilles about his son, and watched as people faced their eternal punishment before leaving the underworld. It was interesting to me how Agamemnon blamed Clytemnestra for  plotting to murder him, when it was the fault of both her an Aegisthus.

Book Ten: The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea

In book 10, Odysseus continues to tell his story. After their escape from Polyphemus, Odysseus and his men reach the Aeolian island. They stayed for a month, and then Aeolus sent them on their way with the bag of wind. After 9 or 10 days of good sailing, Odysseus was tired and slept, and the crew was mutinous, thinking that Odysseus had riches in the bag. When the crew opened the bag, the winds were released and Odysseus ended up at the Aeolian island again. Aeolus kicked them off pointing out how the gods must hate him if he were to return so. After six days of rowing, Odysseus and his men reach the land of the Laestrygonians. He sent three men, who met with the king Antiphates. Suddenly Antiphates ate one of the men, and the other two ran back to the ships. The Laestrygonians end up attacking the ships, and all were killed except those on Odysseus' boat. Odysseus and his crew sailed away and ended up on the Aeaean island. The men were nervous, and split into two groups. The first group went to Circe's house and she gave them a potion so that the men turned into pigs. Only Eurylochus did not go in, since he sensed a trap. Eurylochus ran back to Odysseus and told him what happened. Odysseus decided to try and free his men. Odysseus ran into Hermes, who told him that a drug will protect him from changing,Odysseus will have to draw his sword when Circe his him with her wand. When Circe offers her bed, Odysseus must make her swear and oath so she will never plot against her. All this Odysseus does, and Circe changed the men back. The men were now more handsome, taller, and younger than before. Odysseus gets the rest of his crew to come to Circe's hall a per Circe's request, against Eurylochus' will. The crew stays there a year, and finally Odysseus asks if they can leave with Circe's help. Circe agrees but gives an elaborate plan for Odysseus to follow if he want to go home by asking for Tiresias' expertise.
I found it interesting how after Polyphemus, the crew still ventures out onto the land of the Laestrygonians, and how after that disaster they are not any wiser when it comes to visiting Circe. The changing of the men into swine perhaps is to reflect their behavior or somethings similar.

Book Nine: In the One-Eyed Giant's Cave

Odysseus reveals his identity to the Phaeacians and tells them his story. It begins with the men plundering Ismarus, and the Cicones bringing in backup soldiers. Odysseus' men leave, and end up in the land of the lotus-eaters. Odysseus brought the men back who were sent to scout out the people there, and they were on their way. Odysseus and his men ended up on an island nearby the land of the Cyclops. A curious Odysseus bring a boat over, and he goes up to Polyphemus' cave with twelve other men. Odysseus tells of their capture in the cave, where it is sealed with a large boulder. Odysseus and four of his men sharpen a portion of the giant's club, and they gouge out Polyphemus' eye while he sleeps after seeing some of their companions be eaten. When Polyphemus' neighbors answer his cry for help, they leave after being told that "Nobody" is trying to kill Polyphemus, since Odysseus had told Polyphemus that his name was Nobody. They then escape by hiding underneath the bellies of some of the rams, as Polyphemus only counts them by touching the top. After escaping, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus, until Polyphemus throws rocks at a ship. Eventually, Polyphemus calls on Poseidon, telling Poseidon to either make sure Odysseus never sees home, or he goes home a changed man, with no shipmates, in a stranger's ship, many years late.
Odysseus' tale of what he went through exhibits his cunning and fearlessness. However, it also explains why he is no longer quite the same. The audience/ reader finally understands why Poseidon wishes to get revenge on Odysseus. The book also exhibits how Odysseus made some bad choices when it came to being humble about beating Polyphemus.

Book Eight: A Day for Songs and Contests

In book eight, everyone gathers for an assembly in which Alcinous introduces Odysseus to the Phaecians. After the ship is readied for their departure, they have a feast and the bard Demodocus sang about the Trojan War. Alcinous decided to begin games of wrestling, racing and other sports. Broadsea challenged Odysseus, and Odysseus demonstrates his strength with the throwing of a discus. Alcinous then announces that it is time to dance, and the tale of Aphrodite and Ares when Hephaestus ensnared them in chains was sung. Parting gifts were amassed, and Odysseus was bathed. Another feast is held, and Demodocus sings the tale of the Trojan Horse. After seeing Odysseus cry at the tale of the Trojan War for the second time, Alcinous questioned Odysseus' identity. It was interesting how this is the first time the book mentioned that someone was embarassed about crying, Menelaus and Telemachus were fine with facing their emotions, yet Odysseus was ashamed of crying. I found it interesting how Nausicaa basically came up to Odysseus and told him to remember her for saving his life, since that would be odd at this time.

Book Seven: Phaeacia's Halls and Gardens

Odysseus leaves Athena's grove to try and find Alcinous' palace. Athena shouds him in a mist, so he is unable to be seen  by the less refined folks of Phaeacia. Athena disguises herself as a young girl, and leads Odysseus to the palace, when he is still enshrouded in mist. Odysseus is struck by the beauty and lusciousness of the court, and when he enters, he begs Arete for some way home. Alcinous is shocked, but the oldest lord reminds him to be a good host to Odysseus. After feasting, Odysseus tells of his arrival at Calypso's and journey to Phaeacia. Alcinous and Odysseus agree that Odysseus is to use a ship and crew to return home swiftly. In this chapter, Athena does a lot of small things to assist Odysseus when it comes to leading him to the palace to shrouding him in a concealing mist. Also, the fact that Alcinous and Arete take Odysseus' word about his arrival and what he is doing with a ship seemed odd, since that would not happen nowadays.

Book Six: The Princess and The Stranger

It was an interesting way for Athena to manipulate Nausicaa into finding Odysseus. First with a dream about getting clothes washed so she could marry, and then making the ball fall into the water so the noise that they made would wake him up. Athena was very involved in this chapter when she keeps Nausicaa from running away by making her not afraid, and then making Odysseus more spectacular. When Odysseus takes a branch to cover himself, it seemed sort of funny since I forgot that he was walking around and sleeping in the forest completely nude. One paradox is how women are both the downfall of men in this book such as Calypso and Helen, yet they also constantly help them like Nausicaa and Ino.

Book Four: The King and Queen of Sparta

It was interesting when Eteoneus asked Menelaus whether they should welcome Telemachus and Pisistratus into their house, and Menelaus pointed out how other people had welcomed them (Menelaus and company) over the years into their houses. Menelaus exemplifies the importance of hospitality when he welcomes Telemachus to a feast, even as his children are having a wedding. Menelaus also gave Pisistratus and Telemachus the best part of the meat. That Menelaus only recognized Telemachus once he began to cry at Odysseus' fate seems odd.
A lot of Menelaus' troubles seem to have arisen from angering a god, as have the problems of Ajax and Odysseus. Menelaus teaches Telemachus about respecting the gods.
It seemed unlikely that the suitors would really want to attempt to kill Telemachus after  Noemon pointed out how it seems that a god boarded the ship with Telemachus since Mentor is still in Ithaca.

Book Three: King Nestor Remembers

I found it interesting how Telemachus lacks confidence in asking Nestor questions, when later on he uses his words quite adeptly with Menelaus and Nestor. Nestor was able to tell that Telemachus was definitely Odysseus' son since Telemachus used his words so well.
Telemachus wished for the power to rid his house of the suitors as Orestes killed Aegisthus. This makes an even stronger parallel between Odysseus' and Agamemnon's situations. Athena indirectly points out that Odysseus' current predicament is better then that of Agamemnon. She says that it is better to take years to return than die once reaching his own house quickly, like Agamemnon.
Nestor is a good example for Telemachus when it comes to hospitality and respect for the gods. Nestor welcomes all into his house, and shows proper respect for Athena by presenting her with the cup as she is the older guest. Nestor also demonstrates his respect through large sacrifices, such as the one that was going on for Poseidon. He also prays to the gods every night and holds a ceremony for Athena when she reveals that she visited him.

Book Two: Telemachus Sets Sail

In book two, Telemachus called together an assembly to point out the problem of the suitors, and how he was going to be heading off to Pylos and Sparta. I found it interesting how Telemachus almost blamed his neighbors more than the suitors for the suitor's actions. He pointed out how if they set the "parasites" of the suitors on him, it would have been better if it was themselves instead. That way he could get his goods back. It was nice to know that other people cared about and acknowledged the problem when Mentor told the other people at the assembly that they should have corrected the suitors behavior. Mentor points out that there are many more people than suitors, and the Odysseus was a kind ruler whose household does not deserve its current state.
The way that Antinous describes the situation is very different from how we have seen it. Antinous says that it is Penelope's fault since she played with all of the suitors' hearts. Penelope had promised to finish her weaving, and would marry once she had finished it. However, she would undo her work at night until one of the women told on the queen. Even though this is true, the suitors' actions are not explained by Penelope's unwillingness to marry.

Book One: Athena Inspires the Prince

I found it interesting how Homer chose to open the book with a summary of the current situation in the form of a council of the gods. It reveals information that is not revealed to Telemachus until much later. What I wondered is if Hermes told Aegisthus what would happen if Aegisthus stole Agamemnon's wife, why did Athena send Telemachus on a quest for information? She could have just found a way to prove it to him. I understand why it occurred, however the huge transformation in Telemachus seems sort of unbelievable to me. After one short talk with Athena, Telemachus went from a weak, submissive, grieving boy to a man who stands up against the plague of suitors and commands his mother to return to her rooms.