Angel - Annotation lyrics

The Odyssey by: Homer Translated by: Samuel Butler Source of text: The Norton Anthology Western Literature: Ninth Edition, Volume 1 Book XXII, Lines 239-308 Pa**age: "Ulysses," said she, "your strength and prowess are no longer what they were when you fought for nine long years among the Trojans about the noble lady Helen. You k**ed many a man in those days, and it was through your stratagem that Priam's city was taken. How comes it that you are so lamentably less valiant now that you are on your own ground, face to face with the suitors in your own house? Come on, my good fellow, stand by my side and see how Mentor, son of Alcinous shall fight your foes and requite your kindnesses conferred upon him." But she would not give him full victory as yet, for she wished still further to prove his own prowess and that of his brave son, so she flew up to one of the rafters in the roof of the cloister and sat upon it in the form of a swallow. Meanwhile Agelaus son of Damastor, Eurynomus, Amphimedon, Demoptolemus, Pisander, and Polybus son of Polyctor bore the brunt of the fight upon the suitors' side; of all those who were still fighting for their lives they were by far the most valiant, for the others had already fallen under the arrows of Ulysses. Agelaus shouted to them and said, "My friends, he will soon have to leave off, for Mentor has gone away after having done nothing for him but brag. They are standing at the doors unsupported. Do not aim at him all at once, but six of you throw your spears first, and see if you cannot cover yourselves with glory by k**ing him. When he has fallen we need not be uneasy about the others." They threw their spears as he bade them, but Minerva made them all of no effect. One hit the door post; another went against the door; the pointed shaft of another struck the wall; and as soon as they had avoided all the spears of the suitors Ulysses said to his own men, "My friends, I should say we too had better let drive into the middle of them, or they will crown all the harm they have done us by us outright." They therefore aimed straight in front of them and threw their spears. Ulysses k**ed Demoptolemus, Telemachus Euryades, Eumaeus Elatus, while the stockman k**ed Pisander. These all bit the dust, and as the others drew back into a corner Ulysses and his men rushed forward and regained their spears by drawing them from the bodies of the dead. The suitors now aimed a second time, but again Minerva made their weapons for the most part without effect. One hit a bearing-post of the cloister; another went against the door; while the pointed shaft of another struck the wall. Still, Amphimedon just took a piece of the top skin from off Telemachus's wrist, and Ctesippus managed to graze Eumaeus's shoulder above his shield; but the spear went on and fell to the ground. Then Ulysses and his men let drive into the crowd of suitors. Ulysses hit Eurydamas, Telemachus Amphimedon, and Eumaeus Polybus. After this the stockman hit Ctesippus in the breast, and taunted him saying, "Foul-mouthed son of Polytherses, do not be so foolish as to talk wickedly another time, but let heaven direct your speech, for the gods are far stronger than men. I make you a present of this advice to repay you for the foot which you gave Ulysses when he was begging about in his own house." Intro: In this particular pa**age, it is describing how Odysseus is reclaiming his home with the help of his son, Telemachus, and two of his servants, Eumaeus and the cattle herder. Athena is playing a decent role in this battle, basically controlling the outcome; who gets injured or k**ed, by who, and how. It's just the four men against a number of men from noble families, whom have been courting Odysseus' wife, Penelope, slaughtering flocks of his animals, and consuming his wine. For any other situation, it would have ended badly, but Odysseus had Athena on his side. Agelaus, one of the suitors, took the leader role of the suitors, telling them what to do, and how to go about trying to k** Odysseus and the others with him. As the battle goes on, Athena makes sure that Odysseus, his son, and his two servants don't get k**ed. The first round of spears that the suitors threw all missed, whereas Odysseus and his men all hit their marks. Each side alternates the throwing of spears, and at one point Athena lets it slip a little bit, allowing Telemachus and Eumaeus to get grazed by the enemies weapons. This pa**age ends with the four men against many, hitting their marks once again. And in the very end, the cattle herder criticizes Ctessipus for throwing a cattle's foot at Odysseus, disrespecting him while he was a beggar earlier in the story. This pa**age fits within the overall story of this epic by showing yet another challenge that Odysseus has to face in order to be able to come home and live comfortably with his wife and son. It's interesting to look at this pa**age due to the fact of how the gods play their roles. Athena was on Odysseus' side entirely, whereas the suitors had no a**istance from the gods whatsoever. It's worth looking into, to see who the gods/goddesses pick to help and how they go about it. Works Cited Bell, Robert E. “About Helen of Troy.” Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes, and Archetypes (1996). Web. 23 Sept. 2014. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hd/abouthelen.htm Foster, B. O. “The Trojan War Again.” The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 36, No. 3 (1915), pp. 298-313. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/289343 Gill, N.S. “Trojan Horse.” About Education (2014). Web. 23 Sept. 2014. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/troyilium/g/TrojanHorse.htm Homer. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology Western Literature, Vol. 1 (2014). pp. 552. Homer. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology Western Literature, Vol. 1 (2014). pp. 553. Roberts, Andy. "The origins of the term mentor". History of Education Society Bulletin, No. 64, November 1999, p. 313–329. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentor “Athena.” Web. 23 Sept. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena