Athena is, in a sense, the guardian angel of both Telemachus and Odysseus in The Odyssey. She provides divine assistance to both of the men many times, such as when she gathers a crew and boat for Telemachus, or when she, along with Ino, saves Odysseus from Poseidon's wrath. Athena is also very empowered and confident, as she is the main cause behind the gods' mission to save Odysseus. This really interests me, as she seems to have a major role in the progression of the plot and will most likely affect outcomes in the book later on.
One example of Athena's courage and confidence is in Book 2, when she morphs into Telemachus and gathers a boat and crew so he is able to set sail even quicker. "Then bright-eyed Pallas thought of one more step. Disguised as the prince, the goddess roamed through town, pausing beside each likely crewman, giving orders: 'Gather beside our ship at nightfall - be there.' She asked Noemon, Phronius' generous son, to lend her a swift ship. He gladly volunteered" (422-427). This is just one instance where Athena uses her divine assistance to help Telemachus and Odysseus complete their journeys. In addition to helping Telemachus get a ship and crew, Athena also helped Odysseus get to safety after Poseidon ruins his ship in Book 5. "With that threat he (Poseidon) lashed his team with their long flowing mains [...] But Zeus's daughter Athena countered him at once. The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks, commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep" (419-423). In this excerpt, Athena protects Odysseus from Poseidon's violent storm, allowing him to reach safety on an island and thus exemplifying her "guardian angel" quality.
For my song, I chose Weezer's My Best Friend. I felt that the lyrics really exemplified Athena's purpose throughout the book: to protect Odysseus and Telemachus. For example in My Best Friend, the following lyrics exemplify Athena's helpful and assistive nature: " When everything is wrong I'll come talk to you / You make things alright when I'm feeling blue/ You are such a blessing and I wont be messing /with the one thing that brings light to all my darkness". These lyrics describe someone of Athena's disposition: an absolute helper that one can turn to in times of trouble. I particularly felt that the line"You make things alright when I'm feeling blue" exemplifies Athena's actions at the beginning of the book, when she inspires Telemachus to be courageous, kick out the suitors, and venture into the sea for his father.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment