The Odyssey Books XIV, XV (optional)
In Book XIV, the reader is introduced to Emmaeus. What kind of guy is he? What do you learn about his relationship with Odysseus and his family? Why do you think Odysseus (disguised as a poor beggar) tells Emmaeus the “tall tale” about where he has been and what he has been doing (page 279+)? How does Emmaeus treat Odysseus? Why?
For your notes page: keep a log of rituals (other than the Hades ritual)
In Book XV, the stories are in “real time” – Telemachus’ return home is juxtaposed with Odysseus’ experience still disguised as a beggar. He continues to test Emmaeus’ loyalty. Reading this book, or at least the summary, will further your knowledge about specific themes and Key Features of Myth, but it is not required reading, nor do you have to blog about it. If you do the reading, keep your ideas on your notes page.
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Eumaeus is a very hospitable man. He opened up his home to Odysseus even though he was not aware of who he was. He gave him a place to stay and offered him food. We find that Eumaeus and Odysseus have had a past history between one another. Odysseus' father Laertes was the one who bought Eumaeus. He came over with a woman who used to take care of him, but when she died he became a slave. He was sold to Laertes for a just price and was never treated badly. He was very blessed to have had been a part of Laertes' family. Eumaeus even said that himself. I think Odysseus disguised himself because he knew he had to think of a plan for the suitors before they found out who he was. The story just added to the plan. He treated Odysseus so nicely because he seemed to have looked up to Laertes. Knowing how well he had been treated made him want to treat others with the same respect.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus is a nice man. he takes in O and gives him food and lets him stay in his home even though O is a complete stranger.
ReplyDeletewe find out that Eumaeus used to work for Odysseus. he was the nices master that eumaeus had ever had. and he wished that he could come back.
i think that he desguised himself because he isn't ready to reviel himself yet. he needs to make it back home and get into his kingdom because he cant go in as himself or he will be killed. He has a plan to get back in and his meeting with Eumaeus proves that it is going to work.
Eumaeus treats him realy well. he was treated well by his master and wants to do the same to others even if it is a stranger.
I think Emmaeus is a true man. He has gone through tough times in his life, but he learns from them. He treats anyone that comes in his house with respect. He has been a servant for O and his family for many years. O's father is the one that bought him when he was a young man. He treated him well. I think if O's father didn't buy him he wouldn't be here today. I think O told him the lie because he didn't want to be treated like a king for one. He could see the true colors of people and not being all respectful because he is the king. Emmaeus treats O like any other man. Brings him in and treats him like he was one of his own. He does it because I think that was the way he was brought up. Laertes brought him like he was one of his own son. Gave him respect and gave him toughness. He looked up to Lateres and I think he wanted to be like him. IF he couldn't be a king or someone important he would treat anyone that came through his door like they were the most important person in the world. No matter who they truly were.
ReplyDeleteEmmaeus sounds like a very nice man. He sounds really caring because when T comes back hes so happy and thrilled, he says he has feelings towards T as father to son. he never turns anyone down who needs help. I think of him as a very intellageint person.
ReplyDeleteEmmaeus was bought by O's father, when he became a slave. O's father and family treated Emmaeus very kindly and let him become part of the family. I think that Emmaeus looks to Laertes as a father.
O makes up the tall tale because i think he doesn't know what to do about the suitors. If he hadn't digiused himself, they would have known right away who it was. He needed a plan and he knew that Emmaeus would help him.
Emmaeus is a good, loyal person. He takes care of some of O's pigs. He sleeps in the barn with the pigs. E would protect them with his life because he cared to much about O. He talks of how he liked his lord a lot, but he died at war. He won't accept that O might still be alive. He built a good relationship with O's family. He kind of looks after T and goes to P when she is in need.
ReplyDeleteO tells E his tale as a beggar because he wants to know what the people around him thought of him as a man. E says that he was a good, wealthy, and protective man. E treats O like he would any other stranger. He gives him a meal and clothes for the night. They stay up late in the night to tell each other where they came from and the struggles in their life or journy.
Emmaeus is a very kind man. O needed a place to stay so he let him in although he had no idea who he was. Little did they know they had a little bit of history together. O's father bought Emmaues. O's family treated Emmaues very good and they was Emmaues nicest masters.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus is a loyal and trustworthy man. He is also kind-hearted when he takes Odysseus (disguised as a beggar) in, feeds and clothes him. Odysseus questions Eumaeus about the happenings in Ithica, what with the suitors and his wife and son. Eumaeus relates all the news truthfully. Odysseus is just checking on Eumaeus to make sure he has been loyal. Eumaeus is connected to Odysseus via Odysseus' father, Laertes. Laertes was the man that brought Eumaeus to Ithica and he grew up in Laertes family. I believe Odysseus disguises himself for two reasons. One, so he can sneakily check up on the people of Ithica, including Eumaeus, his wife, and his son. Two, he is divising a plan to overthrow the suitors and must not reveal himself until the plan is complete and put in place. He must use his disguise to his advantage in this strategy. I think he tells the "tall tale" because he wants to begin to set in place his (Odysseus') return, and through his story, he relates his knowledge of Odysseus' survival.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus treats Odysseus kindly, but also slightly suspiciously. This is because Eumaeus doesn't know if Odysseus may be a man claiming to know news of Odysseus in exchange for wealth and goods from Penelope. There have been many men/suitors that claim to know news of Odysseus and want gifts from Penelope for exchange of the news. This is why when Odysseus (the beggar) says he knows of Odysseus' survival, Eumaeus doesn't know if he believes him fully.
I think E is very hospitable because O just randomly shows up at his pasture and E talks to him and give him food and shelter. He talks very highly of O even though he does not know that it is actually O in front of him. O used to be E's master. E wishes that he could see O again. E has been taking care of O's pigs and thinks that O is dead at war. Which makes him a very loyal person. O is telling E that he had fought in the war and thats all he really likes doing with his life. He does this because he doesn't want people to know who he is so he can know what people thought of him. Also probabbly doesn't think people will believe him if he says he is O.
ReplyDeleteE is a very accepting man. Odysseus meets him outside of his hut. E takes care of some of O's pigs. E doesn't realize that O is his master because O is in disguise. E talks very highly about O without know who O really is. E invites O inside and offers him food and shelter because O is dressed as a beggar. O questions E about what has been happening in Ithica about O's wife, son, and the suitors. O is really just finding out if E as been telling the truth. E looked after T and P during the time everyone thought that O was dead.
ReplyDeleteI think O is disguised because if I were coming back from the dead, as some people think is what O is doing, it would be quite a shock and word would spread that you are alive much faster. O has a plan behind all his doings. I think he tells the tale because he gives little hints away during the story that O is alive and things that relate to O.
Eumaeus is very loyal and wants to find Odysseus because he thinks and believes with all of his heart that he is still alive and is somewhere around. O and his family was his master. He told him the tale so he doesnt sound anything like O. So then people wont know he is there he wants to do some snooping first. He treats him very good and kind because he is a good man.
ReplyDeleteOdyssues is in a dressed as a beggar and he goes to Eummaeus's house. when he gets their Emmaeus didnt even notice it was him and lets him in because he is a very nice and kind hearted man. The reason he didnt know who it was because the gods desgised him so that they would know who he was.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus is a loyal peron because he gave o a cloak. E also watched over all of his pigs. E doesn't know who he is because the gods changed him into a beggar.He asked O who he was and he said that he was from Crete. He also lied and told him that he fought with O at Troy. He also told him taht O was still alive.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell Eummaeus is a very caring person, this is obvious because he takes Od in before he even finds out any information about him. More importantly he is very willing to let Od stick around in his home until he decided to continue his travels. Eum tells Od all about his former master and how much he misses him. Eum knows all about the suitors fighting for Peneolope and how Tele has gone on a voyage looking for his father. He tells Od all of this having no idea that he is the long lost Odysseus. Od tells Eum that he knows Od is on his way back. He builds himself up to be someone who fought in the Trojan war with Od. Also that he has heard word across the lands of his arrival. I think he does this because he isn't sure what his arrival home will bring yet. He wants to get a better idea of what will happen before he lets everyone know he is still alive. After hearing about the suitors from two people now he knows that he will have some difficulites coming home but nothing that he isn't willing to do to get his family back.
ReplyDeleteEummaeus is a very good man he is caring, and a very strong man. He expresses how he feels when T came back and was happy. He lets O stay at his house before he goes back on his travel. He is loyal to O and watches his pigs as well. Eummaeus is a very nice guy and accepts O when he doesnt really even know quite who O is at first. He is also a trustworthy man he trust in what O is doing that what he does. I wouldnt trust someone i didnt really know what Eummaeus does that.
ReplyDeleteEmmaeus seems like a decent guy. He let O stay at his place and eat his food! At first, E didn't recognize O because O was dressed like a beggar. Like Dalton said E trusted O to stay at his house, so E is very trustworthy, which is good. I would never trust a stranger in my home, let alone eat my food and sleep in my bed!
ReplyDeleteI think that Eummaeus is a pretty good guy. he really seems like he cares about what he is doing and cares about others just as much. he is a very strong willed man. he is very loyal to O and looks after his pigs for him and also allows him to stay with him at his house. He seems like a guy that you can tell him anything and he will not open his mouth about you can definitly trust him.
ReplyDeleteHE is very deticated to what he is ordered to do, but that doesn't neccessarily mean it goes without complaint.. what fun would that be..Odysseus is his master, but when he goes in disguise he basically states that he wants to overlook the people he knows in ithica and see who is and is not still loyal to him and the reason that he is loyal to Odysseus may have to do with the relationship betweeen him and Odysseus' family(father/ Laertes).. i think odysseus tells him these tall tales so he may not realize it is truely him, but so they can remember together incidences that have come about and see how he reacts to the way that Odysseus tells his story.His hospitality is reached very clearly to Odysseus because the way they belive.. people can come down and actually be Gods disguised as people... every person is treated with hospitality (for the most part) where they come from.
ReplyDeleteEmmaeus is a very dedicated, loyal individual. He wnats what is best for Odysseus and his family because Odysseus was always so kind to him that he had a great sense of loyalty for his master. He is almost as furious himself as Penelope is about the suitors and he longs for justice to be served. He lies to protect his identity. He doesn't want word getting out that he is there or else he will have no revenge on the suitors. Emmaeus treats Odysseus, disguised or not, with utmost respect and does whatever within his power that he can for Odysseus. Reason being, Odysseus was always so kind, he wants to show the same kind of respect - not to mention he is just a very kind and gentle man.
ReplyDeleteEmmaeus is a very loyal man because O shows up at his house, disquised, and asked if he could stay there. E didn't know who it was at first and allows him to say. E then realized that it is O who has come. E only wants best for O and his family. O was always a very kind guy to E. O disqieses himself by lying so that word wouldn't get out about him being there because then the suitors would find out. E can always be trusted and seeing how O was very kind and loyal, E wants to be the same way.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus is a very kind and caring guy. Odysseus used to be his master. Eumaeus has been a loyal servant to Odysseus and his family. Odysseus tell the tall tale because he doesnt want the word of him being alive to get back to the suitors. If that happens, Odysseus will have no chance at winning his life back. So he has to keep his story far from everything that actually happened. Euaemus treats Odysseus very well. He takes him in and gives him food. He also says Odysseus can stay with him as long as he needed.
ReplyDeleteEumaeus is a very nice and hospitable man. He is open to a complete stranger and gives him food and board for as long as he wants. Odysseus bought Eumaeus and has treated him so nice even though he is a servant. Eumaeus says that there is no master better than Odysseus. He tells Eumaeus the tale because he wants to test him and see if he can see through the lie. Eumaeus treats him almost like family even though he has no idea who he is and what he is doing here.
ReplyDeleteI think that Eummeaus is a very kind and hospitable man. He takes Odysseus in and goes over the top to make sure he is comfortable, even though he has no idea who he is. Also Emmaeus has nothing but good to say about his days with Odysseus as his master. This implies that Odysseus was a very good master, and treated his men well. When Odysseus tells him about his belief that his master (odysseus) is stil alive, He refusess to hear any of it, saying that he has seen to many men making up stories about Odysseus to get some sort of compensation from Penelope in exchange for their news.
ReplyDeleteE shows a big part of hospitality here because O needed a place to stay and E took him in not even knowing who he was. but little did they know or remember that they had a history together. E used to work for O's family. he said that O treated him very very well and respected him.
ReplyDeletehe's a good guy and opens his home to odysseus knowing that hes a total stranger. We also learn that odysseus was eummeaus' master which he fears is lost for good. I believe Odysseus told his tale because he doesnt want to let just one person know he's back he wants his whole land to know at once. Eummeaus treats odysseus extremely well because he is telling him stories about odysseus and he gives him hope that he is still out there
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