books 13-16

Book 13
 The Phaiacians They feast all the next day while Alkinoös's men prepare the ships. Odysseus is impatient to leave.
Alcinoos's men row him to Ithaca during the night as Odysseus sleeps on the ship,
They land on a rocky grotto, unload the still sleeping Odysseus, and leave him on the shore with all his treasure. Poseidon sees that Odysseus is in Ithaca and confronts Zeus angered. Zeus tells him that he is a god and can take revenge on any mortal at any time. Poseidon then goes and turns the Phaiacians' ship into stone and it sinks. Athena hides Odysseus with a protective cloud of mist so he doesn't know where he is. Athena then approaches him as a shepherd, and tells him that he is on the land of Ithaca. They hide his treasure, and she disguises Odysseus has a beggar as she goes to Sparta to bring Telemachos home.

Book 14

Odysseus is almost attacked by dogs at swineherd's home. Eumaios then welcomes Odysseus into his home and offers him something to eat. Odysseus makes up a story about being a commener from Crete, who has gone through many of the things that Odysseus has gone through. After telling all his storied Eumaios gives Odysseus a cloak and tells him he can stay at the hut until Telemachos returns.

Book 15
Athena goes to Sparta and tells Telemachos that he needs to come home right away because Penelope is going to marry Eurymachos. She then gives him instructions to go to Eumaios as soon as he gets bach to Ithaca and has him tell Penelope that he is back. On Telemachos's way out he meets a decendant of Melampous. 

Book 16 

Telemachos arrives to find Eumaios chatting with a beggar.

Eumaios is quick to greet Telemachos enthusiastically, he appears to be very fond of him.

Eumaios tells the beggar who Telemachos is and asks if he'll look after the old man.

Telemachos says that his house is being intruded on, but offers the beggar clothing and food and further permission to stay with Eumaios.

 He urges Telemachos to seek the aid of his brothers in ousting the suitors. Even if the odds are stacked against him, it's better to die in glorious battle than to be beaten by all these suitors.

Athena disguises Odysseus just as Eumaios returns. He delivers the news that a crier ruined their secrecy and that he spotted an unknown ship coming to Ithaca. 

Themes: Coming of age and hospitality.
Characters:
Alcinoös
Odysseus
Telemachos
Helen
Zeus
Eumaios
Athena
Poseidon
Theomachos
Penelope
Phaiacians

Books 17-20

Book 17
Telemachos awakes and decides to check on his mother, Penelope. He leaves orders that Eumaios is to bring the known beggar to town during the day so that he can beg for food. Penelope is very excited to see that her son is alive, and asks Telemachos the status of her husband Odysseus. Telemachos tells her to be patient. He then demands her to take a bath, then when she's done, to pray to Zeus that he will help them with their revenge against the suitors.

Book 18
The beggar Iros, who begs at Odysseus's hall, sees the new person and  says that the town isn't big enough for the both of them.
They start insulting each other.
Antinoös, seeing these two going at each other, spurs them on, since everyone loves a good fight. He promises a prize of fat blood pudding to the winner.
Telemachos reassures beggar Odysseus that the crowd will watch his back.
Iros is hesitant to be in this fight and wants to back out, but Antinoös threatens to have him beaten and castrated if the new beggar wins against him.
Odysseus decides to be merciful and strike Iros only once in the jaw. Amphinomos restores the peace by turning their attention to the banquet and away from the fighting.

Book 19
Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, tells Telemachos to remove the suitors' weapons from the great hall, as planned.
Telemachos tells Eurykleia to go hide the women in their rooms while he does so.
Penelope hears that her husband will be retiring soon, she is very happy to hear that news.
The beggar describes Odysseus's clothing, weapons, and men so perfectly that Penelope weeps.
Penelope is a little unsure, yet she offers the man a bath, clothes, and bed for the night.
Penelope really starts to lose hope and isn't convinced. She tells him that she's so tired of the courtship that she'll end it tomorrow with a contest: the suitors must string Odysseus's old bow and shoot an arrow through twelve consecutive axe heads. She will marry the suitor who wins it.
Yet the Beggar still tries to reassure her. Still unconvinced she leaves him and goes to bed.

Book 20
Beggar Odysseus goes to bed on the floor outside of Penelope's room, but has trouble falling asleep, because of his anticipation for the contest the next day.
He sees some of the maids slipping out to go sleep with the suitors. He's disappointed at the maids' betrayal but doesn't say anything.
Athene arrives and to give Odysseus some advice, while Penelope cries in her room.
She prays for death and then dreams that Odysseus comes back, but of course doesn't believe the good omen.
Odysseus wakes up the next morning and asks Zeus for a sign that he was meant to come home.
Zeus hears and sends a thunderclap through a perfectly clear sky.
A maid hears the thunder clap and knows Zeus must be around and listening. She prays that all her hard work to feed the greedy suitors will soon be over.
Everyone seems to be really high-strung and just anticipating bloodshed.


Characters:
Telemachos
Odysseus
Penelope
Zeus
Athena
Eurymachos
Artemis
Melanthios
Anphinomos
Antinoos
Eumaios
Iros
Euryclia

books 9-12

Book 9
Odysseus tells the Phaeacians about all that has happened on his ten year absent, even though he doesn't want to. He tells him about the Cyclops Polyphemos, and how they decided to take a spear and try to blind him. They then later find out that it is Poseidon's son which isn't good because now Poseidon is even more mad at Odysseus. Odysseus and his men finnaly get away from Polyphemos but has they are pulling away Odysessus can't help but taughnt Polyphemos. Taunting him he gives away his name so Polyphemos goes and prays to Posiedon in hopes that Odysseus won't make it home safely or at all, but if he does he will at least make it home with no companions.

Book 10
They reach the island of Aiolia, were they are welcomed and share their story of the Trojan War. The island is ruled by Aiolos the god of the winds, so on their way out Aiolos gives Odysseus a bag a winds. When Odysseus goes to rescue them, Hermes approaches him in the form of a young man. He tells Odysseus to eat an herb called moly to protect himself from Circê’s drug and then lunge at her when she tries to strike him with her sword.  He follows all the instructions and Circê turns all the men back into human form. They stay there for a year, but before they can all go home they have to visit the underworld to get directions from the prophet Teiresias. Odysseus also looses one of his crew member Elphenor because he fell off the roof.

Book 11
Odysseus travels to the River of Ocean in the land of the Cimmerians. There he pours libations and performs sacrifices as Circê earlier instructs him to do to attract the souls of the dead.  The first to appear is that of Elphenor, the crewman who broke his neck falling from Circê’s roof. He begs Odysseus to return to Circê’s island and give his body a proper burial. Odysseus then speaks with the Theban prophet Tiresias, who reveals that Poseidon is punishing the Achaeans for blinding his son Polyphemus. Odysseus then goes and talks to his mother and she tells him about what is going on back in Ithaka. Odysseus leaves the underworld with lots of treasure. He tells king Alkinoos about how he heard the stories of Agamemnon and many other people. Odysseus praises Achilleus for earning so much glory in his life and having like the greatest death ever. Achilleus hates being dead though and would rather be a poor country farmer. He then visits with many more people until he is overwhelmed and runs back to his ship.

Book 12
Odysseus and his men return to Aiaia and do what they are told with Elpenor's body. Circê then warns Odysseus about his routes home the one with moving rocks that the ship won't be able to get through, the second the Skylla a six headed seamonster that eats men and Charybdis a whirlpool that sucks in and vomits out the sea three times a day. They barely make it past the sea monster and finally reach the land Thrinakia, while they are there he doesn't listen to any of the gods and eats one of his biggest cattle. Helios then asks Zeus for revenge so Zeus destroys Odysseus's ship. All of the men die except for Odysseus. The sea then floats him back to Skyla and Charybdis, but he only manages by jumping onto a tree. Then after nine days he reaches the island of Ogygia were Calypso keeps him for seven years.

Character list:
Agamennon
Teiresias
Calyspo
Elphenor
Eurylochos
Tantalos
Achilles
Scylla
Zeus
Circê
Alcinoos
Aiolos
Anticleia
Penelope
Athena
Cyclopians
Polyphemos
Hermes
Posiedon
Odysseus

books 5-8

Books 5-8

Athene begs Zeus to have mercy on Odysseus, so he sends messenger Hermes to Kalypso's islands with instructions to let Odysseus go and, adding insult to injury, to help him build a well built raft to escape. He then announced that Odysseus, after some hardships at sea, will reach the island of Scheria by himself, where the Phaiakians will befriend him and provide away home.
Hermes takes Zeus's message to Kalypso. Her island on which she lives, is very luxurious, she has everything she would every need. Odysseus has the seven-year itch and spends all his time roaming the shore and looking sorrowful out to sea. With help, Odysseus soon makes his way to Ithica, he has all the supplies he needs. He is doing fine until Poseidon sees that Odysseus is on the sea again, he sends a storm his way and he almost drowns.

Athena appears in a young princesses dream, telling her to go to the river and wash her clothes there, They wash the clothes and they start playing with a ball. They encounter Odysseus and find him naked, then they let him bathe and give him food and clothes to wear. The princess give Odysseus directions to the palace and she heads home. He then follows a young girl, who happens to be athena in disguise, to the palace and great the mother. Alcinoos vows to get Odysseus home. So he wates out side in the garden and prays to Ahtena.
Odysseus is disguised in a cold of sea mist so no one can see him wander the streets. He meets up with Athena who is dressed as child and asks the little girl for directions. The little girl leads Odysseus to the palace and tells him about the land and the ruling family. The Queen is Arete and the King is Alkinoos. Odysseus gets to the palace and hugs the Queens knees, the mist then disappears and everyone shocked. All the servants quickly try to serve him, treating him as though he was a god, but he continually reassures them that he's not. When Queen Arete asks why he is wearing her daughters clothes, Odysseus is at a loss of words. King Alkinoos offers Nausicaa's hand in marriage, but Odysseus says no.The King orders his men to get the ship ready to take Odysseus home. Later on they have a banquet and play games and exchange stories.

Mentioned  Characters:
Zeus
Odysseus
Alcinoos
Hermes
Arete
Athena
Princess Nausicaa
Calyspo
Ares
Aphrodite
Telemachos
Demodocos

Themes: Hospitality and loyalty

words of the day

Glutton (noun)
Don't be a glutton kids, it leads to obesity.

Harangue (noun)
I try to follow the rules in my house, so I don't get a harangue from my parents.

Review Asia Section 1-2

1) How long is the Great Wall of China? 13,170,069 miles long.

2) Why was it built? And where does it run from and to? It was built in attempt to keep out Mongolian invaders.

3) What are three natural barriers that have limited people's movement in East Asia? High mountains, vast deserts, and cold climates.

4) How large is the Gobi Desert? 500,000 sq. miles

5) List two plains in Northern China. Manchurian, and North China Plain.

6) Name three rivers in China. Huang He, Chang Jiang, Xi Jiang.

7) Where does the Huang begin and end? It starts in the Kulun Mountains and ends in the Yellow Sea

8) How long is the Chang Jiang? Around 3,900 miles.

9) What is the southernmost of the three great river systems of China? Xi Jiang

10) What are the natural resources of China? Coal, Commercial fishing, copper, gold, hydroelectric power, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, silver, tin, tungsten.

11) Which countries in East Asia would need to import coal or oil? Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

12) What effect might natural resources have had on the development of East Asia? Because they are unevenly distributed only some of the countries had natural resources although the other countries do have mineral resources.

13) What is a typhoon and where does it occur? A tropical storm that occurs in the western pacific, swept across the Sea of Japan and sank the Mongol ships or dashed them against the rocky Japanese shore. The Typhoon changed the course of history. It occurred in parts of East Asia.

14) What two words best describe the climates in the higher latitudes of East Asia? cold. dry.

15) Where are most deserts found in East Asia? most are found in the west central area of the mainland.

16) Where are the tropical zones of East Asia found? Taiwan.

17) What does typhoon mean in Chinese?  What other type of storm is a typhoon most like? Great winds. Hurricane.

Sentences of the day

Prudence: cautious- noun
When the firefighters enter a burning building, they enter with prudence.
Baleful: menacing- adjective 
As I was doing the laundry, my baleful brothers would throw my clothes around the room.