Book: The Odyssey
Author: Homer
Pages: 320
Date: 3/10/25
I wanted to read this book because I read a much simpler version in middle school and remembered it as a classic. The book does not flow in the same order as I remember it, but that could be a function of my memory. I remember very little about Telemachus visiting Menelaus to learn about his father that occurred in chapters 1-4. I just remember the journeys of Odysseus trying to get home. I still remember from childhood when his old dog Argos remembers the scent of his returning master, wags his tail and then dies. That is a profound sense of loyalty.
What I learned from this book:
1) There were much fewer gods involved in this book than in the Iliad. There were really only two of them to any great extent:
a) Poseidon – the king of the sea. He was trying to prevent Odysseus from gettin home because Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, the Cyclops early in the journey.
b) Athena – dauther of Zeus and goddess of skill & intelligence. She was working hard to help Odysseus get home.
2) This book was much better, easier to read and more interesting than the Iliad. I really enjoyed it and it is one of the top 5 books I have read while in prison.
3) The main characters are:
a) Odysseus – he was a general with the Greeks and the man who thought up the concept of the Trojan Horse and was one of the few men inside it when it was pulled into Troy.
b) Laertes – the father of Odysseus
c) Penelope – the wife of Odysseus
d) Telemachus – the only child (son) of Odysseus
e) Argos – Odysseus’s dog who awaits his return.
f) Mentor – friend & steward of Odysseus’s home
g) Eumaeus – keeper of Odysseus’s swine
h) Philoetius – keeper of Odysseus’s cattle
i) Alcinous – king of the Phaeacians
j) Euryclea – Odysseus’s childhood nurse
4) Listed below is a summary of what each chapter covers. I did it this way to show the progression of the book in a step-by-step manner.
Chapter 1: The gods agree that it is time for Odysseus to come home to avenge himself on Penelope’s suitors and recover his kingdom. Hermes (messenger of the gods) is sent to Calypso’s island where she has held Odysseus as a prisoner for seven years. Athena advises Telemachus to call an assembly of the Ithaca leaders to complain of the behavior of the 100+ suitors.
Chapter 2: Telemachus appeals to the group of suitors to stop wasting his resources and to leave his home. They taunt him in reply. Telemachus prays to Athena and she helps him quickly find and prepare a boat for the journey while causing the suitors to fall into a deep sleep so they don’t see him go. He intends to go see fellow warriors who returned from Troy to see if they have any ideas.
Chapter 3: Telemachus is welcomed by Nestor (an old friend of his father’s) in Pylos. Nestor tells of his own difficult return from Troy, but does not know anything about Odysseus. Nestor sends Telemachus to meet King Menelaus in Sparta by land with his own son, Pisistratrus.
Chapter 4: Telemachus is well received by King Menelaus & Helen who tell the boy of his father’s great deeds. Menelaus also talks about the many adventures of their return. He said that he heard Odysseus was a prisoner of Calypso. The suitors learn of Telemachus’s journey and plan to murder him when he returns. Penelope is terrified, but Athena sends her a vision to reassure her that her son will return safely.
Chapter 5: Calypso releases Odysseus upon Zeus’s request after a 7-year imprisonment on the island. He builds a raft, but it wrecks after 17 days and Odysseus miraculously lands on the shore of Phaeanicia – exhausted & naked.
Chapter 6: Odysseus is discovered by the king of Phaenicia’s daughter & she invites him to her father’s house (after providing him with clothes).
Chapter 7: Athena guides Odysseus to the palace of King Alcinous & Queen Arete. They listen to his tale and are moved by it. They promise to help him return home.
Chapter 8: King Alcinous orders a ship to be made ready for Odysseus and holds a banquet and competitive games. Aterwards there is dancing & singing of the Trojan war, which causes Odysseus to weep. The king then asks him exactly who he is.
Chapter 9: Odysseus declares his true self and his adventures. He tells how he set out with 12 ships from Troy. He ends up in the land of the Lotus Eaters (magic food) and later in the cave of the Cyclops. Six of his men are killed & eaten there, but they blind the Cyclops and six of them escape.
Chapter 10: They sail to the island of Aeolus and are given a bag of wind to hold tight until they are home. Within sight of home, Odysseus takes a nap. His men, thinking there are riches in the bag, open it and it blows them all the way back to Aeolus. There are giants there that destroy 11 ships and devour the crews. The remaining ship escapes to Circe’s island and her magic potion turns half the men into pigs. Odysseus compelled her to restore them to human shape, but they had to stay on the island for a year. It will now be 8-9 more years before Odysseus can return home.
Chapter 11: Odysseus must sail to the underworld to meet with ghosts who can tell him the future and he meets with ghosts of his past like Achilles & Ajax.
Chapter 12: After returning to Circe, she tells him of the perils ahead and how to beat them like the voice of the Sirens and a giant whirlpool. They pass these obstacles and land on Sicily, home of Zeus’s fine cattle. Zeus destroys their ships and only Odysseus survives – stranded on Calypso’s island for 7 years. This is the end of his travels until his recent arrival in the home of Alcinous.
Chapter 13: Odysseus is given gifts by Alcinous and sent back to Ithaca by boat at night. He hides the treasure from King Alcinous in a cave. Athena comes to him and gives him advice & helps to conceal the treasure even further. She transforms him into a beggar so that no one recognizes him.
Chapter 14: Odysseus finds the hut of his faithful swine herder. He does not reveal his true identity, but is made welcome and learns news of home. Odysseus spends the night there.
Chapter 15: Athena appears to Telemachus and makes him return home. Eumaeus tells Odysseus (still hidden as a beggar) of his life. Telemechus lands safely and comes straight to the swineherder’s hut.
Chapter 16: Telemachus sends Eumaeus into town to tell Penelope of his safe arrival. Odysseus is restored to his normal likeness & he reveals himself to his son. They share a happy & tearful reunion and then make a plan to destroy the suitors.
Chapter 17: Telemachus returns home and tells his mother of the news from Menelaus. Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar heads into town. At the doorway to his home, his old dog (Argos) smells his scent, wags his tail & dies. Odysseus receives food from his son, but is abused by one of the main suitors.
Chapter 18: Odysseus is insulted by another beggar and Odysseus thrashes him with great bodily harm. Another suitor, Eurymachus, makes fun of Odysseus and throws a footstool at him – a terrible injustice in their culture. Telemachus tells them they must stop their behavior and they go home to bed.
Chapter 19: Telemachus makes an excuse to remove all armor of the suitors from the court to be stored in the storeroom. Penelope talks with Odysseus, not knowing who he is. He tries to encourage her to be patient and that Odysseus will return home very shortly. His old nurse, Euryclea, washes Odysseus’s feet and recognizes him by a prominent scar. He tells her to keep silent of his presence. Penelope tells him of an archery test set for the suitors.
Chapter 20: Odysseus & Penelope do not sleep well, but Odysseus is rejuvenated by good omens from Zeus. Odysseus continues to be abused by the suitors.
Chapter 21: Penelope presents Odysseus’s mighty bow to the suitors, saying that she will marry the one who can string it & shoot through ten targets. No one can even string the bow. Odysseus goes outside & reveals himself to Eumaeus & Philoetius. The two stockmen bar the doors and the women are sent to their quarters for safety while Penelope is in a deep sleep provided to her by Athena. Ddysseus strings the bow and shoots the target perfectly. The suitors watch him with fear in their heart.
Chapter 22: Odysseus tears off his rags and begins the slaughter of the suitors. Telemachus brings armor from the storeroom for them. All of the suitors are killed. Odysseus learns from Euryclea which of the maids have been guilty of misbehavior and they are hung in the barn. The banquet area is cleaned thoroughly.
Chapter 23: Euryclea tells Penelope that the beggar who rid the suitors from her home is Odysseus. She does not believe it at first until he answers questions that only he knows the answer to. They spend the night conversing & catching up. The next day, Odysseus visits his father.
Chapter 24: Odysseus finds his father working in the orchard. Some friends of the dead suitors march to attack Odysseus in revenge. The battle begins, but Athena stops it and they make a covenant of peace.
What I learned from this book are the current similarities to my life. It really hit home with me.
1) The book is about Odysseus’s 10-year journey to return to his family & home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. I am in prison with a 2-year journey to return to my home and family after a legal battle of about 2 years.
2) While Odysseus faced challenges from the Cyclops, Lotus-eaters, the Sirens, visit to Hades, Circe’s 1-year stay & Calypso’s 7-year island imprisonment, I face issues like the politics of whites vs blacks vs SO’s, the unknown variables associated with GTC and FSA credits/programming and the unprofessionalism of the CO’s in their treatment of prisoners, especially as it pertains to questions about their upcoming freedom. There are the trials of timed moves, daily counts and inconsistent commissary. As Odysseus must face his issues alone, I must go through prison relatively alone as well – never sharing too much information that might affect my future release.
3) My wife is not hounded by suitors, but is hounded by creditors & regulators as we wrap up our business and file bankruptcy.
4) My dog will be old when I get home, although not as old as Argos and I expect him to be alive when I get there.
5) I have one remaining son at home, just like Odysseus had.
6) I have some faithful employees and friends who await his return and assist his wife, just like Odysseus had.
7) While Odysseus & Penelope were helped by Athena & King Alcinous, my wife & I are assisted by my friends and my brother Clint.
8) Most importantly, I have a loving and faithful wife who is anxious for my return.
