#08-259: Tennyson's Ulysses

The Return of Ulysses, by E. M. Synge (1909) (Wikipedia) Note
his old dog Argos licking his hand (just before dying),
one of my favorite scenes in all of literature.

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Note: We often hear stories of heroes in their full vigor of life, but don't think about what happens to them when the adventure is over. In this stunning poem, Tennyson does just that with Odysseus, a hero in the works of Homer.

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Get Ready: Have you ever read something, or heard a song, or seen a show or film, that you thought was boring, and then--maybe years later--read or heard or seen it again and been surprised by how good it is? What changed, the work or you?

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#08-156: Odysseus and the Cyclops, from Homer's "Odyssey"

"When the giant returned, and again dined on two men,
Odysseus offered him some stronger-than-usual wine..."
(Wikipedia)

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Note: When "clever Odysseus" and his men are trapped in a cave with the fiercesome Cyclops named Polyphemus, it takes all his cunning to set them free again.

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Get Ready: Should you be allowed to punish someone who broke into your house and ate whatever they wanted?

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#08-149: The Aeneid

Aeneas Flees Burning Troy (1598)
(Wikipedia)

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Note: The Aeneid takes its place among the great national epics of the world, providing a mythical basis for the foundation of Rome, as well as tying it to the tale of Troy, one of the ancient world's great tragedies.

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Get Ready: What are the differences between a great mythological epic and a solidly-written factual history? Which is more exciting to read? Which is more useful? Which would you prefer to read? Why?

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#08-098: A Tale of Two Dogs

A ceremony at Hachiko's statue in Tokyo
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Two noble dogs, Argos in ancient Greece and Hachiko in modern Japan, became exemplary models of loyalty to their masters.

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Get Ready: Have you ever loved (and been loved by) a dog? Or any other pet? What is (or was) it like?

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#08-015: Terms from The Iliad

Thetis dips Achilles into the River Styx
Detail from a painting by Peter Paul Rubens
(Wikipedia)

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Note: In recent months I have been rereading some of the great classics of Western literature, and have been struck again by how stories and phrases from those early works have permeated our modern languages. Case in point: The Iliad.

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Get Ready: Are you familiar with The Iliad or its companion work, The Odyssey? If so, what, briefly, are they about? Do you know any other "epics"?

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#01-211: The Odyssey II: Homer - Part IV

Paris has to choose which goddess is most beautiful (the naked one is Aphrodite)
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Homer's works have contributed a number of expressions that have survived into English. Learn a few more, and see how the Trojan War started.

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Get Ready: What is most important to you: love, wealth, or wisdom?

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#01-210: The Odyssey I: Homer - Part III

Telemachus mopes about his dad being away
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Homer's second great work, The Odyssey, tells of the wanderings of one leader, Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War.

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Get Ready: Do you have (or have you ever had) a mentor? What role does/did she or he play in your life?

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#01-209: The Iliad: Homer - Part II

The Wrath of Achilles
(Wikipedia)

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Note: The first of Homer's two "Great Books" was about the Trojan War; Troy was also called "Ilium," so the book is called The Iliad.

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Get Ready: How do you think war has changed between ancient times and today? What, today, is the importance of any single individual in a battle?

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#01-208: Reading the "Great Books": Meet Homer - Part I

Homer
(Wikipedia)

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Note: The 20th century saw a boom in reading what some call "The Great Books," starting (according to some) with the works of Homer.

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Get Ready: What do you consider to be a "Great Book"--that is, one that has been read and will be read for centuries, not just today? What makes such a book "Great"?

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