Passage 1

In the passage, it shows us just how Eumaios feels about everything that has happened to Odysseus'

home. To an extent, you could say that he is somewhat embarrassed because the only food he can serve

the visitor, which may be a God in disguise, are the young and meatless pigs that only servants eat.

Sadly, Eumaios reports to Odysseus that he couldn't serve the suitable meal a guest ought to have

because he simply cannot go against the orders that the fattened swine are only meant for the “higher”

and more noble suitors. You see then that there is a transition between his feeling of shame to the

emotion of anger towards the suitors.

Eumaios, being a loyal servant to the household of Odysseus, was really pissed at finding out

that he had to serve such pigs and weaklings. As a suitor, wouldn't you have done a better job at

courting the breath-taking Penelope had you offered your services, or even helped Penelope feed the

other suitors? Apparently, these supposedly civilized men hadn't thought of better ways to reach their

goal than to just sit lazily on the benches in Odysseus' household and wait. In another light, you could

say that this was their way of exacting revenge on Odysseus for being the mighty and powerful lord,

who had the power, money and a wondrously gorgeous wife. Taking it back, Eumaios is more than just

annoyed at seeing the suitors' weak and simpleminded ways to try and and court Penelope. Eumaios is

actually accustomed to his master's cunning and skill at solving matter that looking at these suitors

infuriate him. Because of Eumaios's anger towards the suitors, his last words in the passage form some

sort of foreshadowing to the coming events.

Eumaios goes on and tells Odysseus, who is in the form of a beggar, that the God's had no love

for pitiless and unthoughtful men, but rather they reward those that are just and lawful. Reading these

words triggered me to think of the way Odysseus had killed the suitors one by one. Not one God ever

condemned Odysseus actions against the suitors, as a matter of fact, Athena actually helped him exact

his revenge. In a sense, the actions of the suitors had been more than just pitiless, they were outright
unethical and shameful. No matter how much you say that it is human nature to envy other people,

finishing the wealth of another person by abusing the rule of conduct is a matter done supposedly only

by uncivilized hooligans. For this reason, the Gods smithed them through their champion, Odysseus.

At the end of it all, the passage actually mirrors a lot of my past experiences. From being

embarrassed because I couldn't feed my friend when we went out on a gimmick though I told him I'd

pay for his bill, to the God's acting upon me when I had unwittingly embarrassed my classmate in front

of all the students in the classroom a day ago.//502

Passage 2

In the second passage, Penelope is confused here when Odysseus reveals himself to her. At first

she doesn't understand how such a dirty and haggard faced man could ever have been Odysseus. She

sites in her words that she was well and observant of the things the way Odysseus had looked before

his voyage. Though her mind was doubtful of the vagabond that just entered, she still tried and tested

him. Her order to Eurykleia is key to showing to her who this man really was. If the beggar had been

able to tell her that the bed was actually their bridal bed, then Penelope would know immediately that

this simple man was indeed Odysseus. Much to her joy, the man was able to show her that he was

Odysseus.

Looking at the passage, I couldn't help but see the intelligence of Penelope. The way she still

tested Odysseus even if she already thought that the man couldn't be him. The one thing I realized from

this passage and all through out the story of the Odyssey is the fact that both Penelope and Odysseus

are alike in their cleverness. Since the start of the book, Penelope showed her cunning by tricking the

suitors into thinking that they'd have a chance by saying that she would select one of them once she

finished weaving a piece of tapestry. Odysseus in the other hand showed that he was wise when he was

able to escape all the obstacles he faced, alive.

I believe that this has a relation too to the reason both Odysseus and Penelope didn't just get

married with the suitors, for penelope, or the Goddesses, for Odysseus. Had the two just married, so

much more people would have been alive, happy and satisfied. You see, Penelope's intelligence

matched with that of Odysseus', which is the reason why the two never quite found a replacement for

each. This is the reason Odysseus didn't stay