Essence

For my world literature final, we were asked to present the essence of one of the works which we had read during the semester.  Basically, we were to come up with something that we felt captured the entirety of the work and allow others to find meaning through it.  My group chose to do The Odyssey, and this was what we had far to much fun discovering. (it should be noted, only the first 5 minutes of the video where shown in class.

And here is our write-up.  It probably doesn't appear all that funny, but we had fun writing it anyways, so I hope you enjoy at least learning of The Odyssey from it.

The essence of The Odyssey is found in the ocean. The ocean represents a consistent inconsistency found in both Odysseus and Homer’s outlook on human nature. Odysseus stays consistent in his purpose of returning home to Penelope and Telemachus. However, his promptness varies like the waves of the sea. For example, he has a desire to get home, but when he approaches the island of the kyklops the adventure delays his primary purpose. Other examples of consistent inconsistency are his love for Penelope compared to his lust for other women and the thrill of travel compared to the stability of the islands. The different islands, as part of the ocean, are representative of stages in life discovered in the different parts of the journey. They can also signify the situational inconsistency of human beings despite their consistent personality traits. The journey through the ocean symbolizes development. This is seen in comparing Telemachus and Penelope. Penelope, living on land, embodies the very idea of stability by showing little development throughout The Odyssey. Telemachus is initially stable, yet he experiences growth as he starts his journey on the ocean. Athena tells him to “go abroad for news of your lost father…you are a child no longer” to encourage him to make his journey so that he can grow and develop (193-194). However, extended development on the ocean leads to the stormy, wild personality that we see in Odysseus when he returns home. This can be contrasted to Penelope’s calm demeanor developed while on land. The ocean therefore is the essence of character development throughout The Odyssey and the consistent inconsistency found within it demonstrates Homer’s outlook on human nature.

Names for Remembering

For readers from other countries: On December 14th, 2012, a gunman walked into an elementary school and killed 26 individuals, mostly children 6 or 7 years old.  Stories have covered the news across the nation of their massacre.  The evil of the world has once again seeped into the sun-lite lives of children, cutting them short.  But at this time, we can remember: the candle seems brightest during the dark of night.  For those filled with fear and sorrow, feeling the darkness of the world is engulfing you, I promise you that candles still light this world, showing us where goodness can be found.  Light your own candle, for where the light is, darkness cannot remain.

I do not know the name of the gunman, I have not taken the time to look it up and remember. One does not deserve to be remembered for such acts.  Click here for the names worth remembering, them and their families.  Remember them, even if it is just one, and remember that there is good in this world if we will stand for it.

Friends are like...

...sunshine, they warm your life.
...potatoes, if you eat them, they die.
...colored pencils, they help you complete the picture.
...four leaf clovers, hard to find and lucky to have.
...stars, you can't always see them, but you know they are always there
...snowflakes, each one is unique.

And I'm sure the list can go on and on.  The point is, friends are important.  The value of friendship has resulted in an endless collection of friendship jewelry, literature on how to make and keep friends, and decorative doodads for hanging on walls reminding you of everything friends are like.  Friends matter.

But as brilliant as all the quotes are, not one truly describes what my friends mean to me.  Analogies just aren't sufficient for including all the detail.  At least, no analogy I can think of.  This is what my friends are like, and if you can think of an analogy, feel free to comment.

Friends aren't like, they just are...
...those people who will stay up till 4 am with me just to watch Doctor Who.
...individuals who realize that star-less nights are stormy, so they make sure they can still be seen when the clouds roll in.
...those who know me well enough to know that Filipino food makes me forget all my problems.
...people who laugh at my physics jokes, either because they have no idea what I said and are just humoring me, or because they understood it perfectly and it really was that funny. (spherical trig is like a piece of a jaw-breaker).
...those who ask how my day is and then really listen to the answer.