On the Road 1.2

Favorite lines:

• "the only people for me are the mad ones" p.8
• "...the things that were to come are too fantastic not to tell." p.9
• "intelligence was every bit as formal and shining and complete, without the tedious intellectualness." p.10
• "he was enthusiastic about things." p.18
• "threw himself on a stool" p.21
• "it had only sentimental value in any case" p.22 - usually that's the most important kind of value in clothes to me
• "wondering what God had wrought when He made life so sad." p.57 - Sal seems to be sad a lot.
• "life is holy and every moment is precious" p.57
• "everybody in America is a natural born thief" p.71
• "He wrapped himself around a pole to laugh." p.74
• "A pain stabbed my heart, as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world." p, 81 - I have a friend who I think sees women like this.  It's not necessarily lust, but he falls in love in a second with a girl who has something distinctly different or wonderful about the shape of her face, the way she walks, or the way sentences come out of her mouth.  It's very lovely.

On the Road 1.0

I feel the same way about On the Road that most people feel about Tarot cards.  The experience isn't going to be real unless the stack of paper is given to you.  Everywhere I've lived in the past few years, there's been a copy of Kerouac's book on the back of a toilet, in a kitchen cabinet, sitting on a speaker, or on some other surface that required me to move it frequently.  (I had started to read it once, but just couldn't make it to the last page.)  There's something about books that are supposed to speak to you that requires dog-ears, a missing front cover, or a big coffee stain.  That's why when purchasing books this semester, I didn't buy it.  Two months pass, and I can't even find it in a used bookstore, much less a friend's backseat.  I had resigned myself to buying it new the next day when, low and behold, I see it sitting on top of my boyfriend's bookcase that I had already thoroughly searched.  I'm so very happy to have a well-worn copy that I can add some character to myself.

So far, it's much easier to get through than the Odyssey, but it seems so much more surface level.  Hedonistic party times.  Riveting.  If you can't already tell, I'm a woman who isn't so much obsessed (hopefully) with her biological clock, but I see can the second hand moving from a distance.  I'm enthralled with all things marriage and babies and children.  I think I've at least got an adventure or seven in me before I really start getting nutty, but I'm probably going to talk about it a lot in my journal.  Anyway, the part of the book that I did like was where Sal suddenly found himself playing Dad and did what he had to do.  It was sweet, and kind of goes along with my Web Resource that talks about Neal Cassidy's wife.  She said that even though he was known for his wildness, there was a part of him that enjoyed being the responsible head of a family.

So there are a few lines here and there that I like in the book, but most of it lacks symbolism and meaning to me.  So I've decided that for my journals during these weeks, I'll spend my time chronicling my own travels for posterity.  Or just so I can look back in future years and see how youthful I have the potential be.

The Odyssey Ch. 20-24

I'm so happy to be done with this book.  It was a laborious read, but I did enjoy it and I like that it's under my belt.  The fight got surprisingly climactic and suspenseful.  I finished it last night, but got caught up in this guy's blog for a good hour, and didn't finish my own journal.  I've never taken a philosophy class, but the author is pretty interesting.  It kind of goes along with what we were talking about in class- questioning what you believe and seeing things from a different perspective.

Words:

• paramours (p.195) - adulterous lovers.  I should have been able to figure this one out from context.

Phrases:

• "growled his spirit" (p.195) - good imagery
• "destruction's cords are knotted" (p.213) - again, I just like the metaphor.
• "gallant son" (p. 214) - even while Melanthius is trying to escape his death, he seems to be honoring Telemachus by calling him gallant.
• "bit the dust" (p. 217) - I know it's a common phrase, but I just realized the true meaning.  This makes me feel ignorant.
• Eurycleia tells Penelope "it would have warmed your heart to see.."  Odysseus standing over the slaughtered men.  You'd think they had been awfully terrible to her for her heart to warm at the sight of them in a bloody puddle.
• "staying side by side to share the joys of youth and reach the threshold of old age." (p. 226) - just sweet

Other thoughts:

• I'm not sure why Odysseus had to lie to his father when he first met him.  I think he has a habit of lying that he just can't shake.  Or he's narcissistic and likes to hear what people have to say about him behind his back.
• On page 196, Athena assures Odysseus that he will be able to fight all the suitors because he'll have her help.  It just reminds me of a Bible verse- Nothing is impossible with God.  When we humans have some difficult task to face, it's encouraging to think that we have something bigger on our side.  Imagine if, after completing a task, we could give all the credit to ourselves.  Maybe then we'd have the courage to accomplish more.
• I don't think Odysseus was happy enough to see Penelope.  For the journey made and time spent to get back to her I wanted to see something like "his spirit soared within."
• I really like how the author describes the room where the bow has been kept.  He not only says how it looks, but says how the carpenter smoothed it years ago.  It gives it a human element and I can almost feel the wood myself.
• I can't believe what they did to Melanthius!  Very gruesome.
• Odysseus turns down Eurycleia's offer to rat out the maids at first, but now he asks for her help.
• It seems mean to make the dishonest maids clean up their ex-lovers bodies and blood, then take them out to the toolshed for a good hanging.  I guess this is pretty much was though.  "They twitched their feet a little, but not long."  (p. 221)  Thanks for that detail!

The Odyssey Ch. 16-19

I find myself looking forward to reading as the suspense grows.  It's still kind of a chore though- I find the repeated stories very boring.

Words:

• impious (p. 160) - disrespectful
• hecatombs (p. 163) - Wikipedia says it's a sacrifice of 100 cattle
• scapegrace (p. 180) - rogue, rascal, scamp

Phrases:

• Telemachus calls the swineherd "father" (p. 153).  Later Odysseus calls Eurycleia "mother".  I guess it is a sign of respect for their relationship.
• On p. 161 Athene makes Odysseus look old again so the swineherd won't tell Penelope.  I understand that these people are really looking forward to seeing Odysseus again, and are also very loyal to their queen, but it seems like if Odysseus had a plan, the swineherd would respect him just as much and not run off to tell Penelope.
• On p. 166 a herdsman chides Odysseus for being a beggar.  The idea of hospitality must only extend to those able to be hospitable in return.
• I like the metaphor of Odysseus's dog and how they have aged together.  Argos is really old though!
• "sneezed at my words" (p. 172) - This page says the phrase comes from a society in which one would sneeze to show disapproval, which makes sense in context.  However, I'm not sure if this practice existed in Odysseus's day or if it was the translator's way of attempting to translate a colloquialism from the past.
• "To be a homeless man and shy is bad." (p. 172)
• Antinous and Eurymachus are both "honest minded men" (p. 175) - Some really good things have been said about these two suitors, yet they are doomed to death.  We have to realize that Odysseus's life isn't the only one controlled by fate, or the gods.  From Antinous's point of view, he is doing what he thinks is right, but will be punished in the end.
• "shepherd of the people" (p.175) - Odysseus = Jesus?  Or was Jesus referred to as all kings were in that day.
• "To grieve incessantly makes matters worse." (p.177)
• On page 180 Athene allows the suitors to continue scorning Odysseus.  She's helping hate build up inside Odysseus so he will have the strength and reason to get revenge.  
• On page 183 Odysseus's words are "unwinged."  This makes me think that "winged" isn't just a meaningless word used simply as syllables in a poem.
• "...He who is gentle and thinks gentle thoughts, his praises strangers carry far and wide to all mankind, and many speak him well." (p.189) - Kindness is a quality I admire most in people.
• Odysseus seems to disrespect Eurycleia by telling her he doesn't need her help in determining which of the servants are faithful.

Other thoughts:

• All the queens are always weaving or spinning.  This seems to me like it would be a chore more suited for servants.  I guess the queens need something to do, and perhaps weaving is more of an art than a chore.  All the best queens are said to be excellent weavers so it could be a status symbol equal to a man's fighting.
• There are a lot of stories repeated throughout the book.  This is a good device for storytelling, or singing especially.

The Odyssey Ch. 13-15

Words

• "white barley" (p. 133) - I keep reading over this, so there must be some significance.  I can't find a site that explains it in context, but Wikipedia says it was the first domesticated grain and was sometimes used in the practice of alphitomancy (where a group was fed barley bread and the guilty person would get indigestion) or cornsned (A barley cake topped with ewe's cheese made in the month of may would be fed to a person.  If guilty, he would choke.)  Okay, I'm going on a tangent here, but:  Barley was also used as a measurement.  There were 4 or 5 poppy seeds to a barleycorn, and 3 barleycorns to an inch.  (copied almost exactly from WIkipedia)  It also says that they still use this in shoe sizes in Britain today.  Oh Barley!
• sagacious (p.138) - having good judgement, or shrewd
• chine (p.140) - the backbone

Phrases:

• "Must he too meet with sorrow...?" (p.130) - There's some phrase that says how a writer in jail is better than a writer experiencing nothing.  You have to go through hardships, or sorrow, in order to develop character.
• "the earth shall cover" (p.130) - good metaphor for dying
• "let fall the leather" (p. 132) - crack the whip?
• "Yet nowadays for them I do not greatly grieve...but longing possesses me for lost Odysseus." (p.135) - the swineherder wants to see Odysseus more than his own parents!
• "left without a name" (p.135) - the suitors don't just want to get rid of Telemachus because he's a pest.  If one was to marry Penelope, they would want Odysseus's family and name completely erased from their land.
• "different men delight in different deeds" (p. 136) - We're all talented in different ways!
• "Some God beguiled me into wearing nothing but my tunic." (p. 140) - just blame the gods for your poor decisions.
• "For a guest remembers all his days the hospitable man who showed him kindness." (p. 143)
• "certainly when you were small you wandered far from home and kindred." (p. 149) - A trip seems to be a common rite of passage.  The book also says Telemachus will be revered for his brave journey.  Don't Mormons have a two year trip where they can do whatever they want then decide if they really want to be  Mormon?  I think I'm confusing Mormons and the religion of a character in a Chuck Palaniuk book.  But it reminds me of something my grandpa told me that made me feel better when I quit college.  He said that I'd learn just as much traveling as I would  paying for an education.
• "for afterward, a man finds pleasure in his pains" (p.149) - we still love to tell stories of how bad we had it and show off our battle scars

Other thoughts:

• Odysseus sure does make up a giant lie to tell the swineherder.  I guess he had to make it intricate in order for it to be believable.
• Why does Telemachus take in Theoclymenus, who is a killer?  
• Each place, like each character, has defining characteristics stated after its name.  I would be ... Jahana White, daughter of Sam White, blessed by the gods with the gift of music as might be found by those on fair Olympus.  At a young age he wed kind Pamela, and together they traversed the land, doing for themselves what they found pleasant at each moment.  Upon gaining much experience, years and wealth (though not of gold, linens or flock, but of love) Pamela bore jubilant Jahana and two others- faithful Jenna and exuberant Janessa.  What's yours?

The Odyssey Ch. 12

The part of Chapter 12 that really jumps out at me is the slaying of the Sun's kine.  Last night (with the storm of the century brewing, nonetheless) I watched the story of the Greely Party on TV.  It was an American expedition, led by Greely, whose aim was to go further north into the arctic than anyone had before.  Twenty-five men were dropped off with plenty of supplies, with the promise of being picked up the following year.  During this time they collected scientific data.  Due to ice in the way, their rescue party couldn't reach them and they decided to travel to a place where there was less ice in the way of their rescue.  I can't remember some of the details, but for part of this journey they actually floated on a sheet of ice till they reached their destination.  Like in Odysseus's journey, many of the men died along the way.  About three years later, they were rescued.

When the men were found, there were dead strewn about the camp.  The survivors were starving and hadn't had the energy to bury them.  When the frozen corpses were examined, it was found that pieces of flesh had been cut off and the six survivors were accused of cannibalism.  For me, this seems a horrifying, but necessary thing to do.  You're on your deathbed because of starvation and there is meat available...the body of your friend.  I mean, I couldn't blame the living for staying alive off of my dead body.  The press had a heyday with this and the glory of the returning men was overshadowed by the idea that they had eaten their buddies.  I guess this is why I can sympathize with Odysseus's men slaying the Sun's cows.  Perfectly good meat there...I'd rather eat it and maybe die than definitely die of starvation.  It seems that there wasn't a good way out for these men.

Greely also had a wife at home.  Her continued nagging of the navy and getting the press involved forced the government to send the rescue mission that brought her husband back alive.  Why wasn't Penelope trying to get Odysseus home?  Telemachus finally goes out to find word of his father, but Penelope has nothing to do with it.

One last thought:  It seems like recently, I've really been a POS.  All I do is sit and watch TV.  Last night after loathing my life, I almost threw it out the window.  What a waste of time.  I have so much I want to accomplish in life, and watching babies being born on TLC won't get me there.  It's easy to blame the winter weather (the gods) for keeping me inside, but there's plenty to be doing in my apartment.  I'm gonna have to drag myself off of the land of the Lotus-eaters!

The Odyssey Ch. 9-11

Words:

• viands (p.91) - an item of food, especially a delicacy.  
• pernicious (p. 95) - having a gradual adverse effect

Phrases:

• "...that you, like all, may know it" (his name) & "my renown reaches to heaven" (p. 80) - we did discuss in class that this was just a way of identifying himself, but it does seem rather prideful
• "gnawing our hearts"(p.81)  - good way to describe worry
• "the gift which is the stranger's due" (p.85) - Odysseus states to the Cyclops that it is his right as a visitor to receive certain things.  It's a good example of how hospitality has changed.  These days, we don't believe that we owe strangers anything.  Perhaps, like the Cyclops, we would be better off being kind and offering help instead of only thinking of ourselves.
• "my name...so deceived them" (p.87) - In English, Noman works well as a name and also "no man".  It's interesting to think of what the word was in Greek that could have been used both ways.
• "by night they sleep by their chaste wives" (p. 91) - It doesn't seem like an ideal situation to have a wife who is restraining herself from sex.  After looking the word "chaste" up, however, I found out that it means sexual behavior acceptable by society.  Which is also interesting because we're talking about brother/sister pairs and maybe that phrase is to note that that practice is socially acceptable.
• "no good came to them from their lamenting" ( p. 94) - it usually doesn't, but that rarely seems to matter when it comes to mourning
• "then I approached the beauteous bed of Circe." (p.97) - Cheater!  For some reason, I thought that Odysseus had returned to his wife a faithful man.
• "Why are you so in love with misery...?" (p.99) - Again, I think a lot of us are obsessed with the drama that misery brings and would rather have something bad to think about than nothing at all.
• "sad decay steals from the limbs the life" (p.105) - good metaphor
• "we judge you by your looks to be no cheat of thief" (p. 108) - This seems a strange way to judge people.  Maybe if he had been a cheat or thief, the gods would have seen to it that his physique matched his deeds.
• "she...brought shame upon herself and all of womankind who shall be born hereafter" (p.110) - Looks like Cassandra and Eve did a lot for our sex.

Other Thoughts:

• Odysseus's men are convinced, after eating Lotus fruit, that they don't want to leave the land of the Lotus-eaters.  For me, it's a metaphor for anything that sucks us in these days- drugs, alcohol, video games, TV, even a relationship.  It's so easy to become obsessed and addicted to things that are easy or offer simple happiness.  Once you've accepted being lazy, it takes a lot to get up and continue to search for truth.
• What is the symbol in Elpenor falling off of the roof and dying?  Certainly it isn't to warn of the dangers of drinking.
• Odysseus's telling of the people he met in the house of Hades remind me of holiday dinners when my grandma was alive.  My parents grew up in a small town, and the whole family could sit and talk for hours about the people they used to know, the children they had, and where certain ones were in life.  At both dinners, and while reading Odysseus's story, I'm unfamiliar with the names, but it's interesting to hear little details about people's lives.