Due March 9th
World Literature
• Megan Braine •
••Hospitality to Strangers••
Like I presented in my journal, hospitality is very important, especially in Ancient Greek culture. Hospitality is also a major theme within “The Odyssey”. In a nutshell, without the hospitality and care Odysseus received he may have never made it back to his kingdom. Throughout Odysseus journey back to his kingdom he came across many people that helped him. For example, the Phaiakians, Calypso, Eumaeus, and Menelaus.
So, let’s take a look at how each one of these mythical characters helped Odysseus throughout his journey back to his kingdom. The Phaiakians, which we can see were maybe one of the most nice and generous people Odysseus met, helped him with open arms. These people gave Odysseus food, shelter, and a way to get home. Because Odysseus was a king, the Phaiakians hosted a feast for him. In Ancient Greek culture, Hospitality was to be shown to kings, gods, and others as a sign of respect. “In the land of the Phaeacians, our distant relatives, Who will treat Odysseus as if he were a god And take him on a ship to his own native land With gifts of bronze and clothing and gold, More than he ever would have taken back from Troy Had he come home safely with his share of the loot. That's how he's destined to see his dear ones again And return to his high-gabled Ithacan home." (Homer 71) Another person to help Odysseus was, Calypso. She was generous to Odysseus and gave him a place to stay for a long while. She also provided food and water as well. When Odysseus was ready to leave and continue his journey, Calypso gave him a magical raft that could take him wherever he needed to go. “Calypso saw him off her island, After she had bathed him and dressed him In fragrant clothes. She filled up a skin With wine that ran black, another large one With water, and tucked into a duffel A generous supply of hearty provisions. And she put a breeze at his back, gentle and warm.” (Homer 77) “Calypso brought him a large piece of cloth To make into a sail, and he fashioned that, too. He rigged up braces and halyards and lines, Then levered his craft down to the glittering sea.” (Homer 77) Now, although poor, Eumaeus helped Odysseus as well as Telemachus. Eumaeus gave them food and shelter as well during their journey. He also helped Odysseus come up with a plan to remove suitors. (Homer 392)Eumaeus was a very hospitable person. Overall Odysseus survive solely off of the hospitality of others. After reading this we can ask ourselves, how would Odysseus journey be different if he didn’t receive hospitality from others? Also, we can ask if hospitality was performed by greeks in fear of gods?
Megan, I believe that you and I have very similar views when it comes to hospitality to strangers. It seems to be a very important reoccurring theme within Ancient Greek literature, and even more of an important theme within "The Odessy". As we read through the different books of Odyseuss's journeys, we see that although he may have traveled far and wide to different lands, they all kept a theme of showing hospitality and kindness to him. This was a strong agreeing theme to my idea of hospitality to strangers, as I feel it is as important of a concept today as it was back in Ancient Greek times. I think that by showing a stranger hospitality, you can change their experience for as little as a day or as much as a lifetime. By showing Odyseuss the hospitality that they did, he had a much more smooth journey throughout this piece of literature.
ReplyDeleteGood points here. See my comments on Xenia on Michael’s blog. One note: Calypso’s hospitality came at a price. She kept him captive for years against his will and only allowed him to leave when Zeus (via Hermes) forced her to release him.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Can you think of any violators of hospitality from the story?
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