Book IX--New Coasts and Poseidon’s Son
|Summary|Characters & Their Lessons|Symbolism|Connections|
Summary
In the beginning of the book Odysseus begins by saying that the minstrel is wonderful to hear, but the songs are causing him more grief. Finally, he tells them his name and says where he’s from, Ithaca. Then he explains that he has been held back for a long time by Circe and Calypso. He begins his story at Troy:
“…I stormed that place and killed the men who fought. Plunder we took, and we enslaved the women, to make division, equal shares to all.” (lines 46-48)
Next, a storm delayed them for three days after a wind had pushed them for nine days to the Lotos eaters. The men who ended up eating the Lotus plant did not want to go home and the rest of the men had to drag them onto the ship.
They sailed to the island where Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son, lived. Odysseus and his crew reached the Cyclops’s cave just after he left to take his sheep to the pasture. Soon, when Polyphemus came back, he found them as they tried to hide.
“Strangers…who are you? And where from? What brings you here by sea ways?” (lines 274-275) The Cyclops killed two men by bashing their heads on rocks. The crew was scared, they knew that they couldn’t kill him or they would never get out of the enclosed cave.
Polyphemus asked Odysseus his name. “Kyklops, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy.” (lines 394-399)
The crew got the Cyclops drunk and takes the opportunity to drive a giant pike into his eye. When other Cyclops around hear his cries they come to the cave door and ask what is the matter. “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me.” (line 443) Thinking that he had said “nobody” the other Cyclops left.
The next morning when the Cyclops let his sheep out Odysseus and his crew hid under their bellies. When Polyphemus ran his fingers over the top of the sheep he couldn’t feel the men.
After the men are on their ships and Polyphemus is unable to sink them by throwing rocks, Odysseus makes the mistake of telling him his name. Polyphemus, being the son of Poseidon, prays to Poseidon and asks that Odysseus not return home and if so that he will lose all of his crew and not return for a very long time.
Characters & Their Lessons
Character: Lotos Eaters
Description: Odysseus and his crew embark upon the land of the Lotos Eaters. These people live off of the lotus plant. Anyone who eats this plant will want to stay forever at the
Lotos Eaters’ island, and they will also forget their home. The Lotos Eaters’ gave some of the crew this plant. Odysseus had to tie his men to the ship, so they wouldn’t go back to the island.
Character: Polyphemus
Description: Polyphemus is a very aggressive and temperamental Cyclops that has one eye. He is also the son of Poseidon. His hobbies are eating people who dare to embark upon his island, and farming his lovely sheep. Polyphemus ends up getting stabbed in the eye by Odysseus and his men.
Lesson: He learns that he needs to be more cautious. He also learns that he shouldn’t be mean to people, because they could be mean back to him.
Character: Odysseus
Description: Odysseus is a person who is learning new things and becoming a changed man throughout his adventures. Though he might find out these things by being an overly confident, cocky, and lying person, he still learns many things.
Lesson: In this book, one of Odysseus’ first learning experiences is when he shows extreme stupidity by telling Polyphemus his name, where he came from, and who is father is. Another way Odysseus shows stupidity is by not knowing about other people’s cultures. In his culture, people are allowed to eat and sleep at anyone’s house. This is tremendously different from when Polyphemus saw him because he asked him many questions (ex: where are you from, where is your ship, ext.) In this book Odysseus also displays greediness. He is greedy because instead of getting food and leaving, he decides to stick around awhile to see what the island has to offer.
Symbolism
Sheep
Sheep can be a Christian symbol. This came from when a “Good Shepard” carried a sheep on his back, and he had two of them at his side. The sheep on his shoulders represents the soul being washed away from Earth to Heaven. The two sheep next to the Shepard represent saint having “eternal bliss.” There are many other symbols for sheep.
Eating
Eating represents the requirement of self-discipline and why it is important. Odysseus and his men do not have very good willpower, due to the fact that they eat food in Polyphemus’ cave. Polyphemus also does not have a lot of self-control because he cannot manage his craving for humans.
Lotus Plants
The
Lotus Plants represent a new beginning/birth. When the sun goes down the petals close, and they open when the sun comes up. The Lotos Eaters wanted the crew to eat the plant so they could forget home. Therefore, it would be like a new start.
Connections
Difference in Culture
There are many different cultures that Odysseus does not know about. For example, Odysseus is used to people letting him sleep and eat wherever he wants. However, when he is on the island of the Cyclops, Polyphemus immediately asks him many questions. Polyphemus asks Odysseus where he is from, where his ship is, and his name. This is extremely different from the reaction of
Nestor when he finds Telemachus in his house. Nestor is very kind, pleasant, and welcoming. This is very different then the culture of the Cyclopes. The culture of the Cyclopes is much more similar to our culture than the culture of Ithacans and people around that area. This is because if some random person came knocking at my door wanting shelter and food, I would be very scared to let them in. It would be even worse if they were already in my home and eating. I would most likely call the police
(or do what Polyphemus did, slam their bodies against the ground and eat them!)
This Section By:
Kelsey S., Leilani F.
