The three cards I was given was the child, the tree and the coffin.

Purely based on my imagination, my initial impression of the cards were that each card represents a different stage in my life. The child represents a child like spirit, a sense of youth and carefreeness. The tree represents growth, however because it is a tree, it presents a slow growth that will take time to prosper. Requiring love and attention for optimal growth, similar to a person. The coffin however, represents the end of a phase in my life, or an end to a version of myself.

When applying these cards to my life, the coffin may represent the end of my youth. This is the last year of high school. High school is often associated with a sense of carefreeness and recklessness, therefore the coffin may present the end of that and the beginning of growth. As high school ends and university begins, this represents the beginning of a new phase of my life, which can be interpreted by the reflection shown in the card with the “child”. This illustrates that my past is behind me as there will be more to come in my future. This is evident as the card shows a child looking into the horizon, which may reflect a positive future.

Is Odysseus a complicated man?

Odysseus is a complicated man to a certain extent, throughout The Odyssey Odysseus is portrayed as an intelligent trickster, however he continuously lies even when it is unnecessary. This is especially true when it is concerning his identity, we can question his moral judgement as even though there is no need to lie, due to meeting some welcoming people, he continues to lie or hide the truth. Furthermore, although Odysseus is portrayed as someone who cares for his family, when he returns back to Ithaca, he chooses to lie to Eumaeus, Penelope, Telemachus and Laertes. Odysseus makes the conscious decision to lie to his father, even though he is aware of his grievance for his, however Odysseus continues to refrain from telling the truth. Moreover, as he meets Laertes he has already taken revenge on the suitors, therefore deceiving people, even those he loves, is part of his identity now, which is an aspect of what makes him complicated. 

Moreover, Odysseus’ wit is an example of what makes Odysseus a complicated man. In book 9, Odysseus shows his internal conflict, he shows his desire for fame, therefore he exposes himself to the cyclops, as he has a longing to be known for his accomplishments of using wit to defeat a cyclops as powerful as Polyphemus. The internal conflict illustrates that Odysseus is a complicated man, as although his brain, and his intelligence is aware that this would not be a smart decision because of Poseidon’s wrath, he continues to do so anyway. In the end Odysseus reveals himself “Cyclops! If any mortal asks you how your eye was mutilated and made blind say that Odysseus,” even though he is aware of the repercussions of his actions with Poseidon. 

However, to an extent, it can be said that Odysseus is not complicated. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus has also been portrayed as a simple man. An example is with the sirens. He is portrayed like many other men who long to hear the sirens’ voices. Odysseus uses his wit to avoid the consequences throughout his journey but he has slept with countless women, illustrating that Odysseus is not as analytical as he may have been portrayed. Like other men, Odysseus succumbed to the beauty of the Goddess, Calypso and Circe. This demonstrates that Odysseus is not as great as he may seem, as he has the same temptations as other men. 

In the prose A Low Art, from The Penelopiad (2006), Margaret Atwood’s creative retelling of The Odyssey is a monologue from Penelope’s point of view in first person. Margaret Atwood conveys Penelope’s escape from oppression as she voices her ideas in a monologue. 

In this monologue, Penelope’s current state allows Penelope to be free of her duties as a woman. The monologue begins with “Now that I’m dead,” which allows readers to understand Penelope’s situation. The state she describes herself in, “Boneless, liplessness, breastlessness” takes away the physical attributes which defines her as a woman. Females are often reduced to their sexual identity, therefore when her feminine characteristics have been taken away, it results in being free of her role as an oppressed woman. Therefore, she is no longer forced to keep quiet as the silenced victim.

Furthermore, Penelope’s circumstances allow truths to be revealed,  resulting in Penelope breaking free from the role of a suppressed woman, and voicing out her ideas. Penelope voices out her thoughts to anyone who will listen, because when she was alive she did not have the opportunity to do so as she followed the expected duties of a woman, “So I’ll spin a thread of my own.” “Thread” is not only a symbol of her femininity, as in The Odyssey this was a trick Penelope used on suitors. Furthermore, it reveals that Penelope is taking control of her own narrative, therefore breaking free from the constraints when she was alive. This is also a form of female representation, which there was a lack of in The Odyssey. “Keeping the right doors locked and going to sleep during the rampages,” shows the restraint and denial Penelope had when she was alive. “Doors locked” is a metaphor to symbolise suppressing any ideas which would expose the truth, or be aware or the situation. “Going to sleep during the rampages” illustrates the ignorance as her duties of a woman forced her to keep quiet, however now that she is dead, she does not have the responsibilities of a woman, nothing is at stake.  

In the poem “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer,” John Keats conveys his intense admiration for Chapman’s Homer through the use of imagery of exploration and discovery, and through the use of metaphors to express his journey reading Chapman’s work. 

John Keats has structured his poem as a sonnet, because sonnets are associated with love. The structure expresses John Keats’ respect for Chapman’s homer, conveying the strong emotions felt, illustrating that this is an ode to Chapman. Furthermore, to portray the intensity of Keats’ experience, he has used imagery of travel “many goodly states and kingdoms seen,”  representing the vast collection of classics he has read. Furthermore, “many” reveals that he has read numerous classics, however, none has given him the satisfaction of Chapman’s Homer. Furthermore, to articulate the satisfaction he feels, “realms of gold” illustrates that it has given him the same satisfaction as a poor man who has discovered gold. It also shows that to John Keats, Chapman’s Homer is equivalent to gold. Imagery is a poetic device John Keats has used to convey that reading Chapman’s Homer has given him the feeling of travelling to a place no one has ever been, even though he has seen “round many western islands.” 

Furthermore, to articulate the profound effect Chapman’s Homer has had on John Keats, he has used metaphors to articulate the theme of exploration as he tries to figure out what it means to be a poet. “Then felt I like some watcher of the skies,” this transition is what moves the poem to a new idea from an unfamiliar voyage to his discovery. “Skies” illustrates that reading Chapman’s translation has broadened his vision. “Skies” can be compared to heaven, which portrays the idea of a “fantasy journey” and the high regard Keats feels for Chapman. This also demonstrates the idea of the beauty of a story being just as important as a story itself. Furthermore, “when a new planet swims into his ken,” is a metaphor which reveals the rarity of this discovery, the overwhelming emotions felt as he finds his quest for poetic beauty. The pleasure being compared to discovering a new planet as it is the revelation of a new world. Moreover, to expand on his self discovery as a poet, “breathes pure serene” illustrates his loyalty to poetry as he makes poetry, and Chapman’s translation a core part of himself, and his identity.