Homework Responses for Hal Bourne's Greek Myths students.
This page is intended for homework responses for Hal Bourne's Greek Myths students.
When directed to do so by the calendar, please respond to the questions listed below. You can either respond to the question or to one of your peers' comments.
I blame the men for eating the Oxen of the Sun. Only because when they first came to the island, Odysseus told his men to row past but they didn't listen. Because they had the option to row on and didn't, I blame them for their downfall. But if you take out that part of the story, I don't blame the men for eating the Oxen of the Sun. They were so hungry that they felt like they had no choice. I'm not sure why the gods blame them though. Because they had the storm and winds rage on for so long, it's like the gods were forcing the men to choose to eat the cattle.
I definitely think the men were wrong for eating the cattle. They had blatantly disobeyed their leader's orders, and Odysseus had explained that the gods would be furious if they ate the cows. Therefore, it was just stupid, after everything we've seen in the Iliad, Odyssey, and other Greek myths, to go against what the gods wanted. Between being punished by the gods and trying to save food and maybe be a little hungry, I would have chosen the hunger, since the gods are always so wrathful. However, the men say that they would rather just die "in one gulp" in the ocean, so I guess, if we go by that way of thinking, it makes sense that they killed the cattle.
I think the men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun. They were clearly told not to harm them and swore to Odysseus they would not. They knew the gods would be angry if they killed the cattle yet the did so anyway. I understand they were starving and needed food, but they should have known that going against the gods’ wishes would not end well for them. I think the gods blame them because the men had been told not to kill the cattle, however the gods made the storm go on for so long the men didn’t have much of a choice because they had no other food. It sort of seemed like the gods wanted to punish them but needed a reason to do so.
I think the men are in a way at blame because they went against what they were asked, plain and simple. Odysseus was warned by Teiresias and Circe and agreed to stay away form the cattle, relaying the message to his men. BUT the men were starving and didn't really have another choice, they had no food. But then again they went behind Odysseus' back when they killed the Oxen, Odysseus was sleeping. Hiding it was worse than just doing it in front of Odysseus. Because of what the men did the ship was destroyed so they really should've listened to what they were told. Because they were warned, yes they are to blame but then again they weren't completely aware of the consequences.
I do not blame the men. As Eurylochus states: "to die of hunger, starve to death – that's the worst of all... I'd rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death, than die by inches on this desolate island here!" At this point in the journey I would have given up all hope for divine aid. I would much rather die a quick punishment than to starve slowly on an island, tempted by the cattle every day. While it was their fault in that they were conscious of their actions, I don't think that much blame can lie on the starved brain. People become desperate when they want for necessities such as food and water. In that situation, I may well have done the same in an act of desperation. I think that if they hadn't been starving they would have a greater level of self control. At a certain point though, they have to make the decision of a slow death or a good feast and then death. It is reasonable to want to die on a full stomach.
I do believe that the men can be blamed, somewhat at least, for eating the oxen of the sun. If they had been shipwrecked or landed on the island by accident it might be a different story but Odysseus specifically told them to not stop on the island and they forced his hand. They convinced him to stop on the island even though it was against his better judgement, and he only agreed to stop if the swore an oath to not slaughter and eat the oxen or rams on the island. They directly disobeyed Odysseus twice and ignored the fact that the gods have shown time and time again that they are incredibly wrathful. To think that they would get a reprieve from their punishment was foolish. The gods anger is not entirely understandable though. If they would have only let weather calm down and allowed the men leave the men never would have been put in a situation where they had to consider killing the oxen.
I do not blame the men for eating the cattle. Firstly, their judgement was severely altered by starvation and at some point their bodies would simply enter survival mode and eat what ever it can. Furthermore, to us it is clear that one should never disobey the one instruction given by the gods. To them, however, they are faced with a choice of starvation or to endure the curse of helios. It is a lose-lose situation, but it may have seemed more promising to endure the curse than to continue without food. The gods blame the men because they seem to favor clear-headedness and following the single direction that they give. When that is disobeyed, no matter how difficult it is to obey, they are punished with death. The men are faced with an extremely tough situation and it does not seem despicable to me for them to have chosen to eat the cattle.
I think the men are mostly to blame for eating oxen, however I understand that they didn't have many options. They were given fair warning from Odysseus about what the consequences would be if they decided to eat the cattle and he advised them to stay away from Helios' island. The men were starving and you could argue that if they didn't eat the cattle they would have died of starvation, so it is a lose-lose situation. The men were in a desperate situation and had to decide what they wanted to die slowly by starvation or quickly by eating the cattle.
The men are to blame for their fates. They should know that to be uncomfortably hungry, even to die from a lack of food, is always better than being cursed. They were warned and knew the consequences, but continued to slaughter the cattle. Though it was a desperate situation and an incredibly hard decision to make, the gods will always be watching, and no signs or threats should be taken lightly.
Odysseus' men are definitely at fault for eating the Oxen of Helios. They were warned by not once, but twice to avoid the island all together. The men didn't listen because they were tired and didn't want to continue sailing, which in hindsight, really isn't a good reason. Odysseus then gives his men one order to follow during their stay on the island, and of course they eventually disregard it as well. I understand that they were starving, but they got themselves into that mess and only made their situation worse. For obvious reasons, Helios blames Odysseus' men because they ate his oxen. The other gods punish the men because they had already been warned. They were basically told twice that if they went to the island, they were going to die, and they went to the island anyways. Even so, I don't believe that the gods blame the men, they are just dealing out the consequences that came along with their decision to make a stop on the island.
I believe that Odysseus's men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun (Helios). I especially think that Eurylochus is to blame, because not only did he persuade Odysseus to dock on the island of the sun in the first place and let the men rest there, but he was also the one to persuade the rest of Odysseus's men to eat the Oxen of the Sun while Odysseus slept. I definitely don't blame Odysseus because he warned his men and they went behind his back to eat the oxen. I think the gods blame them because they like messing with mortals in their spare time.
Odysseus' men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun. Circe warns Odysseus not to harm the cows "Leave the beasts unharmed" (12.148). Since the men knew this going into the situation, they should have known better than to eat the cattle. Odysseus swears the men to not touch the ox, and they all swear the oath. Circe also provided them with enough food, so Eurylochus' argument is unfounded. Yes, Eurylochus is the one who leads them into it, but all of them are grown men who had knowledge not to eat the cows and who swore an oath not to eat them, so they should be doubly against what he is saying.
I think that Odysseus's men are to blame for eating the Oxen of Helios. Although Odysseus's repeats Circe's warning to his men about not eating the oxen, they give in to their selfish needs and eat the oxen. They were even fed before they left and still had provisions to last them. The men don't act responsibility and eat the oxen despite the many warning sand other sources of food that were available to them. I don't know if there is anyone else that is t blame for Odysseus's men eating the oxen then the men themselves.
I do believe that Odysseus' men should be blamed for eating the cattle of Helios. Circe gave the men enough food to last the rest of the journey as well as feeding the ships of men during their stay. Additionally, Odysseus warned the men profusely not to eat the god’s cattle as they would be punished. The men should have listened more closely to his warnings, as they know Odysseus is one of the most wise in all the land.
I think that the men were not to blame for eating the cattle. They were so hungry that they could only tunnel vision on getting something to eat, despite Odysseus' warnings. The men cannot be blamed for their instinct to feed themselves. I think that we must also consider the state of the minds of the men, they were so hungry and tired, I this that this hunger and fatigue affected the men's ability to make smart decisions. The gods blamed the men because the gods cannot see from the perspective of the men, they were just starving and they needed to eat something. The gods never have that bad of a hunger because they are immortal and for the most part they can eat whatever they want.
I think the men were asking for it, so they deserved to be punished. Odysseus had told them to not eat the cattle yet they went behind his back and disobyed him. By now the men should have known that the gods would keep their word about punishing them. But at the same time If I was starving and on the verge of dying I might have eaten them myself. I do think hunger and exhaustion can affect the way one thinks. Because the men disobeyed what the gods had said the gods have a reason to punish them but there are times when I think the gods just like to punish to mess with the morals. The gods blame them for not being responsible for themselves and not listening to commands from them and their mortal master.
In my opinion they are not to blame for the most part. The men were starving and all that they could see were the oxen. This is kinda like Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. A difference is that the men in the Odyssey were starving to death. Although the men should have stayed away from the oxen because they were warned that it was a bad idea to kill them no matter how badly they felt the urge to.
I do blame the men for eating Helios, the oxen of the sun because even though they were starving they should of continued rowing. I agree with eliza, that if they had not of been starving, they may have continued rowing instead of purposely disobeying odysseus's order. I also agree that the gods should not have been so harsh and blame them, because they were the sole reason why they were suffering from starvation which leads them to eat the oxen.
These men were left to starve. If I were put in that position I would eat Helios, but non-the-less they are still to blame for it. It was the circumstances that they were put into which made them feel the urge to divulge in this great food that everyone eats, called cow. So realistically if you were a weary traveler, adn you saw a cow, there would be absalutly no chance that you wouldn't eat that cow. Bam.
I blame the men for eating the Oxen of the Sun. Only because when they first came to the island, Odysseus told his men to row past but they didn't listen. Because they had the option to row on and didn't, I blame them for their downfall. But if you take out that part of the story, I don't blame the men for eating the Oxen of the Sun. They were so hungry that they felt like they had no choice. I'm not sure why the gods blame them though. Because they had the storm and winds rage on for so long, it's like the gods were forcing the men to choose to eat the cattle.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the men were wrong for eating the cattle. They had blatantly disobeyed their leader's orders, and Odysseus had explained that the gods would be furious if they ate the cows. Therefore, it was just stupid, after everything we've seen in the Iliad, Odyssey, and other Greek myths, to go against what the gods wanted. Between being punished by the gods and trying to save food and maybe be a little hungry, I would have chosen the hunger, since the gods are always so wrathful. However, the men say that they would rather just die "in one gulp" in the ocean, so I guess, if we go by that way of thinking, it makes sense that they killed the cattle.
ReplyDeleteI think the men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun. They were clearly told not to harm them and swore to Odysseus they would not. They knew the gods would be angry if they killed the cattle yet the did so anyway. I understand they were starving and needed food, but they should have known that going against the gods’ wishes would not end well for them. I think the gods blame them because the men had been told not to kill the cattle, however the gods made the storm go on for so long the men didn’t have much of a choice because they had no other food. It sort of seemed like the gods wanted to punish them but needed a reason to do so.
ReplyDeleteI think the men are in a way at blame because they went against what they were asked, plain and simple. Odysseus was warned by Teiresias and Circe and agreed to stay away form the cattle, relaying the message to his men. BUT the men were starving and didn't really have another choice, they had no food. But then again they went behind Odysseus' back when they killed the Oxen, Odysseus was sleeping. Hiding it was worse than just doing it in front of Odysseus. Because of what the men did the ship was destroyed so they really should've listened to what they were told. Because they were warned, yes they are to blame but then again they weren't completely aware of the consequences.
ReplyDeleteI do not blame the men. As Eurylochus states: "to die of hunger, starve to death – that's the worst of all... I'd rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death, than die by inches on this desolate island here!" At this point in the journey I would have given up all hope for divine aid. I would much rather die a quick punishment than to starve slowly on an island, tempted by the cattle every day. While it was their fault in that they were conscious of their actions, I don't think that much blame can lie on the starved brain. People become desperate when they want for necessities such as food and water. In that situation, I may well have done the same in an act of desperation. I think that if they hadn't been starving they would have a greater level of self control. At a certain point though, they have to make the decision of a slow death or a good feast and then death. It is reasonable to want to die on a full stomach.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the men can be blamed, somewhat at least, for eating the oxen of the sun. If they had been shipwrecked or landed on the island by accident it might be a different story but Odysseus specifically told them to not stop on the island and they forced his hand. They convinced him to stop on the island even though it was against his better judgement, and he only agreed to stop if the swore an oath to not slaughter and eat the oxen or rams on the island. They directly disobeyed Odysseus twice and ignored the fact that the gods have shown time and time again that they are incredibly wrathful. To think that they would get a reprieve from their punishment was foolish. The gods anger is not entirely understandable though. If they would have only let weather calm down and allowed the men leave the men never would have been put in a situation where they had to consider killing the oxen.
ReplyDeleteI do not blame the men for eating the cattle. Firstly, their judgement was severely altered by starvation and at some point their bodies would simply enter survival mode and eat what ever it can. Furthermore, to us it is clear that one should never disobey the one instruction given by the gods. To them, however, they are faced with a choice of starvation or to endure the curse of helios. It is a lose-lose situation, but it may have seemed more promising to endure the curse than to continue without food.
ReplyDeleteThe gods blame the men because they seem to favor clear-headedness and following the single direction that they give. When that is disobeyed, no matter how difficult it is to obey, they are punished with death.
The men are faced with an extremely tough situation and it does not seem despicable to me for them to have chosen to eat the cattle.
I think the men are mostly to blame for eating oxen, however I understand that they didn't have many options. They were given fair warning from Odysseus about what the consequences would be if they decided to eat the cattle and he advised them to stay away from Helios' island. The men were starving and you could argue that if they didn't eat the cattle they would have died of starvation, so it is a lose-lose situation. The men were in a desperate situation and had to decide what they wanted to die slowly by starvation or quickly by eating the cattle.
ReplyDeleteThe men are to blame for their fates. They should know that to be uncomfortably hungry, even to die from a lack of food, is always better than being cursed. They were warned and knew the consequences, but continued to slaughter the cattle. Though it was a desperate situation and an incredibly hard decision to make, the gods will always be watching, and no signs or threats should be taken lightly.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus' men are definitely at fault for eating the Oxen of Helios. They were warned by not once, but twice to avoid the island all together. The men didn't listen because they were tired and didn't want to continue sailing, which in hindsight, really isn't a good reason. Odysseus then gives his men one order to follow during their stay on the island, and of course they eventually disregard it as well. I understand that they were starving, but they got themselves into that mess and only made their situation worse.
ReplyDeleteFor obvious reasons, Helios blames Odysseus' men because they ate his oxen. The other gods punish the men because they had already been warned. They were basically told twice that if they went to the island, they were going to die, and they went to the island anyways. Even so, I don't believe that the gods blame the men, they are just dealing out the consequences that came along with their decision to make a stop on the island.
I believe that Odysseus's men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun (Helios). I especially think that Eurylochus is to blame, because not only did he persuade Odysseus to dock on the island of the sun in the first place and let the men rest there, but he was also the one to persuade the rest of Odysseus's men to eat the Oxen of the Sun while Odysseus slept. I definitely don't blame Odysseus because he warned his men and they went behind his back to eat the oxen. I think the gods blame them because they like messing with mortals in their spare time.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus' men are to blame for eating the Oxen of the Sun. Circe warns Odysseus not to harm the cows "Leave the beasts unharmed" (12.148). Since the men knew this going into the situation, they should have known better than to eat the cattle. Odysseus swears the men to not touch the ox, and they all swear the oath. Circe also provided them with enough food, so Eurylochus' argument is unfounded. Yes, Eurylochus is the one who leads them into it, but all of them are grown men who had knowledge not to eat the cows and who swore an oath not to eat them, so they should be doubly against what he is saying.
ReplyDeleteI think that Odysseus's men are to blame for eating the Oxen of Helios. Although Odysseus's repeats Circe's warning to his men about not eating the oxen, they give in to their selfish needs and eat the oxen. They were even fed before they left and still had provisions to last them. The men don't act responsibility and eat the oxen despite the many warning sand other sources of food that were available to them. I don't know if there is anyone else that is t blame for Odysseus's men eating the oxen then the men themselves.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Odysseus' men should be blamed for eating the cattle of Helios. Circe gave the men enough food to last the rest of the journey as well as feeding the ships of men during their stay. Additionally, Odysseus warned the men profusely not to eat the god’s cattle as they would be punished. The men should have listened more closely to his warnings, as they know Odysseus is one of the most wise in all the land.
ReplyDeleteI think that the men were not to blame for eating the cattle. They were so hungry that they could only tunnel vision on getting something to eat, despite Odysseus' warnings. The men cannot be blamed for their instinct to feed themselves. I think that we must also consider the state of the minds of the men, they were so hungry and tired, I this that this hunger and fatigue affected the men's ability to make smart decisions.
ReplyDeleteThe gods blamed the men because the gods cannot see from the perspective of the men, they were just starving and they needed to eat something. The gods never have that bad of a hunger because they are immortal and for the most part they can eat whatever they want.
I think the men were asking for it, so they deserved to be punished. Odysseus had told them to not eat the cattle yet they went behind his back and disobyed him. By now the men should have known that the gods would keep their word about punishing them. But at the same time If I was starving and on the verge of dying I might have eaten them myself. I do think hunger and exhaustion can affect the way one thinks.
ReplyDeleteBecause the men disobeyed what the gods had said the gods have a reason to punish them but there are times when I think the gods just like to punish to mess with the morals. The gods blame them for not being responsible for themselves and not listening to commands from them and their mortal master.
In my opinion they are not to blame for the most part. The men were starving and all that they could see were the oxen. This is kinda like Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. A difference is that the men in the Odyssey were starving to death. Although the men should have stayed away from the oxen because they were warned that it was a bad idea to kill them no matter how badly they felt the urge to.
ReplyDeleteI do blame the men for eating Helios, the oxen of the sun because even though they were starving they should of continued rowing. I agree with eliza, that if they had not of been starving, they may have continued rowing instead of purposely disobeying odysseus's order. I also agree that the gods should not have been so harsh and blame them, because they were the sole reason why they were suffering from starvation which leads them to eat the oxen.
ReplyDeleteThese men were left to starve. If I were put in that position I would eat Helios, but non-the-less they are still to blame for it. It was the circumstances that they were put into which made them feel the urge to divulge in this great food that everyone eats, called cow. So realistically if you were a weary traveler, adn you saw a cow, there would be absalutly no chance that you wouldn't eat that cow. Bam.
ReplyDelete