27 March 2017
Fort Worth, Texas
Dear Sophomores,
The purpose of Penelope’s retelling of her story in Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, so well known from The Odyssey, is to debunk or demythologize the original story. And why not? Should we really overlook things such as servants and women being treated like commodities to be used, traded, given, and thrown away? And then to glorify such things by portraying the perpetrators to be virtuous, heroic men? These questions lie at the heart of Atwood’s treatment of the tale. Another word for what Atwood does in her novel is “deconstruction.” She deconstructs the story she parallels in The Odyssey to lay bare the unpleasant reality of an unacknowledged aspect of this revered poetic work: the abuse of power and the use of language to oppress.
“Deconstruction” is a post-modern school of philosophical thought that traces its origins to the French critic Jacques Derrida (1930-2004). The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines Deconstruction thus: "To deconstruct is to take a text apart along the structural 'fault lines' created by the ambiguities inherent in one or more of its key concepts or themes in order to reveal the equivocations or contradictions that make the text possible" (iep.utm.edu). Deconstruction therefore is often used as a tool by its proponents to demonstrate that those in the culture who control language and determine artistic tastes do so for the purpose of legitimizing their own use of naked power for self-aggrandizement. Whether it’s imperial European and Western powers colonizing and maintaining control over the undeveloped countries of the world for their own benefit or men bullying women into subjection to serve them, the official channels of culture--the art, poetry, literature, and music that are officially sanctioned by the culture--are designed to help the dominant classes and groups to stay in power by promoting and disseminating biases in their favor. So the advocates of deconstruction would have us believe. Deconstruction unmasks the oppressors and their oppressive techniques in the hope that the established order can be overturned. Margaret Atwood’s novel seems to be inspired by this deconstructionist impulse.
So in The Penelopiad, Penelope seems to be relating her story in such a way as to lay bare the misogynistic male bias of the original. But there’s an added twist to Atwood’s tale, one that may be unexpected. I wonder if you caught it? As much as Penelope appears to be a champion for the lot of women, her own story is flawed. The opening paragraph of the story highlights Penelope’s unreliability as a narrator. That’s because Penelope also may have her own ulterior motives in telling the story as she does, some skeletons in the closet that she wants to keep hidden.
The key to unveiling her unsavory motives lies in the occasional outbursts of the hanged maids in the story. They act as a Chorus to punctuate Penelope’s story with commentary undercutting or deconstructing the credibility of Icarius’ daughter as just another pampered upper class oppressor who exploits those beneath her. You may have noticed that Penelope consistently bemoans the deaths of the maids as an accident, something she would have tried to prevent if she could have. Unfortunately, she falls asleep during the slaughter of the suitors, and Odysseus/Telemachus kill the maids before she can save them. Both she and they, she implies, are victims of forces beyond their control. But the maids’ several appearances in the story imply something much more sinister: If Penelope was not directly responsible for their deaths, she was complicit with Odysseus in their murders. And so, they blame not only Odysseus for their deaths, but Penelope, as well. After all, their deaths guarantee that they will not be able to report to anyone Penelope’s possible acts of marital infidelity with the Suitors. Therefore, it’s in Penelope’s best interests that they be silenced. The maids’ occasional interference in the story is their attempt to get a fair hearing in circumstances in which the deck is still stacked against them.
Another example of a parallel story to The Odyssey can be found in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? In past years, my classes have been able to view the film, something not possible because of our time constraints this semester. However, if you ever have a chance to view it on your own, I’d highly recommend it. The film also contains elements of deconstruction, although the emphasis is somewhat different from the Atwood novel. Perhaps we can grudgingly admit in response to detractors that that old dead Greek dude Homer must have done something right to have his story continue to spin off in new directions that make it speak to each new epoch of history in different ways. As the negative sides in my classes might argue, the value of studying Homer’s work is its ability to generate impassioned responses and to keep renewing the conversation that underlies our civilization, keeping it alive and vital.
I hope that's helpful. What do you think?
Go Trojans!
Dr. C.
Three things I learned from the Penelopiad are 1. that it challenges the popular belief that men are more capable than women, which is portrayed in the Odyssey 2. that Penelope struggled with more than just Odysseus leaving, she also had to deal with a growing Telemachus and the constant wondering about why her father threw her into the ocean as a child and 3. Penelope has always been jealous of her cousin Helen. One question I have is why did Penelope make the weaving deal with the suitors?
ReplyDeleteFor one, Tori, it's a stall tactic. In The Odyssey, it's supposed to be a sign of Penelope's faithfulness as a wife and cleverness. In The Penelopiad, it comes off as more ambiguous--a way for Penelope to keep the suitors around and stay in control of the situation.
DeleteObservations:
ReplyDelete-Deconstruction comes from a French critic named Jaques Derrida.
-Atwood deliberately flaws Penelope's story in her rendition of the Odyssey.
-There are many different parallels to the Odyssey in many different mediums of art such as movies, books, etc.
Question:
-If Atwood was truly trying to create a non misogynistic version of the Odyssey, then why did she decide to create Penelope's version of the story as appearing flawed?
Let's just say that Atwood might have wanted to explore other types of power relationships, as well as the one involved in misogyny.
DeleteAtwood does not try to simply correct the Odyssey, she tries to make it seem false.
ReplyDeleteAtwood wants to expose the oppressors in the Odyssey for who they really are by writing the Penelopiad.
Even though there are many wrong elements in The Odyssey, Homer's story continues to live on for nearly 3000 years.
Could it be that the maids always scare off Odysseus in the Underworld not only because of their hatred for him but also to spite Penelope?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes, that could very well be the case, Nick.
Delete1. I find it interesting that deconstructions of common epics aren't as common as one would expect.
ReplyDelete2. I like that the maids are portrayed as the chorus, as I would've expected it to be the suitors instead.
3. At first, I couldn't draw the lines between O Brother where art thou and the Odyssey. But the parallels are starting to materialize.
Q: Was O Brother where art thou based on the Odyssey or based on a general structure used in other epics as well?
It's based mainly on The Odyssey.
DeletePenelope may alter the story of the Penelopiad to hide the skeletons in her closet
ReplyDeletePenelope benefitted from the maids death because they knew secrets that she did not want Odysseus to find out
The maids blame Penelope for their death as much as they blame Odysseus
Why was Penelope mad at Odysseus for killing the maids when she believed that it was her fault and the she benefited from it
I don't think she was angry. In fact, there seems to be a sinister suggestion that she was complicit in their deaths.
Delete1. I have learned that the Penelopiad is deconstruction literature
ReplyDelete2. I have learned from whom deconstruction literature originates
3. I have learned that O, Brother Where Art Though is a parallel film to the Odyssey
Question: Why does Atwood choose to make Penelope an unreliable narrator?
To suggest that all--or at least most--narrators are unreliable.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe maids interfering in the story in order to discredit Penelope was something I was unable to pick up on until now.
ReplyDeleteHow does the flaws within Penelope's own story effect the way her message is perceived?
The treatment of the maids is not something that should be overlooked. The Penelopiad does provide valuable insight to motives that could not be seen in the Odyessy.
The flaws cast doubt upon the sincerity of Penelope's account of things and on her status as faithful wife and virtuous victim.
Delete-Penelope is party blamed for the maids death
ReplyDelete-The maids serve as the chorus
-Penelope has ulterior motives while telling her story
-Why did Odysseus insist on murdering Penelope's maids?
From the perspective of which story? The Odyssey makes O's decision honorable. The maids were sleeping with the enemy. In The Penelopiad, O's motives for killing the maids have more to do with his status and power.
Delete1) The maids in the story serve to fortify the statement that Penelope is an unreliable storyteller by providing counterarguments to some of the things she says.
ReplyDelete2) The maids in The Penelopiad blame Penelope as well as Odysseus for their murders because they believe that she wanted them killed to preserve her own image.
3) Cultural habits are designed to keep the dominating forces in power.
Q: Would it be possible, since Penelope knew of Odysseus' identity all along, that she actually planned for him to kill the suitors AND the maids?
I think Atwood makes that seem entirely possible.
Delete1. Atwood deconstructed the Penelopiad.
ReplyDelete2. Penelope is not without flaws in this story.
3. The maids make up the chorus and add extra perspective to the story.
Q. How common is it for people to deconstruct classic stories and make it fit what they believe?
I wouldn't say it's common, exactly, but Atwood's novel is not necessarily the first--or the only--one.
DeleteI agree with your comment about how Atwood deconstructs the Odyssey to further acknowledge different aspects of the work. I also agree with your comment about how Penelope is an unreliable narrator as discussed in the opening paragraph of the novel. Another one of your comments that I agree with is how Penelope is just as responsible as Odysseus for the death of the maids. One question that I pose is, why does Penelope keep trusting the maids when they fall in love with the suitors rather than be faithful towards Penelope?
ReplyDeleteGood question. Perhaps because they help her keep up her own secret affairs with the suitors--Or so Atwood's story seems to suggest.
DeleteI think it is interesting how Atwood really hammers home the injustice of the hanged maids. I think I'd like to watch Oh Brother where art thou now. It also seems counterproductive for Atwood to make Penelope unreliable as a narrator. Why does she put this flaw in a character she is trying to make right?
ReplyDeleteIn the spiit of deconstructionism, she is dramatizing that all narrators in a position of privilege may have an ulterior motive.
Delete1) I learned that the key to unveiling her unsavory motives lies in the occasional outbursts of the hanged maids in the story which I did not realize at first.
ReplyDelete2)I learned the term Deconstruction in a more deep depth than before.
3) I learned that there is another parallel story to the Penelopiad which is in a form of a film.
4) My question is that why did not Odysseus confront Penelope when killing the maids?
Do you mean "consult" or "confront"?
DeleteMargaret Atwood goes deeper into the lives of the maids than the Odyssey does.
ReplyDeleteShe also uses deconstruction to show the oppresses that Odysseus had against the maids.
The chorus is angry because Penelope states that the killing of the maids was an accident.
Even though most women see Penelope as a champion, does Helen still think that Penelope is inferior to her?
1. I like how you pointed out how Penelope is actually asleep during the slaughter of the suitors.
ReplyDelete2. I learned that ,as you said,Penelope might have some different motives when telling this story.
3.The last thing I noted was how you talked about that the Penelopiad might be deconstructive.
Q.How is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" similar to the Odyssey?
It is the story of the protagonist's effort to reach home and reclaim his family after he has been separated from thm for a long time. His name is Everett Ulysses McGill.
Delete1. I learned that women have the same capabilities as men.
ReplyDelete2. I learned that she deconstructed the Penelopiad to write a parallel book to the Odyssey.
3. I learned that O brother, Where art Thou?, is another parallel story to the Odyssey.
Q. Why did Atwood make Penelope a flawed narrator if she defends her most of the book?
The question is whether Atwood is trying to defend Penelope or expose her as a fraud.
Delete1: Finally I know the point of Atwood's deconstruction in the story.
ReplyDelete2: Understand what deep meaning destruction has.
3: Come to understand Penny's ulterior motives.
4: Keeping one of the frequent appearance of the maids in the Penelopiad in mind, why do they always avoid Penny too? Being dead, shouldn't they know the truth?
-Tate
That's exactly the point. The truth seems to be at least that Penelope didn't protect them when she should have and at most that she actually wanted them to die.
Delete1. The word "deconstruction" comes from a French critic named Jacques Derrida.
ReplyDelete2. Penelope wasn't responsible for the killing of the maids because she was asleep while Odysseus killed them.
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou is a parallel story to the Odyssey.
Question: If Penelope knew all along that the beggar was Odysseus, why did she let him kill all the suitors and maids?
Because that's what she wanted him to do to preserve her reputation as a faithful wife when she may not truly have been.
Delete1. I hadn't considered that Penelope had another motive for killing the maids, but it explains their anger with her.
ReplyDelete2. I like that Margaret Atwood purposely flawed Penelope's story, as to allow alternative interpretations about the truth.
3. I still don't quite agree that the Penelopiad was a deconstruction, but rather just another point of view on events.
Is it possible that the maids are simply lashing out against Penelope because they have nobody else to?
Is it possible that their lashing out at Penelope suggests that she was complicit in their deaths?
Delete-I realized that penelope is kinda blamed for the maids death
ReplyDelete-I learned that penelope has major flaws in the story
-I learned that there is more to the meaning of destruction
-How is O Brother Where Art thou a parallel to the Odyssey?
The protagonist is named Everett ULYSSES McGill. The story is about his efforts to get home and reclaim his wife and family after breaking out of prison. Other parallels occur along the way. Have you seen the film? If not, you should watch it.
Delete- The Penelopiad is a deconstruction literature
ReplyDelete- The chorus becomes angry because Penelope says killing the maids was an accident
- I learned that Penelope has different motives throughout telling her story
How did O Brother, Where Art Thou relate to the Odyssey?
- Elizabeth
The protagonist is named Everett ULYSSES McGill. The story is about his efforts to get home and reclaim his wife and family after breaking out of prison. Other parallels occur along the way. Have you seen the film? If not, you should watch it.
Delete1. Penelope is a flawed storyteller, which she admits herself.
ReplyDelete2. Penelope is half-responsible for the deaths of her maids.
3. Atwood attempts to deconstruct and usurp what was established in the Odyssey by an all-knowing storyteller.
Why would Atwood write this book if the Odyssey was good on its own in morals and story?
Because great stories have that effect on others. They elicit strong imaginative responses and inspire the creation of other stories.
Delete1. The Penelopiad uses a deconstructive type of literature.
ReplyDelete2. The Penelopiad goes against the popular belief that men are superior to women and proves that it is wrong.
3. The maids appearance in the story shows that Penelope was as responsible for their deaths as Odysseus was.
Q: Why would Atwood make Penelope an unreliable narrator if she was trying to defend her and prove she was a strong female role model?
Because Atwood wants us to see that narratives are usually influenced by the biases of those who tell them.
DeleteThe author of the Penelopiad goes into further detail about the women than the Odyssey does. It is told by Penelope, so obviously she goes into further detail about her self like the struggles she really faced during the Odyssey. The maids faced many struggles also, but this did not come out until after reading the Penlopiad. Why is Penelope shown as an unreliable narrator?
ReplyDeleteBecause Atwood wants us to see that narratives are usually influenced by the biases of those who tell them.
Delete1. Why did Atwood decide to write the story through Penelope's eyes and not the maids?
ReplyDelete2. Penelope also has her own secrets for her own matter she might have kept things hidden from readers since shes telling her own version of the story
3. Penelope is also blamed for the maids deaths
4. The Penelopiad is a deconstruction literature
To expose the biases of those who have power over others. However, in the novel the maids continually try to take the story away from Penelope. That's why they keep interrupting the story as a chorus.
Delete1. Penelope's story is flawed, and she keeps things hidden from the audience (unreliable author)
ReplyDelete2. The maids help balance out Penelope's unreliability
3. Penelope may have benefitted from the death of the maids, since only they knew of infidelity
Question: Is it possible that Homer may have left The Odyssey up to our interpretation intentionally?
I think the point is more that stories by their very nature always contain a certain amount of ambiguity that leaves them open to interpretation.
DeleteI learned that Atwood deconstructed the Odyssey to create the Penelopiad.
ReplyDeleteAtwood's own book has a flaw with Penelope being a not so trust worthy narrator.
The maids might not only hold a grudge against Odysseus but may also have anger towards Penelope for being complicit.
In what other ways has the Odyssey shown up in modern times?
There are other novels and poems that consciously reference The Odyssey.
DeleteI agree that Deconstruction” is a post-modern school of philosophical thought that traces its origins to the French critic Jacques Derrida (1930-2004). I didn't know that The Odyssey has a parallel movie. I agree that in The Penelopiad, Penelope seems to be relating her story in such a way as to lay bare the misogynistic male bias of the original. Why did Margret Attwood start her novel in the way she did (the opening paragraph)?
ReplyDeleteTo call the reliability of a story told from a particular point of view into doubt.
Delete1. I agree that Penelope is an unreliable narrator because she can hide some of her flaws making the story less accurate.
ReplyDelete2. I agree that Penelope didn't help the maids when it came to their death because they knew what she was doing with the suitors and she wanted to keep it a secret.
3. I agree that the Margaret Atwood's novel is deconstructed because she looks at different point of views that Homer didn't write about in the Odyssey.
4. Why would Margaret Atwood use Penelope as the narrator if Penelope is an unreliable narrator?
- Amelia Davenport
Because Atwood wants us to see that narratives are usually influenced by the biases of those who tell them.
Delete1. Penelope has double motives, and the story isn't quite ringing as true as some may think. She does hide details to protect her image.
ReplyDelete2. Atwood, while she does describe things from mostly Penelope's view, uses the maids' voices several times in order to add a new perspective and reveal some details that Penelope may not have on her own.
3. The Penelopiad deconstructs and contradicts the Odyssey, and these variations were developed intentionally by Atwood.
Is the Penelopiad a Feminist novel?
In a way, yes, but it is also more than a feminist novel.
Delete1. I do agree with the proposition that Penelope's narrative may be slightly faulty because she could use it to her advantage to hide her imperfections.
ReplyDelete2. I find it interesting that in Margaret Atwood's deconstruction of the classic novel, that everything could be called into question because it provides an interesting perspective for the reader.
3. Originally, I believe that the maids were wrongfully blaming Penelope but I now realize what the purpose of that could have been.
4. Is it possible that Penelope wasn't really sleep as she said she was when the maids were killed?
No you're getting the point.
Delete1. If we look at Penelope through a realistic light, but we see Odysseus in a epic light, I feel like we are inflating the abilities of men and put down those of women. Perhaps if the Penelopiad had also been an epic, Penelope could have been in a position of more power.
ReplyDelete2. If Penelope wasn't sleeping when the maids were killed, she would have had to lie to the reader.
3. It seems like the reinterpretation of the Odyssey makes it current.
4. Would Odysseus have known about her infidelity if the maids had not been silent.
The question is whether O would have known if the maids had not been silenced.
Delete1. I believe Margaret Atwood is showing how the more power people have, the more corrupt they become.
ReplyDelete2. If the maids death was clearly an accident, why do the maids demand justice?
3. In response to my question, if the maids demand justice, then it was clearly not an accident. I believe that the maids might have been withholding some knowledge that could be used as blackmail for Penelope. Penelope acted ignorant to their deaths in order to keep her secret from being revealed.
4. I also believe that rather than it being a deconstruction, its a reconstruction of the Odyssey and bringing it to a new life.
Can you have a reconstruction without deconstructing something in order to reconstruct it?
DeleteI didn't know about "Deconstruction" or Jacques Derrida.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Penelope's story was flawed.
I didn't know that the maids were used to undercut Penelope.
Why would Penelope let the maids tell their story if she knew what they were going to say about her?
She doesn't let them. Margaret Atwood does.
Delete1. I learned that deconstruction is a post-modern school of philosophical thought that traces its origins to the French critic Jacques Derrida.
ReplyDelete2. I learned that society helps the dominant stay in power by promoting biases in their favor.
3. I learned that Penelope may have been complicit in the murders of the maids.
Does Penelope tell her story out of spite for the actions of others against her or to twist a past that is too hard for her to think about?
^^^^^^Jay Trivedi
DeleteLuc Zelissen
ReplyDeleteObservations
-The Penelopiad is deconstructive literature
-Penelopiad has major flaws in the story
-Penelope is blamed for the maids death
Do the flaws in the story tell us something about the author of the story?
Not necessarily, other than what some of the philosophical positions she holds may be.
Delete1. The point that Penelope was actually part of killing the maids to silence them is interesting.
ReplyDelete2. Penelope's line in the opening chapter of the book where it is said the Penelope is unreliable does undermine the rest of the book.
3. It is helpful to see a definition of deconstruction in literature.
Can the Penelopiad be trusted as a source for questions from the Odyssey?
Alec Reyes
Although the questions themselves may indicate a certain bias, I think it poses some interesting questions about The Odyssey.
Delete1. It is interesting that Atwood deconstructs the Odyssey which provides a different perspective from the original poem
ReplyDelete2. I did not know about Penelope's other motive for killing the maids
3. Atwood shows a different perspective about how the Odyssey might seem false
Q: Since Atwood had Penelope narrate the story in a way that would keep some things hidden, could Atwood also have some ulterior motives, secretly hidden within the story, about the real world?
-Max M
That's an interesting question. Critics of deconstruction point out that those who use it can have their own methods turned against them.
Delete3 Things I learned:
ReplyDelete1. I learned the meaning of Deconstruction in context of literature, and how Margaret Atwood used it in the Penelopiad.
2. I learned that Penelope wasn't a reliable narrator.
3. I learned that Penelope may have indirectly been the cause of the murdering of the suitors.
Question:
Does Margaret Atwood purposely portray Penelope as a faulty narrator?
Yes. That's the point of the deconstructive approach.
DeleteI learned from The Penelopiad that The Odyssey often gave a misogynistic point of view and that there was a different side to the popular story. I also learned that even though The Odyssey often portrays Penelope as being helpless and naive she was actually very smart and knew what was going on the whole time even if she didn't let on. The Odyssey portrays Penelope as never knowing that the bear was Odysseus but actually she knew the whole time that it was him. Even though Homer's Odyssey is often portraying women as inferior it is still as popular story that is still around today but I think The Penelopiad provides some helpful background information. Atwood makes Penelope seem like she was been wronged but at the same time she makes her seemed flawed so is she trying to defend her or is she against her?
ReplyDelete- Morgan Hurtado
It's interesting to me how Atwood does not correct the Odyssey, but rather makes it seem false.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the maids represented the chorus because this way The Penelopiad was taken only from female points of view and The Odyssey has only male POVs.
I learned that deconstruction traces its origin back to French critic Jacques Derrida.
If she had to choose, who would Penelope place the blame on for the death of the maids—Odysseus or herself?
Shruti S.
I think Penelope suggests that they both bear some of the blame.
DeleteOBSERVATIONS:
ReplyDelete-Atwood tries to make many parts of the odyssey seem false
-I still think that while there might have been misogynistic characters, the book/homer were not misogynistic themselves
-I think that the Penelopiad offers a different POV, not necessarily a deconstruction of the original text. I feel like that's giving The Penelopiad too much credit.
QUESTION: Why did Margaret Atwood choose the Odyssey in particular to apparently "deconstruct"?
-Levi
Because of its prominent place in the literary canon.
DeleteIt is interesting how she deconstructs The Odyssey. I like how the maids were the chorus. Its interesting that Penelope has ulterior motives when she tells the story. What are some other parallels to the Odyssey?
ReplyDeleteHaden Mock
The novel Cold Mountain, set during the Civil War is one. It was made into a movie a while back.
DeleteThe Penelopiad provides a needed view of the other side of the story. However, it does not mean the Penelope herself is some saint. Penelope herself has flaws. I think that the maids are correct in also blaming Penelope for their deaths. I don't think that Penelope would have stopped their deaths of she could have. If it was in Penelope's best interest to silence the maids, why does she insist that she would've stopped them? Who is she trying to make believe her?
ReplyDeleteThe reader certainly. Maybe herself, as well.
DeleteWhat I learned:
ReplyDelete1. Deconstruction is often used as a tool by its proponents to demonstrate that those in the culture who control language and determine artistic tastes do so for the purpose of legitimizing their own use of naked power for self-aggrandizement.
2. Penelope is deliberately flawed.
3. O Brother Where Art Thou is a parallel story to the Odyssey.
Question: What is your personal opinion on the question for the debate?
I think that although The Odyssey isn't a feminist text, that doesn't necessarily mean it's misgynistic.
DeleteFrom reading The Penelopiad, I learned that not only were the maids set up to interact with the suitors, and act cruel towards Penelope by her orders, but that they were supposedly selected to die by Eurycleia, who knew nothing of this, out of spite for that behavior.
ReplyDeleteI also learned that not only did Penelope worry herself with Odysseus’s disappearance, but also with the running of the household, Telemachus blaming her for the suitors, and questions about her past.
I learned that Margaret Atwood deliberately made Penelope’s credibility as a storyteller questionable, as she could have ulterior motives.
Why do you think Penelope didn’t tell Eurycleia about her orders to the maids?
In the story, Penelope says that Eurycleia never allowed her to be in charge of anything. Perhaps Penelope wanted some control.
Delete1. I learned more about the word "deconstruction"
ReplyDelete2. I learned about how Atwood deconstructed the Penelopiad
3. I also learned more about how Penelope played a role in her maids' deaths
4. Why would Atwood highlight Penelope's unreliability as a narrator when this novel was meant to defend Penelope and share her point of view?
In order to emphasize that storytellers are to some extent tricksters or magicians.
ReplyDelete1) I think that it is refreshing to see that the maid's unfortunate circumstance was to no fault of their own and they could not help it.
ReplyDelete2) Atwood's deconstruction of the Odyssey retells and reshapes the audience's perspective.
3) The story aids in understanding Penelope's ulterior motives and plans for Odysseus' return.
Q) Finally, why did the book detail Helen's character traits and what impact did she have on Penelope?
I'm not exactly sure, but does it have something to do with understanding Penelope as much as it does expanding our understanding of Helen as a figure from Greek mythology? If so, what does it tell us?
Delete1.I learned that the maids couldn't help what the suitors did to them.
ReplyDelete2.I also learned that When Penelope viewed Odysseus different then we did in the Odyssey
3.I also learned women have the same capabilities as me do.
Did you have a question?
DeletePenelope has taken some blame for the maids' deaths.
ReplyDeletePenelope does not always say the correct facts when narrating and her facts aren't completely accurate.
Dominating forces usually stay in power because of cultural bias.
Since the penelopiad was written so much later than the Odyssey, are the habits and behavior consistent in the penelopiad with the Odyssey?
Certainly not, but that's part of the point.
DeleteObservations
ReplyDelete1. Homers message continues to spread after 3000 years.
2. Penelope views Odysseus differently in the Penelopiad than in the Odyssey.
3. Can the Penelopiad be a trustful source of the story after the Odyssey?
4. It states that Penelope was actually asleep when the slaughter o the maids occurred.
In some ways yes; in some ways no. The point of the story seems to be to reveal the indecisiveness and unreliability of any story, including itself.
DeleteFrom the Penelopiad, I observed that the question of misogyny in the Odyssey has been around for a long time. I learned that the style of thinking called deconstruction started in the mid 1900's. I also observed the importance of hearing the evidence from all perspectives of a story before decided which side to take up. Can we really trust Penelope as a reliably source?
ReplyDeleteNo. Not in all respects.
Delete1. Margaret Atwood uses deconstruction to tell Penelope's story
ReplyDelete2. Penelope might not have told her whole story because of anterior motives
3. deconstruction is traced back to Jacques Derrida
4. Why would Penelope hide some parts of her story if she was already dead?
1. Margaret Atwood used the philosophical thought of Jacques Derrida, "deconstruction", in her parallel story.
ReplyDelete2. Margaret Atwood’s novel seems to be inspired by the deconstructionist impulse of deconstruction that unmasks the oppressors and their oppressive techniques in the hope that the established order can be overturned.
3. Penelope may have her own ulterior motives in telling the story.
4. Does Penelope hide parts of her story because they would counter what she tells in the story, or maybe make her look bad or unloyal?
1. I like Atwood's use of "deconstruction" to parallel the odyssey.
ReplyDelete2. Atwood purposely makes Penelope unreliable so that it does not completely change the lessons in the Odyssey
3. I think it is an interesting point that penelope could have killed the maids to prevent them from telling people about anything penelope could have done
Does the penelopiad tell the full story?
- Maddi Williams
Good question, Maddi. I think the point of The Penelopiad--at least in part--is to underscore the idea that no version ever tells the full story in such a way as to prevent its being retold from another perspective or from having new episodes added on.
Delete1. Atwood relies heavily on deconstruction in the Penelopiad, learned what this term means and where it was derived.
ReplyDelete2. Learned Atwood's true objective in writing this spinoff novel.
3. Observed that the handmaids also pitted Penelope with Odysseus in the blame for their deaths.
Q: Was it Penelope or Margaret Atwood herself who had ulterior motives in retelling the story of the Odyssey?
-David N. 2nd Sub.
Excellent question, David. What do you think?
DeleteI agree with what you said about Atwood destructing the Odyssey. I was wondering what kind of word could be used to describe the way she had handled the book.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you mentioned the "skeletons in the closet" of Penelope's narrative in the beginning of the novel. I had not noticed that.
I think it was clever how Penelopiad used all female POVs, much like how the Odyssey just uses male POVs
What do Odysseus and Penelope have in common?
It seems that they're both tricksters.
Delete1. I realize deconstruction is an important part of the Penelopiad.
ReplyDelete2. I see how Penelope is flawed throughout the book.
3. I agree that the maids are the ones who show Penelope's flaws.
Q- Do you think Margaret Atwood intentionally gave Penelope so many flaws?