Using Sources
· An introduction of the writer’s argument that includes careful quotation from other sources.
Doherty, Lillian Eileen. “Sirens, Muses and Female Narrators in the Odyssey.” The Distaff Side: Representing the Female in Homer’s Odyssey. Ed. Beth Cohen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
· Sample close reading of a passage from The Odyssey:
Friends, since it is not right for one or two of us only
to know the divinations that Circe, bright among goddesses,
gave me, so I will tell you, and knowing all we may either
die, or turn aside from death and escape destruction.
First of all she tells us to keep away from the magical
Sirens and their singing and their flowery meadow, but only
I, she said, was to listen to them, but you must tie me
hard in hurtful bonds, to hold me fast in position
upright against the mast, with the ropes’ ends fastened around it;
but if I supplicate you and implore you to set me
free, then you must tie me fast with even more lashings. (Homer 154-164)
Odysseus breaks an implicit ritual of contract when he misleads his crew through providing them only a fraction of what Circe told him, while also guaranteeing them absolute knowledge. Through telling his shipmates that he believes “it is not right for one or two of us only to know the divinations that Circe…gave me” (Homer 154-156), Odysseus creates an obligation to share Circe’s divinations with the others. This requisite for disclosure of information is exaggerated by his promise to the crew that “…I will tell you, and knowing allwe…” (Homer 156). In promising his crew that they will be “knowing all” Odysseus suggests that he has the ability to grant omniscience. Yet as a mortal, he is clearly and knowingly incapable of fulfilling this guarantee. Through his certain and precise language of assurances, Odysseus creates an implicit contract with his crew which requires that he inform them of every bit of knowledge pertaining to their situation. However, Odysseus’s retelling of the information given to him by Circe is far from complete, as he only mentions the foretelling of the encounter with the Sirens, completely neglecting the requisite choice betweenSkylla andCharybdis. Odysseus knows that he will be faced with choosing to either lose six men toSkylla or risk losing the entire ship toCharybdis. He is also aware that the best option between the two is the former, as advised by Circe. Thus, in order to maintain the necessary morale on the ship Odysseus omits the entire subject ofSkylla andCharybdis. Doing so is in clear breach of the contract he just implicitly established. The fact that both the creation and violation of this contract are within the same speech reveals that this manipulation of the ritual is an intentional maneuver. He made a contract guaranteeing an impossible amount of disclosure while planning to break it, aiming to reassure his crew through creating the illusion of the larger overarching ritual of assembly.
Odysseus manipulates the ritual of assembly through promising his crew that decisions which will affect all of them will be made as a group, and then changing his tone from informative to imperative. Odysseus manipulates the setting of speech in order to make it appear as an assembly, stating “We ourselves…sat there…Then…I spoke and told my companions” (Homer 151-153). The physical imagery of Odysseus sitting amongst his men provides the sense that they have assembled as equals in discussion, rather than Odysseus standing before them to give orders. This sense of assembly is strengthened by his guarantee to them that “I will tell you, and knowing all we may either die, or turn aside from death and escape destruction” (Homer 156-157). This statement outlines the intended course of action for the assembly. Odysseus says that he will present information then “we,” the entire group “may” select “either” of the options presented. This implies some form of collective decision making in order strengthen the correlation to the ritual of assembly which Odysseus has created. While he makes a cursory mention that the risks involved could lead to “death” and “destruction” (Homer 157), he quickly calms these drastic images through his reassuring tone. The phrase “we may either” presents the crew with a choice, intended to dismiss any fear of danger through granting them a sense of control over the hazardous situation they face. However, soon after Odysseus establishes this connection to the ritual of assembly, he violates it by telling his crew “you must” (Homer 160), thereby shifting the tone of his speech. He stops implying that his intent is to educate his crew so they may make a decision as an assembly and quickly asserts dictatorial command over what they must do when faced with the Sirens. This change from hypothetical to imperative means that the crew has no choice of somehow avoiding danger, as was initially stated. Nowhere between Odysseus’s promise of assembly-like action and his giving of orders did he allow anyone else to speak or aid in the decision making process. His implicit invocation of the ritual of assembly is merely a ploy used like the ritual of contract to create a false impression upon the crew, without actually being followed.