I'm almost done with "The Odyssey", a classic that I've been yearning to read throughout my life but was only recently able to incorporate. In many ways, it feels very familiar, something that corresponds to the nature of a text that is foundational. So much of our Western culture derives from this book, and I can't help but find many resonances between this work and other books that I've read, ranging as much from the situations (the feeling of struggling against fortune, of living with regret, of appealing to justice, of striving for family unity, of lamenting the loss of community) as from characters. The "wily tactician" represents a part of our identity as well, as we seek to find redress and pursue that eternal quest to return home, Thomas Wolfe not withstanding.
In particular, I have noted a certain biblical quality in the Odyssey, especially in the description of the returning adventurer who will right the wrongs that have beset his household, but who in the meantime has to adopt a disguise in order to root out the extent of the corruption in his household. The disguised Odysseus, aided by Athena, returns as an old beggar, asking for hospitality and being denied by the suitors, a pack of aristocratic brigands who have little intent to live according to the values that are asserted in this community. What are these values? Modesty, respect for authority, an acceptance of fate, and humility. When the characters defy the gods they are punished for exceeding he bounds of what is allowed, and yet, one can't help but feel that by doing so they are rendered more human. We all are made in such a way as to seek and find, and if this involves at times defying the will of the gods, so be it. What else could Odysseus be expected to do when cornered in a cave with the Cyclops, that evil one-eyed giant that devours a handful of men every night? Was he supposed to accept that fate, even though, by blinding the giant and escaping, he incurred the wrath of Poseidon, the father of the monster? Perhaps it is a way of asserting, once again, that life is a struggle, but it can be rendered all the more pleasurable by the intimacy and dramatic flair of epics such as this one.
The biblical resonance furthermore recalls the idea of the suffering "Son of Man" who we encounter in the Old Testament, and whose significance was demonstrated for me by the work of the biblical scholar Bart Ehrman. This suffering character is paradigmatic, and is meant to suggest a hidden quality as well, a being who, like the gods who disguise themselves among men in the Odyssey in order to try the will of men, will return to render judgement. In this case we are talking as well of a certain Mesiah-like quality, for Odysseus will assert control of his kingdom and assert a new epoch of justice for his community, rewarding his faithful employees and family members while killing the guilty. In the meantime he suffers, but does so willingly, prolonging a certain giddy sensation of doom that is held in abeyance for just a short moment, providing thus a certain pleasure in the reader. With each act of outrage we can be sure that punishment will be quick and justified.
The other book I have just received today is Robert Crumb's version of the Book of Genesis. I've already started reading it, and I can't help but perceive a certain sardonic commentary, despite the author's assertions that he has tried to remain true to the text and has tried to avoid editorializing.
When one comes upon the visual vocabulary of Crumb, with the heftiness and the seeming sexual essence of his physical characterizations, and the broad and somewhat crude expressions, we have entered into a special landscape. Perhaps it has to do with the cross-hatching technique, as well as the memory of all the other characters that he has drawn that highlight wild and lurid sexual fantasies. I can't help but find that his depiction of Eve recalls "Devil Woman", from his works of the 60s. The people seem to have an almost Cro-Magnon quality that highlights, as always, the physical, and the poses seem to suggest this quality of motion that would acompany athletes who are involves in certain physical exploits that necesitate strength rather than stealth. This is a way of saying that his people have a certain Jack Kirby quality, a reference to the bulging depictions of that classic comic book author.
The juxtaposition of the biblical text with Crumb's drawings is a novel experience. It seems almost impossible to read a certain subversive quality. I will continue my observations at a latter point.
In the meantime, I am getting ready to finish instruction in my classes. It has become an almost intolerable experience. Part of it has to do with the nature of the material, which involves, frequently, explanations and illustrations of grammar. The other factors have to do with exhaustion after eight weeks of instruction and, what has proven to be an almost insurmountable obstacle, the fact that classes last for one hour and fifty minutes. Each class is a marathon, and I find myself stumbling at the end.
I've seen students in other classes, and I've been a student for a considerable portion of my life, so I know how dreary such a long class can be. However, it is the nature of a class such as this one and the impetus of new pedagogical techniques that emphasize the "student-centered" approach that I find myself lagging. If I were to rely on my students to provide the impetus for the class, I think we would quickly lag behind. I just can't be expected to recede into the background, or assume the role of a moderator. In the end, the teacher has to teach because, otherwise, the temptation for students will be to put the minimum effort with the expectation of obtaining the maximum return. I certainly receive enough complaints as it is from students who turn in atrocious assignments then complain about the grades they receive.
And, when you have a group with bad chemistry, things are worse. Such is the case with my Tuesday/Thursday class. I dread each time I have to face this group. However, I try to soothe myself by saying that we only have a few more weeks. Still, it is a terrible feeling. Perhaps I will expound on this in the future as well.
(I feel as if I have established a connection between myself and the disguised Odysseus in the Odyssey. I am the harried, humiliated and abused character who will assert his domain at the end. This can't help but make me chuckle because of how incongruous it is. I am no action figure.)
Eternal Observer -- ORomero (c) 2011
Copyrights ORomero 2011
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