The Odyssey - A One Man Show

Shipwrecks, sirens, and mythical creatures meet adventure, magic, and revenge! Acclaimed solo artist Charlie Bethel (Beowulf) re-imagines Homer's famous epic story in a faithful yet accessible format for those who slept through Greek Literature. Voyage across land and sea, through the underworld, to the top of Mt. Olympus with the brave and courageous hero, Odysseus, as he valiantly seeks his homeland and the arms of his wife and child. Don’t miss this thrilling epic adventure.

            The Return is the very last adventure in the book. Now that Ulysses has arrived he needs some help killing the hundred suitors, so he asks his son and the swineherd to help.  They trick the suitors into trying Ulysses bow that nobody else can use. Everybody fails; Ulysses shows his actual identity because he has been acting like a beggar. He fights all of the suitors until nobody is alive. The word I learned in this chapter is “exultant”; the definition is joyful. I am glad Ulysses never gives up hope because after more than seventeen adventures he is back to Ithaca and his wife Penelope. (The last of 17 paragraphs written by Samantha summarizing The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin.)

The tone is the author’s attitude towards the topic. We are reading the Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin, which is based on Homer’s story, The Odyssey. The tone of Bernard Evslin’s novel is vindictive and revengeful. Poseidon is extremely vindictive in this tale. Ulysses is arrogant to Poseidon, so Poseidon wants to destroy Ulysses and his crew and make a ten day journey home, a ten year journey home with violent and malicious events. Ulysses also makes Poseidon angry because he stabs Poseidon’s son’s eye with a gargantuan wooden stick. In this story, the Greek gods and goddesses risk their property or friendship with Poseidon, and help Ulysses with either a trick or advice to aid his arrival at another destination. Poseidon would punish the gods and goddesses who would help Ulysses, but most of the gods and goddesses did not like Poseidon because of his vindictive and revengeful personality. Finally Ulysses arrives at Nausicaa’s island where her parents are the king and queen of Phaeacia. When Ulysses tells the family his name, the king gives Ulysses a ship to sail home just before Poseidon wakes up, but the punishment that the king and queen receive is that their ship is made into stone, and nobody can come into the port. Ulysses is also vengeful because he slays the hundred suitors surrounding his house. The tone of this story is vindictive and vengeful but appropriate for the warrior Ulysses returning home from the Trojan War. (Tone essay by Lauren)

Vocabulary from The Adventure of Ulysses

Lore	“Prologue”	Noun	Stories that give knowledge
Oxhide	“Ships and Men”	Noun	Ox skin
Hail	“The Ciconians”	Verb	Call attention
Gale	“The Lotus Eaters”	Noun	Strong wind or storm at sea
Fleet	“The Cyclops Cave”	Noun	The crew
Helm	“Keeper of the Winds”	Noun	Steering apparatus of the ship
Basin	“Cannibal Beach”	Noun	A bay or inlet of water
Haughty	“Circe”	Adjective	Too proud
Girdling	“The Land of the Dead”	Adverb	Encircling
Skirt	“The Wandering Rocks”	Verb	Travel on the edges
Provisions	“The Sirens”	Noun	Food and drink
Thrice	“Scylla and Charybdis”	Adverb	Three times
Dappled	“Cattle of the Sun”	Adjective	Spotted
Elysian Fields	“Calypso”	Noun	A place where Greek heroes go after they die
Meddlesome	“Ino’s Veil”	Adjective	Nosy
Flask	“Nausicaa”	Noun	Container for liquid
Exultant	“The Return”	Adjective	Joyful

Butterfly Wonderland

         Yesterday we went on an amazing trip to Butterfly Wonderland. In the beginning of the building there is a movie shortened from the original film, which is very interesting. When I was watching the movie I enjoyed how one of the facts said that two generations fly from Mexico to Canada, and the third generation migrates all the way back to Mexico. I like this because I would think that each generation of butterflies fly the same distance. I also like this because it shows how much strength that butterfly has to have. The film showed a butterfly sanctuary in Mexico. I cannot believe that there are that many butterflies. I also enjoyed that, in my perspective, I could not see one tree because of so many butterflies. Another fact I found interesting is that butterflies lay eggs in people’s backyards. I always thought they hide their eggs, like in the woods. With that said I was surprised they made a chrysalis where a person could see. I really enjoyed seeing the 3D movie. - Samantha

Oaxaca Bark Style Painting - Samantha

        

    

    

    

         I created a tempera painting of the Tree of Life rug at the Heard Museum. When I finished my Tree of Life artwork, I realized how the birds looked like they are ascending towards the opportunities in life. This is why I think my artwork is akin to family, always welcoming new family members and adventures. I enjoyed thinking this because it is similar to how our world works; this is a great example because two lovebirds lead to many more. I also realized how unique each bird is. This example represents how nobody is the same, including animals and birds. It also shows how family members are different from other families’ members. I also enjoy that there is nothing perfect in my painting, just like our world. I can see how the birds do not look flawless, but they can represent these ideas. Everybody has his or her own opinion on the artwork, and that is what I relish about it. I enjoyed making this art piece and seeing the differences and similarities to our world.

            

Oaxaca Bark Style Painting - Lauren

I finished my Oaxaca bark style painting from the Heard Museum Navajo rug weaving inspiration. I focused on only two deer in my rendition: an erect orange stag with purple antlers guarding a violet doe nesting in the lush grass. I placed the stag guarding the doe because that is the male’s job. It was difficult creating the stag because I had to show the hip bones and where his body connects. The background I chose for the painting was a tan colored brown for a mountain and a pale blue sky. I wanted a soft and authentic background, so it would not be the focus of the painting; I wanted the deer to be the focus of the painting. The mountain shows that they are in their natural setting; safe from human contact but not safe from natural predators. The tree in this painting represents shelter and permanence. The cobalt tree arches over my two deer to give them the feeling of being home and protected from the elements. I resisted painting leaves on the tree because I wanted to reduce the amount of detail in my painting and just show the simplicity of nature. Even though I struggled with making natural looking animals, I enjoyed the process and painting, and I am pleased with the outcome.

Cinderella Ballet

As if stepping between the pages of a beloved storybook, Ib Andersen’s Cinderella vividly delights audiences with the beauty and majesty of classical ballet, wrapped in the promise of “happily ever after,” and generously sprinkled with a wonderful dose of humor. Complete with a fairy Godmother, a handsome prince and an unforgettable ball, the magnificent staging, music and costumes make this production a delight for all ages.

Indian Boarding School at the Heard Musuem

Today we went to the Heard Museum to learn about Indian boarding schools. When I first walked into the exhibit, I listened to the children that previously had gone to a boarding school but were now grown up. These Native Americans gave a brief talk about how they were crying when the train came to pick them up, and how their family was yelling at the teachers that their child was too young to be taken away. After I listened to every person, I felt sad because I would never recover from leaving my family. Even though I could get married and have a family with a different culture, I would not enjoy switching cultures. After thinking about how hard life would be living that way, we went to look at pictures of the children when they first arrived. Every child had a frown on their face, not even one child was smiling, even the two and three year-olds. The saddest part of the exhibit was when they showed the barber chair which was where all the children’s hair was chopped off. Long hair is a tradition to Native Americans, so that is why it is so important to them and heartbreaking when you hear the hair getting chopped off. This exhibit was very interesting, and I feel like I learned a plethora, but it also made me frustrated and confused why Americans would change other people’s religion and culture. 

We Can Touch Food

Today I finished my food handler license test, which was not that difficult. Before I started my test, I had to learn seventy-seven different concepts or else I could not take the test, even if I wanted to, it would not allow me to. Learning seventy-seven concepts took about an hour and a half, and the test took about forty-five minutes. My favorite part was learning that a three-year-old baby died from food borne illness.  Not only did a three-year-old baby die, but also thousands got sick. The part I did not like was learning about how many times you have to wash your hands. Sometimes when you go to the restroom or change a baby’s diaper you have to wash your hands twice! Since we only received our certificate for the food handler test, we have to visit Northern Regional Office to pick up our license.