The song “Girl Sailor” by the Shins well exemplifies the character Penelope in The Odyssey. Penelope holds an interesting role in the novel; she balances on the edge of control and not control over her life, and her actions have a great impact on other characters. Her husband, Odysseus, has been missing for ten years. She remains faithful to him, but must act as though she will soon be married to protect her son and land. Penelope’s character is interesting in its continued devotion and even grief over her husband. Although many characters in the novels we have studied thus far have been forced to cope with grief (Thomas, Oskar, his grandmother, Kate, Beatrice, to name a few) an emphasis has been placed upon the recovery from grief, especially in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. As a reader, one knows that Odysseus is still alive and Penelope’s devotion seems exemplary for a wife, yet for those without that foresight it would most likely seem extremely foolish, such as that of Kate in All My Sons. Additionally, Penelope wields an odd balance of power in The Odyssey; although it is right for her son to order her back to her rooms saying that weaving and such are the business of a woman, she is currently retaining the land in their position. If not for her possible marriage, it is extremely likely that the suitors would simply ransack the place. Penelope, despite being a rather emotional character, appears to have held up remarkably well in this power struggle, compounded by her continued grief over her husband’s disappearance.
The song “Girl Sailor” both describes Penelope and puts into music her concerns for Telemachus and Odysseus. It speaks of how she is slowly being defeated; she has been able to keep up the charade of happiness, of contentment, of a willingness to be married for only so long and now it is beginning to tumble down around her. For ten years Penelope has been forced to play this role, or in the song: “You’ve been at the helm since you were just five”. However, as Telemachus is attempting to assert his independence Penelope cannot hide her true sadness and unhappiness at the prospect of marriage, shown in the lyrics “Loss has conquered you”. Penelope is unsure of what to do now: she still loves Odysseus and wishes for him to come home very much (“Can you help it if plain love now seems less interesting?”) and now must worry about her son as well on the high seas (“…sail her, don’t sink her, this time”). She is extremely sad, as shown by her sobbing fit (“Loss has conquered you”) and even Athena isn’t quite sure what lies ahead, unable to tell Penelope of the fate of Odysseus (“And I have no lantern to light your way home tonight”). Overall, this song’s melancholy tone and lyrics with the possibility of hope makes it a good fit for the character of Penelope in The Odyssey. sorry this is here ms. burgess... i couldn't copy it into a regular window so i suppose this'll have to do!
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The song “Girl Sailor” by the Shins well exemplifies the character Penelope in The Odyssey. Penelope holds an interesting role in the novel; she balances on the edge of control and not control over her life, and her actions have a great impact on other characters. Her husband, Odysseus, has been missing for ten years. She remains faithful to him, but must act as though she will soon be married to protect her son and land. Penelope’s character is interesting in its continued devotion and even grief over her husband. Although many characters in the novels we have studied thus far have been forced to cope with grief (Thomas, Oskar, his grandmother, Kate, Beatrice, to name a few) an emphasis has been placed upon the recovery from grief, especially in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. As a reader, one knows that Odysseus is still alive and Penelope’s devotion seems exemplary for a wife, yet for those without that foresight it would most likely seem extremely foolish, such as that of Kate in All My Sons. Additionally, Penelope wields an odd balance of power in The Odyssey; although it is right for her son to order her back to her rooms saying that weaving and such are the business of a woman, she is currently retaining the land in their position. If not for her possible marriage, it is extremely likely that the suitors would simply ransack the place. Penelope, despite being a rather emotional character, appears to have held up remarkably well in this power struggle, compounded by her continued grief over her husband’s disappearance.
The song “Girl Sailor” both describes Penelope and puts into music her concerns for Telemachus and Odysseus. It speaks of how she is slowly being defeated; she has been able to keep up the charade of happiness, of contentment, of a willingness to be married for only so long and now it is beginning to tumble down around her. For ten years Penelope has been forced to play this role, or in the song: “You’ve been at the helm since you were just five”. However, as Telemachus is attempting to assert his independence Penelope cannot hide her true sadness and unhappiness at the prospect of marriage, shown in the lyrics “Loss has conquered you”. Penelope is unsure of what to do now: she still loves Odysseus and wishes for him to come home very much (“Can you help it if plain love now seems less interesting?”) and now must worry about her son as well on the high seas (“…sail her, don’t sink her, this time”). She is extremely sad, as shown by her sobbing fit (“Loss has conquered you”) and even Athena isn’t quite sure what lies ahead, unable to tell Penelope of the fate of Odysseus (“And I have no lantern to light your way home tonight”). Overall, this song’s melancholy tone and lyrics with the possibility of hope makes it a good fit for the character of Penelope in The Odyssey.
sorry this is here ms. burgess... i couldn't copy it into a regular window so i suppose this'll have to do!
Sarah,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner. No problem that it's in the comments!
;)
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