Talk:The Ancient World (HUM 124 - UNC Asheville)/Texts/Odyssey/Book 21
Penelope states that she is going to meet her "proud" admirers reflecting a foreshadowing that they will not be able to complete the challenge with ease. The dialogue of Penelope and Antinous as she declares that they should win her hand in marriage shows that the absence of Odysseus is showing the true character of the suitors- they are more interested in personal indulgence.
Gender[edit source]
@Hsikes19 and DhruviParmar: Really love how this discussion is building. You've got three really good, distinct ways to address the issue of gender. This is great work. One thing I'm interested in is the idea of "subtle/internal." Can you flesh that out some more? Also, the idea of representation is really interesting and important. There's tons we could say here. Maybe reflect on what the representation of women vs. men in the Odyssey says about the ancient readership or audience of the epic? Put yourself in the position of a man vs. a woman hearing/reading it. I don't think there is necessarily a single answer for this, but you might try and describe, from different angles, the ways that the author is trying to connect to the audience...I'll leave it at that and see what you can come up with...-Joey Cross (discuss • contribs) 15:07, 21 September 2020 (UTC)