Too much of a good thing

3) Is it possible to be "over-civilized"?

Yes, it is possible to be over civilized, just like it is possible to be undoer-civilized. It is all about finding the golden mean. Like in Goldilocks and the Tree Bears one chair's too tall, one's too short, and the one's just right. We need to find what is "just right" for everything. Too much freedom and you have anarchy, to little and you have dictatorship. But the middle ground is where you want to be.

Telemachus learns this at King Menelaus' palace. When Menelaus says on page 125 "..Bring them in, strangers, guests, to share our flowing feast..." He unconditional invited them into his palace, not checking to see if they were friends or foes. This is over civilized, yes we should be hospitable but only within reasonable limits. You don't invite the enemy into your house so they can pillage about and destroy your possessions. Again, its all about the golden mean, hitting the "middle mark" so to speak.

How to be a Hero

2) What does Telemachus learn about "hero"?

There are two very important lesson that Telemachus learns in Books 3 and 4,the first being that it is the sons duty to defend their father kleos should they be unable to claim it them selves. He learns this through hearing the stories of Orestes and how he avenged his fathers death. Also by being around Pisistratus who is a perfect example of what a heroes son should be like.

The other lesson that Telemachus learns is one from Nestor. Nestor tells Telemachus that it is okay to go away from home to be a hero, but you must always return home. And vice versa. A hero can not stay home all of the time, they need to leave home, slay the proverbial dragon than come back. This lesson also is about gaining heroic glory or kleos. You need to return home in order to get your kleos, which is why Odysseus must return home.

Civilization 101

1) What does Telemachus learns about "civilization"?

Telemachus leearns a very impotant lesson on page 127 when he comments that Menelaus' treasured rivaled those in Zeus's palace, and Menelaus chastised Telemachus for thinking that any human could rival the Gods. He learns that has learned about the importance of knowing your place; and that not even a king can rival the Gods. Having some form of hierarchy is an important part of Greek civilization, and knowing your place in that order.

Telemachus also learn about the importance of hospitality. Although there has been previous evidence that he is already aware of the importance of hospitality; seeing as he took in Pallas-Athena when she arrives at his house. But on his journey Telemachus learns just how important hospitality is to civilization because he relies on it during his adventure. Like the hospitality that Menelaus shows him, a stranger, on page 144.

Products of our Culture

"In the end, to know the past is to now ourselves-not entirely, not enough, but a little better"

What struck me while reading this, is how very true that statement is. If we are products of our culture, which I believe we are. Than in order to understands how we became who we are today, we need to understand how our culture came to be. In order to understand that, we need to study the history of our culture.

Twisted Truth

"When a society seeks to alter how the record is presented, well-proven facts notwithstanding, we learn how history can be distorted to political ends."

I agree with the the authors on this fact, but I disagree that well proven facts can not be twisted for political reasons. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for example is clams that the Holocaust is a myth. Even when it is a well proven fact that the Holocaust did happen, and there is an amply supply of proof. This is a modern example of a political figure twisting history. I found an interview with President Ahmadinejad that was conducted on the topic. If you have a few minuets it can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykd-syzZ4ZY&feature=related.

Timing is everything...

“It is in times of emergency that heroes are looked for, and found…”

Heroes are rebels, they are the brave souls who defy authority and stand up for what is right. The reason that heroes have such an appeal is because in times of need there they are, capes blowing in the wind, ready to save the day. Take Franklin D Roosevelt for example, 10 years before the depression his New Deal would not have been accepted. It was only after a few years of the Depression, when unemployment rates were 25% that Americans were willing to accept governments help in job creation. “It is an unhappy land that looks for heroes.” When times are tough we look to the sky in hopes of seeing Superman sweeping in to save the day.

What makes a hero a hero?

"If everybody was satisfies with himself there would be no heroes."

-Mark Twain

What is a hero? They are everything we want to be. Selfless, giving, self sacrificing; the best of us. We idolize heroes because, even thought they have their flaws, they are put in extraordinary circumstances and come out victorious. If we thought of ourselves as perfect than there would be no traits that we aspire to have, and as a result no heroes.

A face only a mother could love.

The idea that the female is the prime caregiver for her children is shown in this myth. Gaea (Mother Earth) morned the banishment of her first two children: the three Hundred-Handed Giants, and the three Cyclopes. It shows how much she loves her children because she goes to her children for help to emasculate Uranus and get her children back. After this is done Cronus goes back on his promise to retrieve the three Hundred-Handed Giants and the three Cyclopes, Gaea still does not give up in getting her children back, and bids her time. She does not give up, this is the concept that has transcended through time. The concept of motherhood is that the mother does not give up on her child(or children) and does not leave them behind. That idea, which is still believed today was created with the creation of Gaea.

"I Can Relate to That..."

"Those who treat others with arrogance and disrespect still bring personal disaster upon themselves."

The reasons that myths are still relevant today is because human nature is the same as it was thousands of years ago. We might have developed more sophisticated technology, live in different locations or speak different languages, but in our core we are the same. So the struggles that the protagonists in the myths face are ones people today struggle with. We can relate to them the same way people could at the time they were created.