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Comment 3 of 3, added on January 20th, 2005 at 11:02 PM.
The poem offers an insight of what we may term as brave. A man's bravery
is seen in his journeys, his adventures, his exploits. In contrast, a
woman's life seems so drab and unexicting. But I think the poem shows
through its allusion to Penelope that bravery could also be quiet. That
waiting for your husband who may be dead while warding the advances of
suitors who think you are just another conquest... well, i think that is
another form of bravery.
Rhea M. Agibuay from Philippines
Comment 2 of 3, added on November 17th, 2004 at 4:06 PM.
I don't see Penelope in the Odyssey as evil or conniving... crafty, like
her soulmate, but not conniving. I see the speaker in the Parker poem as
very, very sure. She knows her life is stifled, dull, and tense... it's
heavily implied by the last line, which usefully opens up the question of
what is brave... and, by extension, what is epic.
Erik Huber
Comment 1 of 3, added on August 31st, 2004 at 5:04 PM.
I am teaching this poem in a second year literature and character course.
There is an obvious contrast between this image of Penelope and the image
provided in Homer. The female character in Homer is seen as somewhat evil
and harsh, coniving and at the same time, passive to some extent, in that
her voice is not heard. It is a dead man who tells her story, she does not
have a voice. Parker has Penelope as the speaker of her poem, and as a
chatacter Penelope is drawing attention to her own awareness of the paradox
that exists in her lifestyle. The tone of the poem speaks to the image of
someone waiting, holding their breath, but wanting to break out. There is
an awareness to the character, and I am unsure if it speaks to the goddess
worship pre-Homer or the Feminist (re) awakening of the 60's + .
Not sure...
Lyndsay Daniel
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The poem offers an insight of what we may term as brave. A man's bravery
is seen in his journeys, his adventures, his exploits. In contrast, a
woman's life seems so drab and unexicting. But I think the poem shows
through its allusion to Penelope that bravery could also be quiet. That
waiting for your husband who may be dead while warding the advances of
suitors who think you are just another conquest... well, i think that is
another form of bravery.
Rhea M. Agibuay from Philippines