Jamming

Sup, mortals. I’ve been jamming out lately to a song that really speaks to me about my whole situation with Telemachus and Odysseus right now. “Carry On My Wayward Son”, by Kansas…good stuff. As you know, the original reason I backed Odysseus up on his quest for home was for personal glory. He’s a personal favourite among the gods, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get involved. Everyone gets an extra thighbone burned to them, a dad is delivered safely home to his kingdom, and I make a name for myself as an advocate of justice and justice. Win-win situation, if you ask me. But as time has passed, I’ve grown close to them. I almost feel maternal pride as I watch Telemachus grow from a boy to a man under my nurturing. And my heart really goes out to Odysseus as he struggles home (albeit to his dumb bimbo wife, but it’s a sweet notion).  The lyrics go, “Carry on my wayward son, There'll be peace when you are done, Lay your weary head to rest, Don't you cry no more.” I find them extremely applicable to so many situations. In relation to Telemachus, he is wayward in his strong determination to chase down any information about his father to rub in the suitors’ faces. He will find peace once he knows for sure what has become of Odysseus, so he doesn’t have to live his life wondering anymore. After long months of traveling, he can go home without fear of the suitors and wait patiently for his father’s return.

                In application to Odysseus, the lyrics have a similar meaning. Odysseus has a wayward fate: opposite to what is desired or expected. He keeps going, though, despite all the obstacles placed in his way by Poseidon. He knows that when he reaches home, he will chase the filthy suitors from his home and reclaim his wife and kingdom in peace. He finds himself crying at many a banquet, whether discussing his own past trials or his fallen comrades, but soon he can sleep in peace when he knows he is finally on his way home.

                Another section of the song applies well to Odysseus. It is easy to interpret the lyrics “On a stormy sea of moving emotion, Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean, I set a course for winds of fortune, But I hear the voices say No!” Many a stormy sea crash Odysseus’s hopes and ships, breaking down his morale time and time again. No matter how hard he tries, something always interferes with the course he sets for home. A literal example of “the winds of fortune” is the bag of winds given to him as a gift to deliver him home. It was a sure-fire, one-way ticket to Ithica…until his dumb, sabotaging crew opened the bag and released the winds. Fate always had a way to twist his plans around and send him on another unfortunate adventure. My favorite line of the song though is surely, “The center lights around your vanity, But surely heaven waits for you.” Good luck, Ody. The gods are with you.(listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQru7oCdYXA )