Saturday, December 3, 2016

Assignment for Tuesday, 12-13-16

Dear Mythologists,

All good things must come to an end. For Tuesday, December 13, our last class of the semester, please do the following:

(1) Watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2000), taking notes as you see fit. In addition to the DVD being reserved at the library, the film is also streaming on Amazon.

(2) Read Janice Siegel's exhaustive essay, "The Coens’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Homer’s Odyssey," which elucidates just about every possible parallel between the film and the epic poem. Hers is important work, given the Coens' testimony that they'd never bothered to read the Odyssey.  Siegel proves the brothers to be artful, Odysseus-like double-dealers.

And, yes, the piece is many pages long, but (a) they're small, journal-sized pages, and (b) the article itself is very accessible, if not downright breezy. You'll be glad you took the time.

(3) Remember by noon on Tuesday to comment on this post with your choice of a sequence from O Brother to view in class.

DC

11 comments:

  1. Just want to let everyone know, O Brother is also on Netflix.

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  2. I would like to watch the KKK scene (1:13:00-1:19:00),because I think that it is very relevant to today’s political reality and it is a very good example of how art (and especially films) can be used as a tool of political criticism and as a way to touch upon burring social issues.

    -Frini

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    1. I want to see this too, for similar reasons. I particularly want to address the use of blackface in the film (I think it deserves some unpacking). Also, as Siegel says, the scene is an interesting parallel to Odysseus' victory over the Cyclops, and the KKK seems representative of the violent and uncivilized (like the Cyclops in the Odyssey).

      -KP

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  3. I'd like to see the siren scene from 43:00 - 48:00 because its one of the few direct references to the Odyssey, albeit tenuous. Delmar believing Pete was transformed into a frog is also a small reference to the Odyssey in that it recalls Circe turning Odysseus' men into pigs.

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    1. I would also like to watch this scene. In addition to the singing women referencing the sirens, they also made me think of the lotus eaters when they were forcing them to have drinks that caused the men to go into a delirious/drunk state.

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  4. I'd like to take another look at the sequence that occurs from about 1:29:12-1:32:53. It was so strange to me that their act as the Soggy Bottom Boys was so powerful that they had a hand in swaying political matters. It was interesting to see Pappy take advantage of the situation, learning from Homer's mistake, and bringing the crowd around to his side. I also thought that the conflict Penny faced was baffling and I find it worth noting that the filmmakers cast her and the few other female characters in a rather poor light.

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  5. I would like to look at the beginning title sequence. Mainly, the three men's escape to their failure to get on the train. I think it sets up the tone, setting, and general world of the film. It also establishes the kind of Odysseus we will be seeing in this film. Finally, the manner of their escape feels very true to the Odyssey, in the manner of their trickery.

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  6. I'd like to watch the recording of the song at about 23:30 to 26:30. I thought it was interesting that the song's lyrics resemble the film characters' and Odysseus's journey, and that by making the Soggy Mountain Boys famous, the recording artist is similar to Homer retelling Odysseus's tale. The fame of this song plays a role at the end of the film, just as Odysseus uses his fame and reputation throughout the Odyssey.

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  7. I would like to watch the scene where Delmar and Petell get baptized between 00:18:30-00:21:11. I thought this was a sneaky reference to the myth in that it highlighted Ulysses' own disbelief in a higher power. He makes fun of God and the notion of purification through baptism. He jokes about his friends' need to believe in a higher power. This reminded me of Odysseus and his odd relationship with the gods. While he does acknowledge the gods' existence -- his patron is Athena -- he jokes about their power and even antagonizes Poseidon with his jests. From this point on, one could see Everett's challenges as sent by God much like Odysseus' challenges are due to Poseidon.

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    1. I'd also like to watch this scene. Because of it's place in the story, the transfixed gaze of all the white-clad evangelicals and Delmar's quick acceptance of salvation, the scene reads to me as a parallel to the Lotus-eaters, where Odysseus, like Everett, has to be the one to convince his comrades to keep on track and leave.

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  8. I would like to watch the scene from (-55:08) to (-52:13), where Big Dan beats up Everett and Delmar and leaves them after stealing all of their money and their car. This film interestingly altered the first interaction with the cyclops, making Big Dan violate the rules of hospitality rather than Everett. I also thought it was strange that the boys were beaten so badly, and in particular that Everett didn't put up a fight. He seemed so surprised by the sudden violence that he merely asked what Big Dan was up to.

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