Disguises

Hello everyone,

I may not be the sneakiest guy around, but that has never stopped me from getting what I want. However, I am starting feel like deception may be a greater tactic for getting around than I thought. This is very hard for me to admit because I actually learned this from someone I am not too fond of, my niece Athena. I guess it makes sense since we do share the great family line, but it has always been hard to accept that others may have ideas superior to my own.

You probably want to know why I am so interested the the idea of disguises and such today, so I will tell you. It is like creating a whole new identity to trick someone. It is simply fascinating! It doesn’t even have to always be in a bad way. For example, when Athena came to Penelope in the form of her rarely seen sister, Iphthime, to offer her reassuring words about Odysseus. She comforted her by telling her that he will be protected during his travels by an escort so he will not be ambushed by the suitors. However, from my perspective Odysseus doesn’t deserve any protection. If he were a true man he would be able to take care of himself. Of course I am a bit biased on that subject, so lets get back to deception. Really, any type of disguise is fun to do, especially when you are an old guy like me who is running low on entertainment from all the tricks that used to be amusing. Maybe I should have been more active in theater when I was younger because I feel deprived from that world.

It all started when I found out how Athena had disguised herself as Mentes, a trusted friend, so that she could convince Odysseus' son, Telemachus, to make a speech in hopes of getting the suitors of Penelope out of Odysseus and Penelope's home. Now, I don't really care that the suitors are bothering Penelope, but the fact that if I did, I could change someone's opinion by acting as someone else is amazing. I know that Athena has had some bad comments posted about how her use of disguise isn't fair, though in my opinion it really isn't even that bad to do, because you are still speaking your own personal opinion, just in a way that gives you more credibility. That doesn't sound so bad does it?

Anyway, I thought I would just share that fascinating discovery with you all. Since seeing things like Athena's disguise first hand seems to be the best way to learn to better myself, I think I am going to spend some time looking at all the different people around me. There really is more than just endless cold water surrounding me. I will then post my thoughts on what I see, and hopefully you can learn something from my observations.

-Poseidon

Not too long ago there was a song written about the king Odysseus. This song was written by readers of The Odyssey, these are the people that see the wrong side of me. This song does not help my road to recovering; it is titled My Life Really Sucks. Every verse of the song has a new idea in it, a reason why Odysseus’s life is not as good as he wished it could be. There are some reasons I am not aware of, being present at sea and not following Odysseus’s every move. But what I do know of is in verse 2, the song (being through the eyes of Odysseus) talks of how I make his life suck. The main thing of what I could comment on those lyrics is that I can’t blame him; I have made his life at sea a living hell. The first line, Poseidon starred at me, could be a way of saying that he can’t go out to sea without me watching his every move.

The second line, while I was out at sea, continues on that same idea. Then the violence begins with his words describing what happens, saying first, He blew a bunch of debris, which to me seems like an understatement. And this, for the last line, And put my ship under sea, tells the listener the outcome: being swept under the sea. This makes me feel horrible about my brutal actions, and makes me want to apologize. I think it might be a good step for me, pushing me forward, and having a hard copy of these actions, which hurts others. Even though he blinded my son, he is also human.

All human beings are stupid and make mistakes, they should be forgiven. But what I don’t want to have happen is that I forgive him, we make peace, and I am lonely good guy, who is not forgiven by his fellow gods. I have a lot of brutal power, but power to make myself better all alone? I don’t think I can push myself forward without the help of my brothers and sisters, my fellow Gods, and everyone else. I have never asked for true supports in the past because it is something my powerful self does not have need of, i only need help is desperate situations, like this one. No one can imagine themselves in my situation because with having so much power comes a lot of self-need, and having a lot of needs, the power lets me solve the problems by myself.

What I would hate, be nervous, and scared for would be the other Gods laughing at me, or being intimidated by me and running off. I would hate that, I hope they get this message, and have a positive response. This might be one of the first things I really wanted for good, and I hope they can see that in me.

Thanks for listening!

-Poseidon

Hospitality

Hello again,

Today I am feeling a bit down. I don't think that anyone realizes just how lonely it can be when you are the main man of the sea. The only thing that surrounds me is an endless view of cold water, and although that can be oddly comforting at times, it can also be depressing.

As you all know, I have quite a grudge toward Odysseus, and what I have seen lately of the man has made me even angrier. I saw him being welcomed into a palace by Menelaus, the king of Mycenaean. Menelaus does not even know Odysseus, so why is he being so kind? I even heard that without finding out who he is, he invited him to share in his feast! At first I thought that the king was just being stupid for welcoming a stranger like this, but I have realized that the reason I feel this way is because that sort of hospitality is something I have never really experienced myself.

After thinking about it, I don't get invited to go anywhere. The meetings that the Gods have together aren't really bonding times, but rather business that needs to be figured out. In fact, I don't really have any true friends. Not even my brother Zeus has time to pay attention to me very often since he has so much to do. I have already told you that I am selfish, so telling you that I am not content at the moment shouldn't be a surprise. Although I could cause a storm to kill everyone within miles of me if I wanted to, that doesn't seem to make anything change for me. I have enough power and force as anyone could need, but that doesn't mean that I am happy. It is just the way I feel, and the reason for my blogging is to express my feelings, so that is why I'm writing this.

I may brag about being ridiculously strong and able to handle pretty much anything, but being ignored is not one of those things I have under control. I am left out in all sorts of weather, and that never wares me down, but seeing Odysseus receiving such kind treatment makes me upset when I think about how I never experience such kindness. I do receive grand gestures like offerings of boar and ram, but these are almost like requirements for gods, not gifts out of pure kindness.

At the moment, I feel that if there was one thing I wanted, it would be to have my great brother Zeus to contact me and invite me over. I look up to him and it would mean a great deal if he were to show the same kindness that king Menelaus showed to Odysseus. I yearn for the kind of unconditional love that mortals seem to be able to express.

-Poseidon

Power of the Gods:

Hello everyone,

            As you all know, I am the magnificent God of the sea. Since sailing the sea is necessary for traveling almost anywhere, I am obviously the most powerful next to my brother Zeus. Though just having power doesn't automatically ensure that I am treated with as much respect and admiration as I should be. The reason why I am about to tell you a story of my recent humiliation is because I think it should be known why I and the other Gods should not be messed with. It isn't selfish to think like this, but merely my only defense against those who disrespect the power of the Gods.

            Before I get into what exactly happened, I should tell you that Odysseus, the greek king of Ithaca, has been kept captive by the nymph Calypso on the island of Ogygia for years. She stopped him from continuing his travels because she wanted him as her immortal husband. I suppose this was hard for him, but the way I look at it, he deserves it. Meanwhile, his wife and son back in Ithaca had lost all hope of ever seeing him again.

            Just the other day, I was left out of a very important decision made regarding  Odysseus's fate. The other Gods came to the conclusion that Odysseus should be freed from Calypso's holding because they felt bad for him, knowing that he had no way to leave on his own. That rapscallion, Odysseus, gets out of everything. I think that the reason for a lot of these things is because of Athena and her close watch on him, always looking out for him and helping him along in his travels.

            However, the way I look at it, Odysseus deserves to pay for blinding my son. So, you can't tell me that my following actions were out of line. As soon as I found out that Odysseus was on the loose in the water I created a very large storm in attempt to drown him with its great force. I should make it clear that I am able to crush anyone that I wish to with my powers if they choose not to listen to me. Okay, so maybe it wasn't just to kill him, but showing my strength is necessary to remind the others of my strength. And by the way, I hope that after seeing this demonstration of my power, more people will present me with offerings to show their respect, and accept me, so that I never feel left out and I can use my power for good.

            I write this blog entry today to remind everyone how important it is to show respect for not only me, but for all good gods in this community. If any one of us feels in the slightest bit ignored, there will be consequences!

Thanks again for reading!

-Poseidon

Hello readers, I am Poseidon, the mighty God of the sea.

The students at Hawken School are reading the book The Odyssey, in which I play a powerful role. The story involves the tale of a king named Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. Some, like Odysseus, believe my role is to make everyone’s life hell. However the reason for this is because I feel unappreciated. The other Gods sometimes have meetings without me because they think I will take the information I gain and use it against everyone. If they are reading this, I would like them to know that if I gained that information about the other characters journeys, I will not necessarily use it for harm. But the anger I have inside makes me want to ruin the book, hurt the characters that have previously hurt me, and stop them from accomplishing their goals.

If I were a little more accepted as part of the group of good Gods, I would feel better about myself. This is one of the reasons I started this blog, to clarify why I do some of the things I do. Also, I want the other Gods to understand that I sometimes have a stressful life just like them. I would also like Athena to hear me out, and understand I am not as bad as I may seem. I do have a lot of power and I sometimes use it in harmful ways out of frustration. Though I do understand the ways of using such power for good, which I would like people to recognize, because I am going to try to do more of that. I am not going to lie, I love getting attention, so when I stir up a massive storm, it makes me feel happy that observers are impressed with my strength. I want to be known and to be heard, it is as simple as that. In a story where I occasionally cause harm to other characters, sometimes people forget that I have reasons for doing those things. I feel like people tend to stereotype me as a mean guy, so I hope to defend myself on that account. And even if I do some horrible things, I always have my reasons.

The final reason I am beginning this blog is to let out my feelings, to have the opportunity to speak freely. Speaking out will be my own sort of therapy, to be able to do some self-reflection in attempt to understand myself better, and if other Gods and people see what is on my mind, they will understand me better. This blog will help others see all the sides to me. I want everyone to know that I have strong opinions, but am willing to listen to other sides of issues. Like I mentioned before, I am selfish. That is why I want you, my blog readers, to keep reading up on what I have to say, because there is always more to someone than you know.

Happy Blogging!

-Poseidon