Alternative Motives of Athene in The Odyssey — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Alternative Motives of Athene in The Odyssey

Name: Emily June
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Kenosha
Faculty Sponsor: Dimitri Shapovalov
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This piece was written during our reading of Homer’s The Odyssey. I was inspired to write about this particular topic due to a discussion that we had in class regarding who the true protagonist was in the epic. This greatly challenged my thinking and provided me with a different perspective, viewing the poem from an angle in which Athene is the main character. I began to ponder Athene’s role in The Odyssey, resisting the commonly held belief that she is a mentor to Odysseus. While she does have this role, my analysis led me to believe that she plays a larger part and has motives of her own. I explore this further in my essay. In the process of writing this piece, I experienced the value of finding unique perspectives. When one challenges assumptions about a text, there are several avenues for exploration that one can delve into in order to experience changing their perspective and learning something new. I have found this concept to be highly applicable not just in analyzing literature, but in my daily life. Finding new and unique perspectives has improved my reading, interpersonal skills, and my ability to understand others.

Poster file