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NEWS
| April 24
Student Organizations
Classics club reads ‘original
survivor story’
The Homerathon, featuring The
Odyssey, has people standing in the rain to continue a 2,700 year
old tradition.
By Jessica
Smith
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Spanish freshman Matt Good spent part of
Tuesday reading The Odyssey in the rain to continue a very old tradition
— 2,700 years old to be exact.
“This is the original survivor story,” said Laura Cleveland,
a 1998 classical studies alumna.
Cleveland and Good, along with about 60 other speakers, began reading
the classic epic by Homer during the UTA Classics Club’s annual
Homerathon. The recitation of The Odyssey lasted from 7 a.m. to
10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The event is meant to introduce people to Homer and the classics,
Cleveland said. In past years, people often stopped to listen or
ask questions about the story, she said, but the bad
weather resulted in less interest this year.
The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’ journey back to his native
island of Ithaca from the ruined city of Troy at the end of the
Trojan War. Along the way, he encounters a variety of mythical creatures
and landmarks, including the singing Sirens, a deadly whirlpool
called Charybdis and the monster Scylla, who eats some of his men.
Eventually, Odysseus returns to find several suitors who thought
he was dead and were trying to convince his wife, Penelope, to marry
them. After disguising himself as a beggar, he wins an archery contest,
reveals himself and subsequently kills all the suitors.
People outside the university are also involved in the project,
including Brandi Ball, a Whitney High School sophomore who designed
this year’s T-shirts. She said she has several reasons for
enjoying the story, especially Scylla and Charybdis.
“It’s got suspense, too,” she said.
Ball was involved in last year’s event as well and decided
to come back because she enjoys the speakers, who often crack jokes
about the story.
“There’s a lot of interaction,” she said.
Cleveland said the Greeks were clever writers and basically channeled
their wisdom into classic texts, including The Odyssey.
“There are a lot of good words to live by,” she said.
The Odyssey has always been the selection of choice because it is
the only classic of its type that can be read in one day. Cleveland
said Homer’s other classic, The Iliad, normally takes three
days to read.
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