ipl-logo

Book Review: Athena-Encountering The Mind Of A Mollusk

1422 Words6 Pages

Chapter One: Athena-Encountering the Mind of a Mollusk
This story begins at the New England Aquarium, in Boston. This is where the courtship with octopuses began for author Sy Montgomery. It started with an octopus named Athena. Octopuses are part of the invertebrate family. For numerous years, the octopus was considered an eminently dangerous sea going animal. Although, Montgomery would initiate contact with Athena and it was far from dangerous. An octopus has a multitude of traits and talents. Octopuses have diverse personalities and act differently in relation to those they trust. Octopuses are remarkably intelligent, and are known to be an escape-artist. Furthermore, it is essential to keep an octopus entertained or they become bored. Montgomery started to form a friendship with Athena, however, Athena would die before their fourth meeting.

This chapter was extremely interesting. I had already learned a number of facts about octopuses. Although, I did not know that they are venomous or that they lived such short lives. Nor did I know that they could fit through small holes or that they could be friendly and like to play.

Chapter Two: Octavia-This Shouldn’t Be Happening: Tasting Pain, Seeing Dreams
Athena would be replaced by Octavia. Octavia was not sociable like Athena, at first. Contradictory to Athena, she did not grow up at the aquarium. She was captured in the wild. Octopuses get along with the sunflower sea star, anemones, and starfish. Fish and other animals,

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Intelligence In The Odyssey

    407 Words  | 2 Pages

    A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Athena And Penelope In Homer's Odyssey

    1380 Words  | 6 Pages

    World Literature Paper – Role of Athena and Penelope in The Odyssey Homer’s, The Odyssey is an epic which was written many years ago. At that time, in Ancient Greek society, the dominant role was played by men and the women were considered and given an inferior position. But The Odyssey was often considered a women’s epic because women played an important role. Women in The Odyssey are portrayed as powerful, wise and controlling because they ensure that the illusion of male success will go on - they speak as men through women.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Coming Of Age Analysis

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena disguises herself and reveals to Telemachus that his father is alive but tells him to sail in search of more information, “Do you hear me: As a goddess, yesterday/ you came to us, command me to sail/ across the shadowed sea, that I might learn/ about my long-gone father’s coming home” (32). Athena has Telemachus best interest at heart and by commanding him to find his father she played a big role in helping him shape himself and grow into the man he was destined to be. He takes Athenas’ advice and finally comes to the realization that he needs to stand up to the suitors, “Throughout all those years/ when I was still a boy, you suitors squandered/ the riches that were mine. But I am grown;/ and listening to the words of others, I/ can understand…” (33). Telemachus then sets off to find more information on his father and his possible whereabouts “I’ll come fetch what you’ve prepared.

    Read More

  • Sepia Apama Essay

    732 Words  | 3 Pages

    Australian Giant Cuttlefish are in the following taxons, being ordered largest to smallest, Animalia, Mollusca, Cephalopoda, Sepioloida,Sepiidae,Sepia, lastly Apama. Their scientific name is, Sepia apama coming from their genus and species. Sepia apama is found about 100 meters under water around the southern coasts of Australia and Tanzania, in the seagrass beds of these coastal waters. Sepia apama typically eat small like crabs organisms called, crustaceans, and small fish. Sepia apama has predators in its own environment and hides from predators in an unusual way.

    Read More

  • Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Squidward Tentacles

    1458 Words  | 6 Pages

    (a) General Description of the Person Squidward Tentacles is one of the main characters of the children television cartoons, SpongeBob SquarePants. He is a turquoise-colored, six-legged octopus living in a Moai in Bikini Bottom, the town the show is featuring. As a neighbor of the main character SpongeBob SquarePants and his friend Patrick, Squidward is featured in many of the episodes of the show. It is often seen that Squidward is the grumpy and hot-tempered one in the show, often keeping to himself by staying in his home as well as shutting down his neighbours who constantly play near his home. Despite both SpongeBob and Patrick claiming that Squidward is one of their good friends, the feeling is not mutual.

    Read More

  • Athena Intervention In The Odyssey

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Athena, knowing that she set up everything perfectly, helps Oddyseus finally get the help he needs from King Alcinous and his people in order to bring him closer to home. Another way Athena shows her cunning strategies is in Book 7 as she covers Odysseus in a mist and disguises herself as a little girl as they go into town to see the king and queen of Scheria. …says, “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path” (7.15-17). Athena, drifting the mist around Odysseus, helps him traverse smoother and easier into town. This allowed him to concentrate on how he is going to present himself to King Alcinous instead of

    Read More

  • The Cyclops In The Odyssey

    448 Words  | 2 Pages

    That Odysseus is depicted as not just strong, but smart, shows that extreme intelligence was praised in Greek culture. The Cyclops was

    Read More

  • The Gods And Mortals In Homer's The Odyssey

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Gilgamesh And The Odyssey

    1343 Words  | 6 Pages

    First, we saw this direct interaction between Athena, the goddess of wisdom and Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. Athena took the form of Mentes and appeared to Telemachus, to inspire him to call an assembly and disapprove of his mother’s suitors, and for him to commission a boat and crew to travel to Sparta and the sands of Pylos in search of news of his father (Homer

    Read More

  • Examples Of Persuasion In The Odyssey

    877 Words  | 4 Pages

    Athena first plays the role of the puppeteer when she persuades Zeus to send Hermes to Calypso’s island to persuade Calypso to release Odysseus. Athena has always been a fan of Odysseus and his family, due to his tactical mind, so when she saw Odysseus in need, she wanted to help. Athena shows her persuasive nature when she says to her father, Zeus, “But my heart breaks for Odysseus, … far from his loved ones still, he suffers torments off on a wave-washed island rising at the center of the

    Read More

  • Conversation Between Athena And Odysseus In The Book 13

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    The conversation between Athena and Odysseus in the middle of book 13 reveals how each of them feels and thinks about the other at this stage in the epic. When Athena is first coming to meet Odysseus, after he has landed on Ithaca, she decides not to appear as herself to Odysseus, but first as a “young man… a shepherd boy”, and she then changes back to herself (13.252). She does this to get an honest opinion from him, as if she had appeared as a god, he might not have been honest with her. She also wants to hear his story, and see if he is actually thinking about her. After he does not “recognize” her because of her “endless” shapes, she is angry with him and accuses him of “never getting tired of twists and tricks” (13.340,56,32).

    Read More

  • Father Son Relationships In The Odyssey

    1322 Words  | 6 Pages

    76-98). Similar to xenia, tradition is also shown through their relationship. One example of the traditions passed down through each generation which is proven by Telemachus speaking to Athena as his guest: “My dear guest, you speak to me as kindly as a father to his son. I will not

    Read More

  • Athena's Role In The Odyssey

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    She stayed present through the entire book playing a very important role in the story as she mentored both Odysseus and Telemachus in their journey to reach each other and regain their place in the palace. Above all Athena is the true hero in the Odyssey as multiple times she would be admired for her noble guidance, strategies, and loyalty. Right away in book 1 we see Athena showing her true heroism as she leads

    Read More

  • Symbolism In 'The Oyster' By Anton Chekhov

    1205 Words  | 5 Pages

    The anonymous boy reveals his illiterate, ignorant, and underprivileged attributes as he struggles to realize the definition of oyster. He hollers, “A strange word! I had lived in the world eight years and three months, but had never come across that word.”, to indicate the unfortunate inability to purchase or be educated. ‘Eight years and three months’ describes a long period of time where the boy by now should realize the meaning of oyster already because oyster is a common food that people generally consume it. The boy then curiously asks his father what oysters mean, but his father lethargically answers, “It is an animal . . .

    Read More

More about Book Review: Athena-Encountering The Mind Of A Mollusk

Open Document