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3 Riff Coggle - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Stone Garden: While the sense of loneliness doesn't necessarily come from Medusa's untimely death. It still deals with that element as she does die in the story where she then meets Odysseus in the underworld.
  - - - Circe: Circe becomes lonely without Odysseus to be with her any longer. As Odysseus finally left Circe to go home to his family and kingdom. Circe desperately desires nothing more than to have him with her once again and is willing to give up her powers, islands and other belongings for even his glance.
        
        They all present these themes of loneliness very strongly in their emotional presentations in the stories
        
        While these two stories don't share the connection of death they do however connect in that both main characters get their sense of loneliness and desire from living life in the absence of another person
      - Stone Garden: Medusa reminisces on her once normal and popular friend and family filled life. She misses this due to her ability and becomes increasingly lonely in her growing "stone garden". She longs and desires a visitor that she may have a relationship with
      - Penelope's Elegy: Odysseus returns home from his long arduous journey only to find that his beloved wife Penelope has died. Odysseus then has to live with Penelope's ghost wandering the halls of their home. Odysseus speaks of how he desires so much to be able to kiss and hold her once again, but is unable to touch or look at her for too long as it is disgraceful to acknowledge the dead.
- - - - While the story is quite short it discusses quite a bit of her backstory, but it starts with her meeting Odysseus while he is on his journey through the land of the dead after leaving Circe's island
        
        Why does she call herself a gardener? Why is it named "Stone Garden"
        
        This has to do with Medusa's unique ability or rather curse of turning anyone to see her eyes into stone.
        
        "Sometimes I thought I heard the footsteps of tentative guests, unsure of their welcome, and my heart quickened. But when I went to meet them the footsteps stopped, leaving only their echo among the multiplying statues of the garden. I hissed and cried my frustration and the days were long for me."
        
        She Discusses how she was very beautiful and had many suitors in her past. A time filled with people, joy. Then she refers to a powerful and jealous rival. She then states afterward she retired to her island where she was alone. This takes place after the story of Medusa being raped by Poseidon. She was then wrongfully turned into the snake haired gorgon Medusa by Athena. Athena did this to cover up Poseidon's misdoings
        
        She then retires to her island and tediously tends to each and every tree and stone on the island. Then due to her ability her visitors turn into a "Stone Garden"
        
        The story goes on to talk about how Medusa is killed by Perseus although he isn't mentioned by name in the story. Then Hermes appears to lead her to the underworld even though he states "I had hoped not to see you again." In reference to the time where they had been lovers. Hermes then takes her to the Underworld where she will eventually encounter Odysseus when this story takes place
- - - - "I would give up rock-fringes of coral and the innermost chamber of my island palace and my own gifts and the whole region of my power and magic for your glance."
- - - - Odysseus walks straight onto Ithaca spear in hand to fly through the first man to cross his path in his walk back to his palace and his beloved wife Penelope. He is greeted by a crowd of his kinsmen excitedly greeting him when he notices his wife Penelope lingering shyly in the back of the crowd. He rushes towards her and reaches for her cheek when she avoids his touch. It is the next day when they show Odysseus her grave.
        
        Odysseus then realizes he is only seeing an apparition of his former wife Penelope which would explain him saying "hardly aged and oddly quiet". Odysseus continues to see her ghost wander the house staring out the window, running her fingertips over familiar items.
        
        He continues to live with the ghost of Penelope wandering the house, and although he desires more than anything to touch, and kiss her. He knows that if he were to act on his desires she would turn to nothing but mere smoke and ash.
        
        It is also stated that "nothing is more disgraceful than to acknowledge the presence of the dead." While it is not stated why it can be assumed that the dead want to be left alone to their wanderings.