Message from mmoody

[Anonymous]

Comparing the Coming of Age Journeys of Chihiro in Spirited Away and Telemachus in The Odyssey

It may come of no surprise to most of you that I am yet again drawing a reference to Homer’s The Odyssey. It is a text that I picked up solely because I was going to teach it, and determined to find a way to get my students excited about it, found myself falling in love with its tales of adventure, adversity, and morality. I had to love it before I could teach it, but I found that even that was not enough. I had to find a way to make my kids relate to it, to connect it to their lives. And therefore, because I have researched it so thoroughly, and because I have spent so many hours finding ways in which it connected to today’s youth, it is only second nature for me to relate what I experience to it.

My favorite lesson with The Odyssey deals with the first four books. In the first four books, Athena finds Telemachus hopeless and depressed with the current suitor situation at his father’s palace. He cannot stand up to them as his father would have, and because he lacks the strength and courage to get rid of them, they are eating he and his mother out of house and home, while destroying this home in the process. You see, Odysseus was a great and powerful man, quick of wit and swift in battle. As far as Telemachus has heard, there wasn’t anything that Odysseus couldn’t do. And shoes like that are pretty hard to fill, especially for a young boy who is all alone.

But, with Athena’s help, Telemachus sets off in search of his father, knowing that if he can find him and bring him home alive, then there might be a chance to finally save his mother from a forced marriage and be rid of the suitors. What Telemachus finds on his journey is not his father, but himself. He gains courage and strength in character. And most importantly, he gains the respect of those he encounters along his way. It is this journey that allows Telemachus to pass his father’s test and help fight off the suitors.

Just as Athena helps Telemachus on his journey, Haku helps Chihiro on her journey. When the film begins, Chihiro is lost and incapable of helping her family return home. She too lacks courage and belief in herself. But step by step she finds the strength inside her to do what she must in order to save her family and her home. And just as Telemachus gains the respect of those around him, so too does Chihiro gain the respect of everyone she encounters.

Clearly there are parallels between the two stories that would easily allow for the inclusion of Spirited Away in a unit on The Odyssey. What might also be fun would be to look at the cultural uses of mythology and fantasy. There may be similarities in how the Greeks understood Gods and how the Japanese understand spirits.

I think students would really have some fun with these two stories and exploring the transformations each character makes. They also could get out a lot of good writing in the process.