For our final creative project, I chose to paint a canvas with a theme stemming from The Penelopiad. In the story, Penelope tells of how she was born from her mother, a Naiad, and her father, King Icarius of Sparta. Her father ordered for Penelope to be thrown into the sea so that his shroud would live forever. A flock of purple-striped ducks rescued Penelope and brought her to shore. Because of this she earned herself the nickname, duck, from her father. Later in the story, Helen is referred to as a swan, which is regarded as far more beautiful than a duckling. The swan and ugly duckling is a metaphor for the family rivalry that occurs several times throughout this novel as well as multiple time throughout this course. Penelope expresses her …show more content…
She had a distinctive swaying walk and she was exaggerating it. Although mine was the marriage in question, she wanted all the attention for herself. She was as beautiful as usual, indeed more so: she was intolerably beautiful. She was dressed to perfection: Menelaus, her husband, always made sure of that, and he was rich as stink so he could afford it. She tilted her face towards me, looking at me whimsically as if she were flirting. I suspect she used to flirt with her dog, with her mirror, with her comb, with her bedpost. She needed to keep in practice. 'I think Odysseus would make a very suitable husband for our little duckie,' she said”. Young girls being jealous of other young women is something very common in today’s society and it is something important to address. I appreciate that in later chapters of the book we learn the intelligence and the other valuable qualities Penelope has to offer. She starts out as a child being thrown into the water by her father, but she is saved by a flock of ducks, which is why I chose to also include them in my painting. The little flock of ducks, though small like Penelope, saved her from her terrible