Essay Questions

Why is Athene (the goddess of wisdom) punishing Medusa by converting her into a dangerous monster?

Medusa is an innocent girl who is the only mortal in a family of gods. Unfortunately, she is raped inside the temple by a powerful male Greek god. The goddess of wisdom gets angry at Medusa because she does sexual intercourse in the temple and decides to punish her by turning her into a deadly monster.

How does the author build the theme of power in the novel Stone Blind?

Initially, all the characters in Stone Blind are immortal gods with unique features. Medusa, the only mortal character at the beginning, is later converted into a dangerous monster. As the reader explores the novel, he realizes that all the characters are powerful in one way or the other. For instance, Athene, the god of wisdom, can convert mortal beings into monsters. In addition, Greek male gods such as Poseidon can rape any mortal female for fun. Similarly, a character like Zeus can command the sea. Therefore, power rests on every character and is often used for destructive purposes.

Illustrate how the author uses the literary element paradox.

The primary irony in the novel is that the goddess of wisdom is subjective when rendering a punishment for the unforgivable sin that takes place inside the temple. Having sexual intercourse inside the temple is prohibited, and the punishment offered to culprits is brutal. Ironically, the goddess of wisdom selectively punishes an innocent girl, Medusa, for a mistake she never intended to commit. The goddess of wisdom does not extend any punishment to Poseidon, who is the main sexual assaulter.