Analysis Of Homer 's ' The Odyssey '

Brains over brawn, who will win this battle?Homer's tale of Odysseus' adventures in “The Odyssey” show that being intelligent and cunning can be far better than having physical strength. Being physically strong certainly has its advantages, but not in all circumstances. Strength in intelligence shows new meaning of strength. Odysseus is amused with himself when he defeats Polyphemus. His great skills with a bow outweigh the others abilities. Knowledge of the placement of his bed win his beloveds heart.

reality. He appears to Telemachus, as a beggar who is visiting the family's farm. When they are alone, Athena alters Odysseus' appearance to something so impressive that the prince wonders if he might not be a god. “Insert quote here” Then, at the palace, Eurycleia identifies Odysseus when she recognizes a scar on his leg as she bathes him; however, swears to keep the news to herself.  But, if it were not for the disguise, Odysseus would have never met Telemakhos, and would have most likely caused chaos in

A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and

“As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity. The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning. So one generation of men will grow while another dies” (6.146-50)

In the Epic, “The Odyssey", spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, "The Sirens", who challenge Odysseus 's will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, “The Cyclops", who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus 's men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, “The Land of Dead" which tested his self-restraint, and revealed his human weaknesses of sorrow. The Epic Hero, Odysseus, struggles with many challenges such as, the taunting Sirens, the brutish and cruel Cyclops, and one of the arduous territories Odysseus has ever crossed, The Land of the Dead.

Melissa Mueller, author of Recognition and the Forgotten Senses in the Odyssey, states that “Odysseus, by contrast, keeps his own body and voice. His disguise consists instead of the accelerated aging of his other attributes. Rather than taking on another’s features, he remains on the spectrum of self-sameness. Even when he is a beggar, Odysseus’s own voice appears not to have undergone any significant alteration.” (Mueller 12). Odysseys is not completely unrecognizable in his disguise. His disguise was flawed, and this was proven a number of times throughout the end of The Odyssey when he was recognized without revealing himself. Odysseus’s identity was only revealed to Telemachus. Eurycleia, his wet nurse, and Argus, his personal hunting dog, were both able to see through his disguise. Both individuals, at one point, had a very strong bond with Odysseus. Perhaps these individuals are able to see through his disguise because they knew Odysseus very well. On the other hand, Telemachus needs Odysseus to reveal his identity because he left while Telemachus was too young to have a strong bond with his father. If these individuals were able to recognize Odysseus through his disguise, Penelope, who would unarguably have the greatest bond with Odysseus would most definitely be able to see through his

In The final chapters of Odysseus's quest, the reader believes that the main character has finally found himself. The problem with his happy ending is that he has forgotten one thing. Odysseus is not perfect he is human. Though he has learned much through his perils, the vices of Pride, vengeance, and dependency, all come back to haunt him during the

he Odyssey, as written by Homer, intricately and excitingly weaves Colin Renfrew’s Subsystem Theories throughout the entire play. Many of the five subsystem theories can be seen and support understanding of the novel. Of the five systems, trade/communication, social/ political hierarchy and symbolic subsystems will be the focus of analysis in this paper. All of these subsystems come together in The Odyssey to explain the characters and their lives, and also how they fit into the society which they live in. To understand the growth and development of the characters, we must understand the systems theories, “many human actions have a meaning at several different levels, with undertones and overtones… it is the complex interconnectedness of the subsystems which gives human culture its unique potential for growth.” As this paper will demonstrate within The Odyssey, trade and communication, social and political hierarchy and lastly symbolic subsystems create adventure in Odysseus’s harrowing, yet exciting journey back to his kingdom and family. These specific subsystems add depth and excitement because we see how each specific one impacts Odysseus’s journey back home. They help us understand who Odysseus is a man and sympathize with all that he goes through. The communication subsystem helps explain how communication between people (and gods) in different lands aid to the success of his return home. We are able to see from the social subsystem how Odysseus and other men

In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.

Within the epic poem "The Odyssey", Homer presents the story of Odysseus's quest to find his home and his identity. According to Homer's account, with its origin in oral tradition, the two quests are interchangeable, as a mortal defines himself with his home, his geographic origin, his ancestors, his offspring, etc. But in addition to this Homer illustrates the other aspect of human identity, shaped by the individual and his actions so that he may be recognized in the outside world. Through this Homer presents Odysseus in two ways: the first his internally given identity as ruler and native of Ithaca, son of Laertes, father of Telemachos; the second the definition of the external world

While he is trapped in the cave with the cyclops, he has to come up with a plan so he and his crew could escape. He tells his company,"/A man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left and right"(Homer 9.340). This takes an immense amount of bravery from Odysseus to tell his shipmates because he promised that they will all get out of the cave alive. Taking his huge risk might of have concluded in the death of his crew, but he and companions later on made it out harmless. When someone is audacious they are putting themselves at harm so they could protect others. When Odysseus and his crew are leaving the island, the cyclops is angered and yells. Odysseus loudly says,"/tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes's son whose home's on Ithaca"(9.418-419). Odysseus was extremely daring to say this because he now has given Polyphemus his true identity. Odysseus wants to tell the monster who stabbed him in the eye and that anyone who messes with his crew are going to be put into a bad shape. Odysseus displays the characteristics of an epic hero because he protects his crew while putting himself in harms making him very

While earlier books in The Odyssey describe Odysseus’ fear in his own words, Book 22 is the first incident in which his fear is physically both described and displayed. This display of fear is further expressed when Athena as Mentor asks Odysseus, “Where’s it gone, Odysseus-your power, your fighting heart?” (22.236) This question not only represents the great fear circulating through the hero in the moment, but also symbolizes his hitting bottom. Athena, once greatly praising the courage of Odysseus, “hit new heights of rage” (22.234) when he became overcome with fear as more suitors and enemies gathered in the hall, waiting to kill him. Athena then goes as far as to mock the fear that overcame Odysseus when she states “now you’ve returned to your own house, your own wealth- / bewail the loss of your combat strength in a war with suitors?” (22.242-243) This emphasis on suitors shows both their inner weakness and the disgust Athena has towards them, giving Odysseus the advantage in the slaughter. This advantage is demonstrated when six of the suitors attempt to attack Odysseus and his comrades with spears, “but Athena sent the whole salvo wide of the mark” (22.269). Immediately after, Odysseus and his comrades return the attack and successfully kill four of the opposing men. After another round of slaughtering success, Odysseus begins to overcome the fear of the Supreme Ordeal. This fear is not lost; however, for it is turned around and placed on the remaining suitors by Athena when she terrifies “the suitors out of their minds, and down the hall they panicked- / wild, like herds stampeding, driven mad as the darting gadfly / strikes in the late spring when the ling days come round” (22.313-315). As the suitors coward in fear, the rush

As Odysseus travels from one Greek city to the next, the native citizens inquire about his identity and family. Although Odysseus has not seen his native land in twenty years, he defines himself as the product of family: either the son of Laertes or the father of Telemachus. Odysseus is treated like family in the foreign lands he visits. Telemachus embarks on an adventure of his own and is accepted by Nestor and Menelaus, especially because his father suffered through the Trojan War along with the two kings. Family is at the heart of decisions, central in society, creates a frame of reference for individual members of society, and is a source of learning. Family, the central theme in The Odyssey, connects individuals, cities, and gods to one another and is a driving force in decisions and emotional reactions.

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long journey home. The Epic also includes the stories of Odysseus’ family left behind: the travels of his son, Telemachus, and how plenty, of what we would now call “home wreckers”, suitors pressured his wife, Penelope, into marrying one of them. The characters are beautifully crafted and the story is truly epic. All the elements presented can bring in any reader from any century, the Cyclops, the Gods, the trickery of Penelope, and the disguises of Odysseus, are all legendary literary hooks . There are many things to learn—about writing, about the world around us, the world ahead of us, and the past behind us—from The Odyssey. (26) It is undeniably evident that this ancient text has

The Odyssey was written by Homer. This epic has many chapters, or books, that tell Odysseus story after the Trojan War ended. In this story, we learned how Odysseus at first was trapped in an island by Calypso. Then throughout the chapters, or the books, we see how Odysseus struggles to get back home to his wife and son. We see Odysseus conquer many obstacles along the way; we even learn how his entire crew dies. As we approach the middle of the book written by Homer we learn that Odysseus gets back to Ithaca. When he gets there, he does not reveal his identity to anyone; including an old friend of his known as Eumaeus. When Odysseus reaches his old friends house, Odysseus tells Eumaeus a fake story of who he was and were he comes from. This