Changing The Importance Of The Destination In Homer's Odyssey

Journeys can include those that are physical, mental or inner and are often accompanied by challenges that can change the individual mostly for the better. Journeys are taken for many reasons, some are taken from choice and others are compulsory. A journey can be lone or be accompanied. The outcomes of journeys may shape the individual as a person.

Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and

Odysseus's voyage had to be completed before saving his people, while Moses' exodus and his people's salvation were simultaneous. In either case, the journey is vital to the hero in order for him to undergo a personal transformation into the legendary hero they became.

Imagine a life without television, no internet, no cell phones, no radio, no movies, and no video games. This was the life during the Odyssey. The storytelling in the Odyssey gave Greek society a way of entertainment. Men, woman, and children would listen to these stories with attentiveness and would then share them throughout their lives. These stories were told in many ways such as in poems, songs, and tales. If not for storytelling in the Odyssey, the story of Odysseus would be a lot shorter, as well as insignificant to Greek society. The storytelling in the Odyssey knitted the life of Odysseus together, and gave many moral lessons and

1. In a world governed by the gods, is there any room for human will?

Novelist and poet, Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “The only journey is the one within”(Rainer Maria Rilke Quotes). Meaning, what makes a journey important is how one changes and learns from the experience. The claims made in this quote are well proven in relatively new literature and even one of the oldest poems still studied today. The Odyssey is a famous, well known epic poem. It was written by the renowned poet, Homer, in ancient greek times. The Odyssey follows a man known as Odysseus, he just left fighting in the Trojan war after years. Odysseus has quite the adventure due to the gods’ and goddesses’ constant manipulation, all in the hope of reaching his homeland, Ithaca, and beloved family. Quite the opposite, much younger and shorter “The Journey” is a poem written by Mary Oliver in the 1900s. This poem relays what a journey really is and the purpose of going on journeys. Despite the differences between The Odyssey and “The Journey”, the two both use figurative language to convey a very similar message. People embark on journeys to fill an empty void and learn what they appreciate in life.

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.

Even great heroes must face difficult challenges, and even great heroes receive advice on how to overcome them. In “the Odyssey,” written by Homer, the hero Odysseus faced three different adversaries on his way back to Ithaca: the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. The goddess Circe advises Odysseus on how to overcome them.

The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a

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

Sing I me, Muse, and through me tell the story of the lady nymph goddess Calypso. Oh so beautiful and immortal who lives in the sea- hollowed caves on the island Ogygia. She craved the hero of Troy, king of Ithaka, son of Laertes, a mortal and took him as her own. Nine long years they spent on the island together.

The journey is significant because it is the main plot of the protagonist, and makes the main character progress. Without this, there is no reason for the main character to struggle. Although not all folklore has one main protagonist, many of them still have the hero’s journey, such as cinderella progressing and going to the ball, or hansel and gretel defeating the witch. Hansel and gretel started in their father’s house(known world), and their refusal to defeat the witch started when they were led into the woods and found their way back home(Call to action and refusal.) Soon after, the next time they were led out, their way back was lost(threshold.)

Traveling from one place to another, physically moving, is beneficial in changing scenery and changing perspective however, physical travel is not the only travel that brings about a positive change in people. Metaphysical travel, also known as a mental or spiritual exploration, is just as powerful as a physical one. Dante, in his epic poem Inferno, and Odysseus, in the epic tale written by Homer known as The Odyssey, experience travel in the physical and mental state. Dante travels through Purgatory, Hell, and Heaven upon force to reevaluate where he has come in his life. Dante’s journey forces him to think about the cost of decisions each person makes in this life that affects the next one. Odysseus is physically separated from his family and most go through mental and physical obstacles to get back to them. He must figure out what he wants most and find the strength to fight for it. Though Dante and Odysseus experience contrasting adventures and tribulations both individual’s journeys change their future courses and give them enlightenment into the rest of their lives. Both forms of travel are valid for growth and necessary to bring about positive and new perspective to Dante and Odysseus.

There are many ways to interpret The Odyssey as allegory for life’s journey. It can be seen as a long and strenuous hike with many hardships to get to something much

Every human being that has ever lived has gone through that life changing event that immediately changes the way of living. The loss of a family member, a break up, or even the loss of a close friendship. Whatever the situation, atonement can be made. Even though the goal gets the character to the desired place, the journey itself is more important because it teaches the character more about life, and the state of living more than the goal does. After reading The Odyssey by Homer, the same question of whether the journey or the goal was more important continually came to mind, and the story helped to conclude the answer.