Essay on Homer's Odyssey: Exploring Our Social Roots

Homer 's epic, 'The Odyssey ', is a lengthy poem that recounts the Trojan war hero, Odysseus ' arduous and protracted journey home to Ithaca. In it, Homer accentuates the somewhat feudal nature of his world, a societal structure that far more resembles his own than that which actually existed in Mycenaean Greece, less to supplement the story, but rather to serve as the primary focus. Despite the feudal qualities of the world that Homer relates, the poem is almost entirely devoid of class conscious thinking. Instead, the primary source of structure comes from the household. The 'Odyssey ' serves as something of a champion for the oixos (Ancient Greek for the household

The Odyssey by Homer is a literary classic that presents many themes about the natures of both man and god. Although the characters of the book display characteristics relatable to those of the people today, one of the most prevalent differences between the two eras and their people is the intense violence that takes place throughout the entirety of the epic. This violence serves several functions in the work as a whole. The violence that is enacted upon the characters of The Odyssey serve as a device to convey the Greek cultural value of reverence of the gods and as a method for the author to create nuances to his characters.

Throughout the epic Homeric poem, The Odyssey of Homer, Odysseus is a hero known for his cunningness, vigilance, and overall attainment of homecoming. Odysseus’ journey home is one of many mental and physical tests that which involve numerous encounters with others whose characters are in opposition with his. It is important to understand that through his encounters with certain opposing characters, Odysseus’ qualities of possessing heroism and cleverness are vividly portrayed. In this instance, the characterization of Odysseus will be discussed in terms of how Agamemnon’s, Odysseus’ companions’, and the suitors’ characters reinforce Odysseus’ cleverness, prudence and heroism, as well as his avoidance of self-destruction and attainment of homecoming.

Hospitality shaped Greek life. This unspoken code, highly valued in Greek society, established responsibilities for both guests and hosts. Demonstrating generosity and kindness, honorable hosts offered their guests extravagant feasts, luxurious baths, and lavish housing. In response, gracious guests showed courtesy and respect to their hosts by refraining from abusing the hospitality extended towards them. Hospitality reveals the moral character of both hosts and guests in the Homerian epic The Odyssey.

Odysseus frequently displays hubris as a result of his tremendous courage and justifiable pride throughout books 9-12 of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, although this flaw reveals that even heroes can have imperfections. For instance, concealing his identity is key to Odysseus defeating the Cyclops, however his arrogance leads him to reveal himself as a “raider of cities” (9.561), demonstrating his desire to be recognized for his destructive power. Furthermore, even though he only flatters himself, Odysseus successfully motivates his men in the face of yet another threat, by boasting that his “tactics saved [them] all” (12.230), as if his actions alone rescued the rest of his crewmates. Odysseus’ crew admires him for his fearlessness, and they

Throughout history, tales of great heros, gruesome monsters, beautiful enchantresses, and mighty gods have been told. One such tale that is very important to the greeks is the Odyssey. The main character, “Odysseus, was very important to the greeks because he was relatable to the greeks because he was a mortal man who relied not on superhuman strength, but the power of his own mind” (Mr. Carroll). Although clever, Odysseus has many flaws, and because he was greedy, arrogant, and he lets his crew die, Odysseus is not a hero.

A Question of Pride From his heroic deeds to his prowess in war, there is no doubt that Odysseus is an epic hero. Though his actions also led to another characteristic, those similar to Macbeth. In the epic “The Odyssey” by Homer, we follow Odysseus in his reluctant voyage to Troy, and more importantly his long and arduous journey back home. During which he faces the gods’ wrath and witnesses the death of all his crew along with it, before finally returning back to Ithaca to see his family and low Odysseus in his reluctant voyage to Troy, and importantly his long and arduous journey back home. Through Odysseus’ pride, the consequences of his actions, and his enlightenment the reader can see Odysseus as a tragic hero.

In the Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays the gods with human like qualities, including wrath, lust, love, and several others. However, their human qualities make apparent that several of the gods are flawed. The commonality of a flawed nature is no exception for Odysseus. At the start of his journey, he is rash, arrogant, and reacts with anger to several situations. Through numerous trials and tribulations encountered during his odyssey, Odysseus demonstrated restraint and patience upon returning to Ithaca which ultimately allowed him to defeat the suitors.

Odysseus, the main character and the hero of the epic, The Odyssey, is the leader of a fleet of men who tend to get themselves in many wild shenanigans and setbacks. Although he does get and at his men, he understands the human nature of his men, and do want the best for them. This task of keeping his men alive is made easier by the fact that Odysseus is naturally a heroic person and leader. He is willing to do or go anywhere to ensure the safety of his men and a higher chance of arriving at their home, Ithaka. Thus, throughout the course of Book 10, Odysseus has shown to readers that he justifies the traits that originates from being a brave and caring leader.

The topic of this essay is about The Odyssey. As Odysseus continues his journey home he has no idea what 's heading his way. He loses, gains, and learns new skills and things that have changed him tremendously. He was not the same man he was twenty years ago. He shows archetypes of a hero to his disappearing crew. Then he shows it to his family member. How much can change in twenty years? Apparently a lot can transform a man who has had crazy experiences. This story was about three-thousand years ago. The people were called the Greeks. The Greeks valued their gods very much. They had many values to honor such as hospitality or sacrifices. They were very kind people. Although they like war, they like peace better. The Odyssey is an Epic

The Odyssey, in essence, is a tale of Journeying. After Odysseus has endured countless near death experiences, he lands in the land of the Phoenicians. We follow Odysseus and his crew as he recounts his laborious journey from war and violence, to home; his wife and son. We are forced to understand the importance of each of Odysseus’s trials, from the battle with the Ciconians, to the underworld, to his seven year stay with the witch-goddess, Circe, and finally to match his own wife’s suitors at his home in Ithaca. Odysseus’ wanderings are equally as important as the stops between. The relevance and importance of Odysseus’ courage and cunning in each of his trials and journeys

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus is a mixture of twists and turns. Undoubtedly, he displays tremendous cleverness. In fact, his unmatched shrewdness often results in an unwise or foolish outcome. The poem encourages the reader to give up black and white conclusions about the protagonist. In fact, categorizing acts of courage and foolishness is a difficult task in The Odyssey. Odysseus’ adventures reveal a multifaceted character comprised of wisdom and foolishness.

Many say Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, is a hero. In fact, he is one of the most well known epic heroes. But this statement is only highlighting his few heroic qualities when it is very clear that he has far more unheroic qualities. Of which make him much less of a hero than people think. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus, and his crew are on a difficult and seemingly endless journey back home to Ithaca after the victory in the 10 years long Trojan War. During the story, Odysseus made it seemingly obvious that he was untrustworthy, reckless and vengeful. These are all qualities that make up a very unheroic character.

The Iliad, a great epic poem written by Homer, illustrates the honor system valued deeply by the Greeks and Trojans. Though Homer uses Hector as a voice piece for the honor system, he presents Hector and other characters as heroes that conflict with the code itself. Through Hector’s conversation with Paris, we identify the three main components that codes the honor system. In other great epic poems, great heroes appear to possess and suffice the components. Yet, Homer chooses to do the exact opposite. In The Iliad, the heroes , such as, Paris, Diomedes, and Hector himself, conflict with the codes. Homer criticizes the Greek honor system by contradicting the system through these conflicted heroes.

Homer 's Odyssey is a very important work of literature, it is about the facts and the adventures of the hero Odysseus, who after fighting at Troy next models Achaeans, tries to return to his home in Ithaca. This Greek hero is characterized by numerous qualities as his cunning, his intelligence was extremely shrewd. Odysseus was a mature man and not so young. The man of the century lacks some of these qualities that are not put into practice. Odysseus is mainly identified by a number of values.