Examples Of Motif In The Odyssey

Often consequences of actions are not considered until they make themselves known and are something of a joke until they begin to have effects. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Odysseus, the main character who has been on a harrowing journey for nearly half of his life, is trying to make it back to his home in Ithaca. On his way, he comes across many difficult trials in which he has to make decisions that will either improve his journey, or elongate it. The gods, specifically Poseidon, are not particularly fond of him, either, so that only causes the already terrifying outcomes to become worse. Odysseus is not a man who is known for his good decisions because he continually does not learn from his mistakes

Temptation, the most salient element that contributes to the theme, steers us immeasurably distant from rectitude. For example, in Sailing from Troy, when Odysseus says “What of those years of rough adventure, weathered under Zeus?”(lines 38-39) Homer uses a rhetorical question to emphasize the theme of loyalty. As a huge part of his journey, Odysseus’

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

“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection,” said Thomas Paine. This quote by Thomas Paine means someone who is of good nature sees trouble they become brave. Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, agrees with this quote because whenever Odysseus sees trouble he can make a plan and becomes brave. His plans show how in great danger he can become brave and find a way through. The minor characters are played major roles in revealing Odysseus’s heroic traits such as bravery, trickery, loyalty.

The Odyssey by Homer is much like the everyday journey in our lives. This novel is a great example of everyday hardships because Odysseus and his crew go through many difficult times where they have to make the right or wrong decision. Just like how my friends and I have to make very hard choices everyday at school and even on the weekends not at school. During these high school years and even after my high school career and move on to my actual life. There will still be choices that I am going to have to make that can change my life just like Odysseus and his journey trying to head back home to his family.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Homer includes many symbols, motifs, and values that were very prominent in the ancient Greek world. Specifically, he packs a lot of these into Penelope’s vivid dream of her twenty geese. This part of the epic offers us heaps of imagery and indirect characterization that directly links in with the events and motifs in the book, as well as Penelope as a character. In modern society, sleep is oftens something we glance over.

The Adventures of Odyssey In "The Odyssey", Odyssey tells of his crazy adventures on his way home, and at his last stop before he arrived home he had lost his ship and the many men along side of him. Odyssey ended up telling his adventures to a man who offered him a ship if Odyssey could give him some interesting stories to talk about. When eading the three of the many adventures, you could relate, "The Lotus-Eaters", "The Sirens", and "The Cyclops", to life lessons you may or have already learned in modern day.

In The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus must make it back to his home in Ithaca after the battle of Troy. Along his journey, he encounters obstacles that require the upmost perseverance and willpower to survive. Some of these obstacles include a giant cyclops who wants to eat him, lotus-eating peoples that drug his crew, violent storms that

In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail,

Perseverance is a human quality expressed in The Odyssey that the Greeks valued. As Charybdis sucked up the water and everything in it, Odysseus “sprang for the great fig tree…nowhere had [he] to stand, no way of climbing…but [he] clung grimly” (807-813). Odysseus was determined to make it back to his wife and he wouldn’t let even a great force like Charybdis stop him from that. With sheer willpower he hung on to that branch for hours and hours until the monster spit out his raft. When his ship landed in Thrinacia, Odysseus warned his crew that “the cattle here are not for [their] provision, or [they] pay dearly for it” (676-677). Odysseus’ crew were tired and hungry hence they wanted to stop as long as they promised to not slaughter Helios’ cattle for food. Hunger overcame them and Odysseus was the only one who resisted the temptation of a nice meal in order to live one more day. The desire to survive and achieve is a characteristic of an

All odysseys tell the story of a great adventure; in-fact the word odyssey literally defines as a heroic adventure filled with notable events and hardships. Likewise in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not permitted to arrive home until he overcomes his biggest challenge, fixing his prideful attitude. The purpose of the passage found in Book V lines 65-102, is to reinforce Odysseus’ image as an epic hero and his loyalty to his family and homeland, in spite of challenges that arise that attempt to deter him from returning home. The structure and language utilised by Homer builds up the meaning of the passage; creating a contrast from the lush and enchanting feel of the goddess Calypso’s estate, to the grief of Odysseus being away from his homeland Ithaca and his family, including his loyal wife Penelope.

His men eating the lotuses and him resisting the temptation relates to peer pressure that students in modern day experience. Thoughtout life we are all put into situations where we have to choose between right and wrong. The Odyssey showed that even if those around you are making bad decisions, that does not mean you have to. Also, when he is in Helio’s Castle he resists the urge to eat because he is aware of the consequences. It is very important to be aware of what happens when you break the rules then, and

Homer’s tales of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” are famous even to today, and that reason can be attributed to both of the stories for their inspirations that went with the common themes of many Greek stories; heroes, character flaws, and a story that keeps you wanting more as you continue to read, cheering the hero of the story onward. The story has a certain thrill to it that makes you want more of it, one that comes from worrying about the safety of Odysseus and the Greeks, yet despite how much the odds were stacked against them, they managed to overcome all of the trials set in front of them. The tales of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” were inspirational because they made you cheer for the underdogs, and the underdogs would in the end against

Homer’s first line in the Odyssey introduces Odysseus as a man who is never at a loss. “This is the story of a man, one who was never at a loss” (p. 1). This line is ironic because throughout the story Odysseus is in fact at a loss. The reason this is the case is because Odysseus, who is a very clever man, lacks wisdom. This is evident through the many poor decisions he made, showing that he hadn’t truly understood human nature, until he learned from the mistakes of him and his friends. “Next they wanted to make haste and drive the kids and lambs out of the pens and get under sail. But I would not listen-indeed it would have been much better if I had” (p. 110). Here, Odysseus is too rash and he makes a bad decision which results in death, but he learns from it and recognizes the danger of pride on fallen human nature. However he was a very cunning man, which is shown in many of his travels, by his ability he is able to

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the most well known epic poems ever. This story takes place in ancient Greece after Odysseus fought in the Trojan War in Troy. It was written around 700 BCE and tells the story of Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca from Troy. One of the major reoccurring themes in this famous piece is determination. Many characters demonstrate great determination such as Odysseus, Penelope and Athena. Each character has a goal that they must work towards. In The Odyssey characters who are determined and put in the work always achieve their goal.