Examples Of Traditions And Customs In The Odyssey

An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet. These poems tell tales of intense adventures and heroic feats. They often include cultural references to the time it was written and was a way for the people to spread their ideas and beliefs. Epic poems are very important when a person is trying to learn more about a certain culture or era in which the poem was written. Two of the most famous epic poems are Beowulf and The Odyssey. Although no two poems are exactly them same, Beowulf and The Odyssey do share a few similarities. Between Beowulf and The Odyssey, the most salient similarity they share is the way the monsters from the epics are symbolic and challenge

The Cyclops shows bad hospitality. He comes home to Odysseus and his men. Instead of being hospitable, he starts eating his men. When Odysseus asks the Cyclops for hospitality, the Cyclops replies “We Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus’ shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god- we’ve got more force by far.”(Book 9, pg 220, Line 309). Odysseus didn’t act very hospitable. He asked and seemed demanding toward the Cyclops. When you are a guest you’re supposed to allow your host to extend hospitality not ask or demand. Although the Cyclops was not

He has all the reasons to be proud; he is handsome, brave and strong in addition to the fact that his wife is gorgeous from a loyal background. However, he also boasts of his origins, birthplace and roots. Pride, however, made him disrespectful and suspicious of his friend’s loyalty. Odysseus introduces himself with such gratification by saying “I am Odysseus, great Laertes’ son, Known for my cunning throughout the world, and my fame reaches even to heaven” (385. 21-23). He went ahead, cursed the gods, and refused to offer Poseidon sacrifices after the Trojan War. Odysseus is full of arrogance when he speaks lowly of the gods by saying “You’re dumb, stranger, or from far away If you ask me to fear the gods.” (390. 265-266), this indicates that he does not care if the gods decide to spare the men. Furthermore, he thinks that he can do all the jobs himself and it is up to him to save the people. During the time in which he was speaking to the Cyclops, he states that if any mortal man were to ask about his eye, the Cyclops should inform them that it was Odysseus who did it. “Cyclops, if anyone, any mortal man, Asks you how you got your eye put out, Tell him that Odysseus the Marauder did it, Son of Laertes, whose home is on Ithaca” (369.

Traditions and customs make a group of people different from others. For example many families have different traditions when it comes to holidays, like fireworks for the 4th of July or making turkey for thanksgiving. All these types of traditions are important in daily life. In The Odyssey by Homer, many examples of Greece customs and

Pride plays a large part in most Greek stories. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is a prideful leader, but this eventually comes back to hurt him. Odysseus’ pride becomes his punishment, but Odysseus learns from his mistakes and makes it through. In The Odyssey, Odysseus may have been a prideful leader, but he also proved himself to be brave, wise, and caring about his men and the people he encountered.

Odysseus and his men were expecting to be treated with hospitality but the Cyclops showed just the opposite as he “dismembered them and made them his meal” (281). So instead he is cruel to them when he violently rips the apart and eats them. Even though Odysseus’s men are now dead, Odysseus still shows kindness to the Cyclops by asking if he wanted to “try some wine” (343). But, Odysseus quickly turns his back on the Cyclops as he takes a spear and “(rams) it deep in his crater eye” (377). So, Odysseus deceives the Cyclops by being kind then later being

On Odysseus's mission, he comes across the Cyclops's cave. Without being acquainted with the proprietor, Odysseus and his men eat the cheese in the abode. Once the cretin comes home to find his home pillaged, Polyphemus eats one of the men. Odysseus failed to present himself hospitality to the giant; therefore he deserved to be punished by losing one of his men. Polyphemus also botched the concept of xenia by refusing to listen to Odysseus’ plea, yet drinking the wine: Odysseus’ gift. The Cyclops also denied his guests approval to leave the home. In rebuttal for the Cyclops's action, Odysseus and his men carve a sharp wooden spear to stick in the Cyclops eye and blind while Polyphemus fell in a deep sleep. Afterwards, the crew escape the cave by blending in with the herd of sheep. A key reason Odysseus’ journey home takes ten long years is because he angers the god Poseidon by blinding his son, the Cyclops. In itself, the act may be justified, but because it is done in the Cyclops’ home. Odysseus is breaking the xenia laws; he is being the ultimate bad

The characters are who show bad hospitality are aggressive with no sense of right or wrong or hospitable and don't fear the gods. Bad hospitality implies that the character is not morally equal to Odysseus and is not trustworthy. Hosts who do not give good hospitality are usually punished. An example of bad hospitality is the cyclopes. Odysseus first meets the Cyclopes when they go to his cave. Odysseus and his men bring food and wine to the Cyclopes as a peace offering but instead of being hospitable the Cyclopes traps them in his cave. The Cyclopes decides to eat the men instead of welcome them into his home. The men then poke out the cyclopes eyes so they can escape. This event of bad hospitality bothers the gods because they believe that any stranger should be welcomed into any home. Zeus praised Odysseus for beating the Cyclopes, “ There is no mortal half so wise.” This statement shows that violence is an acceptable answer when a host isn't

Similarly, Odysseus expects Polyphemus to respect xenia, while Odysseus mocks the all-important tradition. He asks the cyclops to give a gift to his guests, guests he customarily eats, yet Odysseus mocks the tradition himself by giving the cyclops an ironic and harmful gift. Odysseus gives the gift of wine with the intent to

During Odysseus’ epic journey in The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus encounters many differences in societies and lifestyles of different groups of people. Most of the societies welcomes everyone who visits incase it happens to be a god in disguise, but other societies seem to follow the saying, “every man for himself”. The Odyssey shows the difference between the societies of the Phaiacians, with the lifestyle of the Cyclops. Societies who live a civilized life seem to follow the theme of hospitality.

“The Cyclops” an epic of The Odyssey. To the Greeks, evil is something that takes away from their purpose. The eight Greek evil thoughts contain, greed, pride, indulgence of sadness, holding anger, boasting and wallowing in depression. “The Cyclops” is an epic that includes the antagonist, the Cyclops, and the protagonist, Odysseus. Odysseus looks for trouble, when he encounters the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and walks into the Polyphemus’ cave, with his men in tow. Some of the men died, but their last day in the cave, Odysseus and four other men stabbed the Polyphemus in the eye and waited to the next day to get out of the cave. Odysseus demonstrates two Greek evil thoughts, Kenodoxia(boasing) and Philargyria(greed). Kenodoxia (Boasting), talking

In this scene, Odysseus encounters the one-eyed, giant Cyclops, one of the most memorable characters of this story. Firstly, with an empty, growling stomach in his search for food, Odysseus displays exceptional qualities of a true hero with his cleverness and quick-thinking strategy. Furthermore, this is when Odysseus shows how cunning he is and as sly as a fox as he conceives as a plan to trick the Cyclops.

If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”

Odysseus appeals to yet another motif when he attempts to negotiate with the Cyclops and avoid the deaths of his men by invoking the idea of xenia, saying, “we’re at your knees in hopes of a warm welcome, even a guest-gift, the sort that hosts give strangers. That’s the custom” (IX: 220). By focusing on the lack of the hospitality, a custom dear to most of the civilized characters within the poem, the barbarian nature of Polyphemus is further emphasized. Finally, Odysseus emphasized that Polyphemus says that “Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus’ shield of storm and thunder, or any blessed god” (IX:

Whilst voyaging, Odysseus meets a Cyclops who is incredibly angered by these foreign crewmen’s pillaging of his resources. Odysseus portrays this hubristic behavior throughout which leads to the cannibalization of several crewmen, as well as copious conflicts with the gods. The Cyclops and Laistrygonians as mentioned in line 4, are clear symbols of the evil things that the reader will face in their life. Despite their ill nature, the reader is urged to not be afraid of such adversity but instead to face life with optimism so that such evil will not seek them out. “You’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high [.]”Odysseus hubris is portrayed once again; he tricks the Cyclops to think Odysseus’ name is “no man” so that when he pleads to his common creatures, they think he’s gone insane. When they escape Odysseus turns back and shouts that it was in fact, Odysseus of Ithaca, who conquered the beast. By consequence, angry Poseidon wreaks