Human Choices In Homer's Odyssey

We grow up with countless movies depicting the perks of being a high schooler. However, it quickly escapes out memory that every positive has a negative trailing behind. High school is an important time where the decisions we make will eventually adjust our futures. Frequently, we don’t recognize which decision to make and what will be beneficial. Entering my freshman year I rapidly experienced the hardships of high school. In The Odyssey, Odysseus faces many challenges before returning home. He battles the Cyclops, the Scylla, the Charybdis and countless other monsters. My odyssey was high school. I faced numerous struggles in cross-country, the choice between my theatrical side or my athletic side, and French. Although Odysseus’ long journey

“The Odyssey of Homer” is the tale of Odysseus and his many adventurous encounters on his travel home after twenty years. After the ten-year span of the Trojan War, Odysseus struggles with trying to get home to his wife and new son. The directors of education think “The Odyssey of Homer” shows selfishness, untrustworthy, and unrealistic points to the students. To me this story shows fairness, strong, resourceful, and wise views. This is relevant because it shows the students human values and loyalty. It lets the students get an insight on the Greek culture. Reading the story of Odysseus lets you see the hero, how he is seen by his people and his growth in character.

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.

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns ... start from where you will—sing for our time too” (I, 1, 12). From the very beginning, Homer shows his intention for themes of The Odyssey to be applicable in the modern age and essentially “sing for our time” (I, 12). Homer’s epic provides the ideal reflection upon the very definition of heroism because it details the strenuous journey of Odysseus, a crafty hero whose key priority is to return home to his family. As one of the most prominent themes, The Odyssey carries forth the idea of heroism through the portrayal of Odysseus, and establishes a connection with the real world through the expression of life lessons. Consequently, Odysseus is characterized to serve as a role model for the successful hero because, after all, the poem is essentially centered on his very name. However, The Odyssey simultaneously conveys that an entirely perfect hero may be impossible, but a means for improvement is always present. The attributes for success that are revealed in The Odyssey can be examined under interconnected ideas of passion, perseverance, and prowess. Thus, heroism is the most compelling theme of The Odyssey because it exemplifies the attributes for success while also demonstrating that heroes are not without mortal flaws.

On a ten-year voyage across cold and choppy seas with nothing but the bitter wind at one’s back, physical strength is a necessity. The chances of successfully trekking home with weak limbs are not great. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is the epitome of power. His brawny physique undoubtedly grants him the strength to swim, climb, run and even kill his way back to his wife. But Odysseus cannot return home on physical force alone, as many of the obstacles he faces are mental. Perhaps the greatest of these obstacles is temptation. The "battle-weary" man’s odyssey is brimming with temptations of the mind, body and soul that he must not only grow out of, but conquer, in order to return home and stake his glory.

The Odyssey is an epic poem about a journey. After the Trojan War is won Odysseus leaves Troy for his home in Ithaca. However, the gods decide to test his courage and resolve and send him on a twenty-year odyssey. Odysseus' courage is constantly tested as he struggles with the many obstacles the gods place before him. Although Homer depicted The Odyssey as a self-reliant journey, in reality the gods and other mortals guide Odysseus. It is his loyalty to and his love for his family that keeps him going. The Odyssey depicts Odysseus as he overcomes each obstacle through guidance, fate, and loyalty to his family.

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, certain characters are granted with the ability to make decisions for themselves, while others must deal with external factors, whether it be fate or divine intervention, that predispose their lives. Similarly, women are predisposed with the inability to make choices for themselves while men are born with the right to uphold power and enforce control over the female gender. Contrary to these gender stereotypes concerning power in a Homeric world, Homer instills Penelope with complete control, while leaving Odysseus with none. It is this distribution of control in Penelope that enables Odysseus to complete his nostos and re-identify himself, therefore pushing the boundaries of gender norms.

The third example of fate is when King Agamemnon takes a beautiful woman named Chryseis. Chryseis father Chryses was a priest who favored the god Apollo. He prayed to Apollo, he wanted the Greeks to suffer until his daughter was returned. Apollo answered Chryses’s prayer and he shot one of the greeks with an arrow. That arrow was laced with a plague. It spread through the Greek camp and brought death to many soldiers. On the tenth day King Agamemnon was informed on what apollo had done. He only agreed to give Chryseis back if Achilles gives him his prize as compensation. Achilles didn’t agree but that night King agamemnon sent Chryseis on a ship back home (pg18). The plague was lifted but this is not the end to the Greeks suffering. This is

Relationships and marriages have been occurring since the beginning of mankind, but only some of these bonds have held steady through the perils of life while keeping love as an important factor in the relationship. The faithfulness of Penelope, Odysseus’ endeavors to return home, and how the royal couple treats each other all show what an extraordinary relationship Penelope and Odysseus share; their love manages to survive even against the odds.

Human themes that dominate Homer’s The Odyssey is hubris. During his adventure with the Cyclops, Odysseus cleverly blinded the beast with a stake in his eye. He even went as far as saying that his name was Nobody so when the Cyclops would scream in pain and try to get help, nobody would help him for he would say “Nobody is hurting me”. However, Odysseus went to far when he escaped by not only yelling out his actual name but saying exactly who he is and where he can be located. I find this quite funny for Odysseus was not obligated to say anything to the beast and if he did, just saying his name ‘Odysseus’ is enough. But our hero proclaims;

In Homer’s The Odyssey, loyalty is not only a vital character trait for Odysseus, but also an important trait for any dutiful citizen. Odysseus personifies loyalty as he journeys back to Ithika in, but his wife and servants also display an extreme amount of devotion to their lost king. Those that are loyal are rewarded, while those that aren’t are punished.

Throughout life we are faced with many different challenges, and obstacles. Temptation is followed from our instincts, insights, or through the support system that we have built within. Nevertheless, loyalty can idealize as an extremity that extracts our thoughts and mental processes, which can make decisions coincide with ease especially considering who we can count on in times of need. Loyalty, many people may look upon it as actions but in all actuality it is what lies deep down inside of the mind, heart, beliefs, and character of a person. In Homer’s book The Odyssey, there is loyalty present from beginning to end and I would like to express how words imply loyalty on an aspectual basis.

Imagine making a small city, but one day someone with greater status and power destroys everything you have worked hard to create all because of their power and strength.During history this type of behavior has happened many times A great example of this behavior is in one of Homer’s epics. which is named the Odyssey, in the Odyssey there is a man named Odysseus, who fights in a war and soon wins. During war Odysseus changes and becomes sick with power and strength which cause him and his men to attack a small city of people named the Cicones.Even though Homer’s epic isn’t real this type of behavior happens in Real life from our past and in the present.

The Odyssey shows a lot of different stereotypes for women throughout the book, taking action to get what they want. Odysseus is trying to get back home after ten long years since the fall of troy, and his son is going out to find him. Throughout the book Odysseus meets lots of woman who vary in personality. He meets woman with the stereotypes: “mantis”- dominant, eats its mate, destroys to gain power, feared by many. “Damsel in distress”- persecuted maiden, woman placed in a dire predicament requires a hero to rescue her, relatively weak and frail. “Seductress”- reveals a man 's weakness, great beauty and sensuality, heavily chastised through alienationl rejection. He meets two woman named Circe and Calypso. Calypso whose is portrayed by Homer as a “Seductress” and Circe portrayed as a “Mantis”. He first has a love affair with the witch-goddess Circe, and later on gets imprisoned on Calypso’s island for 7 years. In Homer’s Odyssey, both Circe and Calypso seek power through female stereotypes; however, Circe and Calypso’s ability to understand helps them retain that power, conveying the message that once people understand each other good things can come out of it.

Aeolus presented Odysseus with a bag of wind to help guide Odysseus and his troop home; Odysseus didn’t tell his men what was in the bag. With Ithaca in sight, curiosity taking over his crew members, they opened the bag as soon as Odysseus fell asleep.The boat with all of the men in it was sent all the way back to Aeolia, where Aeolus eventually refused to help him get back. Without letting anger fog his judgement, Odysseus had to try to fix it and get everybody home. Odysseus didn’t have time to mope around. He had to be the leader no matter what happened because if he gave up, he and his men, had less of a chance of surviving. Besides some of the support of the god’s guiding him, he only had common sense a1q