Odysseus Use Of Violence In All Quiet On The Western Front

Book Nine of The Odyssey tells of the encounter between Odysseus and the Cyclops. Homer portrays revenge through violent measures in Odysseus deceiving and blinding the Cyclops. He deceived Polyphemus (one of the Cyclopes) by lying to him and inebriating him. This is revenge for the Cyclops not being hospitable as was customary in the times by eating Odysseus’s men. “I’ll eat the others first! That’s my gift to you!” exclaimed Polyphemus as his form of “hospitality”. Odysseus used a fiery stake and “bored it round in the giant’s eye”. But many may argue that Homer was portraying the theme of justice rather than revenge. There is a blurred line between justice and revenge and it is up to interpretation. It is up for interpretation because

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and the main character in homer’s The Odyssey, was gone for twenty years before finally returning to his family and his homeland. He struggled through many hardships and lost many loyal companions. The King of Ithaca would not have made it home without the assistance of the Greek gods. Despite all of the help and advice that Odysseus receives from the gods, he is a very brave man because his courage and daring in the cave of the Cyclops, his inability to give up and abandon his men on Circe’s island, and his flawless following of the gods instructions are acts of bravery that is uncommon in most men.

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 epic called The Odyssey there are multiple violent and graphic scenes. These three examples will prove this belief.

Odysseus’s escape from the Cyclops is one of great intelligence. A Cyclops is a giant one eyed monster. Homer said, “The booming voice and the very sight of the monster filled us with panic” (IX, 256). From the first moment Odysseus and his men set eyes on the Cyclops they know they are in trouble and will not be able to get out easily. The Cyclops, Polyphemus, eats two of Odysseus’ men from the start. As soon as this happens, Odysseus

Homer’s The Odyssey is not just a tale of a man’s struggle on his journey home from the Trojan War, but of his struggle from the consequences of revenge. The Odyssey weaves in different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus.

Six of Odysseus’ men are eaten because of his foolishness. Again, Odysseus’ arrogance came into play when Odysseus and his men escape from the cyclops, Polyphemus. He taunts the monster, despite the fact that his men tell him stop. He exclaims, “If ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home is Ithaca” (Fitzgerald 908). If Odysseus did not provoke Polyphemus, the curse laid up on his ship and crew would have never happened. If he did not mock the cyclops, his odyssey would have been non existent. Odysseus always wanted to be remembered as the grandest hero of Greece. This is object when his ship rolls past the Sirens and Odysseus demands that he listens to their song. His overly extensive hubris clouds his mind and wants the fame of being able to survived the Sirens’ song. He never once considers what might have happened if he had

In Book 9, Odysseus does battle with a popular Greek Mythology creature the Cyclopes. Here Odysseus shows us how cunning he can be. While trapped Odysseus really fears that he will never see that homeland of Ithaca ever again. He is very mournful and we see just how much he misses home. He finally realizes how to escape from the Cyclops. He stabs the Cyclops in his only eye blinding him. He then tells the monster

The Odyssey is an epic poem that is taken place after the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men were sailing from Troy to Ithica. The trip lasted 10 years and they had some positives and negatives. So even though they had their ups and downs, throughout the adventure they learned many lessons throughout their journey to Ithica. As Odysseus home from Troy, he changes physically and mentally as he learns the following lessons: cunning overpowers physical strength giving into temptations has negative effects, and loyalty and perseverance are heroic and admirable.

There are a lot of deaths in Books 21 and 22. I strongly believe the violence that Odysseus had done towards the suitors and maids are somewhat justified. While Odysseus was away doing his own business, the suitors gathered the courage to court his wife. They were supposed to remain loyal to Odysseus, but some of them chose to act against him. The suitors wanted to claim his property as theirs. When Odysseus came back looking like a beggar, most of the suitors treat him with disrespect because they looked down on him. According to the book, Antinous said “Not a shred of sense in your head, you filthy drifter! Not content to feast at your ease with us, the island’s pride?” (pg.433). He did not know who his true identity was, and recklessly said

     Another example of violence transpiring for more than a sole purpose, is through the character of Jonathan Harker. Jonathan is struggling with an inner conflict, and one of the supernatural; man versus himself and man versus the supernatural. His inner conflict is due to the fact that in his mind, he is a prisoner in Castle Dracula, and there are no means of escape. Therefore, the struggle within himself is one of keeping his sanity and rational way of thinking, since he is such a rational, business-minded man. However, the most obvious conflict derives from the physical and mental struggle with Count Dracula. The novel sets a tone of good versus evil or the supernatural, which is directly related to the conflict. Accordingly, on June 29, the Count tells Jonathan that this is his last day when he stated, "To-morrow, my friend, we must part"(pg.51). After the Count led him to the door where the wolves were howling, he

While earlier books in The Odyssey describe Odysseus’ fear in his own words, Book 22 is the first incident in which his fear is physically both described and displayed. This display of fear is further expressed when Athena as Mentor asks Odysseus, “Where’s it gone, Odysseus-your power, your fighting heart?” (22.236) This question not only represents the great fear circulating through the hero in the moment, but also symbolizes his hitting bottom. Athena, once greatly praising the courage of Odysseus, “hit new heights of rage” (22.234) when he became overcome with fear as more suitors and enemies gathered in the hall, waiting to kill him. Athena then goes as far as to mock the fear that overcame Odysseus when she states “now you’ve returned to your own house, your own wealth- / bewail the loss of your combat strength in a war with suitors?” (22.242-243) This emphasis on suitors shows both their inner weakness and the disgust Athena has towards them, giving Odysseus the advantage in the slaughter. This advantage is demonstrated when six of the suitors attempt to attack Odysseus and his comrades with spears, “but Athena sent the whole salvo wide of the mark” (22.269). Immediately after, Odysseus and his comrades return the attack and successfully kill four of the opposing men. After another round of slaughtering success, Odysseus begins to overcome the fear of the Supreme Ordeal. This fear is not lost; however, for it is turned around and placed on the remaining suitors by Athena when she terrifies “the suitors out of their minds, and down the hall they panicked- / wild, like herds stampeding, driven mad as the darting gadfly / strikes in the late spring when the ling days come round” (22.313-315). As the suitors coward in fear, the rush

In the ultimate story of love and hate one man was torn between two lives as he watched the shores of the mighty world get swept away in a swift act of fate.  With only destiny on his side to return home, he pushed on and tried to leave the life he had lived for so long.  In order to achieve his destiny Odysseus had to first achieve loyalty, overcome temptation, and take revenge upon his enemies.  Plagued by constant attacks of self-doubt and reinforced by guile, Odysseus conquered what became to be known as a one of the greatest odyssey’s ever written.

It is clear violence is used as a means of limiting people’s choices in life. In addition, it can drastically affects people actions. In the play Hamlet, violence affects the amount of choices these characters have. It is thou Father...I am thy father spirit, Doon’d for a certain term to walk the night and for the day...” (Shakespeare

Hundreds of men killed by an army, the rest then trapped in a Cyclops's cave, and yet there was still worse to come. In Homer's The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus and his crew are traveling home to Greece, all the while passing through deadly adventures. With crew in tow, Odysseus landed on numerous islands, barely escaping from them with his life each time. Cursed by the gods, all of their ships were destroyed by Poseidon’s raging waters, causing numerous deaths. Eventually, the journey ends with all the crew members, except Odysseus, dead, slaughtered one by one over a span of twenty years. Out of all his adventures, Odysseus' most difficult task was having to face the suitors and his wife because it took courage, strength, and skill to it pull off.