Strengths And Weaknesses In The Odyssey

Homer’s great literary classic, The Odyssey, represents and illustrates many emotional and mental values. All of these values can be classified under three different main themes that are constant throughout the epic tale. These themes are: A boy’s struggle to be a man, a king’s struggle to reclaim his kingdom, and a man’s struggle to return home. As one reads this book it will become more and more evident to them that a man’s struggle to get home is the most important theme throughout Homer’s adventure.

Some of the obstacles included the Lotus-Eaters, Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. In many ways these creatures and temptations represent all obstacles that get in the way of goals. They are the classic feat that the protagonist, Odysseus, must overcome to get to his goal, home. One of the most fearsome, brutish obstacles was Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Polyphemus ends up destroying a large portion of Odysseus's crew as described in lines 746-752. 'Neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor. Then he dismembered them and made his meal…'; This descriptive brutality shows you just how much a gigantic, intimidating obstacle Polyphemus was. Another one of these obstacles was Scylla. Scylla's attack was described in lines 1338-1343. ' Then Scylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship. I happened to glance aft at ship and oarsmen and caught sight of their arms and legs dangling high overhead.'; This is yet another grim reminder of just how determined Odysseus is to get to his home and family.

Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and

Despite their many variances, the success of the battles was similar and beneficial. The Greeks were able to end their ten-year long war. Hastein was able to successful raid Luna. The Allies were able to turn the war into their favor. These outcomes changed history on some level, but who earns the credit for their successes? The leaders involved may have brought the victory home, but they had to attack in such a way that their troops had time to win. All three leaders, were cunning and creative. Odysseus, the Greek behind the original Trojan horse, later used his ideas to get home in Homer’s The Odyssey. Hastein the Viking, is known to be a very deceitful man in the pages of history of which he appears (Holman). Eisenhower combined

I feel that in order to achieve personal success in our society you need 3 key things. For one, you need to have determination. In our culture, we seem to have a universal ideology along the lines of “keep going, and you will succeed eventually.” I feel that these idea’s are incredibly true, and have been shown to be effective every time. A good example of this trait in one of the texts we read is in the Odyssey when Odysseus needed to get back home, and despite the odds being against him, he never gave up. He always kept going, and when the going got rough, he got back right up and started over again. Another trait is intelligence. Because we have gone away from warrior culture in modern times, academic success is more than mandatory to achieve

Many years after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus still hasn’t returned home to Ithaka. Many believe that he is dead, but the author lets us know that he is being held as a sex captive on the goddess Kalypso’s island. Kalypso has no plans of letting him go to return home either.

Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver's song 'Calypso'; is about the relationship between men and women, and he bases this comparison on the relationship between Kalypso and Odysseus in Homer's the Odyssey. In 'Calypso'; Denver portrays women in general as being superior to men by using the beautiful and enchanting goddess, Kalypso, from Homer's epic. John Denver encompasses all women in his song by providing Kalypso as a universal symbol. Along with the relationship between Odysseus and Kalypso and men and women, there are other interpreted allusions from the Odyssey to Kalypso's song.

Focus on the descriptions of the palaces of Nestor and Menelaus. Find quotations that describe their virtues:

The Odyssey is an Epic about not only Greek gods, Beasts, and the return of the great king Odysseus, but the love of a family and the power of word of mouth. In lines 324-326 of book one, one line in particular stands out. As Athena disguises herself as an old man attempting to rouse Telemachus to search for his father Odysseus, she states, “Someone may tell you something, or you may catch a rumor straight from Zeus, rumor that carries news to men like nothing else.” Despite Athena directly stating how powerful rumors can be, the full extent of the truth of this statement is found throughout the text, not just in the form of rumors, but prayers, blessings, and even normal dialogue. As one reads the Odyssey, it becomes clear that the power of words is a strong one indeed.

It is important to keep reading, “The Odyssey.” Even though it is 2800, years old, students still need to learn about it. It is important to continue studying “The Odyssey” because is it a moral story, the historical significance is important, and it is essential to study other culture’s mythology.

Sing I me, Muse, and through me tell the story of the lady nymph goddess Calypso. Oh so beautiful and immortal who lives in the sea- hollowed caves on the island Ogygia. She craved the hero of Troy, king of Ithaka, son of Laertes, a mortal and took him as her own. Nine long years they spent on the island together.

Ten years after the fall of Troy, the victorious Greek hero Odysseus has still not returned to his native land Ithaca. A band of rowdy suitors, believing Odysseus to be dead, has overrun his palace, courting his faithful—though weakening—wife Penelope, and going through his stock for food. With permission from Zeus, the goddess Athena, Odysseus' greatest immortal ally, appears in disguise and urges Odysseus' son Telemachus to seek news of his father at Pylos and Sparta. However, the suitors, led by Antinous, plan to ambush him upon return.

Throughout vast journeys of many heroes, no other hero had a more complex journey than Odysseus. This journey is called The Odyssey, written by Homer. It is an epic poem or story told of a hero name Odysseus on a 20-year voyage trying to get back home from the Trojan War. The great epic poem known as The Odyssey and attributed to Homer was probably first written down around the eighth century BC, but the origins of the ancient story in myth, legend, and folklore and art appear to be much older. Greek Epic Hero When you think about Greek Epic heroes, Odysseus will most likely come to mind. Odysseus is the main character in Homer's poem "The Odyssey." "The Odyssey" is a narrative poem that describes Odysseus' adventures

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is a tale about the epic hero Odysseus returning home and his conquering of the trials and tribulations that are thrown his way during his long journey. In his epic, Homer effectively employs various literary devices in order to argue that pure brute strength disadvantage can be overcome. In the passage about Odysseus’s encounter with Polyphemus, the Cyclops (pg. 155, lines 402-441), he demonstrates the Greek core beliefs in the gods’ power and that the mind prevails over the muscles. He advocates these beliefs by first painting a vivid picture of Polyphemus’s persona as a big threat through direct characterization, than by emphasizing the power of the gods that aided Odysseus through elevated speech, and finally by poking fun at the fact that Odysseus’s guile and wit led to Polyphemus’s ignominious downfall.

The Odyssey was about Odysseus and his men and how they were going back home. They were coming back from the Trojan War. In the beginning Odysseus and his men were trying to find their way back home. In the middle of the book they had to go to the underworld to get directions to get back home. In the end of the book Odysseus is back home with Penelope and his son.