Thoughtlessness In The Odyssey

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has the tendency to be a narcissistic, selfish and inconsiderate leader towards his men. When Odysseus and his men finally escaped certain death from the giant cyclops, Polyphemus, the not-so-heroic king of Ithaca shouted a taunt above the pleas of his aghast crew, towards the blinded cyclops. He yelled to the enraged cyclops,”If any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shame you so--say Odysseus(Homer IV. 558-560).” With this reproachful act of arrogance, Polyphemus, son of the wrathful Poseidon, cried out to his father, praying that Odysseus' travels be cursed and that he would return home a “broken man” and with “all shipmates lost(IV. 593).” This event shows how he is too unworthy

Although Odysseus is one of the most well known greek heros in the world, he is also very controversial among the people as well. In the book, “The Odyssey” written by Homer, Odysseus made some choices that makes the readers question his role as a leader. In “The Odyssey”, it tells the story about Odysseus’ long journey home from the Trojan War. Along the way, Odyssey has extended his times away from home by making unintelligent decisions that led him to encounter one disaster after another. Although Odysseus has some positive attributes, he is a poor leader for the following reasons: he is too cocky and overconfident, he make careless decision, and finally, he is very selfish.

Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, tells the journey of Odysseus where he faces many perilous challenges. Throughout the challenges he displays the type of character he is within the episodes, "I am Laertes' Son" and "The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis." Homer uses indirect characterization to illustrate Odysseus' arrogant and loyal character. First, Odysseus is shown to be quite arrogant. After surviving through many perils Odysseus has finally come to a king's court and has begun to tell his tale and he is shown to think quite high and mighty of himself Odysseus says that, "Men hold me / formidable for guile in peace and war / this fame has gone abroad to the sky's rim" (127-129).

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is quite the legend known to people, whether you are high up in the sky with Zeus, or deep in the ocean with Poseidon, everyone knows Odysseus. In the epic poem, the Odyssey told by the one and only Homer, the brave, the godlike human, Odysseus is finding his way home after the big battle victory against the Trojans. This story is about his travels home and how he got caught up in other business. Let’s just say he stabbed Poseidon’s son, had his crew turned into pigs, faced a six-headed monster and whirlpool, and that is to say the least. He may as well be on America’s most wanted list with all the trouble he was causing. Even though Odysseus is a troublemaker, he has multiple great characteristics of a leader. Odysseus, when it comes to his crew and family, is confident, compassionate, wise, and always knows a way to get out of any problem.

The Odyssey by Homer, is a epic based off the actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of a greek by the name of Odysseus. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ travels take him to new places on new adventures with no insight on what could happen next. Odysseus refers to himself, and is referred to a number of times, as a hero. Throughout the time of book 9 to book 12, there are many scenes throughout the story that portray the qualities Odysseus possesses that lead him to be given the heroic title. On the contrary, there are numerous occasions where Odysseus does things that might not be expected of someone seen as heroic. One of the first things that stood out to me starting in book 9, was Odysseus’ pride for his native land and where he comes from. Here, Odysseus states, “Nothing is sweeter than your own country” (Book 9, Line 37). This quotes shows how Odysseus is prideful of his home, Ithaca, and believes it to be the “sweetest sight” (Book 9, Line 31). Another scene that represents Odysseus’ heroic qualities is when Odysseus and his crew were being held by the cyclops, Polyphemus, and he comes up with an escape plan. During this, Odysseus states, “And I bade my comrades cast lots among them, which of them should have the hardihood with me to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweetsleep should come upon him.” (Book 9, Lines 328-329). To me, this portrays Odysseus as a quick thinker and a problem solver. In this situation, the problem was that him and

It is in these actions that the character’s traits are established. It is in this that we, the readers, get to “see” what kind of character thee people are: friendly, sad, nosey, love-struck, adventurous, etc. When we discuss characters in literature, poetry, and even film, we often describe them in terms of their character traits, descriptive adjectives that define the specific qualities of the character. The author/ poet/ director may present this directly, but often times, they show us this in action. Our job as readers/ viewers is to draw conclusions about the character’s traits (infer them). Below is a list of ways we can determine the traits of the character we are studying:

During, Homer’s, The Odyssey many strengths were tested throughout the entire book. This book was a mythological Greek folk tale that was created between the eleventh and eighth century B.C, therefore it is filled with many exaggerated stories about the Gods and treacherous adventures Odysseus had ventured on. He encounters a cyclops and after battles a six-headed monster. His crew discovers their talent for making mistakes such as being turned into pigs by Circe and letting strong winds out of the bag sending them farther from home. Odysseus experiences battles with his emotional stamina as well. His depression about his travels are shown through his lamentation on Calypsos’ island and his will power to discover the loyalty of his house mates is tested by Odysseus disguising himself as a beggar in his own home. Throughout, Homer’s, The Odyssey perseverance holds significance emotionally, physically, and mentally when enduring the battles and setbacks he experiences.

In Homer’s original text of The Odyssey, the speaker portrays Odysseus as an extremely ardent leader. The speaker expresses this characteristic as Odysseus asks himself, “Rag of a man that I am, is this the end of me? I fear the goddess told it all too well, predicting great adversity at sea and far from home.”(5.309-312). Here the speaker allows Odysseus to ask himself a rhetorical question as it portrays himself as a leader who is still mortal and knows what suffrage he has at hand and is ready to take it on at full to get himself and his men home. Homer also portrays his cleverness and determination to get his men out of a difficult situation when they encounter Zeus’ son the Cyclops and when he is angered and hurt and asks Odysseus who the man is that did this to him, he replies, “My name is Nobody: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nobody.”(9.394-399). This scene provides the readers with a repetitive, vivid and image-filled scene that shows that Odysseus using his mind as his weapon and that he would go as far as to lie to a son of the Gods after impaling him so as to remove his men from the situation and continue on with his journey. Homer again expresses the effect that Odysseus’ actions and leadership skills have had on people as even the Gods speak of him highly as Zeus speaks to Athena mentining how “Could I forget that kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky."(1.84-86). Zeus asks himself another question which apparently past has stuck with the Gods which are the highest power and even Zeus, the king, has something to say of the great and iconic impact that Odysseus has somehow left on Mount Olympus. Along with Odysseus’ determination and ardency to set and complete a goal at hand for him, there is another side to him that is portrayed by the speaker, that is his confidence. Odysseus is no idiot and he knows where what his social standings are in society and that being the

In Epic Poem “The Odyssey” Odysseus is the protagonist. Odysseus’ over-the-top ego caused him to lose his men and his son’s childhood, but taught him a valuable lesson about humility. The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus and how he faced misfortune in his attempts to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus is not famous for his great strength or bravery, but for his ability to deceive and trick. To his friends, he was a brilliant strategist. To his enemies, he was a deceiver and a manipulator of the worst kind.

In the book The Odyssey, by Homer(translated by Robert Fagles), the main character named Odysseus has just fought in the Trojan War. He has traveled many places, showing the reader many different aspects of his personality. This includes his positive and negative characteristics. Throughout the novel the most common trait was his incredible wisdom.

EBH: What I described does not occur in chapter 46 or on any page of Ignorance, nor does it occur in the Odyssey. I'm so intrigued by your "memory" of this fantasy scene from my fantasy version of this book. BEK: I saw it vividly, in both Ignorance and the Odyssey. I'm clearly one of the ignorant. You're one of the wicked, and I love it.

The Odyssey by Homer is an epic telling of the story of great Odysseus. It is filled with many mythical situations that readers can relate to in their own ways. For example, when Odysseus encounters Scylla and Charybdis, readers may interpret it as a symbol of a dilemma. Obviously, it will never be as serious, but it helps the reader connect with the story. The Odyssey covers the motifs of temptation, dilemmas, and fear as main symbols which are shown throughout the story.

People emphasize their wealth or lack thereof of. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, Telemakhos and company are welcomed into the home of Menelàos, the red-haired king. In this ekphasis, Homer uses detail and imagery to express that Menelàos is living in excess. The first display of this abundance is when the company's horses are “showered” with “bushels of wheat and barley”(43,44). The word showered seems to imply an amount of carelessness due to the large surplus of both grains.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the actions of Odysseus show him to be a man of great intelligence. Throughout The Odyssey, the reader experiences how Odysseus’s intelligence and creative instincts expel difficult situations for both he and his shipmates. Strategy proved to be stronger than strength for this leader that works among his men He was proven through his ability to outwit Cyclops, innovative in his efforts to prevent the demise of his men against the sirens, and avenged his marriage by supreme marksmanship and execution of unmanning the enemy.

Homer's epic tale The Odyssey is a story of the triumphs and downfalls that are in store for one warrior's long pillage home.  Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan wars, has led his people of Ithaca and other Achaean soldiers to victory and now wishes to return home to his wife and family of Ithaca.  Through his twenty year journey Odysseus is often tested not only of his physical strength, but his wits as well.  The many accomplishments he achieved earned him great status and recognition throughout ancient Greece.  The mistakes he made caused the deaths of many men.  Consequently, we as readers are able to see the many personas that Odysseus carries with him.