...The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. The Odyssey is about the ten year journey of Odysseus trying to get home. He faces many challenges but eventually makes it back home. An epic poem must have a epic hero, plot, setting, archetypes, and themes. The Odyssey has all of these characteristics. The three that are the most present are epic plot, archetypes, and epic themes. Epic plot is a very present in The Odyssey. Epic plot consists of a long journey with many complcations. Throughout Odysseus’ long journey, he faces many challenges and peril. One instance of epic plot is that in the ninth book where Odysseus encounters the cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus traps him inside his cave. Odysseus uses his intuition to get out of the cave. Another instance of epic plot is in the twenty-second book during the mass killing of the suitors. Divine intervention occurs on the behalf of Odysseus. “Athena’s presence becomes known to all, as the shape of her shield becomes visible above the hall” (1260,1261). Athena interferes by protecting Odysseus from the suitors’ arrows. Epic plot can also be...
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...Sirens are said to be these mythical creatures in Greek mythology whom torment men at sea. Both Margaret Atwood's poem and in Homer's Odyssey, Sirens are portrayed in ways that differentiate the thoughts of them in the past and in the present. Although they do differentiate in various ways, their meaning and image stand the same. In both Homer's Odyssey and Atwood's poem "Sirens Song", Sirens are said to be malicious and bad creatures. They are said to lurk in the ocean tormenting sailors who roam the seas, but despite the harm they can cause, it seems that their deadly melody is a yelp for help. in Homer's Odyssey their song is described as an urgent call, and in the "Sirens Song" it is described as a cry for help. Despite the similarities,...
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...Odysseus, Where Art Thou CS HUM/102 January 21, 2014 Professor Michael Downs There is an interesting event that takes place in works of art that we enjoy, and that is how something that we enjoy today can be based on something else from many years ago. Take the epic poem “The Odyssey” and the film “O Brother Where Art Thou”; the plot of this film is based loosely on the plight of Odysseus in “The Odyssey” Let us begin with the main characters of these two works. The Odyssey has Odysseus and O Brother Where Art Thou has Ulysses. Both appear to be natural born leaders with an outstanding wit and the capability to talk themselves in and out of trouble. Both Odysseus and Ulysses have great pride and confidence which seems to be a constant catalyst for their troubles. These two men obtain the faith of their men easily and both seem to drag their companions down into the dirt with themselves. Ulysses and Odysseus both seem to care a great deal about their men and both attempt to spare their men as much grief as either of them can given the circumstances they put themselves into. The stories of Ulysses and Odysseus are about the troubles and adventures that they face trying to make it back to the women that they love. There is another similarity between these two stories. The main woman of Odysseus’ heart is his wife Penelope, while Penny is the holder of Ulysses’ heart. Both of these women also never seem to lose their love for their husbands while these...
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...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
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...By knowing what to ask while meeting others, Christopher is aware of his self confidence, and what he is able to do. This also allows him to take risks, for because of his confidence of talking to people in the past, he is able to take risks with talking to people without his set of questions.” (“Book Club Essay.”) The analysis of this evidence was all over the place. The idea of Christopher being able to take risks due to his confidence and control was a lot to try to prove, and it was not proven effectively. All the ideas of this topic were all mushed together, creating a confusing analysis to read, and comprehend. Without using the evidence from the text in an impactful way, it all fell apart. However, I redeemed my self in the spring. In a written piece about the Odyssey, I was able to write a more clear analysis. I wrote about how Odysseus was a failure of a man. In proving my evidence I wrote; “Due to Odysseus’ lack of listening to his crew, the men end up getting eaten by the cyclops he had to see. He put the men he had to keep track of in danger because of his curiosity and stubbornness.” (“The Odyssey Essay”). This analysis is definitely more fitting with the...
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...The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer telling the story of the King of Ithaca. Odysseus displays the traits of a true hero; strength, nobility, confidence, courage, and the love of glory. He gains fame through his journeys, victories and skill. As with all Homer created heroes, Odysseus possesses pride which causes him to do very unwise things. The Iliad is another epic poem written by Homer entertaining us with a story about Achilles. Achilles was the greatest warrior in the Achaean army. The most significant flaw of Achilles is his excessive pride. He is willing to subvert the good of the whole army and to endanger the lives of those who are closest to him to achieve emotional blackmail. The plot of the Odyssey is Odysseus’ 10 year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mythical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus fight off suitors or fakers trying to steal Penelope's hand from Odysseus and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends with Odysseus winning a contest to prove his identity, killing the suitors, and retaking the throne of Ithaca for himself. The plot of the Iliad is about the final year of the Trojan War, a conflict in which Greek warriors sailed the Aegean (Turkey) and surrounded the fortress of Troy for ten years, three millennia ago. The plot also includes the greek hero...
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...Along with cunning, Odysseus and I are both confident. Odysseus shows in confidence in the story countless times. Such as dealing with times where we have to be clutch or watching others be clutch. The time I realized Odysseus was a hero was when he confidently thought of a plan to defeat the cyclops even when he was feeling “a pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man” (902). This is a tall task to face especially when the cyclopes are so much taller than you and your men. It baffles me so much that Odysseys can just stroll up to a man eating cyclops and totally trick him with ease and no crumbling to fear Another time when I thought he was so confident was when the suitors were trying to shoot Odysseus’ bow though the rings....
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...Telemachus Paragraph In first few books of The Odyssey, it almost seems as though Telemachus is the central character since the introduction of his father does not come until after Telemachus has experienced an “awakening” to his responsibilities. Although Telemachus never quite matches his father Odysseus in terms of wit, strength, agility, and other qualities befitting a hero, he does experience significant growth throughout the text. In Book I of The Odyssey, Telemachus is not yet mature, nor does he have the confidence or ability to stand up to the many suitors who greedily devour the family’s vast stockpile of food and wine. “He’s lost and gone now- out of sight, out of mind- and I . . . he’s left me tears and grief”(Homer 85). This shows how much of a difference Telemachus is without his father. He just sat there and had no motivation until Athena came. When Telemachus arrives back in Ithaca he confronts the suitors with intelligence and poise. “So high and mighty, Telemachus-such unbridled rage!” (Homer 367). In this quote Antinous directly characterizes Telemachus and a high and mighty person. “Fools, you’re out of your minds! No hiding it, food and wine have gone to your heads. I, for one, I’ll drive no guest away.” (Homer 389).He’s not frightened of the suitors anymore and when he talks he is articulate and full of power. Although this self-pity is only a minor part of the opening of the text, when analyzing Telemachus it is important to see the helpless and immature...
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...Deception is an act or statement intended to make someone believe something that is not true. “The Odyssey” is a book full of deception, which includes lies and disguises. In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, using disguises help to show an untrue identity helps the characters accomplish their plans. An example of this is when Odysseus lies to Polyphemos about his name. Also, when Athena lies to Telemakhos to hide her identity at the beginning of the book, and when she helps to disguise Odysseus as beggar. Without the use of deception, “The Odyssey” wouldn’t be the adventurous and complicated epic it is. On his adventure home, Odysseus sailed upon the land of The Kyklops. The Kyklops’ were giants. Among them, he came in contact with Polyphemos. Polyphemos shows kindness to Odysseus at first, but soon turns violent. He devours two of Odysseus’ men instantly, and then keeps the rest captive in his cave for future meals. Odysseus wants to kill Polyphemos right then, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape because only Polyphemus can open the door. The next day, Polyphemos leaves the cave. Odysseus finds a wooden staff in the cave and hardens it in the fire. When he returns, Odysseus uses wine that he brought from the ship to...
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...Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, struggles with maintaining his pride. This fatal flaw impacted his life by making his journey back to Ithaca take even longer. Many people, including myself, have fatal flaws as well. Odysseus's pride impacted his life, and my fatal flaw influences my life as well. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus has the tendency to let his pride cost him both men and time away from his family. There are many instances in the epic poem that Odysseus lets his pride come before safety, his men, and the trip back to Ithaca. For example, on the land of the Cyclopes, he and his crew entered Polyphemus's cave only to find it empty. Instead of taking the food back to the boat and leaving, Odysseus...
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...book 19 from The Odyssey was certainly a new experience for myself with abundant new experiences in both the planning and acting stages of the project. My colleagues and I endured numerous trials and tribulations while trying to put together a respectable product that we could have pride in. One such tribulation was the fact that we were not able to use a script during the presentation, a new experience for most of us. Additionally, I enhanced the difficulty for myself by way of not opting write down potential revealing ideas on a notecard that would help me while presenting the skit. The fact that I do not particularly enjoy oral presentations only enhanced this tribulation. However, with additional practice and memorization outside of class, I was able to gain confidence in myself and the...
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...“The Odyssey” Paper The hero’s journey is an archetypical template for the majority of stories that was first identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell. The hero’s journey is also frequently referred to as the monomyth. As it appears in the tales of so many cultures, the monomyth is significant because it helps to identify the values and beliefs of a society. Perhaps most often, the hero’s journey is found in ancient Greek myths and legends. One of the most notable examples of the monomyth in Greek literature is “The Odyssey”, which was written by Homer around the end of the eighth century BCE. In the epic poem “The Odyssey”, Telemachus matures into a brave adult capable of sitting next to his father as the Prince of Ithaca. Telemachus’ hero’s journey begins with his Call to Adventure...
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...Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits his most prominent heroic trait of courage, but unfortunately, also demonstrates the human characteristic of arrogance. Even though Odysseus is seen as a hero, he has bad qualities too. Odysseus has the two main qualities of courage and arrogance which he demonstrates while fighting the cyclops and traveling throughout the seas with his crew. Homer exhibits these traits all throughout the story by presenting Odysseus as a war like hero with no flaws, when further throughout the story you are able to see all of Odysseus most human like qualities. . Odysseus has many characteristics that he portrays all throughout the book of the Odyssey. A couple of his most prominent heroic qualities are courage...
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...The story is set in the present day. In comparison with the Iliad, the theme of the importance of fate is displayed through the different coincidences throughout the story. The theme of fate is illustrated through the different meetings and interactions such as the meeting between Sarah and Nathan, the meeting of Professor Apolland and his son, Aaron, and finally the meeting of all the characters in interactions with Marta. When Sarah wakes up from the entire ordeal and has gained confidence in sitting for her midterm. In addition, the idea of divine blessing is addressed when Nathan and Sarah are rewarded for their assistance from Professor Apolland, when he gave them an extension on their midterm for their help with both Aaron and Marta....
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...Macbeth vs Odyssues Often in literature, the view we have on the strengths of a character is frequently stereotyped, some characteristics being seen as a strong leader who can defeat anyone with a single punch. However, this isn’t the case, there is more to strengths, including, intelligence, charisma, and cleverness, which allow individuals to be strong and overcome challenges without issues. In the epic of the Odyssey, written by Greek author Homer, the main character Odysseus follows this core example of showing intellect over strength. These characteristics allow Odyssey to overcome near death experiences and return to his home island of Ithica. As for the gullible king, Macbeth, he doesn’t follow any case of Odysseus. The Tragedy of Macbeth,...
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