A squirrel, perched on a thin, low branch, nibbles quietly on an acorn, completely unaware of the fox stalking through dense brush close by. The predator catches a whiff of the rodent and creeps towards the unsuspecting squirrel, which immediately notices the fox below. Unsure of what to do or what action the animal will take, the rodent sits completely still, fear seeping into its veins as it watches the adversary assess its prey. Like the apprehensive squirrel, humans often become anxious when they have insufficient information about the obstacles they must deal with; such is the case with Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. Odysseus is inhibited from returning to his homeland, Ithaca, throughout his ten-year long journey after the Trojan War. Once he arrives home, men trying to woo his wife prevent him from being reunited with his family. The challenges that Odysseus faces implies that a lack of knowledge and understanding creates fear. Odysseus’ adventures throughout his journey home displays that dread can be a result of insufficient information and wisdom. Trapped in the cave of Polyphemos, Odysseus and his men attempt to escape the Cyclops by stabbing his eye with a sharpened stave. Although the monster is much stronger than the men, his blindness prevents him from seeking revenge. With this disability, Polyphemos does not know who or where the men are in his cave, so, due to his ignorance, his attempts to punish them are unsuccessful. The sightlessness of his single eye also symbolizes the blinding of one’s mind. Because Odysseus used an alias, “Noman,” instead of revealing his true name, it shrouded the truth from, or blinded the eye of, Polyphemos, thus establishing a sense of fear in him. Like the Cyclops’ loss of vision, people without knowledge are arrogant to reality and are usually forced to succumb to anxiety or despair, which