...Hospitality In The Odyssey. Hospitality is very important in the epic poem The Odyssey written by Homer. If people do not show hospitality, they will be punished, although they might be rewarded for showing respect to elders. In The Odyssey written by Homer the epic poem exposes many instances of hospitality. Some instances are when Odysseus comes home as the beggar encountering the suitors. Next suitors enter the Penelope’s home, and wrecking her home and cattle. Another instance Polyphemus does not respect Odysseus and his many by rapidly asking them questions. If people do not show hospitality they might be punished. One character that was punished for not showing hospitality is the Cyclops. The epic states “ ‘Strangers,’ he said, ‘who...
Words: 375 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 764 - Pages: 4
...Critical Analysis: The Odyssey | One of the major themes in this epic The Odyssey is loyalty and perseverance. King Odysseus has been away from his land of Ithaca, wife Penelope and son Telemachus for twenty years. Ten of those years were spent with his faithful crew fighting in the Trojan War and the other ten years was spent trying to return home. Penelope didn’t lose faith in her husband after a rowdy and disrespectful crowd of suitors came and uprooted the palace. Penelope has a cunning that indicates she is a good mate for her wily husband. Antinous complains of it at the assembly in Book 2. The queen has a clever tactic as she worked on a weaving for three years, a shroud for the eventual funeral of her father in law in. Clearly buys her times to fool the young suitors. Her tactics eventually fail her after her malicious servants tell the suitors what the queen has been doing. I have to commend Odysseus for his perseverance on trying to get home to Ithaca and to his family. During Books nine thru twelve is where he did most of his wandering at sea thanks to Poseidon. In these books elapsed a little over seven years of his journey. I believe those year was the longest test of Odysseus loyalty and perseverance to return home to Penelope. Odysseus has to have two affairs just to continue his journey to Penelope. While thinking about his family constantly, he still remains very loyal to his men when the goddess- enchantress Circe turns them into animals....
Words: 1215 - Pages: 5
...Odysseus of Ithaca: Famed or Fraud? Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of the Trojan War hero Odysseus’s return home to his land of origin, Ithaca. Homer describes Odysseus as being one of, or possibly the greatest hero in all of Greece’s history. He is characterized as being a fearless, heroic man, who, with divine assistance, bests even the greatest monsters, and overcomes the most troublesome and life-threatening situations that he encounters, or the gods throw at him. However, if not for the assistance given to him by Athena, or any other divine figure, Odysseus’s journey would most likely have not worked out in his favor as it did, and he most likely would have perished within the very first books of The Odyssey. If divine assistance is what gave Odysseus his spark, courage and abilities, then are his abilities really justified? Who is the real Odysseus of Ithaca? Throughout many instances of The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen as this “almighty figure of excellence,” that can “never be beat or conquered.” However, despite the recognition that Odysseus deserves for accomplishing most of his feats, most of the work and assistance given to him was crafted by the goddess Athena; who constantly monitors Odysseus’s every move and protects him throughout the course of the tale. For example, on page 175 of the text, when Odysseus confronts the Phaecian princess Nausicaa, Athena personally makes him appear less menacing and worn. By doing this, Athena guaranteed that Odysseus would...
Words: 1149 - Pages: 5
...Joseph Banks Dr. Harl English 201 December 15, 2012 The Ramayana and The Odyssey The Ramayana and The Odyssey have been huge pieces of literature worldwide for many years. The Odyssey and The Ramayana are two different stories that are very similar in ways people may not realize. Odysseus and Rama are both great heroic men that have love for their wives. These heroes had set voyages that had obstacles they had to conquer. The historical contexts of these two tales are similar as well. Both of these stories being so old were started by oral traditions. They were passed on from generation to generation through the oral traditions used back then. Oral traditions used to be the only way that the common people could communicate their stories. Culturally both stories came from the same background to an extent. They each were from places ruled under monarchies where kings ruled over all the people. One difference is that The Ramayana was at a state of peace whereas The Odyssey tells its story when they are not at peace they are at war. Rama is exiled into the Dandaka Forest and Odysseus has been at war and has had trouble getting back for nearly twenty years. Each one is having a hard time getting what they desire and the obstacles along the way do not help. Rama, his wife Sita, and his younger brother Lakshmana are exiled in the forest.” I cannot live without my Sita.”(Ramayana) This is when the ten-headed king of Lanka abducts Sita while Rama is away. Odysseus...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...THE ODYSSEY The Odyssey opens in the tenth year after the fall of Troy, 20 years after Odysseus left Ithaca. Odysseus, owing to the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon, has not been allowed to return home; Odysseus had blinded Poseidon’s son Polyphemus, a Cyclops. At the moment Odysseus is living with the sea-nymph Calypso on her violet-fragrant island in the Ionian Sea. But at last Athena, his constant friend among the gods, persuades Zeus, the king of the gods, to allow him to escape. A Telemachus Seeks News Athena goes in disguise to Ithaca, where Penelope and her son Telemachus are being harassed by a horde of 108 suitors who want to compel the queen to marry one of them. The suitors presume that Odysseus is dead, though Penelope still has hope that he will return. Athena emboldens the young Telemachus and persuades him to set out on a journey to seek news of his father. He sails for Pylos, capital of the kingdom of Nestor, in the western Peloponnesus. Nestor welcomes Telemachus, tells him about the experiences of some of the Greek leaders after their departure from Troy, and entertains him for the night. Next day Telemachus goes to Sparta, the kingdom of Menelaus and Helen. (The Trojan War started with the capture of Helen by Paris, a Trojan prince.) They receive him sumptuously and recount some further adventures of the Greek princes, including the exploit of the wooden horse (Odysseus’s invention by which Troy was captured) and the encounter of Menelaus with the shape-shifting...
Words: 1085 - Pages: 5
...This last quarter we read the book Cold Mountain. We also read the epic poem The Odyssey. Through both of these stories we find a multitude of similarities between the journey of Odysseus and the journey of Inman. Both Inman and Odysseus begin their journeys in the same way. The two main characters are returning from very important wars for their home. Inman is returning from the Civil war. Although he fought for the losing side in the end Inman still fought in a war that is very important for his nation. Odysseus fights for the winning side in The Trojan War and it has an equal importance for his homeland. This sets the scene for both of their journeys home. Meanwhile both of our main characters have a lover who is struggling without them at home. Odysseus’s lover is penelope who must deal with all the suitors who think that Odysseus is dead because he has been...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...THE ODYSSEY Is a good leader classified as one who personally gains a lot or one who benefits his or her community at large? After fighting in the brutal Trojan War, Odysseus travels the sea in hopes of returning to Ithaca, his homeland, and his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the struggles and obstacles Odysseus and his men face traveling home. As prophesized, twenty years later, Odysseus returns to a devastated Ithaca, alone, penniless and unrecognizable. Odysseus has hubris, a flaw that costs him, as well his men, excessive troubles. Odysseus does not learn from his and others’ past mistakes, again leading him into traps that could have easily been avoided. Odysseus constantly puts his men in harm’s way for selfish purposes. For these reasons, Odysseus is an incompetent leader, and therefore should be criticized. Odysseus has hubris. This excessive pride and arrogance leads Odysseus and his men into difficult situations that would not have otherwise arisen. Towards the beginning of Homer’s epic, Odysseus narrowly escapes from a Cyclops’ cave. In triumphant victory, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops, Polyphemus. His men advise him against further agitating Polyphemus after the Cyclops starts throwing massive boulders at their ship; however, Odysseus displays hubris and does not listen. ‘Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!’ ‘Aye He’ll smash our timbers and our heads together!’ / I would not heed them...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...in The Odyssey, it is through Homer’s writing that we begin to see the underlying belief, in ancient Greek culture, of divine intervention and the gods’ power to control and shape man’s destiny. Their influence is evident in determining the outcome of every adventure and obstacle that the hero, Odysseus, faces during his lengthy, perilous journey home following the events of the Trojan War. Man’s free will is overshadowed throughout this epic poem by the use of prophecy or the direct influence of the gods to ultimately foretell and decide the outcome. The choices Odysseus makes may have direct consequences and influence on his life, gaining or denying him favor with the gods. He cannot; however, change his fate or escape their will. The influence of the gods is shown early on in The Odyssey during a meeting of the gods where they decide amongst themselves that the time for Odysseus to return to his home in Ithaca has come. At the time of the meeting, Odysseus is trapped in a suspended state of inactivity on the island Ogygia with the goddess Calypso. No matter the remarkable wit and cunning the hero is shown to possess, it is the decision of the gods at this meeting to send Hermes to pave the way for his release from the island. Zeus to Hermes: “Hermes, you’ve been our messenger before. / go tell that ringlet nymph it is my will / To let that patient man Odysseus go home. / Not with an escort, mind you, human or divine, / But on a rickety raft-tribulation at sea- / Until...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...The resemblance regarding the hellish nightmares of tortured souls, desecrated bodies, and the regrets of the dead and living are scattered all over in descriptions regarding the Underworld in Greek and Roman literature; in Homer's Odyssey and of Vergil's Aeneid, both had a noticeable emphasis on their own definition of the, “invisible world,” but while both showed off that particular brand of afterlife rather vividly in their own styles ways and particular reactions to it, many people argue that the Aeneid copied from the Odysseus heavily. However, while the Aeneid did copy verses and the general progression of the story from the Odyssey, the centuries of separation between works and cultures show themselves as the two poems are examined more in-depth. Some of the more prominent reasons that many see that the Aeneid copied...
Words: 1466 - Pages: 6
...ancient history. All that we know for certain about him is that he composed two of the greatest epics in world literature, The Iliad and The Odyssey, as well as several hymns to the gods. The content, ideals, and style of his epics formed the basis of Greek education in the classical age of Socrates, Plato, Sophocles, and Aristotle and influenced the course of western literature for centuries to come. .......The Iliad and The Odyssey stand as two of the greatest works ever composed. They have influenced writers throughout the ages for the beauty and power of their imagery, for their character development, for the universality of their themes, and for their extraordinary stories. They take their place alongside the Bible, Sophocles’ Oedipus the Rex, Dante’s The Divine Comedy, Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Tolstoy’s War and Peace as among the most popular and most highly praised literary works in history. Remarkably, Homer had no authors to imitate, no prototypical literature to guide him, for literature—indeed, civilization itself—was still in its infancy when he composed his works. He was the world's first great writer, a model for others to imitate. .......Scholars conjecture from scraps of evidence that Homer was a blind poet who may have been born on the island of Chios (also spelled in English as Khios) in the Aegean Sea; in Smyrna, a seaport in western Turkey; in Colophon, near Ephesus, Turkey; on Rhodes, an Aegean island; in Salamis, Cyprus; or in Athens...
Words: 2682 - Pages: 11
...15 The Adventures of Odysseus The only authority for this story is the Odyssey, except for the account of Athena s agreement with Poseidon to destroy the Greek Fleet, which is not in the Odyssey and which I have taken from Euripides' Trojan Women. Part of the interest of the Odyssey, as distinguished from the Iliad, lies in the details, such as are given in the story of Nausicaii and the visit of Telemachus to Menelaus. They are used with admirable skill to enliven the story and make it seem real, never to hold it up or divert the readers attention from the main issue. When the victorious Greek Fleet put out to sea after the fall of Troy, many a captain, all unknowing, faced troubles as black as those he had brought down on the Trojans. Athena and Poseidon had been the Greeks' greatest allies among the gods, but when Troy fell all that had changed. They became their bitterest enemies. The Greeks went mad with victory the night they entered the city; they forgot what was due to the gods; and on their voyage home they were terribly punished. Cassandra, one of Priam's daughters, was a prophetess. Apollo had loved her and given her the power to foretell the future. Later he turned against her because she refused his love, and although he could not take back his gift-divine favors once bestowed might not be revoked—he made it of no account: no one ever believed her. She told the Trojans each time what would happen; they would never listen to her. She declared that Greeks...
Words: 8527 - Pages: 35
...SUMMARY OF ILIAD In the tenth year of the Trojan War, tensions are running high among the Achaeans. First, the priest Chryses comes to ask their leader, King Agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom Agamemnon was holding captive. When Agamemnon refuses, the priest prays to the god Apollo to send a plague against the Achaeans. After nine days of plague, the Achaeans assemble again and demand that Agamemnon give the girl back. Agamemnon eventually agrees, but only if he gets to take Briseis, the girlfriend of Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Achaeans. Even though Achilles gives her up, he becomes so enraged that he refuses to fight any more. That and he prays to his mother, Thetis, who happens to be a goddess, to pull some strings with the other gods so that the Achaeans will start getting defeated in battle and realize how much they depend on him. Achilles’ mom definitely spoils him. She gets Zeus, the king of the gods, to agree to Achilles’ request. Sure enough, the next day the Trojans makes a successful counterattack, led by Hector, their greatest warrior. Several days of violent fighting follow, at the end of which the Trojans have the Achaeans pinned against the beach, and are threatening to burn their ships. At this point, Achilles’ best friend Patroclus asks for permission to go into battle in Achilles’ place. Achilles grants Patroclus request, and even lets him wear his armor. Patroclus gambit is successful – when the Trojans see him, they think he must be Achilles...
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...Open Letter to a Young Negro (by Jesse Owens) All black men are insane…. Almost any living thing would quickly go mad under the unrelenting exposure to the climate created and reserved for black men in a white racist society…. I am secretly pleased about the riots. Nothing would please the tortured man inside me more than seeing bigger and better riots everyday. Those words were spoken by Bob Teague to his young son in Letters to a Black Boy. He wrote these letters to “alert” his son to “reality” so that the boy wouldn’t be caught off guard—unprepared and undone. Are his words true? Does a black man have to be just about insane to exist in America? Do all Negroes feel a deep twinge of pleasure every time we see a white man hurt and a part of white society destroyed? Is reality so stinking terrible that it’ll grab your heart out of your chest with one hand and your manhood with the other if you don’t meet it armed like a Nazi storm trooper? Bob Teague is no “militant.” He’s a constructive, accomplished journalist with a wife and child. If he feels hate and fear, can you ever avoid feeling it? Whether it’s Uncle Tom or ranting rioter doing the talking today, you’re told that you’ll have to be afraid and angry. The only difference is that one tells you to hold it in and the other tells you to let it out. Life is going to be torture because you’re a Negro, they all say. They only differ on whether you should grin and bear it...
Words: 7102 - Pages: 29
...Odyssey Argumentative Essay As Christopher Columbus once said, "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." The journey, and how those obstacles and distractions are overcome, is what holds the valuable life lessons that help us reach the destination. Ultimately, it is not the overall goal, but the decisions we make and the turns we take during the journey that help shape and define who we are as people. In Homer's The Odyssey, the theme of the epic is about how war can change a person. It is evident that the journey is more important than the goal to the development of Odysseus's character and the theme of the epic when Odysseus learns the importance of humility, the value...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
