Odysseus’s Journey In The Current Day Essay
In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, the hero Odysseus travels far from home to complete the quests given by the gods. Throughout the journey, Odysseus faces many difficult obstacles. Although many consider this epic fictional, it connects to the real world in many aspects. There are many challenges that young adults these days face which is very similar to Odysseus. During the journey, Odysseus faced many obstacles with the gods and also had many monsters to deal with, fight, and resist. Odysseus from Homer’s Odyssey is similar to young adults because they both struggle with monsters. First, Odysseus is similar to young adults today because they both deal with monsters. The first time that Odysseus
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This can be seen when “Numerous suitors, believing Odysseus to be dead, have been continually seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope, in marriage, while overrunning Odysseus’ palace and enjoying themselves at Penelope’s expense. Moreover, they are plotting to murder Odysseus’ son, Telemachus” (Homer 1000) This shows that the suitors are real monsters trying to kill Odysseus’s son and trying to take over his life. Odysseus doesn’t think this is right but plots back at the suitors and reclaims his life. Next, Odysseus deals with the sirens when they were passing and he had to resist their singing. For example, when “Sirens weaving a haunting song over the sea we are to shun, she said, and their green shore all sweet with clover, yet she urged that I alone should listen to their song. Therefore 695 you are to tie me up, tight as a splint” (Homer 882) From this, it is clear that he had to resist and tried hard to resist which includes even getting tied so he would not get lured. The final time that Odysseus faces monsters in The Odyssey is when Odysseus and his men had to face the cyclops on Cyclops …show more content…
To start, modern young adults face monsters in many different forms and ways. Monsters can be Racism, or even someone's mind or thoughts. According to David G, modern young adults, “George Floyd was viciously murdered in Minneapolis. No one should die like that.” (David 6) This shows that many people are cruel and discriminate against others cause of their race, culture, or even religion. George Floyd was killed for no reason just because he was a man of color. Modern young adults also have low self-esteem. As stated in Monsters in the mirror, “Jessica's body-image problems started early. In middle school, it was the frizziness of her hair. In high school, it was the size of her nose. Then last year, during law school in Massachusetts, Jessica's insecurities about her looks ballooned into a full-blown fixation. At the age of 25, she began to worry non-stop about the smallest signs of aging.” (Dolgin 1) From this, it is clear that young adults these days are facing a new issue which is a monster in their brains. They are getting emotionally and mentally hurt by the stuff that their brain is telling them. Lastly, modern young adults have to deal with addiction when they get addicted to substances without even knowing what they are doing. Young adults think it's not a big deal and it is just for enjoyment and is getting highly addicted to illegal substances. Billy Manas states that “There is
While getting stuck in a cave with a cannibal he had to kill or get killed. This quote shows “Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point straight into the monster's eye they renamed it hard, I drove my weight on it from above and bored it home”(Homer 440). Showing this quote proves my point of Odysseus’ strength during nerve racking time. Odysseus also shows metal strength while encountering Sirens. As the text states, “The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen , and I tried to say “Untie me!”
After Circe turned Odysseus’ men into pigs, they stayed on the island of Aeaea for the year to come. They indulged in all the luxuries she offered after they were returned to their original state. However, after a year’s stay, Odysseus, the son of Laertes, was informed that he had to go to the underworld to complete his mission, but to reach this destination, Odysseus was to set out on a arduous journey, a mission to make it to the River Styx, the entrance to the underworld, but simply getting to this river was an adventure in itself. “When young Dawn rose her fingers and caressed the soft morning sky, we sailed on and parted our ways with Circe, the Lustrous and Mystical One. I had sought to be amongst my faithful Penelope after all this
Fear becomes a major element in restoring his identity as well by forcing the suitors to fear his identity; especially after he kills their leader, Antinuos. To exemplify Odysseus’s glory after he slaughters the suitors, Homer compares Odysseus who
He constantly faced life-threatening challenges, but in the end, he still managed to get out of them successfully. This is shown by the time when he encountered the sirens, he bravely resists by having his crew tie him to the pole of the ship. Additionally, during his battle against the suitors, as he returns to Ithaca, Odysseus bravely handles the unloyal men. Being unable to have strong problem-solving skills would make things much harder and have many different outcomes. This displays his strong leadership and courage throughout dangerous
Socrates once said, “All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.” These words by Socrates highlight the terrifying voyage that Odysseus takes over the span of twenty years and how through the souls of the dead, virtue, pride and passion allowed Odysseus, the main character, to grow into an epic hero. In The Odyssey, the author Homer, takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey with the use of figurative language and literary devices wherein Odysseus becomes a hero in both the physical and the spiritual sense. Odysseus is undoubtedly a flawed man, a mortal man, as evidenced by the language of the novel, but it is in his journey, through the obstacles he faces that he grows into a heroic man by utilizing his ingenuity, and comes away from the journey with pride and passion. Odysseus is
In Homer’s The Odyssey Odysseus goes on a journey to get back home from war. Along the way he goes through monsters, challenges, and obstacles that he has to face to make it back to reach his goal in the end. He has difficulties that change him as a person and how he reacts to events and points. This relates to me because even though both of our lives are different we have similarities.
Odysseus had been instructed by Circes to travel past the Sirens which is a very dangerous task. Odysseus did not back down and showed bravery and leadership when he fearlessly said “We must avoid the voices of the otherworldly sirens” and directed his crew to keep him “upright at the mast, wound round with rope” in order for them to safely pass (Homer, 306). On the other hand, Odysseus showed selfishness toward his crew, burdening them with too much work than they could handle. Odysseus' crew told him “You are unfair to us, Odysseus. You may be strong; you never seem to tire; you must be made of iron.
Following his time in the land of the dead, Odysseus reacted to situations in vastly different ways, from having his crew tie him to the mast when passing the Sirens (the old Odysseus would have most likely believed he could withstand the temptation) to tactfully avoiding revealing his identity
If Odysseus was not tied up by his men he would have became a captive
Much the same as how a child relies upon the nourishment of their mom, he believes that his group is Subjected to him and useless without his essence . It is as if Odysseus is the grapple that unites his team and the beacon that leads them to the direction of success. Even though , Odysseus neglects to acknowledge his men for all the times his crew battled for him and saved him from evil. When they are paddling past the island of the Sirens, whose music will charm any person to forget his home, “Perimedes and Eurylochus [jumps] up, [loops] more rope around [him], and [pulls] tight”(12.204-05). They spared Odysseus’s life, however Odysseus still considered them to be simply a group of sheep.
But, after angering Poseidon by blinding his one eyed cyclops son, Odysseus must go through brutal situations to get home thanks to the fuming god. The theme, the search for justice, is very prevalent in this text because of the fight between Odysseus and the suitors, the reunion of Odysseus and his wife Penelope and when Odysseus visits his father Laertes and Athena must restore peace because of the fight that breaks out there. To begin, the theme searching for justice is shown clearly when Odysseus returns home and kills the suitors. The text states, “Odysseus took aim and hit him with an arrow in the throat.
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
The Odyssey Essay Imagine being away from your family for 20 years fighting in a war then fighting with monsters. That is what Odysseus had to do. Odysseus is a hero from the epic poem “The Odyssey” by Homer. Along the way Odysseus had several challenges he had to face.
Homer delivers very universal themes, such as loyalty is respected, but the epic also provides meaningful themes that are not as recognizable. The Odyssey is very focused on leadership and courage, as it centers on a hero's journey. There are many parts in the epic where Homer explains the actions of an admirable leader. In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplifies the true meaning of being a leader through courage in the face of danger, which is shown by Circe, the Sirens, and the suitors. One might wonder why it takes Odysseus ten years to return to his homeland after he has achieved victory for Ithaca in the Trojan War.
The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.