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Analyzing Themes In Homer's The Odyssey

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Discussion 3

In the Odyssey, Homer drastically changes the themes his writings focus on from that which is in the Iliad. In the Iliad, the main themes were that ok kleos, honor, wrath, vengeance, strife, divine intervention, aristeria, and rage amongst others. Now in the Odyssey the main focus is on nosotros, Xenia, wit an intelligence, over brawn, identity or lack thereof, subtext and underlying ideas, and family. In the Iliad,is deemed glorious and honorable, and is placed more importantly above even family. The Odyssey instead takes a different turn. No more are the grand speeches to get men fighting; instead the outcome of war is illustrated in the pain experienced by the characters. While many of these themes overlap in some degree, the switch from physical power to mental prowess is one of the more prominent changes. This is not to say that there were no acts of wisdom, intelligence, or strategy in the Iliad, just that they were more often overshadowed in importance by the use of brute strength. In the Odyssey we see a variety of scenes where Odysseus and other characters learn either by perception or by experience that brute force is not always the answer and that sometimes one must not only be wise and strategic in their actions, but at times must be willing to give up their glory in order to be successful. Over the course of the …show more content…

When he realized the effects of the lotuses he manages to rescue his men that are already under their effect as well as preventing the rest of his men from being drugged, allowing them to get off the island as opposed to being trapped there and continuing on their journey home. Next Odysseus and his men have a run-in with the cyclops Polyphemus who traps them and begins to eat Odysseus's Men. At first Odysseus wants to react in anger, but he holds

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In many stories, the hero uses either his wit or strength to solve problems. However, in the epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus, the main character, uses both intelligence and strength in order to overcome the problems he faces. Both are used many times in the epic, but Odysseus relies more on his intelligence. This is shown many times, such as when he kills the suitors that stay in his home, encounters the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and when he decides to immediately leave the island of the Lotus Eaters. During the time when Odysseus killed the suitors, intelligence was more important than strength.

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Odysseus and his men had travel to the island of the Lotus eaters when he drove “... them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: “ all hands a board; come, clear the beach and no one taste the Lotus or you lose your hope of home.” (Book 9, lines 48-52, textbook). Odysseus saved three of his man and brought them back to the ship, saving them from a long weary death. Odysseus also taught his remaining man a lesson and showed his men how clever he was in this dire situation. As Odysseus is fleeing from the Laestrygonians, he “...shouted rapid orders at my shipmates: ‘Put your backs in the oars- now row or die… my ship alone… we… escaped our death yet at heart for the dear companions we had lost.”

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The tale of Homer’s The Odyssey tells the story of Trojan war noble hero Odysseus Homer uses the differences in the physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics of Odysseus and Telemachus in order to show two very different journeys of a father and son. First, Homer emphasizes their differences in strength when they each try to string a bow with very different results. Second, Homer shows us how to the two the differ when it comes to their emotions aspects when they discuss how to go about getting revenge on the suitors in book sixteen, “Father and Son”. Finally, Homer highlights their different opinions on giving mercy in chapter twenty-two, “Death in the Great Hall”.

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On the Cyclopes' island, he was interested in meeting the owner of the cave who had such fine cheeses. However, his men only want to steal the cheese and leave hastily because there was an uneasiness about the cave. Nevertheless, he fixes upon staying and not soon after, the cyclops Polyphemus returns. He and his men are now in peril because of Odysseus' recklessness. The consequence of his decision is that shortly after Polyphemus devours most of his men but this bolsters him to conjure a plan to escape.

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Universal human experiences: occurrences that happen to all people. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus struggles with engendering, and searches for, connections to other people. The universal human experience portrayed in the Odyssey of connecting with other people is shown through Odysseus's struggle with honest, loyalty, and From some of the events that happen in the Odyssey, it is clear that Odysseus struggles with honesty. This is especially shown in some of the interactions with his crew. After receiving the wind bag from Boreas (Homer ), Odysseus is given explicit instructions to not open the bag.

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Upon the coastline of lotus eaters Odysseus sends out 2 men and a runner to see what is on the land. He later notices that the lotus flowers his men have been eating make them not want to leave the island. Odysseus first shows his men loyalty when he goes to get his men no matter how much of a fight they put up and he then ties them to the ship so they can’t escape. Odysseus says to his men, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, / tied them down under their rowing benches, / and called the rest” (Homer 9. 48-50). While on Calypso’s Island, Calypso falls in love with Odysseus and wants him to stay even offering him immortality.

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Through the test of time, The Odyssey, written by Greek philosopher Homer in 725 BCE, has proven to be a timeless piece of literature, with its lessons and values still relevant and applicable in today's current age. The modern reader can see how the society in The Odyssey has ideas that are not relevant in today's age. Apart from the ideas that are irrelevant to today, harsh actions involving brutality and extreme violence are performed in the epic. Homer conveys his values and ideas through his character's actions, giving this book depth and layers. The actions on a surface level are irrelevant to the current age lived in, but the lessons and morals behind each challenge Odysseus faces are timeless.

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Over the course of

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Throughout the course of an exceptionally dangerous point in Odysseus’ return voyage he and his men find themselves caught in the territory of the Lotus Eaters, natives who have had their minds corrupted by a certain Lotus flower. Upon landing on the island, Odysseus sent three men to scout the area, all three of which became plagued by the flower. However, Odysseus “… drove [his men] to the ships, tied them down… [and] moved out again” (Homer 9.105-112). Odysseus cares about the safety of those three crew members, though they may have seemed insignificant due to the total size of his troupe. Rather than simply fleeing the island, he ventures out to ensure his men will return despite their stupefied state.

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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.

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In the story of the Cyclops Homer’s theme is intelligence rules over brute strength. Odysseus uses brilliant wisdom to overpower the might of the Cyclops. Homer shows that with Odysseus’ careful tactics he was able to beat even the mightiest of people. Homer also teaches that if one cannot keep their cool wisdom and strength are nothing.

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We can depict this conclusion through the quote found in Chapter 9 ”Now, by the gods, as I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up: no quitting now.” Odysseus and his men were very adamant about escaping and strategically injuring the cyclops, instead of crying aloud and yelling to the gods, courage rained down on them. The encouraging words that Homer uses instantly lifts the mood to triumphant environs. In retrospect, Homer uses diction and imagery to display distinct shifts in tone stimulating the reader's senses and evoking strong emotion in the reader. In this excerpt from “The Odyssey,” Homer’s brilliant diction shows the reader a valuable lesson, that things do not always go as you planned them to, making unintellegent assumptions will often hurt you in situations, but you can always turn a negative situation around by stabbing a cyclops in the eye

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The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways.

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Iliad, the epic poem is written by a great epic poet Homer. This poem is a classic in real terms and recounts some historic facts about the last ten years of Trojan war and the Greek siege city of Troy. Tracing back its history, Iliad is thought to be written back in 8th century B.C. and it is considered one of the earliest works in western literary tradition. It captures the scene of blood, abductions, murders, wrath of Achilles, revenge, anger and intervention of gods. The scene of warfare and blood are presented in the poem through oral tradition initially.

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