Brutality And Ideas Faced In Homer's The Odyssey

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. Odysseus starts his journey in the story–

This is a small, yet needed sacrifice, for a much more significant purpose. In perspective, the riches thrown overboard don’t matter in the grand scheme of things when the final destination is needed. A reader can infer from this scene in the text that sacrifices are needed to achieve the ultimate goal. After making a small sacrifice, Odysseus and his ship’s crew face their first challenge. They reach an island smelling delicious food, and motivated by greed and hunger, the starved men desperately run off the ship with the image of food in their minds, but instead the first two men are greeted by Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, who eats two crew members. Odysseus and his men hide, but with Odysseus’ critical thinking skills, he devises a plan for him and his men to execute, and they do so successfully. Only with a good leader and teamwork skills could they manage to escape the brutal polyphemus. Although the brutal actions of eating men are not relevant, the problem solving skills and actions taken together as a team are. Odysseus demonstrates to the reader how a good leader should act by saying, “Control