Comparing The Odyssey And The Cruelest Journey

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“As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continues to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time.” - Denis Waitley. We have the illusion we are in control of our lives, but Odysseus and Kira find even though we appear to be making decisions, it is fate that we choose what we do. What jumpstarts all journeys is the initial pull of fate, and in the voyages such as The Odyssey by Homer and The Cruelest Journey by Kira , Odysseus and Kira learn what they want in life and in the process find out just how far they will go to get it.

Journeys are paths that are paved by fate, and destinies are the forks in the road; the route we end up on, is the one that …show more content…

Odysseus tried to eschew destiny …show more content…

This is seen when Kira’s peregrination is brought to an end, “I know now, with the utter conviction of my heart, that I want to avoid that stagnant life.” (pg. 427, line 226 student ebook) Kira finds that she yearns to learn, and wants a spontaneous life, that she will overcome any obstacle thrown her way, like a torn muscle, raging rapids, and sickness to have that. The journey’s jagged edges along the Nile to Timbuktu sanded her down and her strengths were seen in the polished off finish. This was seen when Odysseus, a man, with the yearn to return home, turns down a goddess's love, “Circe; fulfill the promise made to me, do let me leave for home.” (pg. 206 in The Odyssey ) Odysseus finds out just how much home means to him and that he was strong enough to be able to fight the initial desire of instinct to stay with the goddess to get to where he longed to be. One can see from this just how deep his love is for his home and wife. A person's strengths, innermost desires are brought to light and taught along the journey of