Examples Of Persistence In The Odyssey

Persistence is the will to go on. A trait that is necessary to get through life’s obstacles. A person does not fight a lion by giving up, the person fights, with a will to succeed. Persistence is important. Living through life’s tough obstacles requires persistence. When life makes you feel horrible, persistence is what lets life be a bit better to get through. When Odysseus was premeditating the Cyclop’s blinding in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, he did not lie down and wait for death to pick him apart, he states in a solid, godly voice, “... no quitting now…” ( 9; 840). He goes along with his men, and stabs the ghastly beast in his horrid eye with a rugged, sharp oar. Beforehand, he had incapacitated the creature by intoxicating him with

“ Cyclops,try some wine./ Here’s liquor to wash down your scraps of men.” (9; 810- 811) Through Odysseus’ persistence, he was able to keep going, never giving up. Though he knew the dangers of different events, he remained in a solid state of mind. For example, when he was with the sirens, he commanded his crewmen to have him be placed on the ship’s mast, held by a labyrinth of rope. To keep his shipmates clean from temptations, they placed soft beeswax in the cavities of their inner ears. “you are to tie me up…”(12;1250) He wanted to see just how tempting the songs of those fabled sirens were. Another time that Odysseus’ persistence and emotional strength outshined his dismal world was when he had slayed the narcissistic, selfish and possessive future suitor,Antinous, for the beautiful, cunning Penelope. “Odysseus’s arrow hit him [Antinous] under the chin and punched up feathers