Lesdy Torres Mrs.Gonzales English II 5 November, 2015 Recklessness vs. Wisdom and Coming of Age The Odyssey by Homer is a great epic that shows the journey of Odysseus, a man trying to get home back to his family. Throughout the epic, Odysseus faces many obstacles that lead him farther and farther away from home. Throughout book 1-12 the pattern of recklessness vs. wisdom sets the dominant tone of the story and is closely interwoven with the pattern of coming-of-age. From the interweaving of these elements, Homer teaches us that the experience of making mistakes helps a person become wiser. Even Though The Odyssey was written to tell the story of Odysseus, there were many other characters that showed reckless behavior and made their trip back …show more content…
Odysseus makes many stops throughout his journey, such as the island of Aeolus, Circe’s island, the island of Phaeacians and in each of these islands Odysseus has been treated with much respect, he receives extravagant feasts and gifts. Odysseus, after being treated greatly, expects that every island he lands will give his amazing gifts and feast. But once he arrives at Polyphemus island, he is blinded by his riches and his cattle that he doesn’t realize that him and his men are going to be in danger. “ But I would not give way-and how much better it would have been-not till I saw him, saw the gifts he’d give” (9.256-258). Odysseus is blinded by the Cyclops plunder and doesn’t realize that he puts his men in peril, which later results with many of his men getting eaten by Polyphemus. Odysseus show reckless behavior because he doesn’t realize that danger of the Cyclops he instead pays attention to the gifts he will give. Even though Odysseus is a grown man, a father, and a leader, his reckless behavior shows that he is still not mature and he only thinks about his situation at that moment but not the consequence that he will