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Intelligence In Homer's Odyssey

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Today in the world everyone views intelligence as a rare characteristic that the top or elite only have. Also they view people as intelligent if they solve very well-know and or popular issues. Through this viewpoint, common people will say that people like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and or the wealthy are intelligent. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, intelligence is defined as, “the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria”. I feel that that definition is very specific and does not even cover a decent range of people. In my definition of intelligence, I view the ability to solve simple but confusing problems, and or the ability to use …show more content…

One of the most prevalent moments occurred in book 9, “The Cyclops”, where Odysseus developed an intricate plan for escape. He tricked the cyclops into drinking wine until he passed out, and told him that his name was Nohbdy. Then he and his men pushed a large pole into his eye, when they cyclops began wailing in pain, other cyclops asked what was wrong and he said Nohbdy did it to me. The next day when the cyclops was letting his rams out, Odysseus tied his men and himself under the animals as to avoid the cyclops (Homer 340-440). This portion of the book was specifically great because Odysseus was intelligent enough to save his men and himself from the cyclops. In the end, being intelligent is not making great scientific discoveries that change the world or even doing something complex and amazing like John Harrison. Intelligence is a far more simple concept like the ability to solve simple but confusing problems, and or the ability to use reason when solving issues as intelligence. This could be expressed as not studying for a test and using the process of elimination to get an A. Also it could be figuring out what is wrong when separate parts do not fit properly together. Intelligence is a simple characteristic that many people

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1. In your own words, how would you define "intelligence" and how does it differ from "information"? Use an example to make your case. a. Information is produced when data points are combined to answer a question an example would be the biometric system, it gathers height and weight can produce a BMI score and can then be put on a chat determine in you fall within the normal range for the country of the person.

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Mike Rose disagrees with the assumption that “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education” (Mike, 247). Formal education does not always measure the level of intelligence of a person. Education as something people can gain not only in school, but every day of their lives. We should be learning from our experiences, and apply this knowledge to our everyday lives. Wisdom should not be looked at as just

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Marina Gorbenko HRS 119-Classical Mythology M. Pinkerton 16 May 2016 Bonus Reading Response: Homer’s Odyssey In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus, is introduced as a classic hero. However, through his odyssey, the audience finds Odysseus to be much more than an everyday hero. While other heroes relied on their strength and ability in battle, Odysseus, while also having the skill of all of the other warriors, relies heavily on his cunning when faced with obstacles.

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What do you think it means to be intelligent? Being intelligent means having self-awareness and understanding, using logic and critical thinking, and having the ability to learn. This is shown in the novel by Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing, John Stienbecks novella, Of Mice and Men, and Richard Connell’s fictional short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”. In the book Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya uses her intelligence all throughout her life to survive on her own in the marsh.

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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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Intelligence is what gets us by everyday; it gets us jobs and helps to provide for ourselves and others. I'm not saying you need to be the smartest person ever to be successful, but you at least have to be smart enough. Gladwell mentions that "Langan’s IQ is 30 percent higher than Einstein’s. But that doesn’t mean Langan is 30 percent smarter than Einstein. That’s ridiculous.

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Odysseus uses his intellectual prowess over his might multiple times in The Odyssey. One example is when Odysseus puts beeswax in his men's ears so they don’t get tempted by the sirens. Strategically, Odysseus says “Coming forward, I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears (548).” Odysseus is very strategic in doing this because he knows that the siren's songs are irresistible.

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Intellectualism is the factor of being intellect or intelligent. The idea of what it means to be educated can be interpreted many different ways by different people. Some think it’s having a 4.0 and going to Harvard, while others believe in the idea of having common sense. In the essay, “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff reflects how lack of education is viewed negatively in society. On top of that, a question also lies what it means to educated.

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Ignorance is the lack of knowledge and understanding. Intelligence is the opposite. Ignorance is widely viewed as something bad as it is very damaging to one’s self esteem. But what would happen in a society filled with just that? Ray Bradbury writes about that in his book Fahrenheit 451.

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A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.

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This narrows down the playing field a good bit farther, eliminating most species of animals that exist today. Intelligence can be described and defined using many different interpretations, but a simple one that will suffice our purpose is thus: “the comparative level of performance of a system in reaching its own objectives” (Kaplan). The Monster in Frankenstein definitely shows evidence of having objectives and achieving them. After discovering fire and what uses it may have, the Monster says, “’I busied myself in collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry it, and have a plentiful supply of fire’” (Shelley 99).

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Possibly the most memorable quote is when Odysseus reveals his name to Polyphemus after having stabbed the cyclops in its eye. This shows Odysseus’s arrogance, and sets up the whole story for the rest of his conflicts. “When they had made fast the running gear all along the black ship, then they set up the mixing bowls, filling them brimful with wine, and poured to the gods immortal and everlasting but beyond all other gods they poured to Zeus’ gray-eyed daughter” (Book 2, 430-433). This was when Telemachus was leaving Ithaca to go to Pylos and see Nestor. They made an offering to Athena, ironically while she was in the ship disguised as Mentor.

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One way that Odysseus shows cleverness is when he is able to get his men out of dangerous situations. Two stories in which Odysseus uses his cleverness to get him and his men out of dangerous situations are in “Scylla and Charybdis”, and “The Cyclops”. Another way how Odysseus shows his cleverness is he deceives others to his advantage. In “The Cyclops” he deceives Polyphemus when he tricks him into thinking his name is Nohbody, and this helps him to escape the island and not get caught. Cleverness is a trait in The Odyssey that helped Odysseus to get him and his men out of dangerous situations, and cleverness also helped deceive others to Odysseus’

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