Odysseus: The Value Of Brain In Homer's Odyssey

When away from home for twenty years there are very few people who could face strenuous tasks patiently. Although Homer’s Odyssey has a plethora of themes, it becomes very apparent that Homer values one characteristic more than others, which is the value of brain over brawn. Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, is best described by Homer’s very own words which are, “Wise to resolve, and patient to perform.” Like many Greek tales and myths, there are an abundance of lessons to be learned from the tale but in this Greek Epic Homer displays the value of expeditious thinking and patience in very perilous situations. Amidst the long voyage home to Ithaca, Odysseus is faced with many burdensome physical and mental tasks. In this Homer really

In the ninth book of Homer’s epic, Odysseus lands on the island of the Cyclops on his voyage home from The Trojan War. Upon arrival, Odysseus and his men enter a cave on the island that is filled with provisions. What the men do not know is that this cave is home of Poseidon's son, Polyphemus, who is a giant, man-eating Cyclops. When Polyphemus arrives back at his cave, he blocks the entrance with a giant stone and eats two of the men. The next day four more men are eaten by Polyphemus and Odysseus knows he must do something so that he may make it home to his family in Ithaca. Soon after, Odysseus offers Polyphemus some very strong and undiluted wine that he obtained earlier on in his journey. Now drunk, Polyphemus offers Odysseus a guest-gift if he will tell him his name, Odysseus responds with "Οὖτις" which means “nobody”. Because of this, Polyphemus tells this “Nobody” that he will be eaten last. After this Polyphemus falls into a drunken sleep and Odysseus hardens a wooden stake in the fire. Odysseus then pierces the eye of the Cyclops and blinds him, when this happens Polyphemus cries out to his fellow cyclops, saying that “Nobody” has hurt him. Upon hearing this the other Cyclops thought that Polyphemus was being affected by a divine power and they advised him to turn to prayer. The following morning

First, we must examine the fact that although Odysseus does prevail, there are many things that support strength and power being dominant . Including the fact that yes, the men do escape Polyphemus, who was in control and had Odysseus’ destiny in his hand’s. How so? He ate six of Odysseus’ men and had them all trapped. He could’ve easily slayed all the men but instead waited to eat them over time. The only reason Odysseus got away was because Polyphemus began to trust him and even promised Odysseus that he would be the last snack he would enjoy. Therefore, strength and power were actually dominant, but Odysseus only prevailed because Polyphemus could not see. Another case that supports strength and power being dominant is the fact that The Suitors lived lavishly for 20 years, which is spoken about by Brian Lower of the authors of the article “Hidden Theme’s From Homer’s Odyssey”. In this article he makes the supporting argument that while Odysseus was away, these men took over. They did whatever they wanted to during this time. Why? Because, they were the strongest and most powerful in Ithaca. The king was gone and because of his absence they lived like kings while Odysseus fought in a 10 year war and then sailed back home which took another 10 years. During this time the men feasted, relished in the riches of Odysseus, and made love with the servants of Penelope.