ipl-logo

The Gods And Goddesses In Bernard Evslin's 'Ulysses'

456 Words2 Pages

Isabella Gritz - Period 2 Mrs. Shea
3/8/23

Help or hinder Essay

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like without certain people or actions? In the book The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin, the main character Ulysses conquers Troy and has a journey home to Ithaca, where he has many experiences with gods and goddesses that affect his life in good and bad ways. In this essay, I will put forward the claim that the gods and goddesses play essential roles in The Adventures of Ulysses and often intervene in Ulysses’ journey and either help or hinder him. For instance, the goddess Athene assisted his journey back home by telling Poseiden that a ship coming from Ithaca is Telemachus when, in reality, the ship is a bunch of suitors. Poseidon wound a thick black mist around the ship, causing the suitors trouble while Telemachus sailed past them. She also helps Ulysses' journey by changing herself into a young swineherd and hailing Telemachus, telling him, "Greetings, my lord." "I am sent by your servant, Eumaeus; they beg you to come to his hut before you go to the castle. He has important news to tell." If she didn’t do that, Ulysses' whole plan would have never been accomplished, and Ulysses wouldn’t have seen his son. But, not all of the gods affected Ulysses' journey positively.
A god that negatively affected Ulysses' journey …show more content…

But, even though Poseidon was portrayed as an antagonist, he also ends up helping Ulysses unintentionally like in the chapter The Return, “The suitors’ ship lay helpless in the mist, and Telemachus, sailing past them, ignorant of the danger, put into a part and disembarked.” In this part of the story, Poseidon thought he was causing Telemachus trouble but really, he was causing the suitors trouble which in the end, helped Ulysses. So as you can see, the gods in this book didn’t just help Ulysses, they also hurt

Show More
Related

Odysseus Hero Quotes

361 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus the Brave Hero In Homer's “The Odyssey”, the protagonist, Odysseus is fighting in the 10 year war against Troy. They win the war and now he and his men are trying to get back to their home, Ithaca. He angers the god of the sea, Poseidon, and now he has a god as an enemy. Poseidon sends waves after waves blowing him and his crew to islands, each having a conflict like monsters and goddesses.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Oh Brother Where Art Thou

1040 Words | 5 Pages

In both instances, the superhuman, supernatural and mythical forces such as the bag of winds, and Baby Face Nelson alter Odysseus’ and Ulysses’ journeys. The bag of winds affected Odysseus and his crew because they were impatient in waiting to open the bag. Within ten days, they are in sight of Ithaca, but Odysseus’ shipmates, who think that Aeolus has secretly given Odysseus a fortune in gold and silver, tear the bag open. The winds escape and stir up a storm that brings them all the way back to Aeolia. Also, several of the gods are involved in Odysseus' wanderings such as Poseidon who keeps Odysseus from returning home for several years, Zeus and Hermes which at points come to Odysseus' rescue, and Athena especially interests herself in every stage of Odysseus' journey home.

Read More

The Archetypal Mentors In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

589 Words | 3 Pages

The goddess Athena helps Telemachus obtain power in his house which is ruled by suitors trying to marry his mother. She then helps him set sail on a journey to foreign lands to question people about his father. One factor these two books have in common is both Athena and Maudie Atkinson act as a mentor to their pupils Telemachus and Scout.

Read More

Fate Of Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

711 Words | 3 Pages

What if you had gods controlling your fate? That was the case in Odysseus journey back to Ithaca. Greek gods and goddesses played a huge role in Odysseus’ trip home to Ithaca. Some of the gods hated Odysseus, some wanted to help him, and then some just wanted something to play with. One god that hated Odysseus and had a huge part in his delayed journey home was Poseidon.

Read More

Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

677 Words | 3 Pages

In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.

Read More

Examples Of Deus Ex Machina In The Odyssey

805 Words | 4 Pages

During the plot of the poem, mythological gods and goddesses are present in people’s lives to aid them when problems arise. In the text, the gods play a prominent role in helping Odysseus travel safely home, blessing men and women, and aiding during a war between two powerful leaders. Even though these stories were written thousands of years ago, they are still applicable to many societies

Read More

Role Of Divine Intervention In The Odyssey

1197 Words | 5 Pages

Divine intervention, or the role of the gods, plays a predominant role in the development of the eventual fate of the main characters; Odysseus, his son, Telemachus and his wife, Penelope. Homer is able to effectively incorporate the employment of divine forces as facilitators in destiny, as well as efficiently engage the readers through his vivid description of the various predicaments faced by Odysseus. Divine intervention is a phenomenon widely used in mythological epics. The gods play protagonistic and antagonistic roles; they essentially toy with the character until his fate is evident. Homer utilizes this right from the very beginning; we see Athena coming to the aid of Odysseus when Zeus refuses to have sympathy for him due to the fact that most heroes blame the Gods for their doom;

Read More

Kidney Failure Personal Statement

900 Words | 4 Pages

Personal Statement Since I was a child, I have shown great interest in exploring my surroundings. I was extremely eager to grasp every single piece of information into my growing brain. My family has always encouraged me to utilize my abilities to the fullest extent. As I grew, this passion became even bigger, and at those moments I came to an understanding that science will be my enjoyable hobby and my first and only career choice. When I was in my first year of medical school, I had to watch my cousin and best friend suffering because of Kidney Failure.

Read More

Serial Killer Research Paper

950 Words | 4 Pages

Psychology: The Mind of a Serial killer What’s the first thing a person thinks when they hear the word “psycho” ? is it people like Jeff Dahmer, H. H. Holmes? Human beings who can’t feel emotion, never show emotion, walk around the world with blood on their hands and a smile on their face?

Read More

Greek Gods And Goddesses In Homer's Odyssey

1203 Words | 5 Pages

In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Greek gods and goddesses as possessing human qualities and faults. Through their actions and emotions, Homer emphasizes the detrimental effects of lust, envy, wrath, and greed in ancient Grecian society. He also never fails to remind readers of the importance of respect for holy figures because of their powerful abilities to create chaos and wonder". Homer wants to prove that gods and humans share a variety of traits, and the only difference is that god don’t allow these flaws negatively to impact their society. To help further his argument, we can compare Greek gods and goddesses to that of Christianity.

Read More

Athena Intervention In The Odyssey

1056 Words | 5 Pages

The Odyssey is an epic poem written by the blind, illiterate poet Homer. It takes place in ancient Greece and tells of a man’s journey home from war. The topic, intervention of the gods, is seen throughout the book numerous times as the gods who are in favor of Odysseus lend a helping hand. It is well-known that the gods are very important to the Greeks. In this epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer demonstrates the importance of the positive and encouraging intervention of the gods in Greek culture; the brave actions, encouraging words, and cunning strategies of Athena as she assists and guides Odysseus on his journey back home.

Read More

Disrespecting The Gods In Homer's Odyssey

1204 Words | 5 Pages

In Homer’s Odyssey, gods and other supernatural beings dominated every aspect of mortal life. All living things and phenomena that occur in the world can be traced back to the gods. Seeing as how gods are responsible for the lives of mortals and the state of the natural world, performing deeds that anger the gods would prove to be disastrous while performing deeds that please the gods would prove to be beneficial. Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War was took ten years due to angering gods like Poseidon and Helios. However, it was through Athena’s aid that he was able to make it back home.

Read More

The Gods And Mortals In Homer's The Odyssey

610 Words | 3 Pages

Instead of being perfect omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent gods, they have limited power and influence, and are often driven by humanistic emotions and desires. While the gods do show concern over some mortals, they don’t make decisions solely concerning the wellbeing or interests of the humans, but instead, like the humans themselves, usually act with their own interests at heart. Athena and Poseidon both acts in accordance to their desires and emotions, and have a biased view on particular humans. Unlike the perfect deities we have in mind when we think of the divine, Greek gods are just immortal beings who are just as fallible and imperfect as the humans they preside

Read More

Divine Intervention In The Odyssey Essay

384 Words | 2 Pages

Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Zeus, and Hermes are all Greek Gods that appear in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. These gods all play a significant role in The Odyssey by both helping and hindering Odysseus on his 10-year journey home. Homer illustrates the theme of divine intervention in The Odyssey using Poseidon’s wrath, Athena’s providence, and Hermes’ guidance. Poseidon is one of the main gods that appears throughout The Odyssey, Homer shows Poseidon's divine intervention through his wrath on Odysseus during his journey home.

Read More

The Role Of The Gods In The Iliad

718 Words | 3 Pages

The Iliad, written by Homer, is an ancient Greek epic about the Trojan War, which the divine certainly influences. Unlike how most gods might act or behave in books nowadays, the gods in the Iliad share some uncommon traits. For example helping their favorite morals, the idea of justice and harmony is surely excluded in the portrayal of Greek gods. The divine in the Iliad are characterized as very emotional and somewhat manipulative. Regardless of what occurs, it 's all the doing of the gods.

Read More

More about The Gods And Goddesses In Bernard Evslin's 'Ulysses'

Related Topics

Open Document