The Greek Culture In Homer's Odyssey

Throughout The Odyssey, we learn a lot about the greek culture. One of the first things we learn and that continues to get expressed throughout the whole story is that the gods are very important. To start it off, the storyteller prays to Muse. Then, later in the story, Odysseus stabs the cyclops eye out, causing Zeus to get mad at him. Because of this, Odysseus has a lot tougher of a trip home. Another example of the gods is with Helios's cattle. The men are not supposed to eat the cattle. However, while Odysseus is away, the men get too hungry and decide to eat the cattle, causing, them to die. From hearing about this experience, the audience learns that you always need to obey the gods and that there is always a reason for what you’re being told. Another value if the greek culture is that that you always need to welcome guests into your home. When Odysseus washes up on the shores of King Alcinous, he is given fresh clothes and a meal before getting asked who he is.

One of the lessons is shown with the lotus eaters. The men eat the lotus flower and forget that they are trying to get back to Ithaca. This teaches us that we need to never forget our destination. We can easily relate this to our own lives because we can also easily get distracted. For example, if you need to do the dishes, you often procrastinate and do other things, so the next day, the dishes still are not done. Another lesson learned is that without a master/leader, there is no need to excel. We see this when Odysseus gets home and everybody is in caus. Today, if a teacher is gone, the students usually don’t do their