Both The Odyssey and Cold Mountain parallel each other in many things such as character, plot, and theme. An instance of this analogous relationship are the characters Junior and Polyphemus. Junior and Polyphemus embody inhospitality, demonstrate brutality through cannibalism, and leave their respective victims with lasting troubles. Junior and Polyphemus are the epitome of inhospitality within their respective books. Junior displays his unwelcoming nature by inviting Inman to come to his house after he helps Junior remove his bull from a river, only to repay Inman by selling him out to the Home Guard for “five dollars a head for every outlier [turned over].”
Question #1: Does the character illustrate frustration during the course of the story? Odysseus does illustrate frustration during the course of the story. Before Odysseus and his shipmates landed on the island of Helios, they were warned by Circe and Tiresias not to harm any of the animals, so he made his men swear not to hurt the animals. They stayed for a few days because the winds were strong.
Odysseus, in The Odyssey by Homer, and I both demonstrate self-restraint. One time Odysseus shows self-discipline is when he’s in the cyclops’ cave and stabbed his eye. The cyclops “squatted in the breach with arms thrown wide for any silly man or beast that bolted” (907). Odysseus restrains himself from running the first time he sees a way out. Instead he stays back and plans for a better way out.
During books twenty-one and twenty-two of The Odyssey, Homer maintains suspense in three ways. The first way that Homer creates suspense is through foreshadowing, he directly tells the audience what is going to happen in the beginning of the story. This creates suspense as the audience cannot wait for the moment that Odysseus will string and shoot the bow. The second way that Homer creates suspense is through the expression of the suitors. When Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, picks up the bow, the suitors teased the disguised Odysseus’ ability to shoot the bow.
During Odysseus’ decade-long journey to his home, he encounters many forms of suffering, the most prevalent being transformative in nature. Transformative suffering, which is typically caused by mortals, themselves, alters a mortal being; albeit physically, mentally, or emotionally. In the first few years of his journey, Odysseus suffers the loss of much of his crew. He loses men while plundering a small island; he loses some to the lotus esters; and a few to Polyphemus. Throughout all these sufferings, Odysseus learns that he should listen to the advice of others; thus, transforming him mentally and emotionally through these sufferings.
The pathos and ethos of cultures is often discernable in literary narratives as expressions of the sentiment of approval or disapproval. Thus, the impact of literary narratives on cultures cannot be understated; the arts do impact and influence culture in both positive and negative ways. This is not a new phenomenon and can be observed in cultures as early as 6 Century B.C. and can be traced throughout human history. An example of this can be seen in Homer’s Odyssey, in which there are certain characters within the narrative that portray what is known as “arete.” Arete is viewed as a desirable character trait which some define as the display of perseverance, quick-wittedness, prowess, valor, etc.
Homers complex writing is devoted to the extend he gives on the perspective into the Greek underworld, stories in which were prevailing in the Greek society. The numerous conditions of the reality of the afterlife are deeply described rather than the setting of the underworld. The underworld is described as the House of Hades which is where your death and inevitable fate lies. It is signified in The Odyssey Book XI, concretely in the scenes of Odysseus mother’s death in the Cimmerians, the Greek culture expresses a depressing but inevitable view of death as a complete dichotomy of the fate but shows the indication of more than just one afterlife.
In The Odyssey, temptation is a theme repeatedly explored by Homer. The issue of temptation is constantly providing the protagonist, Odysseus, with conflicts. From the very beginning of the epic tale, with Paris’s lust for Helen, temptation causes mayhem in the lives of the characters. It repeatedly prevents Odysseus from achieving his main goal of returning home to Ithaca.
What is the definition of a good person? The view of a good person changes as time goes on. However, the Odyssey is still the foundation of human morality. The Odyssey, created by Homer, is an ancient telling of a man named Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War. The morals found in the Odyssey show readers the benefit of being able to view situations from multiple points of view.
Odysseus and Aeneas visit the Underworld at crucial points in each story. They both seek answers and knowledge not available in the mortal world. Odysseus’s and Aeneas’s experiences had many differences, and some similarities as well. Odysseus visits the Underworld after his grueling experience at Troy, and is confronted by his past. Odysseus sees Elpenor, and is hit with the guilt of her body being unburied.
Temptation Traps Like A Cage Pitfalls are more than just holes in the ground for trapping bears. In fact, getting caught in any risky or dangerous situation is a pitfall. Temptation can often be considered a one-way ticket to dangerous situations, even when the tempted least expect it. The tempted often feel inclined to take certain actions to fulfill their wants or needs, even if their reasoning is telling them it could put them in danger. This forms the very foundation of the idea of the pitfalls of temptation.
Heroism, tends to be difficult to define and remarkably ambiguous in literary works. In the Odyssey, however, Homer clearly defines a hero as a humble, determined, and loyal individual; thus, according to Homer, it is not enough to claim to be a hero, but it is also important to exhibit those qualities that Homer values as heroism. Odysseus, despite claiming heroism, upholds these traits inconsistently, as seen in his taunting of Polyphemus. In contrast, Telemachus, Odysseus’ overlooked son, dramatically grows up over the course of the epic and ultimately reveals his truly heroic qualities by the end of the poem. Thus, because Odysseus claims to be a hero, but fails to remain humble, determined, and loyal throughout the epic, he is not a hero.
In the epic poem “The Odyssey” the main character and hero of this story is a wise king known as Odysseus. Throughout the story Odysseus portrays many different characteristics that belong to his personality as he tries to make his way back home to Ithaca. One of Odysseus’ traits is patience, which is used with many different characters as Odysseus uses this skill in his plans and strategies. The trait patience is important because, it is needed in real life scenarios, and can help keep someone calm or composed in tense situations. Patience also is useful because it can help an individual to be able to wait for long periods of times without getting upset or frustrated.
Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.
Love, an intense feeling of deep affection. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, almost all of the main characters do certain actions because of love. Love is a very powerful thing that one cannot see but knows is there and can feel it inside. It is in our lives everyday. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, a major theme is that love is the force behind everyone's actions.
