Life is full of obstacles that make us who we are. Obstacles come in all different shapes and sizes, from avoiding Sirens to resisting the temptation of eating a second cookie. In the book “The Odyssey” by Homer the obstacles Odysseus, the main character, faces are monsters as he journeys home to his kingdom, Ithaca. The Odyssey can be looked at like an allegory for the journey through life. I relate to Odysseus and his obstacles with monsters of my own as I strive to reach my goal of living a successful life. My monsters are getting distracted, laziness and fear. Life is full of distractions. On my journey there will be times where I would rather slack off than do something productive with my time. The Lotus eaters are a symbol of the distractions I will face. Odysseus and his men landed on an island with the Lotus eaters. A few of his men ate the Lotus plant and it made them lose sight of their goal. I must not eat the lotus plant in life to make my goal a reality. In my quest I will face the obstacle of laziness. In College there will be difficult exams and tests that I will have to work hard and study to get a satisfactory grade on. The laziness I face is similar to the Cyclops. The Cyclops wouldn't let Odysseus and his men leave its cave and started eating Odysseus's men. Similarly we …show more content…
All of Odysseus’ obstacles I can compare to the obstacles I will face. The Cyclops is my obstacle of school, the Lotus eaters are a distraction that I must to resist, and talking to Tiresias is my fear of the unknown. Fear is an integral part of Homer's epic.. If Odysseus didn't get over his fears, he wouldn't be the same person. Without fear anyone in the Odyssey could have been like Odysseus. Unlike the other mortals, Odysseus was fearful but still tried anyways, and he succeeded. To achieve my goal of becoming successful I must overcome the fear and many other obstacles like Odysseus