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The character of odysseus
The journeys of the Greek hero Odysseus
Description of odysseus journey in odyssey
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Odysseus always wanted to be the man who did what no man could do. This is very apparent in “The Odyssey” and “Siren Song”, two different works by two different authors in two different formats all about the same story. Odysseus deliberately faced the Siren’s death trap so that he could feel like a better man than any other. The Odyssey and Siren Song have very contrasting perspectives on the sirens intentions.
Homer lays out his tale of Odysseus’ experience with the Sirens from Odysseus’ perspective of the situation. Odysseus’ perspective of the Sirens is that they are enticing creatures who he wishes to follow as he hears their delightful chorus. Book 12 of the Odyssey, Odysseus cries out “I signaled the crew with frowns to set me free— they flung themselves at the oars and rowed on harder, Perimedes and Eurylochus springing up at once to bind me faster with rope on chafing rope,”(Homer, Odyssey). In Odysseus’ eyes the Sirens seem ravishing and desirable. Atwood’s “Siren Song,” is from the position of a member of the Siren clan who does not enjoy singing in this trio.
When Odysseus and his men passed the sirens in book 12, he told his men that they were safe and that nothing bad was going to happen. In the book, Circe only tells Odysseus about the sirens. Only when Odysseus tells his men about the sirens does he let the sirens take some of his best men. Not only did Odysseus not tell them about the sirens, he let the sirens take some of the men. This shows that Odysseus really doesn’t care about his men like a good leader should.
In The Odyssey, Homer portrays the sirens as wicked temptresses. In Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”, she helps readers understand that the sirens don’t enjoy their duties of luring sailors to their deaths. Homer expresses how Odysseus’ strong urge to break free from the ropes holding him back and find the source of the voice he hears is hypnotic and evil. In the poem, the sirens tell him to “Come closer, famous Odysseus- Achaea’s pride and glory- moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song” (Homer, 12.200-201). In The Odyssey, the sirens’ approach is to feed into his ego in an attempt to lure him and his crew to their deaths.
Given the leader he is, when Odysseus and his men encountered the sirens, his men were quick to follow his instructions with diligence. Homer writes, “Sirens weakening a haunting song over the sea we are to shun”(690-691). The sirens sing a songs to lure sailors to their death. Homer writes, “I alone should listen to their song”(693-694). Odysseus knowing what the sirens purpose and having prior knowledge of the things the sirens would say to him.
The passage from Homer’s Odyssey describes how Odysseus and his crew encounters the Sirens. The imagery of the “Helios’ burning rays” demonstrates the destructive nature of the Sirens as they seek to “bound me hand and foot in the tight ship.” As Odysseus gets trapped on the ship, it also represents the overpowering nature of the Sirens; the whole crew is apparently aware of the evils of the Sirens, but they are unable to escape, ultimately becoming the new victims of the Sirens. Furthermore, the irony of the “honeyed voices” further illuminates the presence of an irresistible force. The crew is fully conscious and they sense the dangers present; nonetheless, they are sent toward the “ravishing voices.”
Instead, the text talks about the actions of Odysseus who "sliced an ample wheel of beeswax [...] and I stopped the ears of my comrades one by one". Indeed, the only understanding of the sirens comes from their speech; this perspective originates from the Odyssey's point of view. Unlike "Siren Song," The Odyssey's focuses on the person who opposes the sirens, Odysseus, more than the sirens themselves. This leads to the Sirens lacking any special quality that would make them any different than any obstacle there is noting personal about them. This is in contrast "Siren Song," which focuses almost exclusively on the siren.
Odysseus leaves Aeaea and eventually arrives at the Sirens’ island. He follows Circe’s commands and stuffs his men’s ears with beeswax, and he ties himself to the mast. As Odysseus’ vessel rushes toward them, “the Sirens sensed at once a ship / was racing past and burst into their high, thrilling song: / ‘Come closer, famous Odysseus—Achaea’s pride and glory— moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song! [’]” (277). The Sirens can tell that a ship is arriving “at once;” they quickly organize and begin to sing.
Odysseus decides that he wants to listen to the Sirens, but he's tied up. His men do this so Odysseus is not tempted by the Sirens. “The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say ‘Unite me!’ to the crew…” (123-125). The Sirens were attempting to tempt Odysseus into coming with them.
In the book the Odyssey, Odysseus is warned about four different obstacles in his way. Though he has learned this important information, he ends up telling his crew only one of the four obstacles. The obstacle is a group of sirens that sing to the crew of an on going ship and trick the men into jumping into the ocean to drown. The sirens also known as harpies, have the heads of females and the bodies of a bird. The poem states “ No one knows the songs sang by the sirens those who have heard it are either dead or have forgotten.”
Sirens seduce men through their spellbinding songs and their psychological manipulation tactics. As Odysseus prepares to leave Circe’s island, she warns him about the monsters he will face on his journey home. She says that Odysseus will “first raise the island of the Sirens, those creatures who spellbind any man alive” (272:44), and claims further that any man who listens to the Siren’s call will have “no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, no happy children beaming up at
Odysseus, man of pain, in an attempt to disguise himself, acts like a complete stranger in front of Athena to the island that he himself once rained, after Athena tells Odysseus that the island is Indeed Ithaca. The lovely news has Odysseus “Heart Racing” and it has him “filled with Joy” but quickly realising the significance of celebrating he stops himself.(13.285 & 286). “Ithaca……. Heart Racing, Odysseus that exile filled with joy to hear Athena, daughter of storming Zeus, pronounce that name. He stepped on native ground at last and he replied with a winging word to Pallas, not with a word of truth--he choked it back, always invoking the cunning in his heart: “Ithaca……
In the passage of The Odyssey, Odysseus quotes Circe while at Alcinous’s Court, telling what she said to do and what he ultimately did, in this excerpt: “But if you wish to listen / let the men tie you in the lugger, hand / and foot, back to the mast, lashed to the mast, / so you may hear those Harpies thrilling voices;” (Homer 12.672-675). Odysseus was tempted by the idea of listening to the siren’s song, and caved into it. He knew that the sirens were dangerous creatures responsible for the deaths of countless men like himself, but subjected himself to their cries anyways. In the poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, there is this quote: “I will tell the secret to you, / only you, only to you. / Come closer.
Before Odysseus and his men sail by the siren’s cliff, he has his men tie himself against the mast of the boat so he can not be taken away by the sirens. He also has his men put beeswax in their ears so they can not hear the song when they row the boat. As they approach the cliff of the sirens, Odysseus then starts to hear the song. The song that they sing recites the past events of what had happened to Odysseus. The poem states, “All feats on that great field/
The journey of Odysseus was a long and grueling time, but his love for Penelope was strong enough to get him home to her. He faced many trials on his journey home, facing many foes and many temptations. He was not alone on his journey, he was accompanied by his men, who fought with him during the Trojan war. Would his fellow soldiers endure?
