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Influence of ancient Greek literature
Influence of ancient Greek literature
Why do you consider literary analysis
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While the excerpt, “Odysseus” by Geraldine McCaughrean is being retold, it follows the overall story based off of “The Odyssey” by Homer and translated by Alexander Pope along with details that differ in both passages. Just by viewing these excerpts, the two authors, McCaughrean and Pope display how the stories are written in different ways which appeal to the readers. Due to the struggles of encountering the Sirens, crew mates, and the main plot points make both pieces similar but differ on the critical actions of a specific crew member, the narration of each, and the foreshadow at the end in the “Odysseus” by McCaughrean.
Both versions of the story included on how Odysseus and Ulysses face temptation from the Sirens, creatures in Greek mythology that lured mariners to destruction by their singing. McCaughrean and Pope tries to explain the problems that one faces when encountering the Sirens and trying to get past them. Although the character of each piece has different names, Odysseus and Ulysses had the help from
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crewmates to restrain their need to visit the Sirens. “Now round the…” (Homer 25-26) A strong man like Odysseus, even he can be swayed by the songs of the Sirens, enough to make his crew tie more ropes onto him. Both passages reveal the same story that without the help of his crew, Odysseus and Ulysses might have fallen into the Sirens’ trap. In contrast, “The Odyssey” by Homer and translated by Alexander Pope, the narration is told in first-person from the point of view of Ulysses.
Pope’s translation is written in older English with a rhyming, poetic format as compared to McCaughrean’s third-person narrative format told in more modern English. In McCaughrean’s version, “Odysseus” included the name of the protagonist, Odysseus in place of Ulysses. Polites play a huge role in “Odysseus” by Geraldine McCaughrean, making sure that Odysseus does not escape from the ropes that prevented him from traveling to the Sirens' Island. Polites end up saving Odysseus’ life by steering away from the Island of Sirens. McCaughrean’s story ends with a suspenseful foreshadow that may suggest that Odysseus and his men are heading towards danger. “If Circle and Tiresias…” (McCaughrean 18) This version includes Odysseus transition from being lured by the Sirens to becoming vigilant about future
dangers. “The Odyssey” by Homer and translated by Alexander Pope and “Odysseus” by Geraldine McCaughrean both share various similarities and dissimilarities such as facing the Sirens, shipmates, and the main plot points; as well as different narrations, essential actions of a particular crew member, and the foreshadow at the end of “Odysseus” by McCaughrean. Alexander Pope built on the thoughts of Homer and then McCaughrean on his. This shows how authors build upon ideas of others.
Homer utilizes imagery to create the scene in which the Sirens attempt to lure Odysseus. Homer describes the voice of the Sirens to be "ravishing" which presents how powerful the Sirens voice can be. Odysseus is swayed by the voices and urges the crew to let him go to the Sirens, however, the Sirens could not bring Odysseus to them.
“O muse! Sing in me, and through me tell the story...Of that man skilled in all the ways of contending...A wanderer, harried for years on end…” (Homer). These are the opening words of The Odyssey. This is also in the opening scene of O Brother Where Art Thou?. O Brother is a reception of the revered story of Odysseus’ journey with a bit of a twist. The works have similarities that only a person well informed of the Odyssey could see. The Odyssey and O Brother highlight the trials of the main character’s journeys. While the Odyssey was written in the eighth century, O Brother is set during the 1930s in the deep south. Each of the trials that the characters face is supposed to make them quit their journey, but they proceed with greater determination.
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
What are the key points you will want to emphasize in your online profile for Character 1 (3-4 sentences)?
...or that awaited them, Odysseus decided not to inform his crew saving them from panic. “Odysseus decides to tell his men only of Circe’s warnings about the Sirens, whom they will soon encounter. He is fairly sure that they can survive this if he keeps their spirits up.” (xi. Summary pg.1234). Odysseus’ lie saves the group from panic, temporarily, but will cause death of six members of his crew making the matter worse. Not only betrayal in this situation will cause the lack of trust within the group, but also the loss of credibility.
Through these voyages certain parallels are drawn concerning Odysseus and Telemachos: the physical journeys, the mental preparations they have produced, and the resulting change in emotional makeup. These play an immense role in the way the story is set up, due to the purpose of each character's journey, their personal challenges, and the difficulties that surround them.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.
“Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given,” (1.32-34) is a simple quote reminding us the entities in charge of all characters in the poem The Odyssey – the gods. Hubris, or excessive human pride, is most detested by the gods and likewise is most punishable by them. The Odyssey is a story about Odysseus and Telemachus, two heroes who throughout their adventures meet new people and face death many times. Telemachus goes to find his father after he learns from Athena that he is still alive. The two meet, and Odysseus attempts to go back to Ithaca after he was lost at sea, and on his way there becomes one of the most heroic characters in literature as we know it. Like all heroic characters, Odysseus began to display hubris as he learned how true of a hero he was. James Wyatt Cook, a historian and an expert on The Odyssey, wrote about how hubris can affect the characters that display it. He says, “Because Homer’s Odyssey is essentially comic, that episode [opened wind bag destroys ship] is only one of a series of setbacks Odysseus experiences before reaching his home in Ithaca and recovering his former kingdom and his family. Such, however, is not the case for those who display hubris with tragic outcomes.” (Cook 1) Initially, Odysseus learns about Aias who died as a cause of the excessive pride he portrays. Proteus warns Odysseus when he says, “…and Aias would have escaped doom, though Athena hated him, had he not gone widely mad and tossed outa word of defiance; for he said that in despite of the gods he escaped the great gulf of the sea, and Poseidon heard him…...
This tale coincides with the times in Greece. This was a time that art and Philosophy were extremely important and respected by the people. Odysseus was a new type of hero that didn’t win by overpowering his opponents, but by using his mind to outwit them. Manners also seemed to play an important role to Odysseus, as he was learned to be polite and generous to strangers and in the end punished those who weren’t.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.
Homer’s epic, the Odyssey, is a heroic narrative that follows the adventures of Odysseus, the powerful King of Ithaca. The main story involves Odysseus’s return journey to his homeland after the Trojan War. However, Homer skips around in the action periodically to give the reader a better understanding and interest in what is going on in the epic. Homer takes his audience from the present action involving Telemakhos’ search for news of his father’s return, to the past where Odysseus tells the Phaiakians of his tragic journey home after the war. The events in Homer’s epic are not in order but still prove more effective at guiding the reader through the narrative. Although the events in the Odyssey are not in chronological order, the story line is enriched by Homer’s use of the in media res method because it introduces characters that were not involved in Odysseus’ adventure, because it shows the urgency of Odysseus’ return to his kingdom, and because it allows the reader to become more interested in the opening chapters without having to wait for a climax in the action.
The poem “Ulysses” is written in exactly seventy lines and in these seventy lines the poet uses synecdoche, personification, meter, and metaphors. All of these are used in hope of making the last line climatic. The last line is a quotable ending phrase “to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”(4, 70) The indecisiveness of the speaker when struggling to decide whether to stay or leave Ithaca to voyage to the “untraveled world” (2, 20) summarizes the poem. Throughout the poem it is obvious which stance Odysseus’ heart heavily sways towards but it is not till the last line is his decision made clear.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.