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The odyssey 9th grade literature book 712-719
Essays on the book odyssey
Essays on the book odyssey
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Have you ever wondered if you could survive a 20 year journey on sea? Well in the story, The Odyssey by Homer, the main character was Odysseus. The story was mainly a mission; Odysseus left his home of Ithaca for a 20 year journey to get back home. During that time he had a lot of ups and downs but still managed to get back home. But there were three things that helped him accomplish his mission and they were his bravery, his cleverness, and how self-controlled he was. Being brave can get you through a lot of things in life, but can also hurt you. Odysseus was brave in many parts of the story; one example is in the episode of the Cyclops. At the beginning of the Cyclops, Odysseus started off really brave by having the guts to go into a big one-eyed giants' cave, Cyclops, without any worries or concerns about what the consequences would be the Cyclops got home and found out that they were there. He was brave at the end of the ,Cyclops too. Reason being, when they finally escaped the Cyclops and returned back to the ship, Odysseus started being a little arrogant yelling things ...
One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332” This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, “Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...
Let’s start off with the character trait “Brave”. The definition of brave is defined as:” ready to face/endure danger or pain; having courage”. To me, that description summarizes Odysseus perfectly. So, how exactly is he brave? Well, for starters he showed great courage
Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus shows us a vast amount of bravery and courage; the primary thing a hero needs. In book 9, when Odysseus battled Polyphemus (the Cyclops) to try and save the lives of all the crew members held captive in the cave, he was demonstrating bravery the entire time because, the true meaning of bravery is when you have the ability to challenge fear, or danger which is exactly what he did in this situation. Even though Odysseus was afraid to confront the Cyclops, he did it anyway in order to get him and his crew members out of the Cyclops cave alive; despite the 2 men the Cyclops ate. Another way Odysseus demonstrates courage and bravery was when he didn’t give us on his crew even when things got rough for example, when he faced Scylla knowing he would lose se...
To begin with, Odysseus deserves to be called a hero because his courage is necessary for his survival. If Odysseus did not have courage, then he wouldn’t have survived the journey. Even though Odysseus is not fearless, he still has courage because he fights of the terrors. When approached with Polyphemos, the Kyklops, Odysseus was very afraid because the Kyklops was a huge man-eating monster. But Odysseus had the ability to not worry, control his men, and have the courage to fight the Kyklops using his wits. Another example is when Odysseus had the option to either go to Skylla and have only six men die or go towards Kharybdis and have either all men die or all men live. Odysseus was not very sure which one to go towards. The quote “that sight-far the worst I ever suffered” (XII, line 334) shows the reader that he was not fearless and rather frightened, but he was courageous by going with his “gut” feeling and going towards Skylla to risk six men instead all of them. Odysseus is also calm when in difficult situations, which means he doesn’t worry when things take a turn for the worst. Odysseus was calm when he was floating on the middle of the sea after the gods had destroyed his ship and his companions had died because they had eaten the cattle. It took him a lot of mental courage to stay calm and have hope that the gods would...
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.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
Brains over brawn, who will win this battle?Homer's tale of Odysseus' adventures in “The Odyssey” show that being intelligent and cunning can be far better than having physical strength. Being physically strong certainly has its advantages, but not in all circumstances. Strength in intelligence shows new meaning of strength. Odysseus is amused with himself when he defeats Polyphemus. His great skills with a bow outweigh the others abilities. Knowledge of the placement of his bed win his beloveds heart.
Archetypes of The Odyssey and the Connections Archetypes bring order to everyday life- without them there would be chaos. Humans use them to predict what may happen, and to empathize with people all around the world. Homer’s The Odyssey has several archetypes. The Odyssey is an epic poem, written down at the time of Ancient Greece.
Both men are brave in their own way. Odysseus has to develop his bravery during his travel. He did not want to fight in the Trojan War, but was tricked into going. If he had not gone, then Poseidon would not be mad at him. Odysseus gets braver as his journey continues throughout the epic. Odysseus shows his bravery through the example that he sets for his men. When he and his men are getting the Cyclops drunk so that they can defeat him, he says, “So, you ask me the name I’m known by Cyclops? I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift as you’ve promised. Nobody- that’s my name. Nobody- so my mother and father call me, all my friends.” (Homer 9.408-411). Odysseus showed his bravery and wisdom by thinking ahead to what the Cyclops might do when they attack him. This proved to be helpful because the other monsters come to help the Cyclops, but left when he screams that nobody is killing him. Odysseus’s bravery is built into his character and is shown through his
First of all, Odysseus is brave and courageous, giving him the initiative to fulfill his goals. One example is when Odysseus confronts Skylla. Odysseus purposely “made [his] way along to the foredeck—thinking to see her first from there” (Homer 217). If he was scared, he would have hidden underneath the deck. But instead, Odysseus goes out to face the beast. Odysseus knows that Skylla is immortal and cannot die, yet he is brave enough to confront her. Next, Odysseus fights the suitors, who are courting Penelope in his palace. The suitors greatly outnumber Odysseus, but Odysseus still chooses to fight even though the odds are against him and he is able to win. He stands up against those who do wrong. Having the courage to fight, Odysseus defeats the suitors and fulfills his goal of regaining his palace. If Odysseus was a coward and did not fight, then the suitors would have eventually won Penelope, resulting in Odysseus losing his palace and his wife. Many people have bravery and courage, but not many use it, as Odysseus does, to achieve their purpose.
In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup.
One example from the text that shows odysseus have courage is found in book 10 of the odyssey, in lines 45-47, Odyssey says, “Agents this advice however, odysseus rushes to save his man from the enchantress.”(387). odyssey wanted to show Eurylochus that he has strength in pain or grief.
In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and The Achaeans are sailing back to Ithaca from Troy. Alcinous the king of the Phaeacians, trusts Odysseus to be the one who sails to Troy and back safely. However, Odysseus’s heroic acts are not enough to save all of his crew. Ithaca’s people do not expect The Achaeans to take 20 years to get back home. Provided that Odysseus and his men encounter many monsters and upset multiple gods, it creates many life and death situations.
We can say this because Odysseus always had the courage to save his men. For example, Odysseus saved his men from Circe. “Eurylochus reports that Circe has turned Odysseus’s men into swine and begs him to leave her island. Instead, Odysseus rushes to rescue his men. We can say that Odysseus is considered an epic hero, with his qualities and flaws, and archetype of manhood.
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The