Eden, the heavenly garden of legend, was offered to man as a place to call home where he can live peacefully. Yet man’s idyllic home becomes tainted as he slowly succumbs to his carnal desires and tarnishes the land with his loss of innocence. In relation to the fall of Eden, the promise of home, in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, drives George to choose between preserving his friend’s dream for finding home by killing him or revealing the world’s kill or be killed doctrine. The escape from the vicious circle of predation in order to reach the idyllic place of home is the driving factor in Odysseus’ journey home, in the Odyssey, by Homer, as he faces many adversities in reaching a place where he is the ultimate predator safe from the machinations …show more content…
The ill-treated men crippled by age and disability are treated with disregard placed beneath the healthy farmworkers in the chain of command. Their treament causes Candy “[to look] helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law” (Steinbeck 45) leaving him at hands of the farm’s god Slim. Candy’s subservience to a higher being relates to the enslaving of Crooks and his embarassment at being forced to become docile to white men. Their joint oppression leaves them to gaze “helplessly” (Steinbeck 45) when they are in a moment of weakness in their homes unable to find a place where they will not be targeted. Crooks, in order to repel this weakness, tries to put on a persona when Lennie comes to his room “stiffen[ing] and a scowl came on his face” (Steinbeck 68). His facade eventually gives into Lennie’s desires as Lennie is similar to him based off the fact that he must do whatever George says as Lennie is mentally unfit. The weak in this survival of the fittest band together to find home, but as seen with the murder of Lennie by George, the weak, even with the help from others, will never be able to rise above the leader of their …show more content…
After his return to home, Odysseus finds men rampant in his house clamoring to challenge his claim to the throne. These men, in this attempt to claim alpha status, try to accomplish the impossible task of “send[ing] an arrow/ through iron ax-helve sockeckts, twelve in line” (Homer 1117-1118) similar to those of the Herculean labors- accomplishable only by gods. Homer, through these events, argues that to find home, one must ascend over the rest of humanity. Odysseus performs the task set out by Penelope and reclaims his home using godly skill. His actions imply that divine ability is required to find a place of lordship such as when Athena needed to help Odysseus escape Calypso and Polyphemus. The failure of mortal men to overcome their fallacies leaves them unable to resolve their conflict for dominant predator status which prevents them from finding home. Through the failure of the farm and the transcendancy of Odysseus, Steinbeck and Homer convey home is a place unnattainable by man as he struggles to overcome his weaknesses fighting to survive in unforgiving world. Man cannot find home-a place of safety and peace-for he is stricken with the desire to be the best which mars his land in the process. Of Mice and Men and the Odyssey argue that the idyllic world that man strives to achieve cannot be attain for humanity struggles
Everyone always has a safe place in their hearts for their homes. Home doesn’t always have to be a place where someone just sleeps in. However, home to some people is where they feel comfort. Somewhere or someplace can be one’s home. Some of the characters in Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Rozario and The Odyssey by Homer express the theme of home through an emotional journey. Enrique’s Journey is about a boy named Enrique who goes on a journey to find his beloved mother who he has believed abandoned him. The Odyssey is about a mythology where a hero named Odysseus tries to find his way back to his homeland after participating in a war. Odysseus from The Odyssey shows the theme of home by trying to return home to his family. Enrique from Enrique’s Journey shows the theme of home by looking for his mother who he considers to be his home. Telemachus in The Odyssey shows home when he decides to go find his father,
He is a brave warrior who has already left home for war, but struggles to get home due to being imprisoned by a god. Odysseus is treated well in his imprisonment, but he leaves his safety and endures hardship to reach his real home in Ithaca. Monkey shows us the journey of Tripitaka and his companions on their way to India to receive scrolls from the Buddha. Tripitaka leaves his modest Buddhist lifestyle while his companions leave lives of hardships in order to repent for their wrong doings. Both of these books exemplify leaving home and taking on hardships that make them experience the world.
Home was a prevalent concept in Ancient Greece. Not only was there a goddess of the hearth and home, Hestia, but hospitality towards others was highly stressed. Home was regarded as a place to escape from chaos in the outside world. Homer and Euripides in The Odyssey and Medea, respectively, use the motif of home to show the difference in an individual’s public manner versus their personal, more natural manner. This difference is caused by the different levels of comfort individuals have in different settings. Specifically, the two works portray the difference through experience of the characters, mistrust developed towards others, and the maintenance of dual identities.
In Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, the main theme is the reunification of the family, as Odysseus struggles to return home and rejoin his wife and son. Throughout the Odyssey, we are shown examples of families: good ones that prosper and bad ones that do not. As Telemakhos struggles to become a man and Odysseus struggles homeward, the concept of healthy family life is stressed. At the end, when all conflicts are resolved and Odysseus is reunited with wife and son, the lesson that a united family can overcome any obstacles is shown and is one that today's families should heed.
...ce with his family. He continues to study and work towards reaching his dream, but he begins working hard to support his family. He understands why his dad tried to teach him all of the things he felt were pointless or unfair. Just like when Odysseus finally makes it home to his family, Kevin finds his way home to his. Although at first Kevin felt that home would be leaving Lost Lake and stepping away from his fathers lifestyle, he later found that he was wrong. This new home was unexpected, he would have never predicted this being the out come of his life. But never the less, he was home. Our Odysseus, in The Grace That Keeps This World, goes through struggles, but in the end finds his way home. Bailey ingeniously writes his novel as a modern-day odyssey, with our tragic hero Kevin pushing through all of the problems that come his way to return home in the end.
“Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
The epic poem called The Odyssey, which was written by the poet Homer, is one of the many classical stories from Ancient Greek culture. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey back home from the war with Troy, which had occurred in Homer’s other epic Greek poem, The Illiad. Odysseus faces many trials and quests in his journey home and to take back his kingdom from the suitors, such as meeting the witch Circe, blinding a Cyclops named Polyphemus, dealing with Poseidon, and staying with the goddess Calypso. The poem has many themes that are relevant to it. One such theme is the factor of redemption. Redemption is usually a typical subject in any kind of religion, like the Greek religion and Christian religion. The story of Odysseus has an underlying message of him receiving redemption from the Greek gods. The Odyssey is a tale of redemption because it deals with Odysseus being forgiven by the gods after having to go through many trials and wrongs to rightfully claim back his wife and the throne of Ithaca.
Homer’s poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. Odysseus punished Penelope’s suitors without thinking of consequences that he would have to endure. He did not acknowledge the consequences because that would prevent him from doing what he wants to do. Odysseus wanted to kill the suitors; they ate away at his fortune. Finding consequences for murdering the suitors would force Odysseus to realize what he is about to do is not a good idea. Odysseus chose to ignore the consequences and killed the suitors anyway. Odysseus had absolutely no reason to kill the suitors; they had the right to stay in his home because Penelope made them feel welcome, Penelope and Telemachus both told them that Odysseus was dead, and although Telemachus told them to leave, he did not have the right to do so.
The Odyssey is a Greek word meaning 'the tale of Odysseus.'; Odysseus, the King of Ithaca; husband of Penelope; father of Telemachus; and son of Laertes was not able to return home after the war he was once in: the Trojan War. Stuck on an island, he is presumed dead. In his absence, suitors for his wife ruin his house with lavish feasts. This epic poem, by Homer, describes how Odysseus, with the help of the gods, gets home and regains his kingship. Justice is always harsh in the Odyssey; there is either no justice or a lot of it; the punishment however, is always severe. Justice in the Odyssey plays out among these characters: Odysseus and his crew, the suitors, Poseidon, Aeolus, Hyperion, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Melanthius, Melantho, Telemachus, and Polyphemus. Each one of these characters does something wrong and receives a harsh punishment. In the Odyssey, justice, when done, always allots a large punishment, never a small one. Aegisthus courted Agamemnon's wife and then killed him. The justice of the Gods is a swift and powerful one. However, Aegisthus had been warned: 'we ourselves had sent Hermes, the keen-eyed Giant-slayer, to warn him neither to kill the man nor to court his wife'; (pg. 4). Aegisthus ignored the warning, killing Agamemnon and courting his wife. Orestes, Agamemnon's son, killed Aegisthus to avenge his father's death. The gods saw this as swift, fair, and powerful justice: 'And now Aegisthus has paid the final price for all his sins'; (pg.
but he is the only one who can discern the proper course of action in the
As a wayfarer in life, The Odyssey focuses on life’s greater purpose through the fulfillment of destiny, perseverance, and loyalty. These three themes recur continuously throughout Odysseus’ journey, molding life’s greater vision. Odysseus comes to understand his purpose in life by remaining true to these major themes as he faces and conquers each obstacle in his journey.
Imagine returning home from both a mentally and physically demanding battle, only to realize the most challenging task yet is to face the task of fitting in with the ordinary. A soldier can never truly return home to join a society. One can return from battle in their physical state, though both their mentality and perspective of the world cannot be restored to what once was. The scars and numerous hardships associated with war change a person beyond their appearing attributes, profoundly affecting the mind and soul; a previous life is never the same when an individual returns as a drastically different character. Within The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Stanley Lombardo, the effects of conflict demonstrate how an individual can be greatly distanced from their once familiar society. Illustrated by Odysseus and his encounters home from war, one cannot be found when lost in the psyche and spirit, the world cannot be perceived in the same sanguine demeanor when used as a foundation
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.
Homer's great literary classic, The Odyssey, represents and illustrates many emotional and mental values. All of these values can be classified under three different main themes that are constant throughout the epic tale. These themes are: A boy's struggle to be a man, a king's struggle to reclaim his kingdom, and a man's struggle to return home. As one reads this book it will become more and more evident to them that a man's struggle to get home is the most important theme throughout Homer's adventure.