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Comparison of Telemachus to Odyssey
Relationship of telemachus to odysseus
Relationship of telemachus to odysseus
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Recommended: Comparison of Telemachus to Odyssey
“He followed in his father’s footsteps, but his gait was somewhat erratic” (qtd. in Very Best Quotes). Nicholas Bentley’s quote touches on one of the most intriguing aspects of The Odyssey by Homer. Despite Telemachus’ father’s absence for the best of twenty years, this did not prevent Telemachus from maturing into a great man, much like his heroic dad, Odysseus. However, it was not by choice that Odysseus abandoned his son but because of circumstances beyond his control; he was called to fight in the Trojan War, and after the men’s victory, Odysseus was “driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy” (Homer 77). While Telemachus had not seen his father since he was an infant, he still shares many admirable characteristics and qualities derived from him. Odysseus and Telemachus are nearly identical in the sense that both are curious and clever thinkers, brave warriors, and men of misery.
The curiosity between both Odysseus and Telemachus was displayed clearly throughout the epic. Odysseus is an intelligent man and lives by his wiles, along with his courage. Although he is self-disciplined, his curiosity sometimes gets the best of him. Because of his own curiousness and hubris, Odysseus has gotten himself into trouble, almost costing him his life on multiple occasions. It is this intellectual curiosity that drives him to hear the Sirens’ song, wait for the Cyclops to return, and journey to Circe. When Eurylochus returned from Circe’s home after she turned the other men into swine, he warned Odysseus of what had happened, but he said “Lead me back by the same way that you came” (238) and proceeded to go to the deceiving woman. Although Odysseus’ curiosity may find him in death’s ...
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...y, was a strikingly accurate description.
Odysseus and Telemachus are presented with similar traits, drawing a parallel between father and son to display their individual flaws. Even with the long absence of his father, Telemachus grew to develop into a man almost identical to his father, learning to step up and act like the prince he is, especially in difficult times. With his cleverness and thoughtfulness he inherited from Odysseus, Telemachus will, no doubt, one day be just as exceptional as his father. After the numerous ordeals he has been through, Telemachus has truly proven himself worthy of being called the son of Odysseus.
Works Cited
“Father and Son Quotes.” Very Best Quotes. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 May 2014. .
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996. Print.
Over their travels in the epic The Odyssey, both Odysseus’ and his son Telemachus’ adventures were parallel but at the same time different. These travels led them both to grow and change drastically, and both learned some very important life lessons over the course of this epic.
This shows that Odysseus’ self-serving nature extends beyond material greed into the equally sinful realm of pride. In a classic display of hubris, Odysseus taunts the Cyclopes fulfilling the sole purpose of stroking Odysseus’s ego. At first it appears that our hero is lacking foresight, but Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name in hopes that tales of his cunning will spread throughout Greece: a very selfish goal, directly resulting in the endangerment of the lives of both him and his men throughout the remainder of their travels.
In Odyssey, Homer creates a parallel between Odysseus and Telemachos, father and son. The two are compared in the poem from every aspect. One parallel was the quest of Telemachos, in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship.
Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.
The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.
Telemachos has not seen his father since he was just a baby. He has had to grow up and live the first Twenty years of his life with out a father. Through these years Telemachos grows and develops a lot but I think the most growing when he begins to look for Odysseus.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
The image of seductresses is a recurring motif in The Odyssey. These women are a temptation to Odysseus. They attempt to keep Odysseus from accomplishing his goal: his homecoming. Circe is a bewitching goddess. She entices Odysseus’ crew into her palace with her enchanting voice. However, after she feeds them, she promptly turns them into pigs. Circe also succeeds in enticing Odysseus; he stays with her one year as her lover. It is so long that his crew declares that it is “madness” (326). They say that it is “high time” that Odysseus thinks of his homeland (326). Later on, Odysseus and his crew encounter the sirens. Knowing the danger they pose, Odysseus has all his men’s ears stopped up with wax. However, Odysseus wishes to hear their song; so he asks his crew to tie him to the mast. The song of the sirens is so sweet and enticing. Their “ravishing voices” almost make Odysseus forget his desire to return home (349). His heart “throbbed” to listen longer; he signals for his men to let him go free. The grea...
A father can play many roles throughout a child’s life: a caregiver, friend, supporter, coach, protector, provider, companion, and so much more. In many situations, a father takes part in a very active position when it comes to being a positive role model who contributes to the overall well-being of the child. Such is the case for the father in the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In this poem, readers are shown the discreet ways in which a father can love his child. On the other hand, there are also many unfortunate situations where the fathers of children are absent, or fail to treat the children with the love and respect that they undoubtedly deserve. In the contrasting poem “Like Riding a Bicycle” by George Bilgere, readers are shown how a son who was mistreated by his drunken father is affected by their past relationship many years later. Although both of these poems have fairly similar themes and literary techniques, they each focus on contradicting situations based on the various roles a father can play in a child’s life.
...sniveling coward who would faint at the sight of blood, or worse yet, a traitor who would warn the suitors of Odysseus' plans. Apparently, Odysseus believes that since Telemachus was his son that was a good enough reason to trust him. (jackhdavid)” This quote shows how that even though Telemachus didn’t know his father, right when he found out who he was, he loved him automatically like if he knew him for years and stood by his side to do anything he needed to make Ithaca better for his family and his people. This father-son relationship is different than any other, they actually spend more time apart than they do together, and it is through distance that they develop respect and love for one another.
middle of paper ... ... In Homer’s Odyssey, both Odysseus and his son Telemachus embark on long, difficult journeys; Odysseus trying to return from Troy to his home in Ithaca, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband.
In the first four books of Homer’s The Odyssey, the character of Telemachus undergoes a dramatic evolution. When Homer first introduces him, he appears to be an unsophisticated youth, wallowing in self-pity. After the goddess Athena intervenes, he becomes, seemingly, a man of courage, strength, and resolve. On closer analysis, however, one remains to wonder if this transformation is genuine. The rapidity of his change in personality and the assistance he requires from the goddess at every stage in his journey suggests that he is not yet a hero in the mold of his father, the great Odysseus.
While Odysseus and his son are united and face the world together, Ulysses sees himself and his son as two different people living separate lives. When he returns, Odysseus has a close, personal relationship with his son; he becomes Telemachus' mentor. Odysseus realizes Telemachus' resemblance to himself - both are noble men of action who value justice. Together, they devise a plan to avenge the arrogant suitors who have abused their household for the past three years. Finally, "he [Odysseus] found the whole company lying in heaps in the blood and dust..." (Homer, 22.383). Father and son are victorious together. Conversely, as Ulysses ages, he and his son are disunited. Ulysses is confident that he has trained his son to be a benevolent ruler. He praises Telemachus's patience, gentleness, and prudence - all outstanding qualities that he is lacking. Ulysses acknowledges that he and his son are opposite people. He is adventurous, while Telemachus is sedate. "He works his work, I mine" (Tennyson, Line 43) suggests acceptance of a destiny; the father and son must lead separate lives because of their differences. Despite changing roles the man plays in Telemachus' life, he successfully raises his son to become a respectable leader.
A son’s love for his father is sometimes not acknowledged until he is an adult. Children often become so wrapped up in their own tasks and obligations that they take for granted the simple acts of loving support given to them by their parents. And parents sometimes feel scared that obvious signs of love and emotion will scare off a child, so they just do all they can to make the child’s life run smoothly and try to fade into the background when it comes to tender moments. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays,” Robert Hayden uses figurative language and other literary devices to show a father’s love for his son as well as the son’s realization of that love.
A father and son have a relationship that’s virtually irreplaceable. They bond on a different level than do mother and son, but both are necessary. Sometimes, the mother or father isn’t present in a child’s life, greatly affecting the child. Some may leave for personal reasons, while others leave because they feel it will benefit the child. Having one around could preserve the child to an extent, but being without both could generally wreck the child’s outlook on life all together. In Sherman Alexie’s “Flight” the main character, Zits, loses his mother and child support and what he thought his father, out of spite, abandoned him. Zits is introduced going through many foster homes and heading down the wrong path. He admits to all sorts of crime and has been in jail numerous times. Over time, Zits receives the chance to see how people see things, think, act, and live as well as being able to do these things for them and access their memories, by being put into that person wholly. He begins to realize that there’s good and bad in everyone, helping him cope with his situation. Towards the end of the book, Zits realizes the body he inhabits is none other than his fathers. He now has access to the thoughts, feelings, and memories of the very man who left him. He soon comes to terms with the reasoning and this puts Zits at ease, making him realize that people do things good or bad for reasons unapparent to others. Zits and the reader soon realize that the anger Zits withholds is that of his father, if not more, and how they’re more alike than what was led to believe.