My Ithaca Essay
Everyone has their own Ithaca. A place you want to get to in your life. We also have people that can help us get to those goals and people who will hold you back from reaching those goals. The Odyssey shows how Odysseus overcomes the struggles of wanting to get back home To Ithaca. Odysseus uses his resources like Athena to help him get back home but he also has Poseidon that gets in his way of getting there smoothly.
My Ithaca or goal is to go to college and become a Physical Therapist. I would like to be a Physical Therapist because I want to help people come back from injuries, see them grow as a person, and help them emotionally and physically be a better person. My goal is not similar to Odysseus in the way that he wanted to go to an actual place. I want to go to a place but i can not physically just go get on a plane or sail in a boat like he did. The place i want to go is not a piece of land. Odysseus and I do have a little in common. In the way we both want to help someone. I want to help
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people get better. Odysseus wanted to help his men get home. Odysseus had one main person that helped him get back to Ithaca.
That was Athena. I have two people who will help me get to my Ithaca. Those people are my parents. My parents push me to my best. Just like Odysseus,I will have hard times that cause me to have a few setbacks in my goals. My parents have always told me to finish what i started But, if I need help or guidance then my parents will be there for me. My parents have taught me that it is okay to make mistakes. Some mistakes help you figure out what you need to change to be able to reach your goal. When Odysseus was trapped on that Island for seven years and could not find a way to get out. He had Athena who was there for him when he need her. My parents may not tell me exactly how I should do something just like Athena did not tell Odysseus how to get off the island. My Parents and Athena are similar because they will lead you on the right track they just may not tell you exactly how to get
there. Everybody has that one person that hinders their plans. Poseidon was Odysseus’s hinderer. My biggest hinderer is myself. I am very picky about how I want things in my life to be. I will have multiple options and be able to decide on one but, then completely change my mind. I will then stress about the choice I made and whether or not it was the right choice. When it comes to my future I want things to be perfect. In the book the Odyssey, Odysseus had almost found a way to get back home peacefully. He went to a house that belonged to the cyclops Polyphemus. After Polyphemus went into his house Odysseus and his men needed to get out but they could not lift the door to leave. Polyphemus finds them and eats a few of Odysseus's men. Odysseus then comes up with a plan of revenge and eventually blinds the cyclops by running a hot log into Polyphemus's eye. When Odysseus and his men escape,the cyclops chases after them and prays a curse to Poseidon on Odysseus. Polyphemus prays that Odysseus never return home and that if it is destiny that he be returned home may it take many years. He also prays that Odysseus lose all of his men. The prayer came true and it took Odysseus ten years to get home and along the way he lost all of his men. Me being my biggest hinderer and Poseidon being Odysseus’s biggest hinderer. It shows that it does not matter if someone else is messing up your plans to your future and plans to get home or if it is yourself. You can do just as much damage as another person can do. Odysseus and I are alike in the way that we both just want to get somewhere in our lives and make it there smoothly. In conclusion the Odyssey shows that even the most powerful or heroic people have hard times. Odysseus was a very prideful person but, he did not mind taking help from Athena when needed. Poseidon made Odysseus’s journey very hard and Odysseus did not like it but he dealt with it. With my Athena being my parents they might not always tell me the exact answer but they help me when needed. Me being my own Poseidon I am always going to be hard on myself. I need to learn though that sometimes even when something does not turn out how I planned it to. I have to deal with it like Odysseus did. I have to learn to be more patient. Odysseus had to be patient with getting home because it took him ten years.
Odysseus’ own guile, the gods’ obstacles, and their assistance for him are all factors that affected his fate during his journey. His guile to make difficult situations seem simple became very handy in escaping the dangerous times and allowed him to move further in his odyssey. The gods who dislike him sent storms or traps in their attempts to cease and stop Odysseus’ journey home. The gods who approve of Odysseus’ return home, for instance Athena, Hermes, and Circe, assisted him in many ways to ease his way home to his home in Ithaca and to fulfill his destiny.
" Odysseus' wisdom is admired by Athena, the goddess of that aptness. Athena is also impressed by his battle heroics and so she endeavors to provide him with succor: "And you didn't know Pallas Athenaia the daughter of Zeus himself, your faithful stand-by and guardian in all your labours!" With Athena's assistance, Odysseus becomes a true hero. Odysseus is the epitome of honor and virtue for his Italian subjects.
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
The great epic, Homer's Odyssey, is a tale of an adventure; a journey through the mind body and soul. Odysseus was strong throughout his voyage and was able to conquer his obstacles thanks to the help from the Goddess Athena. Athena provided physical and emotional support for this man, to get him on his way home to Ithaka. She also provided this same support for Odysseus' son, Telemakhos. Without her involvement, "The Odyssey" would not have turned out the way it did; because she plays such a crucial role in the story. It is understood that Odysseus is the primary character in this epic; concerning his fears and eventually returning to his home, Ithaka. The only reason this was possible is because he had the help of the clever and intelligent Goddess, Athena.
In Homer’s Odyssey Odysseus shows his yearning for adventure and that challenging himself brings him happiness through his actions not his thoughts. Even in the clutches of a raging cyclopes Odysseus’ accepts the challenge at hand and persevere through the loss of some of his men. “My name is Nohbdy,” he tells Polyphemus who is drunk from the liquor Odysseus had given him before. The giant “reeled and tumbled backward,”. He son fell asleep and the next stages of his plan fell into place. When the sharpened log was hot enough for his liking he and a few other men “bored that great eye socket,”(380). Instead of letting his men die while he cracked under the pressure Odysseus remained calm and allowed himself to think. Having achieved his goal of defeating the mighty cyclopes he rejoiced in his valiancy. Odysseus exuded happiness when most of his men got out alive. Odysseus’ habits of getting his men into seemingly inescapable predicaments continues on the island of Cersei. At the gate of the witch’s island his need for adventure takes the best of his judgement. Against the advice of Eurylochus Odysseus “rushes to save his men from the enchantress,” (387). Odysseus’ need for thrill and excitement draws him onto the island. He knows that he will suffer the same fate but makes a decision in the heat of the moment that could've made him unable to return home, but he wasn’t thinking of home, he purely wanted to get his men back. Throughout his journey Odysseus perfectly represents the bond between a man’s adventures and the challenges they bring to
In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.
book takes place in, is called to action and set in motion on his Hero
"Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus.
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 The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
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.
I said that after going through much hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming true” (14). This shows how the gods did interfere and would tell the people on earth with symbols. The gods knew from the beginning the fate of Odysseus because they predestined it. The gods are those who gave Odysseus misfortune, and they are also the ones who fated him the way he did. Through these examples of hospitality, pride and fate, one can learn many important Greek principles.
In Holmer’s “The Odyssey” , Odysseus faces many challenges during his lifelong journey. I can compare some of his hardships with real life. For example when Odysseus saves his men from the cyclops, it relates to saving my team in a volleyball game. Odysseus makes many tough decisions that come with consequences. Just like Odysseus , I will face many difficult times as I grow.
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.
In the “Odyssey” there are many epic adventures and obstacles that Odysseus had to overcome with knowledge and strength but the one he had to use was his