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Existance in the stranger
Homer and modern literature
Existance in the stranger
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As technology slowly consumes society, the custom of hosting a stranger, or even a friend, is gradually declining. Thankfully, The Odyssey, written by Homer, gives an example of the ideal host. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’ trials and tribulations as he makes his way home from Troy. As Odysseus is on his journey home, he finds himself on the island of Phaeacia. While on Phaeacia, Odysseus humbles himself and accepts the kindness and generosity the Phaeacians offer him. This is the last stop for Odysseus before his journey finally comes to an end when he reaches Ithaca. Throughout his stay on Phaeacia Odysseus will experience the ideal way to host a guest. The Phaeacians are the ideal host because they welcome Odysseus into their home without …show more content…
hesitation, provide Odysseus with everything he needs, and provide Odysseus with gifts when he leaves.
To begin, the Phaeacians are the ideal host because they welcome Odysseus into their home without hesitation. It is very difficult to imagine allowing a stranger into your home without knowing anything about them but Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous, does not hesitate when Odysseus asks for help. “Since you have come to our country, You shall not lack clothing, nor anything needed By a sore-tried suppliant who presents himself. I will show you where the city is” (VI 196-199). Even though Nausicaa knows nothing of Odysseus she is willing to help him by offering him anything he needs while in Phaeacia. Even Echeneus, a resident of the community, welcomes Odysseus and pleads with King Alcinous to accommodate him. “Alcinous, this will not do at all. It is not proper That a guest sit in the ashes on the hearth. We are all holding back, waiting on your word. Come, help the stranger up and have him sit Upon a silver-studded
chair. And bid the heralds Mix wine…And let the housekeeper bring out food for our guest” (VII 168-175). Not only is Odysseus welcomed by Nausicaa, he is also welcomed by the community, all before they know anything about him. Furthermore, King Alcinous treats Odysseus like his own son. “When the sacred King Alcinous heard this, He took the hand of Odysseus, the cunning hero, And raised him from the fireside and had him sit on a polished char from which he asked his son Laodamas to rise, for he was Alcinous’ Best Beloved son, and sat at his right hand” (VII 176-181). King Alcinous could throw Odysseus out or demand that he reveals his identity, but he does not. Instead, Alcinous helps Odysseus up and has him sit in his son’s chair giving Odysseus a great honor. By welcoming Odysseus so freely, the Phaeacians are demonstrating the ideal way to host a guest.
“I often gave to vagabonds, whoever they might be, who came in need.” (Homer, 351) Hospitality was evident in Homer’s time period and eventually was seen as an institution in the Greek culture. A guest-host relationship, known as Xenia, takes place throughout The Odyssey whether it’s to gain relationships or to avoid punishments from the gods. It is a major theme and is apparent in every book of The Odyssey. Hospitable characters who use xenia are what keep this novel going. Xenia affects the plot in many ways and influences characters actions and choices throughout the novel.
Altogether, hospitality was an important theme for Odysseus, during his adventure back to Ithica. Hospitality also played an important role for Telemachus, and the search for information about the whereabouts of his father. Without this tradition of Greek hospitality, the sequence of events in The Odyssey could have changed drastically. Not only was this Greek custom of hospitality important in The Odyssey, it was also important to Greek citizens. Just the simple tradition of hospitality, whether positive or negative, can explain much about Greek citizens, and how they treat each other.
The Odyssey, with its various examples of good and bad hospitality, offers the reader a look into the world of the Greeks, and the importance of the cultural element that hospitality played in their daily lives. The importance of hospitality goes beyond being a gracious host; there is a threat of violence if a host or guest does not fulfill their responsibilities. Throughout the novel, bad hospitality is punished with bad “karma” and good hospitality brings rewards to the people who demonstrate it. For example, Telemachus was highly respected because he follows the common greek archetype of being hospitable. Polyphemus, on the other hand, was not respected but instead seen as rude and inconsiderate because he was not hospitable. Hospitality
All throughout The Odyssey there are scenes of good and bad, xenia, or hospitality. It can be seen that hospitality is extremely important in the Greek culture, both how someone treats their guests and how the guests treat the host. A closer look chronologically into the good, then bad examples will show how one acts affects the actions that are brought upon them when they either follow or disobey Zeus' Law. Right at the beginning of The Odyssey, the reader is shown the hospitality that Telemachus has. Athena arrives, disguised, and he invites her into his home by saying: "'Greetings, stranger!
Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey, the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this, his men are killed and his boats destroyed.
Homer uses literary elements to develop Odysseus’ character throughout the Odyssey through the use. In Sailing from Troy, due to the Greek rule of hospitality, King Alcinous welcomes Odysseus into his kingdom asking him to recount his adventures. Odysseus introduces himself saying, “ ‘..this fame has gone abroad to the sky’s rim…’ ( Stanza 1, Lines 18-20)”. Through Homer’s use of hyperbole, Odysseus sets an atmosphere around himself of boastfulness and pride when he says that his fame is renowned even to the gods in the heavens. In the same story, Odysseus describes his kingdom and home, Ithaca saying,” ...I shall not see on Earth a place more dear...” Again through the use of hyperbole , Homer shatters the image portrayed of Odysseus as a master of the land and seas, and more of a man who deeply loves his home and family.
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.
The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? both contain Homer’s initial implication of the common hospitality throughout ancient Greece. In the movie, one example of this being portrayed is nearing when Ulysses, Pete, and Delmar escape from prison. The men travel to Wash Hogwallop, Pete’s cousin, house to seek refuge. Wash welcomes them into his home immediately, thus showing Homer’s theme of hospitality. He gives them stew and proceeds to talk to Pete about other family members inside his home. One could say that Joel and Ethan Coen, the directors of the movie, purposely incorporate this scene for several reasons, but the main one is to reveal and incorporate the message from The Odyssey. By having Wash so readily take in his cousin, and his cousin’s friends, the two directors wave a red flag, drawing the viewers attention to this theme. This also shows how hospitable King Alcinous was towards Odysseus. Another example of hospitality throughout the movie is found through...
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.
One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.
Hospitality today is nothing like it was in Ancient Greece. Today, good hospitality is being friendly and respectful to a guest. In Ancient Greece, hospitality was something people had to do, or face the wrath of Zeus. Zeus’s law of hospitality is that any stranger that comes to your home, the host must be willing to feed, entertain, and maybe offer them a bath and anything else they might be in need of without question until those things had been given, and also give them a parting gift. The guest, in turn, would not be a burden in any way. In The Odyssey, most people follow the rules of hospitality, but there are others who do not. The Greek concept of xenia shows the serious priority the Greeks place on the laws of the gods.
Through characters and situations, The Odyssey promotes and emphasizes many important ancient Greek values such as hospitality, pride, and fate. Stressed greatly in ancient Greek culture, hospitality is evident throughout Homer’s writing, which reflects and expresses many different value systems within it. For example, when in the cave of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus confronts him by saying, “we therefore humbly pray to show us some hospitality and otherwise make us such presents as visitors may reasonably expect” (92). To the Greeks, hospitality was very important, to the point that it was an expectation and not just a quality, as it is in today’s culture. If you feared Zeus and the gods, you were to show hospitality.
Zenia, the Greek concept of hospitality and generosity, plays a critical role in Greek culture, as illustrated throughout the novel, The Odyssey, by Homer. One form of Zenia particularly emphasized the relationship between a host and their guest. The Greeks aimed to make any stranger, especially those far from home, feel comfortable in their household. Ancient traditions and culture demanded that all guests be given the highest respect and showered with luxuries such as food, wine, clothing, and women. Within the first four books of The Odyssey, Telémakhos, son of the renowned Odysseus, faces a predicament; his father’s whereabouts seem unknown and suitors continue to wreak havoc on his home, attempting to force his mother to wed one of them.
The Odyssey was a story of many themes and one in particular was hospitality. Hospitality also known as Xenia is the relationship between a guest and host, and for the Greeks it was extremely important to their lifestyle. Throughout the book there is an understanding in their culture of a “good” host to their guest. First, you feed your guest, bathe them, clothe them and finally question them. From the book, it is made clear that the god Zeus was responsible for the punishment and rewarding of those who were bad or good hosts and guests. In the Odyssey there is a representation of either good and bad guests or hosts. Like the interaction Odysseus has with the Phaiakians and Kyklopes, who ways of life were very different.
During the ancient Greek period, it was important for the host to treat his guest with hospitality. Today hospitality is seen as the proper thing to do, but during the ancient Greek period lack of hospitality was seen as an insult that could invoke the wrath of the gods. A custom of ancient Greek hospitality was to give the guest a gift. The main reason the ancient Greeks valued hospitality so much was the belief that whoever was visiting could be a god in disguise. The idea of hospitality was important to people in ancient Greece, and the same is true in Homer’s The Odyssey with numerous acts of hospitality, bad or good, occurring.