Odysseus Journey In Homer's The Odyssey

“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

Kira Salak’s spiritual journey is to reach a destination. In, The Cruelest Journey, Salak does the inconceivable by becoming the first person in the world to kayak 600 miles alone on the Niger River to Timbuktu. She has conflicting mental and physical obstacles that are overcome with spiritual motivation and the will for her to learn more about herself. All things considered, not every journey is about reaching a destination. In, The Good Soldier by David Finkel, Cummings takes a mental journey head on by helping out his translators daughter after she was injured by a bomb. With his motivation being human decency, and the simple outcome of self-regard, Cummings proves that not all journeys are about reaching a physical destination. However, all journeys begin with a motive and conclude with a lesson learned, which is exemplified in The Odyssey, The Cruelest Journey, and The Good Soldier.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer’s character Odysseus is one of the most analyzed and portrayed characters in literature. He endures a physical journey motivated by social status and ending with the lesson of never giving up on something or someone important. In the poem Odysseus faces many bodily obstacles that make his journey a physical one. After stabbing Polyphemus, Odysseus shouts that if any human were to ask the cyclops who defeated him, to tell them it was Odysseus “raider of cities: Laertes’ son, whose home is on Ithaca” in order to receive praise (Homer 416-419). Odysseus’ journeys’ motives are based off of selfish needs and ego. His want for social standings drives him to do outrageous activities more for the physical aspect rather than the mental. The lesson learned of never giving up is portrayed when Odysseus overcomes numerous obstacles. From being attacked by the sea to being cursed by a god, Odysseus and his crew faced many hardships in which they could grow and learn from. Odysseus vividly describes Polyphemus capturing two of his ship mates, splattering their insides on the floor then eating the disjointed bodies (Homer 193-199). From these experiences this main character teaches the reader to be more persistent and single-minded in situations that will not be solved with negativity. In, The Odyssey, Odysseus began his epic journey unsure of the future but motivated by social status. His original goal of defeating Troy turns into a long journey with obstacles in his way. His situation looked bad, yet he did not give up and he never lost sight of his goal to get home.
Imagine kayaking 600 miles alone on the Niger River.

The powerful wind swaying the boat. Rocks and waves coming full speed ahead. All of the dark and lonely weeks sure to make someone feel empty. Who could ever complete a journey like this? In, The Cruelest Journey, adventurer Kira Salak accomplishes this journey and more. Kira was willing to face the same fate as the great explorer Mungo Park who died trying to complete this same journey. She endures obstacles of her own such as tropical storms, hippos, the heat of the Sahara, and the undetermined moods of the river. Her motivation to getting to Timbuktu was to challenge and learn more about her inner self. It was also important for Salak to take on this journey in order to prove to herself and all those who doubted her that she was capable of doing anything (Salak 26-30). Among the many obstacles Salak faced, she was able to overcome them with motivation. The aspects of spiritual motivation benefied Kira for the better of herself and the completion of her journey. As seen in, The Odyssey, every journey has a motivation and a lesson. As a result, the lessons learned in Kira's journey are all the attributes she learned about herself. Salak talks about the hardship, humility, and gratitude that these spiritual adventures bring (Salak 120). Kirak proposes the idea that she could not have learned more about herself unless she tested her limits. Therefor, her story inspires many to be as motivated to start a journey and hopeful

that it will bring them the same self-recognition it brought her.
Motivation is the reason, or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.

The two previous pieces render that motivation is used to benefit oneself, such as to return back home to family or to become more enlightened. However, The Good Soldier by Michael Griffin, proves that not all people are motivated to help themselves. Kauzlarich Cummings’ motivation to help Izzy’s daughter was not recognition or compensation, but righteousness. The idea of human decency is about being understanding of others situations, and helpful and compassionate to them in times of conflict, and Cummings did just that. Morals and instinct took over after he was presented with the situation of finding immediate medical care for a 16 year old girl who was injured by a bomb. After a number of pointless phone calls, Cummings did what he knew was right. Although Kauzlarich didn’t know if the girl was a citizen or if she was allowed to receive help on an American military medical facility, he helped Izzy’s daughter regardless (Finkel 45-65). Cummings’ motivation shows that in order to overcome mental obstacles people need to be dauntless and comprehensive. Overall this piece shows that, unlike the Odyssey, motivation can be based off of selflessness and compassion. The lesson learned from this selection is simple. Helping others is the right thing to do and it can make people feel better about themselves. Cummings makes a statement at the end of the story that he had never felt so content

about himself since he joined the military (Finkel 162). It is okay to have journeys that are for the benefit of someone else. Not all journeys are for self purposes. It is simple, yet crucial, to be motivated with the right mindset in order to reach out and change someone's life. Acts like Cumming’s restore faith in humanity and inspire positive change all over the world.
By breaking down and analyzing the three pieces, it is shown that all journeys begin with a motive and conclude with a lesson learned. In, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus’ physical journey is fueled by self rank and pride. During his journey he faces many problems, which encourages the reader to never give up on something or someone. On the contrary, Kira Salaks journey is not fueled by self rank but by self purposes. Along her rigorous 600 mile kayak trip Salak stays determined with her spiritual motivation. Therefore, The Cruelest Journey, teaches the world that no one can become more enlightened unless they test their limits. In, The Good Soldier by David Finkel, the touching story of Cummings and his goodwilled motivation sets an example to the world. It shows that doing nice things for others can make someone feel good about themselves. Each of these journeys have different goals in mind, different motivations, and different endings. However, in all pieces the main character overcomes the situation they are put in, whether it was a mental, physical, or spiritual one. Journeys are not simple. They are a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though people approach journeys from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for everyone. So a journey can await anyone, as look as they have the motivation and open mind to commence it.