“Knowledge comes from learning. Experience comes from living. A life without problems is like a school without lessons. Keep walking with a positive mind” (Unknown). This author is trying to tell the readers that if you keep a positive mindset and continue on with your journey, it will be successful. Journeys are suppose to be long and hard but the knowledge you gain helps a person grow spiritually and physically as a person or hero. The Odyssey, by Homer is about Odysseus’s long and difficult journey home to Ithaca. During this journey Odysseus searches for his identity, while the gods make his journey more interesting. Along his way home to Ithaca, he uncovers many secrets and takes on many challenging tasks. During these tasks Odysseus shows …show more content…
However, all epic heroes make mistakes at some points. An epic hero learns from their mistakes and makes sure to remain this powerful leader. During the “Cyclops” section, Odysseus reveals his identity to the Cyclops. At first, Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is Nohbody, although he then uses a homeric epithet to describe who he is and ruins his original plan. “Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca” (Homer, “The Cyclops”, l 460). Odysseus says this to try and brag to the Cyclops by telling him that he’s this big important person. After Odysseus accidently told the Cyclops who he is, the Cyclops told Zeus to forever curse Odysseus. The Cyclops prays to Zeus and hopes that Odysseus does not reach home. If he happens to reach home the Cyclops tells Zeus to make sure that his journey is long and hard, as all of his men will die and Odysseus will have to watch and suffer. The Cyclops also says that when Odysseus reaches home he hopes that his days will be hard and bitter. Odysseus grows from this mistake when he purposely did not tell his wife and friends back at Ithaca that he is home until he figures out who he could really trust. In the description of “The Suitors” the text states “Still disguised as a beggar, Odysseus enters his home.” (Fitzgerald, “The Suitors”, l. 1001). Due to Odysseus by accidentally telling the Cyclops information, he now makes sure that he does not tell anyone information …show more content…
Odysseus has many temptations such as eating the Lotus, giving in to the Siren’s songs, and telling his men about the prophecy. Each of these temptations help to develop Odysseus to become an epic hero. Odysseus also makes many mistakes such as revealing his identity to the Cyclops, not revealing the meaning of the bag of winds to his men, and not having control of men on the Land of Cicones. Odysseus grows from this temptation by not revealing himself when returning home in part two, telling his men to not eat the cattle, and telling the men to not eat the Lotus and gaining control of them. These temptations help Odysseus to figure out how he is this epic hero, as it is apart of his search for his identity. Odysseus has gained a lot of knowledge from this journey. He becomes an epic hero and a great leader from his temptations and mistakes. The temptations and mistakes also helps Odysseus to gain knowledge. “Keep Ithaka always in your mind./ Arriving there is what you’re destined for./But don’t hurry the journey at all./Better if it goes on for years,/so you’re old by the time you reach the island,/wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,/not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.” (Cavafy, “Ithaka”, l.
One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential.
Once he and he men are sailing away from the Cyclops, Odysseus cries back to the Cyclops “if anyone ever asks you how you came by your blindness, tell them your eye was put out by Odysseus, sacker of cities, son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca.” Odysseus has regretted his earlier decision for Polyphemus to not know his true name, because it means that anyone hearing the tale of a man defeating a Cyclops will not know that it was Odysseus who did it. The arrogant Odysseus does not like this, because he wants all tales of his prowess to be known for his. As he cannot let the chance of more fame escape him, he reveals to Polyphemus his true identity. This sentence, with which he risks the Cyclops throwing a boulder onto their ship, show the readers just how arrogant Odysseus is. It helps the readers understand quite how willing Odysseus is to risk anything if it will add to his
This was a major step in the hero’s journey because it helped Odysseus discover and meet new friends, mentors, enemies, challenges, skills and new knowledge. This self-knowledge began with Odysseus not having any friends who trust him whatsoever. The main reason to do so is, in book nine, Odysseus doesn’t make any new friends considering the fact that he has a problem with letting his hubris get into the way of letting him believe someone is actually good enough to be friends with him. Here, it is clearly articulated that he was too boastful for him depend on anyone. This is major because not only does he avoid dependence, but he also avoids trust put on him. If he is too selfish, no one will believe his word, as they will think it’s all for himself and not any for them. The part of the epic which identifies this is when Odysseus gives specific instructions to his crew to not open the bag which was given by Aeolus. Only Odysseus knew that the bag contained powerful winds which could help them reach Ithaca, but this is hidden from the crew. They had already identified Odysseus as selfish, so they expected the bag to be full of treasure, and how mankind is, they wanted some too. To the readers’ surprise, this all changes the minute he enters Ithaca. He is welcomed by his dog, Argos, and was helped a kind shepherd who filled in Odysseus
Odysseus was within arms reach of home but because of how naive he was he was forced to keep going on his journey. After all of Aeolus’ hospitality and such a powerful gift Odysseus is still mindless at what this meant and because of him not being cautious, he could not complete his adventure. It’s surprising knowing that after being on a powerful god’s bad side and being forced back to sea, that Odysseus can be even more of a fool.
In the Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus's main goal was to reach home. Even though all of his thoughts were turned towards his home and family, he learned many lessons along the way. Odysseus's greatest learning experiences were in his journey, not his destination.
For seven years, Odysseus is held captive by the goddess Calypso. The young goddess “desired me and detained me in her hall. But in my heart, I never gave consent” (Homer 372). This quote suggests that although Calypso may have believed she was loved by Odysseus, he never really cared for her. If Odysseus would have stayed faithful to his wife, Calypso would have killed him. Thus, he is able to protect himself by lying to her. Another point in the epic where Odysseus' dishonesty impacts his success is with the suitors. After arriving at his homeland, Odysseus disguises himself to protect himself from being harmed: “Odysseus enters his home as a beggar, and the suitors mock and abuse him” (Homer 402). When Odysseus appears to be a beggar, the suitors think nothing of him. They disrespect him, his family, and his home. Had they know Odysseus was back, they would have treated him much differently. Because of the way they acted towards him, it can be suggested that they would be willing to do anything to take control of his kingdom. He is then able to find out more about them and their motives without getting
We all change throughout our lives as we learn from our experiences and Odysseus is no exception. Odysseus lives though some crazy things and through his experiences, he learns more about himself and some of his traits change—for the better—by the end of the Odyssey. Odysseus’s experience with the Sirens shows that he’s learning to trust people outside of himself and that he’s learning to be a better leader. Throughout the epic, we see Odysseus struggles in accepting the “gifts” that the gods give to him. Odysseus likes to be in control of what happens in his life, and because the gods are a higher power than him, he does not have complete control and learns to accept this through the course of his journey. Odysseus’s experiences facilitate his learning and changing into a better person and leader; by the end of the epic, he is more accepting of the twists and turns that are thrown at him by the gods and more trusting of people.
“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
Odysseus’ character is challenged in many ways throughout books 5 through 12. In some instances he holds strong, and in others he fails. His sense of adventure sometimes overwhelms him. The length of time Odysseus spends away from Ithaka also dilutes his desire to return, and possibly dilutes his desire to live. Under certain circumstances, any man can succumb to the evils to which he despises. A perfect example is Akhilleus in the Iliad. He started out an honorable man. With the death of his friend, he turns into a maniac who wants nothing but death for the enemy. Odysseus starts out wanting nothing but to return to his family and his homeland. Over the course of the many years away, this feeling dwindles and he is left with nothing but adventure to prolong his reason for living.
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.
Odysseus is a wise and strategic man who becomes a better person because of the lessons he learns on his journey. Odysseus learns to have hope and he learns not to have so much pride in himself. He also learns that people cannot change their fate, and that years of grieving can create a hard heart.It is hard for people to enjoy their goals in life if they do not think about the journey they took to get to where they are in life. After all, people learn a lot on the journeys they venture through and become stronger people from them.
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
Odysseus is very wise; he is able to get out of any situation he finds himself in and can also deceive anyone he finds the need to. Odysseus has the sort of cunning that one may expect to find in an action hero. However, Odysseus is able to do almost anything he wants with these skills of his. He is able to make up stories on the spot, such as when he told Athena that he was in fact not Odysseus but instead a weary traveler from Krete. Said he, “Far away in Krete I learned of Ithaka- in that broad island over the great ocean” (XIII, 327-328), and Athena knew it was Odysseus only because she was a goddess. Odysseus is very resourceful: he uses the things that are available to him. One instance of this trait is when he devises a plan to escape Polyphemos’s cave alive. Using the sheep as escape mechanisms is very clever. If he was not with his men in the cave, there would have been no way for them to get out. Also calling himself Nohbdy to trick Polyphemos into saying that no one hurt him is an ingenious idea. No one else would be able to execute his plan the way he did- with swiftness and bravery. O...
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
The Odyssey is an Epic Poem written by the ancient Greek Homer that focuses on the hero Odysseus and his strenuous journey home after the fall of Troy. During this hazardous expedition Odysseus faced challenges from defeating the Cyclops, to attempting to avoid the temptation of the Lotus Eaters, and even just the rough seas that Poseidon inflicted on them. Odysseus had to face all of these challenges to achieve his goal of returning back to his home in Ithaca. This can be compared to our lives as we move through our high school years. These are some of the most essential and memorable years of our lives and lead the way to our future.