Odysseus The Sirens In Homer's The Odyssey

708 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary analysis odyssey

When found reading a book, readers can connect themselves to a character in the story. It is not literature the readers can connect to. One example of literature is the Odyssey. Readers can connect their lives through the tales of Odyssey. The Odyssey by Homer allows readers to associate the book with real life experiences. Odyssey is on his way home from Troy and he tells his tales about what he has encountered along his journey. However obstacles are slowing him down. The Odyssey tales are metaphors in real life. The Sirens are another way of showing temptations.The Scylla eating the the six men, similarly shows what happens during war.
Sirens appear as metaphors in the Odysseus, what it really means is dealing with temptation in real life. This appears in the book when Odysseus and his man had to travel by the Sirens. They knew they had to come up with something because they knew “‘no man has never rowed his black ship past [that] island and not listen to [them]’” (12.239-240). Sirens tempts people by their sweet voice, but Odysseus knew that. Odysseus “plugged [his] comrade[’s] with wax, [as] they tied [his] hand and foot onto the ship” (12.226-227). Odysseus helps his friends from the sirens with wax is another way of showing friends in real life …show more content…

It is important to understand that in real life experience can connect to so many things. A book is not just a book, a book is a pathway that allows the mind to make connections. A couple chapters can be describing one’s childhood as a whole book can make a person reminisce about their young adulthood. Authors are not using metaphors accidentally but on purpose. Some authors write books, but some may think they are writing to them. They are retelling somebody’s story that happen in their life. These great metaphors is a key that opens up a door to millions of

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Sirens In Homer's Odyssey And Margaret Atwood

    301 Words  | 1 Pages

    Homer utilizes imagery to create the scene in which the Sirens attempt to lure Odysseus. Homer describes the voice of the Sirens to be "ravishing" which presents how powerful the Sirens voice can be. Odysseus is swayed by the voices and urges the crew to let him go to the Sirens, however, the Sirens could not bring Odysseus to them.

    Read More

  • The Sirens In The Siren Song

    260 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Sirens are personated as lethal and menacing. In the Sirens’ song it says “..the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons.” That insinuates how Sirens entice people into their own death. In Odysseus’ standpoint, he hoped to get away from them stating,”the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer”,signifying he could not bare to hear them croon longer.

    Read More

  • Prowess Of Odysseus The Sirens In Homer's The Odyssey

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Sirens, Odysseus showed many examples of mental prowess. The Sirens are monsters disguised as women who try to lower the men with there songs wanting them to kill themselves. Odysseus had been warned by Circe about The Sirens and was recommended that it would be better if Odysseus is the only one that listens to their songs “yet she urged that I alone should listen to their song” (783). Odysseus had thought of a clever plan of putting wax in the mens ears so they

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Sirens In The Odyssey By Margaret Atwood

    302 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Sirens in the "Odyssey" seem dark and evil due to the author's choice of words or diction. The words used in the song provide a tone of mystery and darkness. For example, "Come closer, famous Odysseus...Never had any sailor passed our shores in his black craft (line 15)." This demonstrates that the diction gives the audience a suspicion that it is

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sirens are known for their song that kills people. In the book, Odysseus told the men to tie him down to listen to the song even if it meant it was going to kill him. In the movie, Pete heard the sirens and told Ulisses to stop the car. He ran out to the river while the other two followed. There, there was three women singing in the river washing their clothes. The men were in a trace because the girls were giving them a sexual trance. They woke up the next day and Pete was gone. Delmer thought he turned into a frog because there was a frog in Pete’s clothing. Ulisses and Delmer continued on their journey to find the

    Read More

  • Metaphors in Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the book, the author has used several metaphors to make the book to be more interesting for the readers of the book. Additionally, the author of the book has used metaphors to bring about some of the meanings in the story. This has made it easy for the readers to be able to understand what they are reading. In conjunction to this, the author has used the metaphors to bring out the character traits of some characters like Janie and Joe in the book. Therefore, it is through metaphors that the book has been very interesting and easy to understand.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis and Comparison of Ulysses and the Sirens and “Siren Song”

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout modern history the ancient Greeks and their stories have influenced our culture and way of life. Many of the ancient Greek myths are those of caution that teach us moral lessons. For example, the myth of Odysseus and the sirens, told by Homer in The Odyssey, teaches us to resist the urge to indulge in temptations. Odysseus and his crew are travelling near the island of the sirens when Odysseus plugs the ears of his crewmates with beeswax and has them tie him to the mast so that he can listen to the sirens’ song and not crash their ship onto the rocks as they pass the island. Odysseus and his crew safely pass the island of the sirens without any casualties and continue on their journey home. Author Margaret Atwood and artist John William Waterhouse both display their brilliant ideas about the myth of Odysseus and the sirens using poetry and painting. Both Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood use the myth of the sirens to show that during their lives, people often encounter bad temptations that can lead to their demise and should pay no attention to such temptations.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Identity In Ancient Greek Life In Homer's The Odyssey

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer’s famous work, The Odyssey, is the epic tale of Odysseus’ decade-long journey to return home from the Trojan War. It was during the finale of the war, Battle of Troy, that Odysseus employed his celebrated Wooden Horse stratagem. His treacherous journey home is marked by catastrophe after catastrophe, but Homer uses these challenges to develop Odysseus’ character, to humble him and to give him knowledge. This essay will examine Odysseus’ identity and its progression throughout the book; the explanation of the metaphor of “home”; ancient Greek society; and the character development of Penelope, Telemachus and the Suitors.

    Read More

  • Odysseus's Characters In My Mother In The Odyssey

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    While reading The Odyssey, I have recognized Odysseus’ traits in my mother. Nevertheless, in distinct situations my mother 's character is kind and quiet, although she can be quiet, she can become fierce if you provoke her by committing an incorrect act. Common for all mothers when their children are in danger they tend to become over protective so that no harm is done to them. If an act is committed toward my sister and I her enraged side will be presented upon you. On the other hand, when my sister and I were young we were playing in the house a broke and antique plate that was a gift to her she became furious and sent us to our room. Odysseus, the main character resembles to my mom because both demonstrate determination, intellect, patience,

    Read More

  • The Character Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "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. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.

    Read More

  • Odysseus

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus uses his brain to sail past the Sirens without being entranced by their sweet song. A Siren is a bird-woman who bewitches everyone that approaches. The Siren women sing a seductive song. Their song has many powers. As Nugent says “as in the days of the musician Orpheus, music still has power to soothe the savage beast, to ally anxiety, and to connect with the divine through contemplation” (Nugent 45-54). Circe tells Odysseus, “There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Siren’s voices” (Homer XII, 40). . Odysseus follows the advice Circe gave him to put beeswax in his men’s ears so they will not be entranced. Odysseus then tells his men “but she instructed me alone to hear their voices…”(XII, 160), when, truthfully, Circe states, “But if you wish to listen yourself, make them bind you hand and foot on board and place you upright by the housing of the mast, with the rope’s ends lashed to the mast itself”(XII, 49). In this way, Odysseus is being selfish only wishes to know the Siren’s sing so he will...

    Read More

  • The Odyssey: The Success Of Odysseus As A Hero

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many spoke positively about Odysseus, highlighting only his admirable traits. Although most victories of Odysseus did have a positive outcome, Odysseus acted by whatever means necessary to achieve his successes. In book twelve, Odysseus encountered the challenge of the sirens. No man had ever heard the song of the sirens and lived to speak of it. Odysseus was determined to be the first, and only man to ever make it through alive, “.. Yet she urges that I alone should listen to their song (XII.193-194)”. Odysseus ordered his men to plug their ears with beeswax and to tie him to the mast as tight as they possibly could. Odysseus and his crew did manage to successfully pass the sirens, making Odysseus the only man to ever hear the wondrous call of the sirens. By refusing to plug his own ears, Odysseus unnecessarily put himself above all of his

    Read More

  • The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...y sirens represent half-women, half-bird creatures who lived on an island. They used to sing in beautiful voices to lure sailors off their course. When Odysseus was sailing by the siren's island, he made the rest of his men plug up their ears and ties him to the mainmast. This way, he got to hear the beautiful sound of their voice without being driven to suicide. In this story the women weeping over Lautaro were compared to the sirens, and some sailors going to tie themselves to the mainmast in an attempt to mimic Odysseus. There is a contrast of these stories with the quotes from the villagers.

    Read More

  • Metaphors We Live By

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, cliché, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system.

    Read More

  • Characters In London's To Build A Fire By Jack London

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within the stories of these volumes of books, they have tapped in to something that may be about race, finding yourself, or just a fun story to tell. In my opinion, the authors such as Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, and more have developed a sense of popularity from their stories in which I like. Within these characters from theses short stories or poems, the audience can relate to what the characters may be going through and there outcome. Metaphors, synonyms, similes, hyperboles, and more rhetorical terms are present throughout the works from these creative authors. I find this to be interesting because having all these different elements and the events that occur makes me love these stories. Therefore, I would like to focus on my interpretation

    Read More

More about Odysseus The Sirens In Homer's The Odyssey

Open Document