Penelope And Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

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Many great artists use greek mythology in their works. It is usually used to tell a story or convey a message about morals. The story of Penelope and Odysseus can be an example of a story where two heroes have to persevere through any complications that they may encounter. Odysseus sets sail to fight in the Trojan War, leaving his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. Odysseus and his men obtain victory and are on their way back, when they somehow upset Poseidon, who makes their journey home miserable. In order to get home Odysseus has to battle through many obstacles. While Odysseus struggles to arrive back to Ithaca, Penelope is at home being urged by the city to marry one of the many suitors. She still has hope that Odysseus will return, …show more content…

This poem is based on Penelope and Odysseus from the famous epic poem, The Odyssey. In this poem, Dorothy Parker describes Penelope’s perception of her and Odysseus’ situations. Penelope imagines Odysseus effortlessly battling through his obstacles and sailing through the beautiful, sunny skies, while she demonstrates herself to be confined. She describes her longing for Odysseus and loneliness in her husband’s absence. The first half of the poem has a positive connotation as Parker uses phrases such as, “silver seas” and “glittering wave” to describe Odysseus’ journey. While in the second half of the poem, Dorothy Parker uses a negative connotation by using phrases such as, “sit at home and rock” and “bleach the linen of my bed” to demonstrate Penelope’s situation. This shows how Odysseus is experiencing a glorious adventure, whereas Penelope spends her time being lonely and living a monotonous life. In the last line Dorothy mentions how everyone will feel when Odysseus returns, as the poem states, “They will call him brave.” Here, she only mentions the reaction to how the city will react to Odysseus’ return, but she does not mention anything about their thoughts on Penelope. This concludes that Penelope’s acts and sacrifices on behalf of Odysseus will be truly forgotten. Dorothy Parker is trying to show the readers how a man’s actions will be forever remembered as the woman’s will be forgotten. By titling the poem “Penelope”, she tries to balance the importance of both of these characters to show equality of a male and

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