How is the power of the storm conveyed in this passage (lines 300-333)?
In this passage Homer conveys the storm as an overwhelming force that easily defeats the hero of the story, Odysseus. Initially he does this by showing the fear the storm itself invokes in Odysseus before it even causes any harm. His thought process is shown to us and he clearly gives up at the prospect of the storm ‘there is nothing for me now but sudden death’. As Odysseus has been presented to us in the novel so far as a strong willed, brave character it’s a contrast to the thoughts he has at this point. To know that a man whom has been displayed as fearless would give up so easily shows that he must’ve been aware of the storms vast power, in turn telling us that too.
Additionally homer describes the sky to a great extent, mentioning how it’s ‘heavy with clouds’ and personifies the winds ‘the warring winds joined forces in one tremendous gust’. As homer describes the winds joining of forces we can interpret this as the storm using everything against Odysseus as though they’re in battle with him, in this case strength comes in numbers and Odysseus is destined for defeat. At one point we are told how he is under water and being
…show more content…
kept there due to the weight of his clothes, again presenting the thought of everything, even things that aren’t directly part of the storm worked as one to overcome Odysseus. The passage then continues to tell us the result of this unification of strength and shows the extent of the damage that it causes Odysseus himself and his raft.
‘The rudder was torn from his hands and he himself was tossed of the raft…snapped the mast in two and flung the sail and half deck far out into the sea’. The words that homer uses to describe the actions of the storm convey it power clearly. He uses careless verbs such as ‘tossed’ and ‘flung’ showing the raft and Odysseus insignificance in comparison to the storm, as its sheer power allows it to do as it pleases. Additionally the use of the word ‘snapped’ makes it seem that the storms actions are purposeful and that it simply doing this out of spite, and because it can, this is a clear display of its
power. Finally homer utilises and epic simile in this passage where the storms power is conveyed in a clear and unnerving manner. In lines 328-333 (‘like the north wind…the west to chase.’) the raft is likened to a ball being played with as the storms winds toss it around and ‘play’ with it with ease. Homer states how it’s passed back and forth between the north, south and west wind personifying them in this game of pass. In this belittling of Odysseus craft, the power of the storm is displayed once more, as it appears to think of this ‘game’, which is so deadly to Odysseus, as nothing more than fun. Leyla Webbe
In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus has many different qualities that classify him as a hero. He is brave and courageous as shown when he murdered all the suitors who were disrespecting his property even though he was outmanned by them. Despite this, he is by no means all brawn and no brain as he shows his intelligence and cunning numerous times during the epic. A few example of this would be when he was able to blind the one-eyed Cyclops while the rest of his crew didn’t know what to do. Odysseus in many ways is similar to a flowing river, because whenever there is a problem (dam in the river), he would first try to go through it, but if he can’t he would then find a way ar...
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
In this long narrative poem, Odysseus changes from being disrespectful to the gods by explicitly saying that he doesn’t need them, to longing forgiveness later by stating that he is nothing without them. After the success with the Trojan Horse, Odysseus considered himself higher than the gods because he, a mortal, was able to accomplish something even the gods couldn’t. He boasted to Poseidon and the others about how he is overpowering, and how his power and abilities were far beyond their limits. His epic boasting to the gods had lead him to create his own obstacles as, he is one who essentially was the cause. This disrespectful attitude is the personality which shows how Odysseus behaved at the beginning of the story. It not only demonstrates what he was once like, but how his obstacles get much more precarious. As this is the attitude in the beginning, by the end of this epic, Odysseus understands the value of gods and their power, even if it’s for good or bad. At the end of book twenty-two, page 1160, on lines 107-109, Odysseus finally accepts the fact that he is not the biggest thing
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
... onslaught spinning his craft round and round” (Homer 321). This example shows how Odysseus is constantly suffering from the revenge of the god Poseidon. By keeping Odysseus away from home and trapped within the bounds of sea, Poseidon shows his godly revenge.
Odysseus defeats great monsters with the help of his men and the gods. Homer added Greek mythology to the epic poem because that is the main belief of the people at the time. The people believed that the gods and the fates controlled what happened in their lives. Odysseus’s story reflects this belief. His accomplishments are based on the help of the gods, or what the fates wrote into his life. He defeated the monsters and overcame the struggle because that is what was supposed to happen in his life. Odysseus could make his own choices, but his journey is made easier when he listens to the gods and their
Homer compares the crying Odysseus to a woman who weeps for her husband who died in battle. The weeping woman is described in a very dramatic scene in order to reflect the intensity of the sorrow that Odysseus is experiencing. The “woman weeps, flinging herself across the fallen body of her dear husband.” As she is “clinging to him, [she] wails,” and then “the enemies behind her strike her back and shoulders, then they carry her away to slavery and trials and misery.” The woman goes through a great deal of hardship, which explains why “her cheeks are wasted with pain.” Not only does her husband die, but the enemies strike her with their spears and take her away to suffer more. By comparing Odysseus’s crying to the woman weeping in this intense scene of misery, Homer is able to show the reader the degree of sorrow that Odysseus is feeling.
...journey is less cyclical than Achilles' but similarly ends with his regret for the ravages of war. Odysseus is a flawed character, much like man himself, and his actions can only be fully accounted for by attributing them to the gradual progression of his soul. He is gifted, yet possesses shortcomings; insightful, yet blind; driven, yet lost. Achilles is divine, yet mortal; rational, yet contradictory; kind, yet vicious. Still, together they represent the ideals of Greek mythology and the weaknesses of mankind. They are in control of their own actions, but subject to fate. Through both heroes, Homer manages to convey some of the most fundamental features of human existence.
“Men hold me / formidable for guile in peace and war (Homer 488).” The quote in the beginning of Book 9 perfectly sums up Odysseus because he does indeed fulfill what he states. Odysseus is a hero that would be known for his effectiveness in war and, generally, his great ability to overcome other troubles. He cleverly maneuvers his crew eventually back to their homeland surmounting many perils that any other person could not. He never loses hope and he never lets it get in his way. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because Odysseus is loyal to his crew, he is a clever and intelligent man, and he is a courageous soldier and leader on the voyage back to Ithaca.
Homer states that Odysseus was ‘tossed off the raft’, which makes the storm seem extremely powerful as Odysseus is supposed to be a strong capable man who can defeat anything, but this storm is clearly too much for him to cope with. It is also stated that the rudder was ‘torn from his hands’, which has the same indications as the other point as Odysseus is meant to be this big, strong man who cannot be overcome by anything; however, this storm is so overwhelming that it is even able to overcome him. The storm was also so strong that it even managed to damage the boat as it ‘snapped the mast in two’; this makes the storm seem very terrifying as it shows how strong the storm is that it is able to almost completely destroy a sturdy boat. The storm was also so humungous that it managed to have ‘flung the sail’ and ‘whirled his raft around’, which shows that Poseidon was almost playing with Odysseus like his toy, spinning him around just for his own please to see him suffer. Throughout the passage, the storm is constantly described by Homer in a way that shows how overwhelming it is for Odysseus to cope with, which makes it seem very terrifying for an ordinary
Typhoons, an aquatic storm ferocious wet winds, would have been extremely devastating to the ancient Greeks, who were very dependent on their sea barring life style. This deadly event can be linked to the Greek monster, Typhoon (Typhoeus), who’s savage physical appearances throughout multiple ancient works rivals the ferocity of actual typhoons. While the reasoning for Typhoon’s creation differs throughout each ancient story, there is one clear parallel behind each version of his birth: the strong feelings of spite and jealously towards Zeus. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Gaia and Tartaros conceive Typhoon to seek revenge on Zeus for seizing the throne from the Titans. In a similar fashion, the version within Apollodorus’ Library depicts Gaia as
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The
Odysseus starts in the ordinary world, his/her home, and then an even takes place in which the hero is being called, in Odysseus’ case he is called into the Trojan War. Odysseus then refused the call because he didn’t want to leave his family, knowing that it could take a long time for him to return home to them. Once Odysseus departed on his adventure, he goes through the next step which is having a supernatural aid or mentor to help him; in this case he receives help from the goddess of wisdom Athena. Knowing the gods would be angry and taking sides during the war, there was no question that there were gods that were going to make sure Odysseus died. Athena however, felt pity for him because she knew the kind of man he was; someone who wanted to be reunited with his loved ones. After the war, Odysseus began the next stage of his journey, crossing the Threshold into a different world. He enters the next stage called The Belly of the Whale after the freak storm conjured up by Poseidon, god of the sea, one of the many gods who were upset with Spartans. His god-like powers created powerful waves and increased winds that would send Odysseus and his crew further away from