Sacrifice In The Odyssey

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“Step on a crack, break your mother’s back!” As a kid, everyone repeated this saying. An important theme in The Odyssey by Homer is that people get what they deserve. When a person does something bad, the gods return the action with a bad outcome. Do something good, you get rewarded, like ying and yang. People get what they deserve due to their actions.
When Odysseus's men land on the land of the cyclopes, Odysseus’s curiosity gets the best of him, if he had just took the supplies and left, he would not have gotten trapped in the cave. As a result of being trapped, he lost a few of his men. Also, when he uses the name trick on Polyphemus, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me!” (385). He would have had a clean getaway, but by gloating, Polyphemus had the ability to curse him, “ Now comes the weird upon me… of all the happy gods or mortal men” (462-477). This shows a negative outcome, preventing Odysseus’s return home. Another character, Antinous, he is Penelope’s suitor. Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus goes into his home to see the suitors and gets treated awful. “The stool he let fly hit the man’s right shoulder,” (850). Because he was acting so cruel, Antinous gets his life's end. …show more content…

A safe way around the sirens created possibility to get home. By his intelligence and the warning, he helped his crew and himself not die. By getting through this tough situation, the gods and goddesses helped him a little more along his travels home. A good leader is one whose men follow him regardless. “Then Scylla made her strike… calling my name for the last time,” (651-655). He loses six men instead of all of them, including himself. He uses this good choice to help carry on his quest towards home. The gods recognize his courage and thought as a good thing and reward him with the ability to carry

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