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Odysseus and selfishness
Odyssey and his personal conflicts
Odyssey and his personal conflicts
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Odysseus, in The Odyssey by Homer, and I show Self - Restraint. Odysseus showed self discipline by excluding himself from not eating the Lotus flower Odysseus said, “clear the beach and no one eat that lotus or you will lose hope of home”(897). In addition, I showed restraint by not doing my homework or else I had to stay after school and do it over.
Another way Odysseus shows loyalty is with the lotus eaters. All his men fell for the temptation of the lotus eaters. His men became addicted to the lotus and forgot
A true hero will go through immeasurable lengths to benefit not him or herself, but the people around them. Heroes are neither selfish nor uncaring. They seek every opportunity they get to help those in need. One must have also gone through the entire hero’s journey to be deemed a hero. He must start off naïve and inept and through his challenges, transform into someone worth calling a hero. Most importantly, a hero is not perfect. He must listen to other’s ideas and utilize them. However, in The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus disrespects his crew men and the gods’ advice, lets hubris interfere with his men’s lives, and is unfaithful to his wife Penelope.
The introduction to this tale reveals a great deal of the importance of eloquence in speech, in this culture. Within moments of speaking Odysseus makes clear how important it is to speak well by comparing his ability to speak to the same abilities possessed by gods. Throughout this tale gods are used as a benchmark of the greatness of an individual, therefore for Odysseus to claim that his eloquence is the same as that of the gods is a bold claim and one he is certain he can back up. In the same introduction, Odysseus declares he is known for “all manner of wiles” (303). Therefore if Odysseus does have the a voice that is similar to what the others imagine the gods to have, and there is no mention of anyone refuting this claim, then a further
Odysseus: I retained my control and did not give into temptation that night because I knew all too well that would have only ruined things from my past experiences.
Opposed to that of common thought, superman is not the only type of character that fits the heroic persona. Although “superheroes” typically come to mind when one thinks of a hero, there are many other ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. A hero is a person who takes the initiative to set out on a journey of internal growth. During this symbolic journey, one truly finds himself and betters the lives of other mentally and physically. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus takes the path of heroism, resulting in the reborn spirit of a selfless, modest hero. During the process, Odysseus is faced with many challenges that he must overcome in order to earn the noble title. Odysseus proves himself to be a well-deserving hero because he is intelligent with his decisions, he displays cleverness, and he rids himself of hubris.
In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must face many obstacles on his journey. He is only able to conquer them because of his wonderful qualities. He meets, a Cyclopes, Sirens, a six-headed monster, a regurgitating whirlpool, and a group of greedy, lovesick men. Some Odysseus's more important qualities are, determination, cunning, and protecting.
The Odyssey, usually accredited to Homer, contains several key conflicts which strengthen readers’ understanding of the protagonists. The conflicts are of particular help in understanding the hero Odysseus’ reasons for his actions. One episode in which Odysseus displays his key character traits of arrogance, cunning, and recklessness is book 9, in which Odysseus defeats the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Odysseus didn’t really value his crew members very much. He used them to scout places out and didn’t really care if they died. Odysseus was greedy to receive a guest gift from the cyclops, Polyphemus, the son of the god, Poseidon, even after they had taken some of the Polyphemus's goods. When Odysseus is telling the Phaeacians of his journey he tells them, “From the start my comrades pressed me, pleading hard, ‘Let’s make away with the cheeses, then come back—”(Homer 9.252-253). If Odysseus would have done what his crew members told him to do then none of the crew members would have died. Odysseus didn’t care that they were invaded the house of a Polyphemus, all he cared about was receiving housewarming gifts from him. He put his greed before the safety of his crewmembers which is a careless act.
In book 9 of The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus was forced to make many critically important decisions. Although he made some wise decisions that portrayed his leader-like characteristics, many of his choices were poor ones that led to more difficulty along the journey. When Odysseus and his men entered the cave, his men wanted to raid Polyphemus’ cheese stores, and then return for the flocks. However, Odysseus was irrational and greedy, and told the Phaeacians this: “But I would not give way...not until I saw him, saw what gift’s he’d give” (9.256-58). By waiting for the lawless Cyclops to come back and grant the soldiers gifts, he and his men were put in danger, since Polyphemus was not friendly, nor was he willing to give them anything, and
Being a work of importance in the western tradition of philosophy, The Odyssey is much more than some play written by Homer ages ago. Though The Odyssey certainly is a dramatic work and partially intended for entertainment, it also provides insight into the ways of thinking of the time it has been written in. Aside from illustrating the perspective of early Greek philosophy The Odyssey also raises certain questions pertaining to virtues and the morality of actions undertaken therein. Such questions and the pursuit of their answers may also lead to a better understanding of the actions taken in present-day society and the human condition in general. One of the virtues that is present throughout The Odyssey is temperance, or the lack thereof. In the course of Odysseus' journey, numerous events take place which are determined by the actions of Odysseus' himself, as well as those of his shipmates. In fact, the endeavor here is to portray how the delays and troubles encountered by Odysseus and his crew are due to their inability to exhibit proper self-restraint in conduct, expression, and indulgence of the appetites. This is undertaken in the proceeding text by an examination of two specific episodes from Homer's The Odyssey. The first episode being Book X of The Odyssey, entitled "The Grace of the Witch", containing Odysseus' encounter with the goddess Kirke. The second being Book V under the title of "Sweet Nymph and Open Sea," of how Odysseus departs the island of the nymph Kalypso. Both episodes are intended to demonstrate the importance of temperance in the journeys of Odysseus.
Odysseus and his men do not show self discipline throughout the odyssey. They give into many temptations and those mistakes cost them big. Self discipline, not only important in the Odyssey, but is still relevant in today's society. There are many tempting things that can and will be very harmful. The trick is to use self discipline to say no and think of how that will affect
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.
Without Odysseus’s help, his men would never escape the Lotus-Eaters because they’ve “lost all desire” to try to leave. While the Greeks value dedication and ambition, the Lotus-Eaters are lazy and purposeless. The Greeks see the Lotus-Eaters as inferior because they have no hunger to succeed; they are stagnant. The Lotus-Eaters also make Odysseus’s men forget why they are on a
At one time in our lives, Odysseus and I have learned how vital using self-control can be. When Odysseus wanted to listen to the Sirens after the goddess Circe told him he shouldn’t, that was a lack of self-control on his part. Consequently, in order to not stray toward the Siren’s beautiful island, he needed to be tied to the mast of his ship. His crew literally restrained him and held him down so he wouldn’t disentangle himself. Due to the beeswax in their ears, the crew was unaffected by the Siren’s lovely tune. Odysseus also had to use self-control when he ventured to Lord Helios’ island, where the best cows in the world resided. After specific instruction of not to travel that way, what happened? Of course, he sailed there. All of Odysseus’ men greedily feasted on the cows; however, Odysseus did not. He displayed an example of self-control. Zeus looked down upon the men who ate the cattle with pity, and struck their ship with a lightning bolt. The powerful blast exterminated every single man but Odysseus; therefore, making Polyphemus’ prayer against Odysseus to Poseidon come true. I have also learned to use self-control. When I am performing poorly in sports, I sometimes want to lash out and blame my mediocre performance on others, or just quit and walk out. But I know that if I keep my head up, things will come around; it’s just hard to realize it at the time. Last summer, I was playing terribly in a golf tournament. In fact, my performance was so humiliating I ...
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...