Death, destruction, disorder; this was what was destined to engulf Ithaca had Odysseus not been able to return home and reclaim his place at the head of Achaean society. The basis of a civilization’s culture is made up of five subsystems according to Colin Renfrew in his Emergence of Civilisation. Renfrew’s five subsystems are named as subsistence, technological, social/ political, symbolic, and trade/ communication. These subsystems are all interconnected, allowing for actions to exist in multiple subsystems simultaneously. This connection is what “gives human culture its unique potential for growth.” While the connection of the subsystems allows for growth as Renfrew states, when one of the five begins to collapse, each aspect of the culture is directly affected leading to a failing of the whole. In The Odyssey, the overlapping influences from the subsistence, social/ political, and trade/ communication subsystems in the early Greek culture combine to form the events taking place during Telemachus’s journey to find out about his father.
Humans cannot survive without food, which is what the subsystem subsistence is all about. Subsistence includes any part of society or “actions relating to the distribution of food resources.” In the Odyssey, the issue of distributing food is primarily seen in Odysseus’s home of Ithaca. The suitors of Penelope according to Telemachus continue to “infest our palace day and night,/ they butcher our cattle, our sheep, our fat goats,/ feasting themselves sick, swilling our glowing wine/ as if there’s no tomorrow”. In this speech by Telemachus it is seen that the best his palace has to offer is being eaten and devoured by the suitors. As the suitors are “guests” in the house of Telemachus and Penelo...
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... an understanding of interactions between subsystems in a culture enhance the understanding of individuals and the effects of actions taken by them. In the Odyssey, the ripple effect felt by Odysseus’s absence has the influence to cause actions that outline key aspects of the story and create the issues that make the story an example for many. This collapse of one subsystem generates problems and complications in all other subsystems because they are all interconnected. The story itself is an attempt by the characters to mend the subsystems of their culture by one path or another. Without fixing the issues, the entire culture would have collapsed.
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Group, 1996.
Renfrew, Colin. The Emergence of Civilisation: The Cyclades and the Aegean in the Third Millennium B.C. London: Metheun 1972.
Every day people make decisions. Some are more important than others, but all decisions have consequences, no matter how small. The decisions that you make, and the decisions others make could affect your life. They may have positive effects, but they may also have negatives effects like in The Odyssey by Homer. In general, Odysseus and his men made some decisions that lead to some very negative effects.
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.
On Odysseus's journey he stopped at Cyclops’ Island for supplies and food. Instead of hunting and making supplies our protagonist and his crew steal from Polyphemus and stay in his living space thinking they can get more from him. After a while Polyphemus comes home and starts to get angry at his “visitors” so Odysseus tries to patch things up “here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give -as a custom is to honor strangers.” In the end they escape with Polyphemus's sheep.
In Odyssey, Homer creates a parallel between Odysseus and Telemachos, father and son. The two are compared in the poem from every aspect. One parallel was the quest of Telemachos, in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship.
As the Odyssey begins, we see a family in disarray. Odysseus' whereabouts are unknown. Penelope has spent four years keeping the suitors at bay and spent 20 years crying for Odysseus. And Telemakhos has grown up confused and unsure of himself, without a real father figure. Simultaneously, as a result, we see a kingdom also in disarray. Ithaca has no king, hence no "father" figure. And the sons of the kingdom, hence the suitors, have no guidance and act in an egregious manner. They eat and drink all day, slowly depleting Odysseus' cattle and wine stock. They gamble and constantly harass Penelope and Telemakhos.
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.
Identity is a theme that runs strongly throughout The Odyssey. While much of Homer's work is devoted to Odysseus' journey, an examination of his son Telemakhos provides an excellent example of character development. From the anxious and unconfident young man to which Book I opens to the courageous exactor of his father's estate, Telemakhos undergoes notable emotional maturation. The spiritual journey illustrated by Telemakhos, through his own personal odyssey, provides strong evidence that the epic is, indeed, about identity.
"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.
Many diverse cultures are found in every corner of the world. Every culture is defined by its traditions and values. The film “The Odyssey,” depicts the culture of the ancient Greeks where it illustrates the life of a man, Odysseus, who has gone on a journey just to get back to his kingdom. Many values and traditions could be identified through the path of the journey. Some elements that are found important to the Greeks are the music, the religion, and the duty to the kingdom.
Victoria agreed with the theme of the Odyssey having to do with loving one another and being loyal too. “The Odyssey takes itself less seriously than other epics; it is a great deal more fun, but also has a great deal more heart. It is a moral poem; it teaches us about civilization and human nature, how to live together in respect and harmony, how important are the virtues of love, home and family, and ultimately how happiness is a greater goal than any amount of fame and fortune; lessons that have not lost their relevance today”(BookDrum, victoriahooper). This quote shows that the odyssey is more than just a journey and Odysseus taking an adventure and trying to make his way home; it’s about during this adventure what his loved ...
...happens, it all happens for the best. That everything that is done is a given test that you must achieve in order to reach your destiny. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture, which is shown throughout the entire story and in our everyday lives. Through this story, one can see that all of this is true, whether you believe it or not. These tests can be shown through an epic simile by Homer saying, "As a man hides a brand in a dark bed of ashes, at some outlying farm where neighbors are not near, hoarding a seed of fire to save his seeking elsewhere, even so did Odysseus hide himself in leaves"(54). This shows the symbolism that the ocean is Odysseus’ tests and he hides under the leaves in order to hide from the tests. But in the end, the tests help him and make everything well.
During this time Mediterranean Sea trade was starting to boom and sea travel was a norm. Being that Greece had a sea based economy stories of sea travel were very common. This is why Homer created the odyssey following the character named Odysseus on his travels across the sea and faced many challenges but triumphed over them proving his arête The Odyssey was meant to inform the audience of the struggles of Odysseus a great general and member of the elite on his voyage home from the battle of troy. The section of the odyssey that was read in class was taken from “Book 9: In the one-eyed giants cave”. In this part Odysseus leads his men to an island only to discover that it is inhabited by Cyclopes one in particular takes him and his men hostage. The main point that stands out in this story is how cunning Odysseus is when dealing with ...
These meals consisted of large feasts that were enjoyed with many different types of food. They would invite strangers to feast, because hospitality was a major social normality, and this signified an established society. An established and hospitable society was one that had feasts and large variations of food. During one of the feasts, Prince Telemachus notices Athena disguised as a stranger waiting at the door, “He met her with winged words; ‘Greetings, stranger! Here in our house, you’ll find a royal welcome. Have a supper first, then tell us what you need” (Homer, pg 81). Each feast that was enjoyed was not only plenty for them, but it was also enough to invite strangers to feast, too. As a king, Odysseus was wealthy and powerful, and this was shown through his meals. In The History of Taste by Veronika Grimm, a civilized community, like the one that Odysseus was a part of, was described by Homer. “Homer’s view of a civilized community is a place where people produce grain to make their bread, where they have vineyards to make wine, orchards with apple and pear trees, pomegranates, figs and olives, and where well-planted gardens provide all sorts of fresh green vegetables throughout the year” (Grimm pg 67). Portrayed here, a civilized society was one where the food was prepared by them, a year-round surplus of many different types of cuisine. The city that is described in The Odyssey was dependent on the surrounding nature around them. All their food was locally sourced, with no mass production of food that enabled many people to enjoy the cuisine. They began to expand the foods that were gardened from just vegetables to vineyards, fruit plantations, and wheat farms. Ancient Grecian society was a secure, stable civilization, capable of various expansions regarding food and production, but the society
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.