The Importance Of Advice In The Odyssey

511 Words2 Pages

Anytime in life, it is always a good idea to listen to advice. People giving the advice have usually already experienced the problem at hand, and can help another person past it. In the story The Odyssey, there are multiple instances in which advice is given and not listened to. This creates problems down the road that could’ve been avoided. These instances include when Odysseus taunted The Cyclops and his men told him to stop, when Eurylochus told everyone not to go back to Circe, and when Odysseus’ men ate Helios’ cattle. When Odysseus and his men outwitted The Cyclops, Odysseus felt good and wanted to brag about escaping him. Anyone would’ve felt good about that, but Odysseus took it too far. “Now when I cupped my hands I heard the crew

Show More
Related

  • Odysseus' Bad Decisions

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first bad decision that Odysseus made was poking Polyphemus’ eye out. Even though it was necessary to escape, poking the sea god’s son’s eye out is never a good idea. To make matters worse, Odysseus bragged about his accomplishment later to the cyclops. The only reason why it took Odysseus ten extra years to get home was because Poseidon was angry at him for severely injuring his son. Also, if Odysseus would not have revealed his name to the cyclops, Polyphemus would never have known who poked his eye out. In return, Polyphemus would never had told his father, Poseidon, that Odysseus injured him and that he should give him a hard time on his journey home. So, if Odysse...

    Read More

  • The Loyalty Crew of Odysseus

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    After escaping Polyphemos’s cave, Odysseus’s crew remains loyal. As a result, the focus changes to Odysseus being the epic hero. Odysseus takes control of the situation and allows most of his crew to escape safely. The crew is helpless and directs the attention to how Odysseus rescues his crew by blinding Polyphemos with a spear. He has escapes by having his men hang on the underside of rams. Odysseus laughs and keeps calm during the entire tense situation. “They lumbered off, but laughter filled my heart…” (9.461). Odysseus’s ability to keep his cool is what separates him from an ordinary man. Odysseus rises up when his crew is in predicaments. His lea...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Inadequacy In The Book 'The Odyssey'

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    At some point in their life, many people experience feelings of inadequacy or uncertainty. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, one of the main characters Telemachus experiences both of these feelings. He feels that he is not good enough, especially compared to his father, Odysseus, who many people refer to as a great leader. In the beginning of “The Odyssey”, Telemachus’ home has been taken over by suitors, each with the goal of winning over his mother, in hopes to marry her and become king. Telemachus is not fond of these men in his home, but does not have the confidence to get rid of them. Lastly, at this point in the story, Odysseus, Telemachus’ father, has been gone for approximately twenty years, most of Telemachus’ life. Telemachus has been

    Read More

  • Odysseus' Desire For Glory in The Odyssey, Homer

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus displays his desire for glory through his careless actions during his encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus. The desire for glory Odysseus displays is shown through the words he speaks to Polyphemus. He is a clever character but makes rash decisions that affect the outcome of his original goals and intentions. While Odysseus is trapped inside of the cave of the Cyclops, he begins to taunt Polyphemus. “I called back to the Cyclops, stinging taunts: So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour three in your vaulted cave—with your brute voice! Filthy crimes came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal” (Fagles, 226). Odysseus was insulting the Cyclops, and those insults caused the rage of the monster to boil over. The Cyclops was already angry with Odysseus blinding him, and was even more demoralized and angry when Odysseus began to taunt him. As Odysseus goes on with his insults and as his anger rises, he says, “Cyclops—if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, La...

    Read More

  • Is Odysseus A Hero? in the Poem The Odyssey by Homer

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus shows us a vast amount of bravery and courage; the primary thing a hero needs. In book 9, when Odysseus battled Polyphemus (the Cyclops) to try and save the lives of all the crew members held captive in the cave, he was demonstrating bravery the entire time because, the true meaning of bravery is when you have the ability to challenge fear, or danger which is exactly what he did in this situation. Even though Odysseus was afraid to confront the Cyclops, he did it anyway in order to get him and his crew members out of the Cyclops cave alive; despite the 2 men the Cyclops ate. Another way Odysseus demonstrates courage and bravery was when he didn’t give us on his crew even when things got rough for example, when he faced Scylla knowing he would lose se...

    Read More

  • Confidence In The Odyssey

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus from the Odyssey had confidence in spades but did not have enough ignorance which had a major effect on not only his journey, but also that of those traveling with him. Although Odysseus achieved great things, he displayed too much confidence which put many people in harm’s way. In book 22 of the Odyssey, Death in the Great Hall, Odysseus massacred all of Penelope’s suitors just to make a statement that he was the best and no one was going to take his land or his beautiful wife away from him. Odysseus, overly confident, planned to destroy all of the suitors , “ Odysseus’ arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat”( Homer, 1256). He was so confident in his skills, that he had no second thought about killing these men who were acting upon Penelope’s request for a new husband, based on her misconception that Odysseus was dead. Instead of just announcing to the whole village that he was alive, his overconfidence dominated which

    Read More

  • The Odyssey: The Use Of Hubris

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    To start, within the course of The Odyssey, Odysseus displays hubris through many of his actions. The most prominent instance in which Odysseus shows hubris is while he and his men are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’ men ask him to stop before Polyphemus would “get the range and lob a boulder” (436). But Odysseus shows hubris by saying that if they were to meet again, Odysseus would “take your life” and “hurl you down to hell!” (462; 463). Polyphemus, now extremely angry with Odysseus, prays to his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus “never see his home” again, and after which, throws a mountain towards the sound of Odysseus’ voice. (470). Because of Odysseus’ hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men.

    Read More

  • Self Discipline In The Odyssey

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Adversity In The Odyssey

    1487 Words  | 3 Pages

    Similar to an elaborate dish, a literary genre consists of multiple necessary “ingredients,” called epic conventions, which classify a text into a particular category. Homer follows an impeccable recipe in his magnificent work. Labeled as an epic, The Odyssey by Homer portrays the Greek hero Odysseus years after his victory in the Trojan War and his awaited journey back to Ithaca. As the plot develops it is evident it is no effortless feat for our hero to return home. The godly Odysseus encounters adversities in the forms of Cyclops, sea monsters, alluring flowers and formidable Greek gods with varying conceptions of him. These characteristics distinguish the Odyssey and its episodes as an epic and bestow Odysseus with the title of an epic

    Read More

  • Adversity In The Odyssey

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    As former first lady Michelle Obama once said “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages,” (Michelle Obama). Odysseus faced much adversity in his journey back from troy and in his home life back on Ithaca. The Odyssey is an epic poem created by Homer that highlights Odysseus's journey from Troy to Ithaca. “Ulysses” is a poem by Lord Tennyson Alfred about Odysseus's thoughts after he returns to Ithaca from Troy. Homer and Tennyson both use figurative language when speaking of Odysseus’ travels, and his thoughts when he get back home. People undertake journeys to immerse themselves in the

    Read More

  • Relationships In The Odyssey

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.

    Read More

  • Etiquette In The Odyssey

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    In most cultures, guests are generally treated with respect from their hosts. There are customs that both the guest and host must follow. These customs fall under the category of house etiquette. We can see one such example of the house etiquette of Ancient Greek culture in Book 1 of Homer’s Odyssey, when Athena visits Odysseus’s palace and is greeted by his son, Telemakhos. Athena enters the room carrying her spear on her left hand and Telemakhos takes it to put on a rack, yet we are not told why Athena carries her spear on her left hand or why Telemakhos has to take it away. This is similar to how most people view rules of etiquette. They don’t know why they follow these rules, but they do so because that is what the rest of society tells them to do. But what is the purpose of etiquette and why do

    Read More

  • The Role of Loyalty in The Odyssey

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Intro: There are a wide variety of themes present throughout the Odyssey, written by Homer. Be it hospitality, perseverance, vengeance or power of the Gods, loyalty is truly the theme that brings the whole book together. Being 10 years after the Trojan War, many have forgotten about Odysseus and his men as they constantly brave what the gods throw their way. This essay will be talking about Odysseus and Penelope’s mutual loyalty to one another, the loyal relationships between Gods and men and finally, the loyalty Odysseus’ men show for him until death. This essay with prove to us that without loyalty, Odysseus’ legendary journey would have been put to an end near where they started. The general theme of loyalty is what kept Odysseus motivated and determined.

    Read More

  • Relating The Odyssey to our Lives

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Getting somewhere is not just the destination, but even more so the journey. The goals are our destination and obstacle and temptations litter the voyage. Like Odysseus, achieving these goals is not a cinch. Obstacles must be faced or avoided, and temptations should be resisted.

    Read More

  • Wisdom In The Odyssey

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Ancient Greek view on wisdom, along with their views on most things, is that it’s the will of the gods. The gods control all aspects of human lives and the people have little control over what happens to them. They also view wisdom as something for all genders to have, not just the men, as shown by Athena and Penelope. The theme of wisdom in the Odyssey is best portrayed through Penelope’s statement to Eurycleia when she tries to tell her mistress that Odysseus has returned (Odyssey 23.11-21).

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Advice In The Odyssey

Open Document