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Themes in the odyssey
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“What goes around comes around”,this great saying means that kindness is key. In the Odyssey by Homer, one important theme states how hospitality and kindness are always the best policy. Temptations and Obstacles represents a glimpse of allegory in life. Friendship is also a great thing in life because it's about support through tough and good times. Always feel generous with your kindness and support like Odysseus did on his journey. Temptations that Odysseus faced reflects experiences that happened in my own life. Every Time a person enters my home, I make them feel welcomed and not uncomfortable. This connects with the Odyssey because hospitality is a good policy I go by. “It is our luck to come here; here we stand beholden for your help,
Each culture treats strangers and guests with distinct differences from every other culture. One of the most hospitable cultures was that of the ancient Greeks, exemplified in Homer’s The Odyssey by both gracious hosts and guests. In Greece and The Odyssey, not only was good hospitality etiquette expected, but the added pressure from the conviction that the gods would punish the host if guests were treated without respect (whether they were poor or rich) further compelled excellent manners. The Odyssey illustrates the proper etiquette when dealing with guests.
Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder).
In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.
Hospitality today is nothing like it was in Ancient Greece. Today, good hospitality is being friendly and respectful to a guest. In Ancient Greece, hospitality was something people had to do, or face the wrath of Zeus. Zeus’s law of hospitality is that any stranger that comes to your home, the host must be willing to feed, entertain, and maybe offer them a bath and anything else they might be in need of without question until those things had been given, and also give them a parting gift. The guest, in turn, would not be a burden in any way. In The Odyssey, most people follow the rules of hospitality, but there are others who do not. The Greek concept of xenia shows the serious priority the Greeks place on the laws of the gods.
Arrogance, this trait embedded in humans, affects everyone—at work, in school, with friends, with families, but to what extent? What happens when people cannot control it? When it takes over their ability to think straight? The hero in the epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey, epitomizes how dangerous uncontrolled arrogance can be. After ten years of fighting in a brutal war, how difficult can a journey across the ocean be for the mighty Odysseus? He finally has the opportunity to return to Ithaca, to his wife, to his son… to home, but it takes him another ten years due to his arrogance. Odyssey exemplifies that his inability to curb his arrogance is his greatest threat because it causes him to make irrational decisions. However, he learns to overcome
Only Odysseus’s close and loyal friends threat him well and with respect. When Odysseus first arrives this is what his wife says when she had no idea who this person was “But come, handmaidens, give him a wash and spread a couch for him here, with bedding and coverlets and with shining blankets, so that he can keep warm as he waits for dawn of the golden throne, and early tomorrow you shall give him a bath, anoint him, so that he can sit in the hall beside Telemachos and expect to dine there; and it will be the worse for any of those men who inflicts heart-wasting annoyance on him; he will accomplish nothing here for all his terrible spite […].” This probably how they would treat Odysseus himself if he were to arrive, that just goes to show what kind of people Odysseus keeps around him. This shows that hospitality and the treatment of strangers is the prominent human experience, because there are the seemingly good people treating very well but then the seemingly bad people being very hostile and
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 ...
When people think of high schoolers, their first thoughts are not ‘heroes’ and more like ‘annoying, needy, rude children who assume they’re adults’, but there’s where they’re wrong. An average high schooler is more of a hero than Superman or Batman by a long shot. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and the people around him show an abounding amount of “heroic” traits, such as bravery, patience, honesty, being supportive, and compassion. Sound familiar? An average high schooler shares those same traits, therefore making them heroes too. Bravery can be critical in a high school environment, what would else could someone use when standing up to a bully or asking an attractive person on a date?
In ancient Greek times, hospitality was the code of behavior that the people were expected to display when a stranger, and/ or a guest appears at their home. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, there are countless examples of the rules of hospitality being shown properly or the rules of hospitality being ignored. The rules of hospitality do not only apply to the host or hostess. They also apply to the guest, but the guest doesn’t always obey the rules of hospitality, as Homer proves in this epic poem.
Heroes are meant to have admirable qualities, but Homers character Odysseus is not your average hero. Odysseus does not show the qualities of a role model that most heroes have. Odysseus stands out more than the other characters, because it is not normal for a hero to be sporting some of these negative qualities. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus shows bad qualities such as being curious, being stubborn, and being prideful.
Odysseus’s goal throughout the poem stays the same; get back to his wife and son. “...Heroism has a lot to do with evolving into a higher human being” , which means that a hero must defeat some sort of problem in order to achieve greatness (Source 2). The epic poem The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’ journey to return home to Ithaca. However, after refusing to give credit to Poseidon for alleviating him, he is doomed to drift the seas away from his family (Source 1). Odysseus, a king , is a hero for many reasons.
The Odyssey is an epic.The main character is Odysseus.During the journey, he experiences so many obstacles that challenge his faith and loyalty.It guides to hospitality.The aspect of hospitality in the Odyssey is a central theme. It is is filled with descriptions of the feasting and gift giving by generous hosts..Telemachus and Odysseus receive warm hospitality throughout their journeys from others. For example, Athena helps them by disguising herself as Mentor. When Telemachus is at King Nestor's palace, Nestor and the Pylians do not let him go without gifts.And they provide food and drink to entertain him.They also help him on his journey home. Another example is that when Telemachus reaches Sparta, Menelaus and Helen give Telemachus gifts to ensure a close
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the author portrays various forms of hospitality in Greek society that characterized a character civilized or uncivilized. Homer tells the tale of king Odysseus from the island Ihaka, struggles to come back home, his long and vast journey filled with numerous obstacles. Throughout Odysseus's quest, he experiences countless forms of hospitality, either generous or harsh, that determines the civilized host from the uncivilized. For instance, the Phaiakians generous hospitality greatly admired and appreciated in Greek society, whereas the Kyklops's cruel hospitality that leads to his punishment and suffering. Along Odysseus quest, Greek society emphasizes generous hospitality and obeying the rules,
“The word ‘hospitality’ in the New Testament comes from two Greek words. The first word means ‘love’ and the second word means ‘strangers’. It is a word that means love of strangers.” This is a quote by Nancy Leigh Demoss who precisely defined the meaning of “hospitality” through its Greek origins. In The Odyssey written by a prominent poet Homer, hospitality is definitely an important part of the ancient Greek culture. Three obvious rules can be summed up using the passages of Telemachus, Eumaeus, Circe, and the Cyclops. The first rule is that every host must welcome every guest; no matter they are strangers or acquaintances, you must let them in and make them feel comfortable. In addition, the hosts and the guests should treat each other
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