ipl-logo

The Symbolism Of Obstacles In Homer's The Odyssey

953 Words4 Pages

Though it may seem strange, a poem that is almost 3,000 years old symbolizes the obstacles I will soon face in my life. This epic poem is The Odyssey by Homer. Many believe that the obstacles in this story are not to be taken literally, but that they provide deeper messages or morals. The Odyssey is a perfect allegory for life. When a reader looks at the story at the surface, it seems that it is simply about a Greek man, Odysseus, trying to return home land of Ithaca while he must fight monsters and avoid magical dangers. However, there is a deeper meaning to be found. This story symbolizes the many obstacles one must overcome to be successful in life. Among the many goals I will try to accomplish in the next 10 years of my life are: graduating …show more content…

I will need to ignore the many distractions that life has to offer. In the text of The Odyssey, Odysseus is trapped on Circe’s island. She is a witch who uses her magic to trap Odysseus and his men. She tricks them into staying on the island for a year. He is so distracted by her beauty and her magic that he is blinded from remembering his original goal: returning home to Ithaca. Odysseus must not succumb to his distractions. I will need to avoid distractions, just as I will need to concentrate on my goals for school in college. Distractions such as television, social media, money issues, and problems at work will cause me to get off the path of happiness. I will need to shake off these distractions and keep my eye on what is truly important. At the end of the day, I will have to remember that these distractions are part of life. Once I overcome these distractions and ignore them, I will be able to remain happy as an …show more content…

My goals include graduating college, getting a job, and staying happy in my adult life, but these will be challenged with many obstructions, including distractions, large obstacles, and temptation. Even though Odysseus is facing physical monsters and creatures, we still face “monsters” every day that we have to overcome. These monsters have one purpose: to distract us from our true goals. It’s only once we defeat these obstacles that we are able to move on in life. The most important part of the Odyssey to me is that no matter how many obstacles or challenges that Odysseus faced, he always moved on in the end. He was always able to get out of troubling situations. We can learn that even though situations may seem tough, we are able to overcome them with

Show More
Related

  • Loss And Loyalty In Homer's The Odyssey

    488 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey Essay The Odyssey is a life-long tale of love, war, and the mythical. Odysseus, the main character, is a brave man that battles monsters, mortals, gods, and goddesses to see his wife in Ithica once more. Throughout the story, Odysseus faces the death of his crew, the sacrifice of innocent lives, and the loyalty of family and kin. But he is not the only one struggling under brute conditions.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Archetype In The Odyssey

    572 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus had to patiently suffer through twenty long years of struggling to return back to his family, that solely reinforced his patience because he knew he would get back some day. “I’m sure no other woman could be so cold and keep her husband at a distance, now he has come home after twenty years and all those terrible dangers!”. This extreme adventure shows the immense amount of love and loyalty he feels for his wife and family and the circumstances he is willing to travel through to get back to them. After this journey of twenty years, his

    Read More

  • Role Of Obstacles In The Odyssey

    1608 Words  | 7 Pages

    The theme life is a long journey full of obstacles, but if one works hard and remains focused on a goal, he or she will find success in the end, appears throughout The Odyssey by Homer. The Odyssey is the story about Odysseus, the man of twists and turns. It takes place in the years after the Trojan War. Odysseus was on his way home after plundering Troy, but on his way home he and his crew decided to eat the cattle of the Sungod. This was an obstacle that he had faced because many of his comrades

    Read More

  • Examples Of Flaws In The Odyssey

    172 Words  | 1 Pages

    Everyone has their own obstacles face. Certain restrictions that limit or halt our journey from our main goal or destination. In The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, we can examine some characters with their unique flaws that leads to their undoing. The ones that differentiates themselves from the rest are those that can mature or grow in character throughout the whole of their journey. Odysseus demonstrates this by acknowledging his pride, foolishness, and by not repeating his past mistakes.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Justice In The Odyssey

    755 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.

    Read More

  • Character Development In The Odyssey, Inferno, And Voltaire

    1013 Words  | 5 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey is created by a cycle of self-created obstacles that are solved by quick witted thinking and ultimately reflect no real desire to learn from his errors or create any character development. Throughout the story, Odysseus expresses a strong desire to return home to Ithaca, however he is constantly thwarted by his own curious and boastful nature. For example, when

    Read More

  • Is Odysseus A Hero

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

    Read More

  • The Purpose Of Quests In The Odyssey By Homer's The Odyssey

    1712 Words  | 7 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Homer uses detail and dialogue to show that Odysseus, the quester, while trying to achieve his main goal to get back home, learns that he shouldn’t let obstacles interfere with him. In the beginning of The Odyssey, we first hear Homer, the author of the epic, speaking towards us, the reader. He asks that Muse, a daughter of Zeus, enable him to tell the story of Odysseus. He says that he was “the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy” (Homer 371). He continues speaking, and he eventually says why Odysseus is

    Read More

  • Pride And Recklessness In Homer's The Odyssey

    1107 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Odyssey by Homer is an exemplary story that teaches life lessons to those going on a journey for themselves. It illustrates how the challenges and obstacles one may face can help someone become a better leader. The Odyssey highlights one man, Odysseus, a man filled with excessive pride, experiencing the wrath of the god Poseidon. He expects to arrive at his home, Ithaca, safely to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but unfortunately faces many temptations and setbacks. Due to the challenges he faces, it prevents him from arriving home as early as he thought he would.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Overconfidence In The Odyssey

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus’s fate is being changed by this monster because of his overwhelming confidence, and if Odysseus acted differently, the results could have been worldly unalike. His fate is influenced directly by his attitude earlier on and created a chain reaction Homer intended on detailing. Homer is telling us through this lesson that being overconfident can change the largest things, and in Odysseus’s instance, his fate. Fate and the theme of death helped impact Odysseus, along with his recklessness and creates a lesson worth

    Read More

  • Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's Odyssey

    865 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Odyssey Homer makes Odysseus’ journey to his beloved Ithaca excruciating. Odysseus encounters many friends and foes throughout his journey and has to be a leader throughout his experiences. As an example, he encounters Polyphemus and Poseidon, both of whom make his journey mentally and physically painful. Odysseus faces countless scenarios in which he has to save multiple people in those situations. He also encounters the suitors, who are a group of men that try to marry Penelope, when he returns to reclaim his home.

    Read More

  • Temptation In The Odyssey Analysis

    704 Words  | 3 Pages

    TS1 (Thesis): In The Odyssey, Homer depicts Odysseus’ real foe as the theme of temptation with displays of hubris and lustrous goddesses, which portrays the importance of being vigilant to not submit to temptation. ST1: Homer depicts that Odysseus is determined to get home, but Odysseus succumbs to temptation when he leads his crew into the cyclops lair, eats the cyclops’ food, and demands for a gift, resulting in a protracted journey home. 1: Homer displays Odysseus as recklessly brave when he requests, “we’re at your knees, in hopes of… a guest-gift”(9.300) from the cyclops. 2: It is apparent that Odysseus has given into the temptation to be arrogant when he declares for the cyclops to give them, “a guest-gift,” after Odysseus and his men have broken into the cyclops lair, showing even further Odysseus’ isn’t vigilant to

    Read More

  • How Odysseus Is An Epic Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

    541 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Internal Conflict In The Odyssey

    422 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme that present in The Odyssey after searching past the ice on the windshield was an internal conflict, or test within oneself. Odysseus must undergo very intense and terrible forces. Throughout the story, there is still only one main goal no matter how many problems arose between him and it. Odysseus’s main goal was to get back to Penelope after he fought against Troy, which lasted 10 years. After defeating Troy, Odysseus was stranded on an island accompanied by Calypso who tries to turn him away from his wife, however he doesn't give in, until he is forced to be with her.

    Read More

  • The Epic Poem The Odyssey: Why People Always Get Lost On Their Way Home

    831 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of them being, “people always get lost on their way home,” in which there are multiple times in which why people get off track and tend to go in a different direction, also showing how Odysseus was the only one to come back home alone influenced the reality of the story. Notably, people usually get lost on their way home is usually opened in situations when people become distracted. People have the instinct to do something else to get away from something that may not get pleased by or direct their attention to something else that may become a necessity to them. For this

    Read More

More about The Symbolism Of Obstacles In Homer's The Odyssey

Open Document