Odyssey Week 3 Summary

Homer uses the Gods and Goddesses impact on Odysseus to show how redemption can be earned which is illustrated through Foster's quest theory. Circe, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and Helios are gods that symbolize mythological ideas, whereas in the Odyssey they symbolize lessons Odysseus needs to learn. Odysseus is a man that is judged by the gods all the time, he is on a journey to get home to his family from war. Odysseus does not always make the best decisions and it gets himself in big trouble. Circe, the goddess of sorcery, “informs him that in order to reach home he must journey to the land of the dead, Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias” (Homer 699). Circe tells Odysseus the future and lets him make the decisions. When he goes to the land of the dead he must make the right choices that will help him reach his stated reason for his quest, which is to go home. Circe symbolizes the idea of Odysseus having to learn to be a better leader and make smarter decisions. He needs to show the gods he is worthy of redemption since he has angered them. Later, Odysseus must go through challenges and trials in each place Circe foretells him to go in order to learn self knowledge, gain his

In the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative that describes his arduous journey from the Trojan War to his homeland of Ithaka. This journey makes Odysseus an epic hero. An epic hero is a brave and noble character who is admired for his achievements. Traits of an epic hero are necessary for the journey Odysseus goes on to reach his homeland. Loyalty is a trait exhibited when Odysseus jeopardizes his own life and goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s island. Odysseus presents skillfulness when he plans to kill the suitors in a productive and quick way. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Kalypso’s island. He is so determined to get home and to escape Kalypso’s imprisonment that he says he would die rather than spend another moment on the island. Loyalty, cleverness, and

Ghost figures in literature are usually metaphors for the past. In some cases their presence is not meant to haunt or terrify, but rather remind living characters of certain events or feelings, thus creating a link between the living and the dead. This link can provide insight for the living character. In both Homer’s, Odyssey and Vergil’s, Aeneid, the main characters are confronted by the ghost of people from their past. It is in these appearances were both, Odysseus and Aeneas, hear from their deceased loved ones and their contrasting views toward death.

“Να είναι καλύτερος άνθρωπος από τον πατέρα του”, from the darkest struggles and stressors, the strongest heroes endure and reach their greatest potential. The greek quote mentioned above describes what has pulled me through since my father’s passing in 2011. I started at Perrysburg High School after a long three years following that traumatic event. Despite the immense pain, I would not let my grades fall. My father always cherished and motivated me to achieve good grades that could help me in life. The shyness and held in emotions prevented me from wanting to associate with anyone else. On the bright side, this was just the beginning of the life-changing experiences that were yet to come. In the Odyssey, Odysseus had to encounter a million obstacles and hardships leading to his return home to Ithaca, but in the end he returned home.

This simile highlights a stratagem adopted by Odysseus to help him and his men escape the cave. Odysseus selects four men to help him drive a sharp object into Polyphemus' eye; however, this tactic is ineffective because there remain guards at the cave's entrance who are tasked with catching any Greek that attempts to escape. This simile exemplifies Odysseus' wisdom as a war strategist, and his application of intellectual tactics to out-maneuver the enemy. After this plan proved to be a failure, Odysseus hid with the rams and successfully escaped. The consistent strategies Odysseus came up with to defeat the enemy even when they proved to be failures just indicated that he is wise and capable to learn from his mistakes. Arguably, war is a battle

Katrina Mayer once said, “A book is a magical thing that lets you travel to faraway places without you ever leaving your chair.” This quote clearly applies to The Odyssey; this ancient greek epic (The Odyssey by Homer) follows the story of Odysseus of Ithaca and his lengthy voyage home following the Trojan war. The book itself is an ageless classic, however it wouldn't be the same without Homer’s unique use of figurative language to depict this story. His two most effective literary tools were his epic similes and personification. His epic similes gave a romantic description of critical, emotion filled scenes. Homer’s use of personification gave a new sense of life to ordinary ideas, which gave a new layer of depth of to the story. Both of

The definition of a journey is extremely broad; it is simply to travel from one place to the next and consists of a start, a middle, and an end. A journey is able to be delightful or distressing; the possibilities are endless. Humans lives are one humongous journey. Furthermore, it is common for humans to write about these journeys and include them in literature. The Odyssey by Homer takes place after the Trojan War and tells the arduous and frustrating story of a demigod and his journey to return home. Correspondingly, The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz is about a group of people and their extensive journey to freedom, however this story takes place during World War II. Despite the difference in time period and setting, a common theme is found in these works. The

The Odyssey, one of the world’s most famous stories, has been under debate on whether on whether or not it conforms to be a hero’s journey, a type of pattern theorized to be at the core of many myths. To understand its potential monomyth-hood, the story has be understood, as well as the different phases of a hero’s journey. A hero’s journey, by definition, must include a few characteristics: a phase where the hero leaves their home and decides on a quest, a period marked by a discovered conflict, an all-out struggle, the development of the hero, and the hero bettering the lives of those back at home. In The Odyssey, Odysseus, the protagonist, journeys to his home, in Ithaca, from Troy, where he waged and won a war. Along the way, Odysseus

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus lies to Athena about his identity in order to keep his homecoming a secret to avoid being killed by the suitors. In his intricate lies he uses great guile and tact. His lies reveal things about the character and the intentions of the person he is lying to.

Heroes have resurfaced countless times throughout history in literature, hearsay, and the oral tradition. Although they might have different adventures and adversaries, heroes almost always share two defining characteristics. Typically, heroes that exist in literature must be willing to sacrifice something special in order to achieve the greater good, and they must end up victorious by defeating the antagonist or succeed in their quests, missions, and objectives. The victory should result from the defeat of a dastardly villain or occur despite formidable odds. Odysseus, the hero in the Odyssey, provides an excellent classical example. During his journey home, Odysseus shows the reader superior judgement through sacrifice. He pushes forward

The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over.

Homers complex writing is devoted to the extend he gives on the perspective into the Greek underworld, stories in which were prevailing in the Greek society. The numerous conditions of the reality of the afterlife are deeply described rather than the setting of the underworld. The underworld is described as the House of Hades which is where your death and inevitable fate lies. It is signified in The Odyssey Book XI, concretely in the scenes of Odysseus mother’s death in the Cimmerians, the Greek culture expresses a depressing but inevitable view of death as a complete dichotomy of the fate but shows the indication of more than just one afterlife.

Despite a steady trading relationship, Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies have very dissimilar views on life and the afterlife. Indeed, Mesopotamian civilization certainly had much stricter views of life and the afterlife. This is likely a reflection of the frequent nature of wars and violence in this highly urbanized society (83). As a result, their views of the fragility of their mortality seemed to be pessimistically realistic. They seemed to accept that their gods gave them this life and nothing else. In the excerpt from the Epic of Gilgamesh, a quote that summarizes their views on mortal life nicely is “… for this too is the lot of man” (94). Which basically means that this is just the way the gods meant for mortals to live. To be mortal

What is the definition of a good person? The view of a good person changes as time goes on. However, the Odyssey is still the foundation of human morality. The Odyssey, created by Homer, is an ancient telling of a man named Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War. The morals found in the Odyssey show readers the benefit of being able to view situations from multiple points of view. Also, the text shows the beneficial outcome of resisting from temptations that distract people from completing their goal. As well, how learning from mistakes can prevent their repetition. The Odyssey, a text of antiquity, serves its purpose as a moral guidebook for contemporary behavior.

For nearly 2000 years, various religions continue to perpetuate the idea of an underworld, or a place after death. For the Greeks, much of their mythology deals with Gods, Goddesses, and the afterlife. Catholics, however, base their idea of an afterlife with three levels: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, a place for people who must experience a purification of sorts. Numerous Greek writers wrote about the idea of their underworld, or Hades, one of the most famous being Homer, writer of The Odyssey. The Odyssey details the hero Odysseus’ journey back to his homeland of Ithaca. In book 11, Odysseus, for the first time in the poem, travels to the underworld on instructions from Circe.