Deceit And Lying In Homer's Odyssey

The main character Odysseus in the Odyssey written by Homer is generally thought to be a great hero; however, he shows more traits of a quite flawed character on closer inspection. Around the beginning of Odysseus’ journey home after the war, Odysseus decides to take a detour to the home of a cyclops deciding to not listen to his men’s suggestions to leave while they still could; consequently, it does not end well: “Ah, how sound that was, Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer no pretty sight it turned out, for my friend” (9.130-132). This thought by Odysseus shows that he realized his decision to go to the mysterious island wasn’t the most rational one and that his men’s pleas to leave were the better option, but he decides to be stubborn and place his curiosity before his men’s safety resulting in a non-heroic

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses lies as a protective disguise against strangers. Not only does Odysseus utilize lies to keep his identity a secret but also, through the use of specific language, he conveys unspoken points. These points invoke different feelings and opinions in the people to whom he lies. Odysseus can quickly tailor his lies depending on the person and the situation he is in. Odysseus’s skill of creating intricate falsehoods and his use of lies as a way of controlling the thoughts of person he’s lying to, reveals his exceptional tact and guile.

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.

Have you ever felt tempted to cheat on your homework or on a test? Have you been prideful of what your status or accomplishments? In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the brave hero Odysseus encountered these obstacles of temptations and pride that people today still face. Therefore, temptation and pride were Odysseus’ greatest enemy throughout his journey back to Ithaca, as they distracted him on his voyage, prevented him from getting home, and displeased the gods.

In the Odyssey “the Sirens” by Homer, Odysseus demonstrates his leadership skills and by devising a plan to hear the Sirens song without being tricked to stay on the island because he wants to keep himself and his men safe. Odysseus says to his men, “Dear friends, more than one man or two, should know those things Circe foresaw for us and shared with me, so let me tell her forecast”(975). Instead of withholding the information from his men, Odysseus tells them their fate. This shows Odysseus, as a leader, decided to tell his men what was going on at this time because he felt he trusted his men to follow the plan and help him. At other times in the story, Odysseus withholds information from his men as another tactic to essentially help them

Can dishonesty be valuable if it was used to achieve desirable outcomes? Is lying considered justified if it was involved in a dangerous situation? It is not always bad to lie. As children, we were continuously taught to be honest. We have grown to be implanted with the fact that lying is unacceptable but admissible. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, some might argue that Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit cause loss of trust and negative consequences. However, Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit do not always have bad intentions, it can be seen when Odysseus and his men escaped out of Polyphemus’s cave to get out of trouble and when Odysseus received help from his men to get closer to their objective.

Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, exhibits multiple signs of cunning behavior, which therefore drives the plot and aids in characterization. One instance where Odysseus exemplifies his role as a cunning character is when he tricks Polyphemus in an effort to escape the Cyclops’ cave. He develops a plan in which he and his men blind Polyphemus and use the Cyclops’ sheep as a form of escape. This plan is comprised of a series of steps, including the development of a weapon, intoxicating Polyphemus, gouging out his eye, hiding on his sheep, and ultimately, escaping his cave. In an effort to keep his identity a secret, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is “Nobody.” By doing so, when Polyphemus is stabbed, he is unable to inform his startled neighbors about what is happening to or who is harming him, and can only tell them, “Nobody’s killing me now by fraud and not by force!” (Homer 224.

Oedipus denies the truth and faces the consequences later on in the play. He gets furious when everyone is blaming him for killing Laius. As he is blaming others, hubris appears within his personality. Oedipus becomes blinder as hubris takes over him. If someone tells you a truth that you do not want to accept, gather evidence before blaming others and accept the truth whether it is hard or

No matter the situation, honesty is always the best option. In book seven of “The Odyssey”, Odysseus does a very good job of being honest with everyone he meets along his journey. He’s doing this because he knows that if he tells the truth, it could get him a step closer to being home with his family. This shows that honesty goes a long way. “As much as it pains me to recall it, all I have told you is true.” (Homer, 103) Arete was asking about where Odysseus got his clothes and all he knew to do was tell her the truth. Even though he didn’t want, he still did it because he knew he had to and he was trying to be polite. In fact, he was so open and honest, that Alcinous loved him. “My kind of man - would marry my daughter and stay here and be

Deception and lies both play large roles in Greek mythology. Even Zeus, who is said to punish liars, frequently tricks both mortals and immortals. Although it always has a prominent role in myths, deceit is a powerful factor in the myths of Prometheus, Nessus, and Zeus.

The first impressions of the novel were not positive. “Obasan” by Joy Kogawa was published in 1981 and has a lot of meaning towards racism that occurred in Canada. Kogawa’s novel draws the relationship between Japanese and Canadians during the world War Two in the reader’s mind and describes how hard it was for Japanese people to live in Canada during that period. One of the biggest themes the author uses is “Silence”. To find the theme silence is quite easy as it can be found everywhere in the novel. In Japan, being silent can be analyzed as manners but on the other hand it can be described as suffering because the symbolism of silence might display suffering from a racist society but are finding their own way to beat it. Throughout the novel,

The Odyssey begins as Odysseus leaves an island he was trapped on for 10 years to go back to his hometown, Ithaca. However, we do not know if he will make it back, as it is highly probable that he will die. The Odyssey is a Greek Epic involving some of their ancient Gods. On the way to Ithaca Odysseus faces many challenges while his wife deals with challenges of her own at their house. Suitors have taken over Odysseus’s home, and are all trying to marry Odysseus’s wife, Penelope. However, some characters in the epic display many great qualities. In The Odyssey by Homer, loyalty, courage, and trickery are displayed throughout the book in a positive manner, showing that they are the Greek’s cultural values.

Homer’s Odyssey is greatly concerned with nostos, the Greek word for homecoming. The tale follows Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaka, which is greatly affected by the choices made by the characters. Penelope and Odysseus in particular play a significant role in Odysseus’ quest for nostos. Odysseus uses deception and tricks in an attempt to assure his speedy homecoming, whilst Penelope does the same in order to avoid being forced to replace her husband. The couple occasionally thwart their own efforts, such as when Odysseus does not share with his men what the bag of winds contains and when Penelope is caught undoing her work on the shroud for Laertes. However, through trickery and deception, Odysseus is able to avoid having his whole crew, including

“She replies that they must first visit the land of the dead to hear a prophecy from the ghost of Tiresias” (Fitzgerald 387). This proves that Circe is providing Odysseus’ fate at the moment. One last example of fate and destiny in The Odyssey is when Odysseus visits Tiresias, he tells him his destiny as he heads back home. “Great captain, a fair wind and the honey lights of home are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead… One narrow strait may take you through his blows; denial of yourself… When you make landfall on Thrinacia first and quit the violet sea, dark on the land you’ll find the grazing lord of Helios… Avoid these kine, hold fast to your intent, and hard seafaring brings you all to Ithaca. But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction for ship and crew. Though you survive alone, bereft of all companions, lost for years, under strange sail shall you come home, to find your own house filled with trouble: insolent men eating your livestock as they court your lady… But after you dealt out death - in open combat or by stealth - to all the suitors, go overland by foot, and take an oar, until one day you come where men have lived… The spot

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