Greed can be a good thing if it is used for the right reasons. For example, greed can be the key that leads to success. If a person wants to achieve recognition, they’ll go extreme measures to make it happen such as inventing something, excelling in their studies, or even being the best. However, in most cases, greed can lead to disaster. Having the desire to obtain something a person already possesses is selfish. In the “Odyssey,” Homer illustrates the lessons learned throughout Odysseus’ journey. This book exemplifies how greed can lead to misfortune through the story of Odysseus and the King of the Winds, Aeolus. Greed is the cause of Odysseus’ delayed travels, causing more to be lost than what was already given at the time. The lesson learned is that you should never desire for something that isn’t going to benefit you if you have to commit terrible acts in order to achieve them.
In “Plato’s Gorgias” Socrates debates with fellow philosophers, Polus, Callicles, Chaerephon and Gorgias, of ancient Greece over rhetoric, justice, and power. During these debates, Socrates makes a claim to Polus that it is better to suffer injustices rather than to commit injustice because the positive and negative consequences that come along with committing and suffering injustices.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.” We’ve all heard that overused phrase growing up. The same goes for me as well, and to me, respect has been a huge part of my culture and many other Asian cultures. Respect is the root of what makes people who they are today. It shows that you admire them, that you care for them, or possibly even fear them. For example, in The Odyssey, Odysseus and many others show their respect to the gods. After escaping from the Cyclops's cave, Odysseus divided up the stolen sheep, but he slaughtered the old ram in Zeus's honor to appease him. Zeus’ lightning descends and…,k,mlkmlkmlk
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.
I feel that revenge is a waste of time. Seeking revenge doesn 't cancel out the behaviors that hurt you. Instead of focusing on revenge, it is much more beneficial to try to make peace with the issue. In the story “Odyssey” Odysseus took revenge on the people that was trying to take his place as being king by killing them all. I get why Odysseus was furious but I’m sure there was a better way to handle the situation. Showing the other person that their negative actions did not phase you will infuriate them enough. Also sometimes it makes the person question themselves and think that maybe what they did was really wrong (guilt). Guilt is one of the many outcomes that people suffer from trying to seek revenge, revenge is just not worth it ! “The
In the book the Odyssey, people broke into Odysseus 's house and tried to get his wife to marry them. They used is belongings for themselves, they broke into his house, and they tried to take the throne from him before even knowing if he was dead or not. In my perspective their punishment we 're not too severe they deserved to be punished for their actions. They threatened his wife and try to force her to marry them. Considering all that the Wooers did whether it was stealing, breaking, or forcing others to do what they told them to they all deserved what they got.
In Homer’s Odyssey, gods and other supernatural beings dominated every aspect of mortal life. All living things and phenomena that occur in the world can be traced back to the gods. Seeing as how gods are responsible for the lives of mortals and the state of the natural world, performing deeds that anger the gods would prove to be disastrous while performing deeds that please the gods would prove to be beneficial. Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War was took ten years due to angering gods like Poseidon and Helios. However, it was through Athena’s aid that he was able to make it back home. The gods are beings capable of bringing misfortune or greatness which is why mortals tend to perform sacrifices in honor of the gods due
The Archetype Villains and Revenge is a description of people who become evil because of something that happened in their childhood or throughout their lives. These villains are only acting evil to get revenge on those who were cruel to them. This archetype is evident in the Odyssey when Poseidon, god of the sea, becomes a villain by disrupting Odysseus’ journey home. He delays Odysseus’ voyage to his homeland by years, and kills his entire crew. He makes Odysseus suffer many hardships and makes him miss his family more and more everyday. Poseidon has a reason to act this way though; in his journeys, the great Odysseus blinded Poseidon's son. Poseidon was full of rage and sympathy for his son to be treated this way. He
Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, the gods punish men for acts of folly and greed. Men are prone to succumbing to temptations, even when receiving clear guidance. When Odysseus is punished for bragging about putting out Polyphemos’ eye, his punishment seems appropriate. When his crew is killed for eating Helios’ cattle, the punishment seems too harsh. The problem is then whether the gods punish these acts in a fair and just manner. The gods guide mortals to the best of their ability, but it is ultimately up to mortals to make their own decisions. Humans often commit acts of folly and greed because of conditions where they need to fill their physical needs and desires rather than the spiritual law of the gods. The gods’ punishment for these acts
A major theme in the Odyssey is reciprocity: people getting what they deserve. Reciprocity is an important theme in the Odyssey because it explains why Odysseus’ journey was very long and treacherous. Eurylochus, Antinous, and Odysseus all suffered consequences due to poorly made actions. Each of them made the wrong decisions which lead to death and a long/adventurous journey.
As the precise definition of justice cannot be definitively stated, the line separating just from unjust actions is incredibly obscure. Many factors may influence an individual’s perception of what constitutes justice, such as time period, culture, or personal morals. Thus, while an act may be considered righteous in one context, the same act may be ruled unjust in other contexts. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca, as retribution for defiling his home and attempting to court his wife, Odysseus murders all of Penelope’s suitors. The extremely graphic depiction of his retribution had appeared almost superfluous, causing the morality of his actions to be brought into question. Therefore, interpreting this scene from a
In the story the Odyssey Odysseus travels from island to island to try to get back home to see his son and wife. Once Odysseus returned to Ithaca he soon realize the wooers had taken over his house and possessions. I believe justice was served because they wanted to take his wife, his food, and his wine.
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.
There are few fictional characters who so accurately depict the ancient archetype of a hero as Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is departing from the Trojan city of Troy in order to reach his home country of Ithaca. Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is faces multiple challenges testing his leadership, vigor, and wit in order to prove himself to be a true hero. He accomplishes this by bringing about multiple heroic feats and upholding the impuissant and helpless.
Gods and goddesses play a huge role in the Odysseus and Telemachus lives. They both honor the lives and power they have upon the human life. The human value the gods and goddesses because without then they will be lost. The humans believed that if you were kind to strangers that good will come their way because they thought it was a god or goddesses in disguise. The humans always thought every little thing that happened was because of the gods or goddesses. If there was a storm they thought it was because Zeus the god of lightning was mad. The gods and goddesses just play a huge role in humans life.