Hierarchy In The Odyssey Essay

Odysseus’ Weaknesses In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer reveals that Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops magnifies his curiosity and hubris, allowing him to defeat the Cyclops despite his weaknesses. Odysseus shows he is a weak leader when he displays signs of curiosity because he wants to see the Cyclops that dwells in his cavern. After climbing to the cavern of the Cyclops, Odysseus alongside his men enter the home of the Cyclops and examine the belongings inside: “My men came pressing round me, pleading: ‘Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw open all the pens, and make a run for it? We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say put out again on good salt

“The Cyclops” In “The Cyclops” there is a man, by the name of Odysseus. Him and his men end up on an island. They look around and end up in the cave of a giant, one eyed, powerful beast known as "the cyclops. " The cyclops, who is named Polyphemus, is not very friendly and ends up eating two of Odysseus ' men.

For centuries people have been trying to figure out one main question. Is there more in reality than can be perceived by the senses? Prime Reality is asking if it is an open or closed system? Is matter eternal? Are there gods, one God, or nothing.

T. S. Eliot, a publisher and playwright, has said, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Courage has many ways of presenting itself to people. Whether it is through physical ways or moral ways depends on the situation. Most people see courage as physical, like a small dog saving a helpless kitten from a fire or a man jumping in front of a bullet for a loved one or complete stranger. There is also the moral side of courage.

When people get lost without a way home, they will usually sacrifice everything to get home. Being on the way home for ten years already caused Odysseus to make the brash decision of sailing past Scylla, even after Circe had warned, “No mariners yet can boast they've raced their ship past Scylla’s lair without some mortal blow”(9.108-109). This brash decision lead to death of some of his crew, he sacrificed his men for himself. Odysseus also decided that in order to get home he and his men we to go, “to the House of Death”, which is extremely dangerous. So many things could have gone wrong, they may have never even made it out to get out.

In one of the episodes, Odysseus encountered Polyphemus: a Cyclops who held Odysseus and his men captive. Despite the wishes of his crew, Odysseus did not kill the Cyclops; Odysseus knew that if the Cyclops were to die, the men would not be able to move the boulder blocking the exit. Instead of killing Polyphemus, Odysseus blinded him by driving a sharpened staff into his eye. Blinded, Polyphemus sat by the exit blocking any passage; the men were faced with another issue: how would they slip away? Odysseus knew that in order to escape he needed to devise a carefully thought out plan, so he “drew on all [his] wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man [would] for dear life, until a trick came–and it pleased [him]” (Homer 993).

Odysseus is not only courageous, but he’s also very determined like myself. When we set our sights on something we go and get it. Meanwhile, Odysseus is trying to return home he says to the Cyclops “... though [my] land lies far” (896). His meaning to that indicates that he’s determined to get home and see his love one at all costs. That’s just one of the ways he shows that he’s set his sights on getting home.

Brilliant stories require an even more brilliant hero, they could be relatable and humorous, or maybe even serious and jaded. The great adventures that display these impressive characters also cover their strengths and weaknesses and overall likeability. The classic Epic The Odyssey, written by Homer in the 8th century BC and translated by Robert Fagles, and the space-movie The Martian, written by Andy Weir in 2011 and Directed by Ridley Scott, are both excellent examples of tales with impressive protagonists. Both epic stories exhibit a protagonist persevering through an abyss and being resourceful, but Mark Watney is far more likable then Odysseus, because he is always humorous.    

Polyphemus is Wanted In Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Odysseus meets a cyclops named Polyphemus. The Ithacan army finds a cave full of food, and they decide to collect some goods. The cyclops then comes and encloses them in the cave.

As a one-eyed, man-eating giant, disturbed by Odysseus and his crew in his cave, Polyphemus turns into a hostile and hungry Cyclops. The greedy men decided to linger and steal some of the food on the land of the Cyclops, but soon the inhabitant returns. At first, the Cyclops shows hospitality, but then gets destructive. Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, gets tricked by the great dissembler, and of course falls for it.