If people give up all the time individuals will never get far in life or become successful, but if people try their best until people get better or at least try, people are less likely to fail. To begin, in the realistic fiction novel, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, there is a kid named Brian Robeson whose parents are divorced. So he gets on a plane to go see his dad, but usually stays mainly with his mom. When he goes on the plane for the first time since the divorce his plane crashes in the middle of a forest. Brian has to learn how to survive in the wilderness and hope he gets saved. The novel has two themes displayed through the novel. One theme is to never give up. Another theme is when an individual is scared to do something they can overcome
In the book of the Odyssey, Odysseus’s lied at times, but I think they all were an important part of this book. First reason, the Cyclops if Odysseus hadn’t lied to him, then what will happen? Maybe Odysseus will die there. Also, Odysseus’s crew, if he doesn’t omit the truth, they were already reaching their homeland. Finally, he reached his homeland Ithaca and disguised as a beggar and he lied his wife and the suitors. But it was only one way to beat up the suitors. Therefore, I think Odysseus’s lies wasn’t all wrong things.
Similarly, Odysseus doesn’t communicate any of the information given to him by Circe. Odysseus is given two choices by Circe for the first part of the journey, sail close two different rocks, Scylla or Charybdis. While it is possible for the crew to avoid misfortunes by sailing near Charybdis, avoid when she sucks down the black water, Odysseus chooses to sail near Scylla where there is no avoiding the deaths of at least six crew members (12. 99-111). Additionally, Odysseus doesn’t fully take the advice of Circe and uses weaponry, even though Circe warns him not to arm himself no matter the circumstances (12. 234-235). Odysseus’ inability to fully follow directions proves his large ego, and belief that he can do no wrong. As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip.
If he would have not lied to his men about the obstacles they would be facing, things probably would have ended very differently. Circe told him what types of obstacles he will encounter and what two paths he could take. Of course, Odysseus wanted to take difficult challenges, how to defeat Scylla and or the Charybdis, which can cause death. Due to what can happen, he decided not to tell men about difficult challenges that they have to do to return home. He does not want his men to panic because panicking can lead to a worse situation. The men survived The Sirens, but once they are close to the Scylla, Odysseus told them nothing. “I told them nothing, as they could do nothing. They would have dropped their oars again, in panic, to roll for cover under the decking.” (Homer, Book 12 Lines 161-164). Six of his were killed. Finally, they reached the island called Thrinacia. He told his men not to eat the cattle, but he did not mention what can happen if they do. Due to eating the cattle, all men on the ship died except for
There are many lessons Odysseus and is men learn on their journey home in the Odyssey. Unfortunately, only Odysseus makes it home and the rest of men are dead because of their foolish actions. In the Thrinacia and The Cattle of the Sun episode of the Odyssey Odysseus’s men once again disobey him and cost them their lives. The men and Odysseus learn valuable lessons throughout their epic journey, but in the episode the most important lessons they learn are; temptation can lead to death, being obedient can save your life, and trust your instincts. If Odysseus’s men would have been more obedient to their leader Odysseus perhaps all of them would have made it back home alive.
However, I would have to commend Odysseus for the way he handled the situation. He could have easily punished his crew for what they had done, but he wasn’t angry at his crew for what they had done, he just brushed it off and kept pressing forward, “in the end, I decided to bear it and live” (Odyssey 10. 60) Odysseus practiced patience and that’s what made him a great warrior. The most important lesson I have learned from this episode is that one should never assume things out of greed. The sailors assumed there was silver and gold, so they opened it up to obtain the possessions. They didn’t realize how lucky they were to have gotten the wind from Aeolus until it was taken away and the sailors had to manually row themselves to the next target. Another lesson I learned is that no matter how hard you may think the journey is and how hard it gets, keep pushing forward because at the end comes a reward, just like Odysseus and his safe return back to his family in
At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44. During these trials, many burdens were put on Odysseus’ crew, which led to all of his crew eventually all being killed before returning to Ithaca. The 2nd instance where Odysseus made a wrong choice that affected his crew is when he didn’t even really trust his crew. So he stayed up for days straight and
"It may sound strange, but champions are made champions by setbacks" (Bob Richards). This quote describes how struggling and setbacks can help a person become successful. This essay is about overcoming obstacles despite difficulty. An example of one of these obstacles is if someone injures their leg, it would be really hard for them to run. If they try really hard then their setback could just be a minor thing that made them want to succeed more. Another example is if they want to be a singer, but that might not be everyones strong suit. As a result they practice a lot and this practice leads to chances, chances open opportunities to become better. In the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time", Christopher is faced with a lot of obstacles (due to his autism), such as the color yellow, the train station, and loud noises. However, he almost always finds a way to overcome it. The book is written in the point of view of a boy with autism who faces a lot of obstacles but he never gives up and he always overcomes them despite how hard it may be.
“Night” by Elie Wiesel, is a true but tragic story about a kid who lived to survive the Holocaust. However, this book is less a story of the Holocaust and more a story of faith and hope. Hope and Faith was exactly what the camp prisoners needed to even have a chance of surviving the horrific obstacles thrown their way. Hope and faith gave them a reason to keep living, giving them the idea that they had a chance to make it out. This book also goes a lot deeper than just the story of the Holocaust. It explains what goes through Eliezer’s mind when he thinks about the faith he has in god. Lastly, this book shows that the loss of hope was the death of many.
During Odysseus’ decade-long journey to his home, he encounters many forms of suffering, the most prevalent being transformative in nature. Transformative suffering, which is typically caused by mortals, themselves, alters a mortal being; albeit physically, mentally, or emotionally. In the first few years of his journey, Odysseus suffers the loss of much of his crew. He loses men while plundering a small island; he loses some to the lotus esters; and a few to Polyphemus. Throughout all these sufferings, Odysseus learns that he should listen to the advice of others; thus, transforming him mentally and emotionally through these sufferings. Odysseus eventually learns that wisdom comes from long thought, suffering, and experience. As a result
Odysseus progressively got better at understanding this moral. Throughout Odysseus’ travels, his crew was extremely greedy. When Odysseus’s crew arrived at Ismarus, where the Cicones lived, they killed the men, sacked and robbed the city (9.46-49). Eventually, the Cicones fought back to Odysseus and his crew, making him lose many of his fleets. Odysseus’s crew continued to give into their greediness by sacking and robbing more places and continues to lose fleets. Homer’s message here is if one does not learn from their mistakes, they are going to repeat themselves. Odysseus got better at recognizing his mistakes when he realized that he should not sleep during vital moments of the story. Odysseus slept when his crew opened the bag of wind that made them go back to Aeolus, and many times more. However, the last time he slept was when the Phaeacians took him to Ithaca. “‘Man of misery, whose land have I lit on now?’” (13.226). Odysseus realized the pattern of his situation after he woke up and additionally, the last opportunity he received to sleep, he could not. This proves how he recognizes his mistakes because the pattern that he found was going to an island, asking for help, then ending up at another land. Another pattern with Odysseus is that whenever he sleeps, he takes a few steps back on his journey back to Ithaca. Odysseus learned from his own mistakes, but
In the screenplay, O Brother Where Art Thou by the Coen Brothers, Everett is originally depicted as an egocentric individual who cares more about his own image than the wellbeing of his friends. His self- absorbed attitude is a direct comparison to Odysseus in the book The Odyssey by Homer, who is presented as self- centered for getting his men into trouble and leading many to death. While at the same time portrays his cleverness and his ability to think fast in a time of turmoil. Throughout the journey Everett transforms from being selfish to being a leader who genuinely cares about his companions Pete and Delmar, by using his quick-witted intelligence to save them from harm.
In Perez’s article, Want To Get Into College? Learn to Fail [ Feb. 12, 2012], failure is the most significant, but hurtful step towards a successful life. If a person has never honestly dealt with failure, how can they possibly ever improve or move forward? It is important to learn and be able to solve problems in society, whether it is for academic or not. If failure is a result of taking a risk, going into an unknown and confusing situation will be the most likeliest place to be. A person who always go into the “safe” path will result in a predictable outcomes but no improvement. Not facing the dangerous path will only lead to the “what if’s”.
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
Odysseus is the most worthy person to endorse the service of a compass repair shop. Odysseus was thrown off course many times during his journey back home to Ithaca which made it take longer to return. This means that Odysseus can promote the company Odysseus Compass Repair by explaining his adventures and how using this service helped him reach his destination.