Postcolonial Conventions In The Odyssey

Who are the Angels and the Devils? In The Odyssey, Homer employs a variety of characteristics to differentiate those who are good and those who are evil. Since The Odyssey takes place in Greek times, the Greek gods must be respected and feared by the mortals and those who disobey their rules are evil and are punished. In addition, The Odyssey is written by the victors, thus depicting Odysseus as the hero who follows the conventions of a traditional hero as good and survives to pass down tradition. In Homer’s The Odyssey, good is depicted by Odysseus who is victorious by following the conventions of traditional heroism and respecting the gods meanwhile, evil struggles to meet this criteria.

Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s The Odyssey who pays

The hero, Odysseus refers to himself as the clear winner after defeating the suitors as he is “among the corpses of the fallen. Splattered with blood and filth, like a lion when he comes to feeding on some farmer’s bullock with the blood dripping from its breast and jaws on either side, a fearsome spectacle.” (Homer 338). This epic simile follows the conventions of a traditional hero as masculine and dominant like a “lion” and uses violence to conquer evil, to bring order and to fulfill his wants. Meanwhile, the evil, are described as “farmer’s bullock”, describing them as if they were colonized and powerless in comparison to Odysseus’ strength. Odysseus receives supernatural help to escape death, thus making him a survivor and someone who will always persist to become victorious when encountering evil. Athena, a goddess who constantly provides supernatural help to Odysseus asks “Why is Poseidon so enraged with you that he sows nothing but disasters in your path? At any rate, he shall not kill you however hard he tries … Here; take this veil and wind it around your waist with its divine protection you need not be afraid of injury or death” (Homer 97). Homer portrays Poseidon as evil because he tries to complicate Odysseus’ journey. This shows the continuity between the natural and supernatural world as Poseidon and Athena who are gods are able to interfere with a life of Odysseus a human. After defeating the cyclops and returning to their ship with reward and their lives the winners celebrate. Odysseus describes his “comrades-in-arms did me [Odysseus] the special honour, when the sheep were distributed, of presenting me [Odysseus] with the big ram in addition. Him I [Odysseus] sacrificed on the beach, burning slices from his thighs as an offering to