Rachel Carley Odyssey Essay 1/18/13 Period C Divine Intervention Throughout the history of mankind has looked for guidance from a godlike being or beings. In the Greek epic The Odyssey composed by Homer, mortals’ lives are affected by the presence of the gods, who watch over and even intercede
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The two stories, The Odyssey and Cold Mountain, have many similarities that gave Cold Mountain the title of “the American Odyssey”. The characters portrayed in them share many characteristics that can lead people to believe that characters from Cold Mountain were created to resemble characters from The Odyssey. More specifically, the characters Ada and Ruby from Cold Mountain resemble the characters Penelope and Athena from The Odyssey. Athena and Ruby are similar in the fact that they
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During the era of The Odyssey, hospitality played a vital role in the ethics of society. Travel was immensely tiring and many travelers needed places to stay. Therefore people were expected to provide hospitality and in turn, were often rewarded in some type of way. People were expected to treat traveling strangers with food, shelter and entertainment even if they were unaware of the possible danger. Also, people were very wary that if they failed to offer hospitality the Gods would unleash punishment
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Homer’s Odyssey is a Greek epic poem that focuses on a Greek hero Odysseus, who is the king of Ithaca. On Odysseus’s journey back to his homeland you find that the Odyssey implements a plethora of gruesome and violent events filled with monsters and Gods. Despite all of the malevolent events, the Odyssey shows that a true hero must have good morals. The four key factors of morality that are portrayed throughout the story are Loyalty, Self-Restraint, Perseverance, and Compassion. Loyalty the first
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to action. This is someone that is both sacrificing and selfless. In the Odyssey, Odysseus—an epic hero known for both his physical strength and his mental guile—through the final stage of the Hero’s Journey. Throughout his journey, the theme: mental strength over physical strength is depicted time and time again. Through the hero’s journey archetype, and other significant character and setting archetypes found in the Odyssey, the reader can comprehend the importance of mental strength over physical
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later. Loyalty is a big part of The Odyssey, it is represented in all the character relationships. The Odyssey is a book where Ulysses left his family for 20 years. He went to war for 10 and ran into some speed bumps on the way so that took another 10 years. This book tells the story about what he had to do, to get back home to his family. All the time Ulysses was gone, Penelope brought up their child, Telemachus. The most important theme in The Odyssey is loyalty. No matter how far away the
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The Odyssey is an epic poem written in twenty-four chapters, traditionally said to have been written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who wanders for ten years trying to get home after the Trojan War. The epic is filled with a multitude of characters, but none quite as interesting as Penelope. Although some readers might say that Penelope is fatuous, Penelope actually demonstrates intelligence because she is able to come up with creative ways
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The Importance of Loyalty and the Consequences of Disloyalty Throughout the epic “The Odyssey” Odysseus, the ruler of Ithaca, experiences true disloyalty and loyalty throughout his twenty year journey and even returning home. His one desire was to get home as soon as possible, no matter what it took. He had setbacks throughout his miserable journey, and those setbacks were because of the difference between loyalty and disloyalty. Even in the years of 750-700 BC, people throughout the universe
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The Odyssey is a story of tension between Odysseus and Poseidon, mortal and god, as Poseidon uses the oceans to enact his power and rage against Odysseus. Despite the fact that they sustain elements of life like trade and travel, the seas in the Odyssey actually demonstrate the dichotomy between man and nature. The oceans expose power dynamics between god and man, and illustrate man’s lack of control over nature, creating danger and conflict. The oceans of the Odyssey are fearsome because they exist
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“It is not what an author states, but what he or she whispers that is important.” In other words little details in a work are actually important in fully understanding it. Two works that prove this quote true are The Odyssey by Homer and “Ithaka” by Constantine Cavafy. The Odyssey by Homer proves that this quote is true in many ways. There were many events in this poem where little details could teach the reader a lot. One was when Odysseus and his men went to The Land of the Lotus Eaters. Though
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Truly Unnecessary Violence in The Odyssey Throughout history, violence has been shown as a solution to problems which is expressly shown in the Odyssey by mortals, gods, and even the Hero. Sometimes that violence is completely unnecessary and pointless, violence is shown in this book multiple times from beginning to end even though it is almost never needed. The first time that violence is shown in The Odyssey is when the Greek king Agamémnon is murdered by Aigístho along with the help of his wife
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Destiny Buccieri Mr. Landsberg Honors English 10 Period 5 30 November 2014 The Odyssey After reading The Odyssey it is evident that no matter what obstacle he and his men face, big or small, Odysseus' character remains the same. In the epic poem The Odyssey Homer explores and describes the life of a man named Odysseus. Many of Odysseus' godlike traits are evident throughout the many challenges he and his men face. Odysseus is a very clever, brave, and strong man. Throughout this epic
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the suitors are honor-bound to kill him. In the Odyssey the guest host relationship is very important to well being of people. Homer, it seems, believes that if one of the two the guest or the host acts improperly then something bad will happen. Throughout the story, bad Xenia is punished and good Xenia brings rewards to those who offer it. It was religious, it was beneficial, and it distinguished the Greeks from their barbarian neighbors. The Odyssey as well as being an entertaining read reinforces
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heroes, lust and war, fantastical adventures and heartfelt emotions, the Odyssey is one of the supreme epics of all time. Centered on Odysseus’ ten year journey home, the poem is filled with suspenseful and emotional scenes of the human experience. As a mother and son earnestly await the return of their beloved, Odysseus has to struggle through treacherous trials and tribulation to reach his native soil and his family. But Odysseys’ preparedness to live a life away from home before the Trojan War, his
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relevant by their influence on the world today. The Iliad and The Odyssey are epics studied from students to literary scholars. These ancient literature tell the story of a hero’s return, while outlining aspects of Ancient Greece. Reading Homer’s The Odyssey reveals hospitality through plot by repeating the importance of generosity in Ancient Greece, which differs from the communities of contemporary readers. Throughout The Odyssey, hospitality, or xenia, is a continuous pattern. Odysseus faces this
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My Odyssey In the course of events of my life, I have traveled to many places. To leave my homeland was an astounding and abrupt moment. Driving through Spain, France, and Portugal to small and far away towns were stressful trips. Traveling by plane to Majorca, an island in the Mediterranean Sea was slow, exhausting, and long. However, neither leaving my country nor driving in the old continent was as unendurable as my odyssey going to America. As a Cuban-Spaniard citizen, the desire
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In this quote from the Odyssey: We have not yet come to the end of our trials./There is still a long, hard task for me to complete,/As the spirit of Tiresias foretold to me/On the day I went down to the house of Hades/To ask him about my companions’ return/And my own. But come to bed now,/And we’ll close our eyes in the pleasure of sleep. (Homer, 23.255-261) Odysseus explains to his wife, Penelope, that he must leave Ithaca again to fulfill his destiny, or his fate. Odysseus’s choice to face his
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remarkable birth of his child, he embarked on a journey with his men to battle in a brutal and callous war. The Odyssey is a Greek epic written by Homer which captures the boundless journey of Odysseus, as he strived to return to Ithaca after battling in the Trojan War. Homer had been a prominent writer who expressed the legends and myths of Greek goddesses throughout his epic, The Odyssey. As Odysseus embarked on an endless journey filled with agony, to battle in the Trojan War, he had been greatly
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The Odyssey In the epic poem The Odyssey, in books 1, 2 & 9, Homer showed that Odysseus had admirable traits even though at times his actions brought pain and suffering to others. By some of his characteristics, he showed us that he is a warrior at this time in his life. His intelligence and his courage were admired by all the characters in The Odyssey. Odysseus demonstrated his intelligence in Book 9 when he didn’t tell the Cyclops his real name because everyone knew who he was. An example when
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One of the themes that is being showed in the Odyssey is hospitality, hospitality tends to bond personal relationship, friendships and also shows loyalty. For an example a new neighbor moved across the street from you, a good way to show hospitality is to invite your new neighbor into your and get to know them and establish a friendship so they can feel safe in the new neighborhood. In the Odyssey Telemachus and Odysseus receives warm hospitality throughout their journeys from others, without even
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Community is what drives people to continue and is useful and important part of life. A little while ago, my group and I were tasked with examining and explaining book 3 of The Odyssey we all decided on roles for each person, I was the facilitator. We had to work together in our community to get the job done. In The Odyssey by Homer, the text also relates to the value of community and the importance of community. A community is a group of people who either work with one another to complete a task
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Egomania Humans are innately selfish beings. Many characters in Homer’s The Odyssey exemplify this perspective as they act upon selfish motives in order to better their social standing. These self-centered characters will lie, cheat, and steal in order to climb the social ladder. Because these characters are preoccupied with bettering their standing, they disregard their personal relationships and respect for one another is lost. In this way the rigid social class structure generates conflict
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In the Odyssey, the hero Odysseus’s major flaw is that he is “the man of many ways” who is always looking to gain a broader knowledge in life (1.1). Odysseus has a strong sense of pride and curiosity which lead him astray from the task of getting back home to Ithaka. Odysseus always feels the need to explore new lands, as he wants to learn new crafts. Odysseus continuously shows his flaw of wanting endless knowledge and having too much pride. These flaws influence Odysseus to explore new islands
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Throughout history, women have been viewed differently from men. Especially in literature, women and men have played different roles and Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. The men go to war and do heroic deeds, as opposed to most of the female characters, who seem to be not allowed to participate in such things. In The Odyssey by Homer, most female characters have a sexual role or one somehow related to beauty and represent the temptress archetype, and a few have a different type of role, but all
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A Woman's Power The goddess Athena in The Odyssey is portrayed as strong willed and is shown to have high influence over the heroes and gods in the epic poem. Athena had power among and over men many times, almost contrary to most Greek societies around the time The Odyssey was written. Athena, of course, wasn't the only female with influence over men; but, her influence can be seen as more impactful to those around her because she stills leaves them with their own free will to choose whether or
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examines into the sirens guile tactics. Also, it points out Pete’s disappearance ( “O Brother Where Art Thou”). In the “Siren Song,” by Atwood, it examines the song sung by the sirens,and their amorphous living conditions. In the three text , “The Odyssey,” “Sirens Song,” and “O Brother Where Art Thou,” the authors point out the song that the sirens sing. Although the text have similar aspects, each one lacks something that
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Ky Truong. English 1A November 4, 2014 The Odyssey The Odyssey, a great epic, told us the story of Odysseus and his adventures. Its characters , their problems, obstacles and their morals weave their way into our live as well. The morals and beliefs of the Greeks represent to us through stories and incorporate themselves into our mind. I believe the Odyssey to be an allegory, meaning it has two parts of interpretation to it. The obstacles, problems and goals relate to our modern day lives. It
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In the long-enduring epic poem, The Odyssey, the main story is that of the hero Odysseus’ adventures on his twenty year voyage home. However, the poem also features very strong supporting female characters. The two women that will be highlighted both represent vastly different female tropes. Circe represents women as seductresses whereas Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, represents the ideal wife of ancient Greek society. In Greek mythology, Circe was regarded nymph (Book 11, 7) or more commonly as
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In The Odyssey by Homer, the theme of Perseverance is important because Homer wants his listeners to understand that perseverance plays a large role in our life since if we want to survive or become successful we must push ourselves to the max and try to defeat our obstacles. Modern readers connect to this theme because, as people’s lives are increasingly complex in the modern world, perseverance can be a foundation for success since you are pushing yourself and defeating your obstacles. “No I’ll
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legendary hero, is exploited in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The Green Knight, a fierce and complex character explained in the poem Sir Gawain, by Pearl Poet. These three men, along with many others, our parts of literature and history, solely for their emphasis on morality and freedom. After nine years at war, Achilles encounters a new kind of conflict. As a war hero, Achilles is not one to give up easily, but when Agamemnon, leader of
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