...Hero or Not Heroes try to make a minimal amount of mistakes, they act only with the best intentions, and they do their best to save everyone. In a story written by an author named Homer, called the “Odyssey”, the main character does not show these qualities, in fact he oftentimes shows the opposite. Thus he is not a hero. The story is about a man by the name of Odysseus. Being stuck at sea, Odysseus with his men, are trying to get home, but the gods are testing them. In this story Odysseus shows qualities like greed, arrogance and stupidity and proves that he is not a hero. The first reason why Odysseus is not a hero is because he and his men show greed and stupidity by raiding the cicones. Meanwhile Odysseus and his men were drunk, the...
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...in Homer’s the Odyssey, Penelope is the true hero. She is the true hero because, she waits 20 years for Odysseus, she tricks her suitors into thinking she’s doing a blanket for about two months, and she makes a challenge to string a bow and arrow, and shoot it through 12 axes. One of the reasons I think Penelope is a hero is because for 20 years she waits for Odysseus dealing with intense sadness and depression, my reasoning behind this is that from the book Eumaeus the Swineherd said, “Always with her the wretched nights and days also waste her away with her weeping.” Another example that she deals with sadness and depression is that after her father left, her own son, Telemachos, sea sets sail to find his father without telling her. For a while she lost both the men she loves so dearly. The last example of her going through her depression is that at one point she prayed to the god Artemis, asking him why he just doesn’t take her life right now. That is one of the reasons I think she a hero....
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...For years, heros have been thought to be superhuman- only strengths but no weaknesses. However, Homer’s Odyssey proves otherwise. Homer’s Odyssey is the epic poem about Odysseus's journey back to Ithaca after winning the war against Troy. The epic poem explains that to be human means to have weaknesses. Odysseus’s biggest flaws is that he is proud and curious. Homer uses characterization to show that humans have weaknesses. One of Odysseus’s main weakness is that he's proud. Throughout the books, he tries to prove that he is invincible, and no creature can outsmart him. Earlier in Book 9, when Odysseus and his men had just reached the Cyclops’s home, his men pleaded not to go to the Cyclops, he still wanted to “ find out what the mainland...
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...In Homer’s the Odyssey, a man named Odysseus spends years and years trying to get home to his family. On his long journey, he encounters a number of different situations that test his true character. The reader finds out who Odysseus really is based on the situations he is put in and how he chooses to handle these situations. From being stuck on an Island with Calypso, a nymph goddess, to almost being eaten by a vicious cyclops, to seeing his wife for the first time in 20 years, Odysseus stays true to his character. Throughout the epic, Odysseus shows constant signs of bravery, leadership, intelligence, cleverness, and wholehearted faithfulness, and these things are what makes him such an admirable character. Bravery and leadership go hand in hand because bravery is a trait that all good leaders have. Odysseus showed amazing bravery and leadership skills throughout the Odyssey. One place where Odysseus’s bravery and leadership are revealed the most is when Odysseus and his men encounter Poseidon’s Cyclops son, Polyphemus. Odysseus used his leadership skills and bravery to help his men escape the wrath of Polyphemus while...
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...Gender role in The Odyssey, specifically focusing on the women's role and how women's treatment by men can be indicated as sexist. They are usually identified by their looks and treated based on how their physical appearance is, and whether they have power over any men. She makes it clear that throughout Odysseus’ journey to the underworld, he spots and gets a glimpse of different variety of women. She says that throughout the Odyssey, they do not state anything about the women’s accomplishments in their lifetime, but only about their important son's, good looks and pleasingness, and their affairs with gods. She also talks about how women are known for their action and activity towards their sons and husbands, but never for the action and deeds of their own, or how they are, nor what accomplishments they did for themselves. Helene states that it seems in the book Odyssey, the only achievements women could achieve was being pretty and attractive to they eyes of the men. She proves throughout her paper that even Homer made it sound as...
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...Odyssey Argumentative Essay As Christopher Columbus once said, "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." The journey, and how those obstacles and distractions are overcome, is what holds the valuable life lessons that help us reach the destination. Ultimately, it is not the overall goal, but the decisions we make and the turns we take during the journey that help shape and define who we are as people. In Homer's The Odyssey, the theme of the epic is about how war can change a person. It is evident that the journey is more important than the goal to the development of Odysseus's character and the theme of the epic when Odysseus learns the importance of humility, the value...
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...Name: Period: Odyssey Test Review Sheet Date: . . Answer these questions on a separate piece of paper. Use your notes and the text to help you answer these questions and comment for the Know, Identify, etc. statements. General knowledge: 1. List the characteristics of an epic. 2. List the epithets found throughout the story, know what each epithet describes, and know the effect of including epithets in the piece. 3. Know the places that Odysseus visited throughout the story (look at your map). If Odysseus had a specific obstacle or triumph at those places, you will need to know the details behind the events. For example, if Odysseus has to fight off a monster, you would need to recognize exactly how Odysseus escaped and won. List specific events from his journey here or on the map. If you are making notes on the map, simply write “see map” for this question on the review. There is no need to write the same information twice unless you care to. 4. Know what a Homeric simile is, identify Homeric similes found in the story, know what the similes are comparing, and the effect of including the Homeric similes in the text. 5. Know what an allusion is and be able to identify allusions mentioned in the text. 6. Know the characters listed below. You need to know what role each character has played throughout the story. Aeolus Athena Eurymachus Menelaus Calypso Helios Poseidon Agamemnon Alcinous Cicones Hermes Tiresias Antinous Circe Laertes Telemachus Ancient Greece and Background...
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...Patriarchy plays a major role in The Odyssey and victimizes several characters. The ancient Greek epic poem, by Homer, is about the journey of the Greek hero Odysseus to his homeland of Ithaca. During his 20-year struggle to return back home, he encounters many obstacles, including Poseidon who creates a deadly sea storm to punish Odysseus, women who hold him captive for a chance to win his love, and man-eating giants who kill many of his men. Despite all of these unfortunate events, he manages to make it back home to reunite with Penelope and the rest of his...
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...determines your reality.” In Star Wars IV and Homer’s The Odyssey, the heroes, Odysseus and Luke Skywalker, show themselves as focused,intelligent, men. Luke and Odysseus are both determined but Luke is more focused on his mission because of the situations, courageousness, and motivation. Unlike Odysseus, Luke is more focused on his mission because of the situations he was put in. An example of why Luke is more focused is because of the family troubles. His parents are unknown so he was forced into a family. He may feel like he has to be focused so that he can live up to his father's expectations. Odysseus has some key focusing points like when he had to figure...
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...Thus, Odysseus devalues his own wife in order to compliment another woman, which reveals how disloyal of a husband Odysseus really is. In addition, the second quotation captures Odysseus in his infidelity, as he is now sleeping with Calypso, behind Penelope’s back. When Odysseus and Calypso “long in each other’s arms” and “lost themselves in love”, it reveals the adultery and the disloyalty of Odysseus towards Penelope, as he entwines himself in an affair with Calypso. Another example would be Odysseus’s involvement with Circe, the nymph or Aeaea, whom Odysseus made love to. According to the text, it states: Straightaway she began to swear the oath that I required–never, she’d never do me harm–and when she’d finished, then, at last,...
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...of today's society. The teachings and doings of Ancient Greeks have contributed important lessons that many societies still use to base their own laws and ethics on. The Ancient Greeks realized values of loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality were important to incorporate into everyday life. Ancient Greek civilization valued dualism, truth and “good society”. Helping your fellow man was an important aspect of ancient Greek society. They offered food, shelter and protection to travelers without question. Loyalty was also embedded in everything the Greeks did. Implementing simple values of loyalty, intelligence, and hospitality into everyday life helped create a strong “good society”; which the Greek valued very much. It is not known why the Greeks felt this way, but with the strong beliefs Ancient Greek had with their gods, it is easy to believe that they did this in practice of...
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...Philosophies (Women)- Women play either a motherly role or that of a seductress. They are weakened along with being lost without a guide and a support. An example would be Penelope, wife of Odysseus since she is a mother, but while Odysseus is gone, and when suitors come along, in a way she tempts them in terms of power (of the role of king) and as a woman, but she actually never gives in to any of the men. The purpose of women was mainly to lament the losses for their men and also persuading for their safety. Criticism- Homer had written the Odyssey with a bit of over-the-top reiteration, along with the missing component of a sense of unity. However, even when Odysseus wasn’t on a scene, the lines of the story still indicate that he is...
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...Waterhouse illustrates the moment when Odysseus and his men pass through the land of the Sirens. After examining the painting closely, I noticed a number of things that were significantly different than the original description of the Sirens in the book. I also took time to look at other paintings while comparing and contrasting, which helped me understand this piece a lot better. According to the book, The Odyssey, while passing through the Sirens, Odysseus was instructed by Circe to plug his men’s ears with wax and have his men bind him to the mast of the ship so that they could pass through the Sirens’ land and survive. The painting by Waterhouse, displayed a very similar scenario, but drifted away a little bit from the physical description in the book. While looking at the painting, we can see that the scene, in general, is the same, with Odysseus bound to the mast and his men’s ears covered in wax, but a few things stood out to me as I further examined it. Homer didn’t give Waterhouse much to work with as far as physical description of the Sirens, but I think...
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...Food, Drink and Hospitality: The Homeric Shift Within Homer’s famous epic entitled The Odyssey, there is heavy reliance on the motifs of food, drink and universal hospitality. Throughout the book, Homer uses food and drink to exemplify negative qualities such as over indulgence and gluttony. By means of characters such as the Phaeacian royalty, The Suitors, and Polyphemus, Homer creates the notion of consequence in relation to hospitality. However, when regarding the relationship between food, drink and hospitality in the fourteenth book, the dynamic is shifted from a centrally negative aspect to a particularly heart warming and symbolic reunion between the withered protagonist and his trusted servant. To understand why the fourteenth...
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...as a developmental turning point for those brave enough to visit the infamous realm. Homer’s depiction of the underworld demonstrates the dichotomy of life and death. In life, one is full of strength and knowledge, but in death, this is essentially nonexistent. Odysseus’ trip to the underworld has both a literal and symbolic meaning. While in Hades, Odysseus crosses paths with many men and women that have affected him at some point in his life. All of these shades seemingly have something valuable to teach Odysseus to aid him in his voyage home. In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey to the underworld represents a journey into his own soul in which Odysseus is reborn a more balanced...
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