Homer's The Odyssey: A Life's Journey Essay

A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and

The courage and wisdom Odysseus had to have to do this is tremendous. He didn't inform his crew about this, which is very courageous of him, for if some of his crew could have a mutiny against him for “sacrificing” some of the crew. This event also reveals another trait Odysseus holds,which is confidence. In the text it says, “ … and rowed hard with my hands to pass by Skylla”.(12.566-67) The sheer amount of confidence that Odysseus holds in this moment is great as he knows he is risking it all.

The Odyssey is an epic by the ancient Greek poet Homer that tells the story of Odysseus’s journey to get back to his home on Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus’s main goal is to return home with his crew on their ship. Odysseus loses everything after he couldn't control his crew and himself. Odysseus has to face many challenges to get home. In the story, Odysseus was sometimes at the point where it seemed like all hope was lost and nothing was possible.

The Odyssey Rough Draft When reading an Epic, it's important to know that most stories are about a hero’s journey. A hero’s journey is a story of how a hero becomes the hero, the Odyssey is a great example of this. At first, Odysseus is a selfish and cold-hearted brute but as time goes on, Odysseus learns from his mistakes and becomes a better hero. So let's explore Odysseus’ adventure to be a hero.

The Odyssey is an epic poem that is taken place after the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men were sailing from Troy to Ithica. The trip lasted 10 years and they had some positives and negatives. So even though they had their ups and downs, throughout the adventure they learned many lessons throughout their journey to Ithica. As Odysseus home from Troy, he changes physically and mentally as he learns the following lessons: cunning overpowers physical strength giving into temptations has negative effects, and loyalty and perseverance are heroic and admirable.

In Epic Poem “The Odyssey” Odysseus is the protagonist. Odysseus’ over-the-top ego caused him to lose his men and his son’s childhood, but taught him a valuable lesson about humility. The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus and how he faced misfortune in his attempts to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus is not famous for his great strength or bravery, but for his ability to deceive and trick. To his friends, he was a brilliant strategist. To his enemies, he was a deceiver and a manipulator of the worst kind.

“The Odyssey” by Homer is an intriguing story about a man’s journey, but it is also symbolic of a person’s journey through life. In life, we have obstacles that we need to overcome. Sometimes the waters are rough, and we are called to do things that we wish we did not have to, but we do them anyway. Sometimes we are confident and other times we are not. The same things apply to Odysseus, a strong and courageous warrior, as they do to us in everyday life. Odysseus faces obstacles such as the lotus plants, the cyclops, and the goddess Circe. The ways these things affect him relate to certain things in my life as well.

In almost every Epic Journey story, the main character, the hero, faces many obstacles. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus, the main character, encounters a twenty-year journey. In this journey, Odysseus comes across Zeus’ son, a Cyclopes and he has trouble dealing with his own pride getting himself in trouble. Many real life lessons can be taught through Odysseus’s voyage. Odysseus’s journey teaches people that life does not come easy, the whole time he is fighting at sea. Another lesson people can take in from The Odyssey is when Odysseus is fighting off suitors that want to marry his wife, Penelope; the readers can understand that giving up certainly does not result in success.

As a leader of Ithica it is his obligation to be brave a fight for his country, but instead he wants to let down his men and embodies the characteristic of being a coward. An important part of being a hero is to be there for others and Odysseus fails to this and he only reluctantly goes to fight after his plan did not work. While he is with Circe he ends up sleeping with her quite easily. As a married man it is his responsibility to be dependable to his wife, but

The Odyssey is an epic poem about a journey. After the Trojan War is won Odysseus leaves Troy for his home in Ithaca. However, the gods decide to test his courage and resolve and send him on a twenty-year odyssey. Odysseus' courage is constantly tested as he struggles with the many obstacles the gods place before him. Although Homer depicted The Odyssey as a self-reliant journey, in reality the gods and other mortals guide Odysseus. It is his loyalty to and his love for his family that keeps him going. The Odyssey depicts Odysseus as he overcomes each obstacle through guidance, fate, and loyalty to his family.

Things were looking dire from the second the ship left the hangar. Great, he's flying me to my death. Surely this was all part of his plan. Steal a ship, sneak out in the confusion of the attack, and rejoin his kind with whatever military secrets he managed to steal. Hades really did want to follow through with his earlier threat, but he doubted he could fly the ship by himself, and the emergency autopilot wouldn't be able to get him away from this mess, anyhow.

You make my stiff heart know that I am yours.” Penelope never once considered cheating on Odysseus so why couldn’t Odysseus pay her the same courtesy. Don’t married people promise to be faithful, no matter what? Odysseus cheats on his wife more than once; it was not a simple lapse in judgment. He spends five long years on the Island of Calypso and another five with Circe.

Throughout the Odyssey there are many different prevailing themes that are displayed in the story. The book had a great deal of different meanings for what the author wrote about. The theme that I have chosen is the misery of separation. Prior to this story of Odysseus’s journey home, many of the characters in the story were separated due to the aftermath of the Trojan war. In the story we are taken back to the aftermath of the Trojan war and what happened Odysseus.

“There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out no matter how dark the world becomes.” The Odyssey and The Long Walk both exemplify the characteristic of humanity which Leo Tolstoy was referring to within this quote. The main characters of both works, Odysseus and Slavomir, go on journeys that, while physically challenging, tests the strength of their will. The determination and the overwhelming desire to return home of both men is what drives these characters to overcome immeasurable odds. Multiple parallels can be drawn between the two books, from the obstacles the characters face to the symbolism that can be found in Slavomir’s and Odysseus’s journeys. The Long Walk shows how Grecian Epics, such as The Odyssey, are still applicable in the modern day as representations of Humanities’ predominant and all-consuming desire to survive, and the specific desire to not only survive but to do so in the place one calls home.

Throughout this class we have studied multiple types of heroes starting with Gilgamesh, then Odysseus, and then Aeneas. All of whom were individuals that exemplified strength, loyalty, and courage no matter the obstacles in their way. Additionally, they shared common skills such as being exemplarily military leaders, as well as being the leaders of their own houses. These characters, with the exception of Gilgamesh, were so heroic that they even traveled to the depths of hell in order to face death and show demonstrate their immense heroism. However, none of these heroes have influenced me as much as the philosophers that tackled the questions of morality and what it means to live the good life. “The difficult thing is not to escape death, I think, but to escape wickedness” (Apology, 528).