Paloma Maldonado
November 15th, 2010
Block 1
Odyssey Essay
A Lesson Learned
Education is expected to serve useful purposes in society.
Engineering and science press towards new feats, such as finding
a cure for cancer, to ease the life of our day to day living.
Living in the present, people worry about the future. However,
history is the study of the past. Given all the stresses that
come with living in the present and anticipating what is going
to be, why bother with what has been? The past causes the
present, and so on with the future(Stearns). History should be
studied because it is essential to understanding individuals and
society. It defines how we came to be and where we will be.
History can be compared to a laboratory. The acts created by man
are seen as experiments, and the outcomes are vital evidence.
Howard Stearns goes to sate that "data from the past must serve
as our most vital evidence in the unavoidable quest to figure
out why our complex species behaves as it does in societal
settings" (Stearns). Historical facts and data function as
evidence to comprehend the complex mentality of the human
species in society. Through this reasoning, the true nature of
man can be seen, good or evil. For this fact, history is much
written about topic. Most literature is based on the defining
moments of man. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic Greek poem. It
follows the tribulations of one man, Odysseus, and his crew.
Odysseus is a guilty man because he won a corrupt battle, then
he proclaimed himself a god putting him in a series of events
that leads to his predicaments.
Pathos, ethos, and logos can be applied throughout
Odysseus's expedition testing the true nature of his guilt.
There would be twelve events that test the character of
Odysseus. Following the orders of society, Odysseus set out on
his journey. Unknowingly, his journey of seven years would turn
into twenty. It begins with:
Society was in turmoil. An exploration by warring Greek
nations was set out to find new commerce which was brought upon
by corruption. Odysseus begins his quest into the city of Troy.
In order to win the Battle of Troy, Odysseus was sly and
underhanded. Disguised as a peace offering, a massive horse was
built. Today, it is known as the Trojan Horse. The Trojans
welcomed the gift into their kingdom; little did they know Greek
soldiers were waiting inside, ready to attack. As nightfall
approached, everyone in the kingdom slept. Odysseus and his men
crept out of the horse and began a massacre. Cheating goes
against logic. A true champion would win a battle with dignity
and not underhanded trickery. Odysseus didn't fight honorably
and therefore he is wrong. After this situation happened,
Odysseus was overwhelmed with pride. He proclaimed himself a
god, making the actual gods angry. In turn, the gods took no
mercy on Odysseus's soul.
After Odysseus and his men left Troy, they came across the
Island of Cicones. Odysseus and his men raided the island in
search of supplies and other useful equipment. Stealing is
another reason that proves Odysseus's guilt. It goes against
morals and values, to take something that isn't yours. As
Odysseus and his men are raiding the island, they're ambushed by
the Ciconian people. They rode in on horseback and killed 72 of
his men.
Society wasn't built on lying and stealing it was
built on cooperation and understanding.
Odysseus then traveled to the Lotus Eaters Island. There
his men ate the lotus plant. The lotus plant causes people to
become addicted to it, because it's a narcotic. The lotus plant
makes people forget about everything. After Odysseus's men ate
the plant they forget about their home. This situation can be
related back to the seven deadly sins of, gluttony and sloth.
They wanted more which was very gluttonous. By this need of
wanting more, the potion took effect causing the men to be
slothful. It is said that if one possesses any deadly sin, they
are easily manipulated by the devil. This leaves Odysseus
vulnerable to being deceived.
Odysseus, then, is lured by the smell of cheese and wine to
a cave. This cave is the home of Polyphemus, a giant Cyclops.
Polyphemus then traps Odysseus and his men inside the cave. It's
now up to Odysseus to find a way out. Since, Odysseus is known
for his trickery, there's no doubt that he wouldn't. Finally,
they come up with an idea of how to escape. When the Cyclops
goes to sleep, Odysseus takes a home-made spear and stabs him in
the eye. A blinded Polyphemus opens the door and shouts for
help. Odysseus and his men then escape out to freedom. Around
1780 BC, there was a policy known as Hammurabi's Code. It
stated, "you take my eye, I'll take yours." Odysseus committed a
crime. In return Polyphemus's
father, Poseidon (God of the
Sea), knocked Odysseus off course yet again. Poseidon avenged
his son.
Odysseus has traveled far and long, his next stop is the
home of the Laestrygonians. The Laestrygonians are a race of
giant cannibals. The eat some of Odysseus's men. Only the men
that were with Odysseus survived, but why couldn't he save the
rest? Odysseus could have better planned out what he was going
to do. He sent his men off to their deaths. Odysseus committed
an act of selfishness. He only looked out for himself;
therefore, his determination to live resulted in the deaths of
his men.
Odysseus commits more than one act of selfishness. The god
Hermes, gives Odysseus an herb to protect him from Circe's
powers. Why couldn't Odysseus help protect his men? He left them
to fend for themselves and in return Circe turned them into
swine. Logical reasoning would be to want to protect your crew.
Odysseus was greedy. They're the people that help Odysseus
return to Ithaca.
Circe tells Odysseus to visit the underworld to talk to the
blind prophet, Tiresias. There Odysseus finds out about the rest
of his journey and he also sees his mother. Odysseus's mother
died from depression. It is Odysseus's fault she is gone because
he took so long in coming home. She couldn't handle the waiting
and committed suicide.
The Sirens came next. The Sirens were women who lured
Odysseus and his men onto their island by song. They're very
hard to resist so Odysseus plugged his crew's ears and then had
them tie him to the haul of the ship. Odysseus shows another act
of greed. He does look out for his crew, but in the end it's
just to save himself.
Odysseus was given the choice to head straight into
Charybdis, a whirlpool, or face Scylla, a six-headed monster.
Either way would not end well. If he decided to go into the
whirlpool, his ship would be destroyed and would have no way of
getting home. If he faced Scylla, he would be giving the lives
of six of his men. He still decides to face Scylla. It is
Odysseus's duty is to look out for his men. Instead of doing his
job, he puts more lives on the line. Odysseus is then liable for
their deaths.
When in war, it's always the job of the commanding general
to make sure the mission goes smoothly. Odysseus is on a mission
to return home. He faces many situations and it's his job to
look after his men. Odysseus is warned to stay away from the sun
cattle. He gives his crew an order not to touch the cattle, but
when Odysseus falls asleep his men murder the cattle and have a
feast. Odysseus is at fault because it's his job as captain to
make sure his crew follow through on orders. He should have
looked over his men better and not have fallen asleep. In war if
someone messes up, the whole mission fails, risking many lives.
The same concept can be applied here.
There's no doubt that men are easily tricked by women.
Calypso seduced Odysseus and made him stay with her for seven
years. In that time, Odysseus committed adultery. Even though he
thought about Penelope, it's still wrong. He knew exactly what
he was doing. He prayed to the goddess Athena. She had mercy on
him and went to Zeus. Zeus tells Hermes to order Calypso to free
Odysseus. After doing so, Odysseus was on his way home to his
faithful wife Penelope.
Odysseus had to return home as a beggar. He didn't want
anybody to recognize him. After being reunited with his son,
Telemachus, he was updated on everything that has happened in
Ithaca since he was gone. Odysseus goes into the kingdom and
Penelope doesn't recognize him. After he tells her who she is,
Penelope puts him through a test to see if he is telling the
truth. After he has proven himself to her, she is overwhelmed
with joy. This however doesn't mean a happy ending. Odysseus was
sick of the suitors disrespecting his kingdom and fooling around
with the maids. He and Penelope come up with a plan to kill them
all. They trick all the into one room and Odysseus kills them
all. Manslaughter is wrong. There were many other ways Odysseus
could have handled that situation, but he chose to murder all
those men.
People look back through the Odyssey and think Odysseus is
a hero, but in reality he is nothing more than a criminal. He
cheated, stole, manipulated others,committed adultery and risked
the lives of other people. Heroes look out for others and put
other people ahead of themselves. Odysseus on the other hand
cared only about himself. He valued only his life. Therefore,
Odysseus is not a hero.
Work Cited:
Stearns, Peter N. "Why Study History?" American Historical
Association. 1998. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.historians.org/pubs/free/WhyStudyHistory.htm>
"The Odyssey: Study Guide and Homework Help – CliffsNotes." Get
Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides - CliffsNotes.
Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2000-2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The-Odyssey.id-
99.html>.