Have you written essays on The Odyssey before? Learn how to organize your thoughts with the help of our samples. This poem is not easy to read. Odysseus, a real superhero tries to go back to his wife and son in Ithaca after a war. But he gets imprisoned by Calypso until he is rescued by the gods. Back in Ithaca, people believed that Odysseus was dead and many men are wooing Penelope, his wife. One of them, Antinous, plans to kill Telemachus, Odysseus’ son. But the bad guys perish while the good ones succeed. What topic would you pick for The Odyssey essay? What theme will you highlight in the introduction? What will be your conclusion? Hopefully, you are familiar with an outline for such kinds of papers.
Many modern and old stories are being analyzed and categorized as a Hero’s Journey story if they follow a set template for what it means for there to be a hero’s journey. Both stories, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Odyssey...
The foreboding dark mist in the gloom of the night (141) shadowing Odysseus arrival to the island of the Cyclopes suggests a sinister and frightening site. Recounting the unnaturalness of the occupants and the horror of the ensuing events, Odysseus narration seemingly confirms this interpretation....
Homer’s Odyssey was set 10 years after the Trojan war which would mean the stories taking place in the epic are dated sometime around 1170 BC. This is a time that is arguably unrecognisable by today’s standards in many parts of the world in terms...
In the Homeric world, the very roots of stories were gendered. The Muses, who inspired humans to create story and song, were women, the daughters of Memory. Stories thus have gendered identities from their very inception, and in the Odyssey, the men and women telling...
Living in a major American city, we have no trouble identifying that those in need are all around us. People ask for spare change on the subway so that they can get a meal; people hold cardboard signs that read, “Anything helps.” Throughout history, the...
When reading the works of Homer, we find that an ever-present theme in his poetry is the relative insignificance of mortals and their creations. Relative, that is, to the much grander scale of the natural world. Yet in Homeric terms the natural world is much...
One of the most valued skills one can possess is the art of storytelling. Man can express himself through means of song, art, dance, and poetry—but he must have a story to express himself. After the Trojan War ended, Odysseus journeys home facing various obstacles...
Virtue in the Republic and the Odyssey In Plato’s Republic, the ideas of virtue are expressed in regards to the soul. Socrates says that the four main virtues—wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice—are found in different parts of the ideal city. Wisdom, courage, and moderation are...
In describing the characters of Odysseus and Oedipus, Homer and Sophocles both avoid defining these men by typical physical characteristics such as stature or distinctive facial features. Instead, these authors focus on detailing specific bodily wounds that function as embodiments of each character’s identity. Parallel...
Homer’s epic The Odyssey is superimposed on the backdrop of a typical ancient Greek society. As the main character, Odysseus, and his companions travel from place to place on their way to their hometown of Ithaka, various people welcome them in a show of hospitality...
Tales of women as sorceresses and magic-wielders abound in the literature and mythology of cultures that promote the gendered binary of culture over nature, activity over passivity, and reason over superstition. In these patriarchal societies, women are marginalized from society and have no agency of...
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys themes of loyalty, authority, and reverence to the gods as he tells the story of Odysseus’ journey back to his home in Ithaca. All of these themes are exemplified in the disguised Odysseus’ encounter with Eumaeus, the servant who tends...
Travel and migration can, in the most part, be viewed as voluntary. Exile is an action thatis involuntary, thus force is an aspect of exile. Travel and migration both include trade-offs. Trade-offs are the beneficial and dangerous components of every decision. When the dangers ofa...
At its core, The Odyssey is a story that centers around the cunning of its main characters. Throughout the epic poem, both Odysseus and his wife, Penelope, are known for their mental capabilities. Odysseus is constantly referred to as “godlike,” and Penelope is called “circumspect.”...
Piety was an important concept in ancient Greek civilization, as it shaped the culture and actions of Greek citizens. What exactly piety means has varied over time, and the definition differs throughout Greek literature. Characters such as Odysseus from The Odyssey and Orestes from The...
In the many stories, tales, and adventures that we have read so far, there have been multitudes of borders crossed by a variety of characters. All of these characters thus far crossing said borders have had a different intention, goal, or motive that theyare trying...
Generalizations and associations seem to permeate the culture of every human society. If this were not the case, there would be no need for the sociological study of ethnocentricity. The Odyssey of Homer strongly exhibits this quality of judging cultures and other peoples based on...
In Webster’s English Dictionary, a hero is described as a person of exceptional bravery or a person admired for superior qualities and achievements. A hero can be a person who saves lives, helps others, or a person who stands up to someone or something, who...
The character of Nausikaa is somewhat of an anomaly within The Odyssey. Among women, she is a wholly developed character. Though such depth initially engages Odysseus, it becomes the force that propels him to his ultimate homecoming. A remarkable aspect of Nausikaa is the completeness...
