Sam Dean

The Odyssey Essay

Fitz Freshman English

Tuesday November 19th, 2019

The Odyssey: Books I~XII

Odysseus and Telemachus, separate journeys, same destination 

Classic′ - a book which people praise and don't read.

~Mark Twain 

One might perceive The Odyssey as just a story about the hard times and difficult travels of Odysseus, but it has much deeper meaning than that. It is an experience with many different themes, it is almost as if every book has something new to teach us. I am only on Book 12 out of 24 books, and I have been exposed to a lot of different themes and lessons. I am certain that there is much more for me to learn from this book, yet I am still curious and unsure of what awaits. The Odyssey, Books 1-12 has exposed me to three major themes: The impact of gods, personality traits of the characters, and the power of a family.

Throughout time people have believed, and some continue to believe, that our lives are guided by gods. Without the Gods, mortals would not have guidance. In the book, The Odyssey, by Homer, The gods direct the way for the wellbeing of the mortals. In the first six books of The Odyssey there are many events which the gods have influenced in both the positive and negative. There are many gods that have an influence on the events that occur in the book. Athena, disguised as Mentes, helps Telemachus along his journeys.  A negative influence a god had on a mortal was Poseidon punishing Odysseus by throwing a storm to make his travels hard.

 And this enables Polyphemus to invoke the wrath of his father, the sea god Poseidon, and ensure that Odysseus will come home late and come a broken man —all shipmates lost, alone in a stranger’s ship, to find a world of pain at home. [The Odyssey, Book II] 

Poseidon makes life hard for Odysseus by always being a road block in his journeys.  By Poseidon creating a storm to cause him to go off track of his journey, it lead Odysseus to end up on an island with Calypso, where he stays for a long time trapped on this island. Throughout the books that we’ve read so far, the Gods have greatly impacted the storyline. Telemachus is aided in his difficult journey to find his father, Odysseus. Meanwhile, Odysseus is being targeted by Poseidon, who does not want him to succeed. Up to book 6, The Odyssey has been like a play directed by the Gods, they are not the main actors, but they affect how it all plays out.

Another theme I took away was about the personality traits of Gods and Mortals. Throughout different situations, both gods and mortals show many different character traits. The characters are forced to show their true personalities as the story unfolds. Many characters go through difficult situations throughout the book that make it hard for them to be their best selfs. That’s why through these situations we find out who they truly are. Many of the character traits shown include Telemachus showing determination. Even in the toughest of all times he keeps persevering to find his father, Odysseus. Athena disguises herself as Mentes, king of the Taphians throughout the first few books. She watches over Telemachus, guiding his way so he won’t fail. Athena shows her true personality as a caring god, although she is the god of war, she protects Telemachus and cares about his well being. She even makes him look good, almost like a god, because of her true character and her care for Telemachus.

Telemachus strode in too, a bronze spear in his grip and not alone: two sleek hounds went trotting at his heels. And Athena lavished a marvelous splendor on the prince so the people all gazed in wonder as he came forward, [The Odyssey, Book 2]

As we read more and more books in The Odyssey we build a bigger connection to the characters. We get to know each one better and we see who they really are based on the decisions they make as the story unfolds. Some gods help the mortals, such as Athena, and others do not help them, such as Poseidon. Every character we have met so far has an impact on the storyline of the book, and it depends on what their true personality is to determine wether the impact is positive or negative. With all things considered, the god’s actions, decisions and dealing of different situations were revealed throughout the story just like characters are in a movie. This not only progressed the story however, it also showed us who they truly are.

Never underestimate the power of family. The first twelve books of The Odyssey demonstrate the true power and connection of a family. Telemachus defies the suitors and embarks on a search for his long lost father, Odysseus. Meanwhile, Odysseus is trying to make his way back home to Ithaca to be with Penelope, who is trying to keep the suitors at bay. At his house in Ithaca, a lonely and unhappy Telemachus is overwhelmed by suitors. He does not have his father, and his house is being filled with suitors drinking his wine and trying to get with hit mother. Things are not going well for Telemachus, and he wants this to change. No one walks into his house, flirting with his mother, and stealing his drinks without him having something to say about it. In this moment, Telemachus realizes it is time to become a man, and he uses this drive to push out the suitors and set out to find Odysseus. 

Think hard, reach down deep in your heart and soul for a way to kill these suitors in your house, by stealth or in open combat. You must not cling to your boyhood any longer — it’s time you were a man. [The Odyssey, book 1]

Things weren’t looking good for Telemachus at the moment, but he used his drive and determination to change that. No one messes with his family, and he made sure of that. He truly changed from a boy to a man, and defended his mom and set out to find his father. Telemachus’ actions in book one shows why you truly should never underestimate the power of family

My final takeaway from the books we have read so far is that everyone deserves kindness, and a place where they feel welcome. Book 7 of The Odyssey showed me the power of kindness and welcoming, and how it can affect someone greatly. Odysseus was immediately welcomed into Arete’s and Alcinous’s palace. What if everyone welcomed people in this way. I sat down to read book seven in a certain mindset. I was thinking “I just want to get through the book and be done with it”. After reading most of book seven, my mindset started to change. A specific part I remember is when Athena disguised Odysseus in mist and led him to the castle disguised as a little girl. What got me really thinking is when he walked in and was quickly welcomed to eat and drink. I notice how compared to The Odyssey, things are much different today. There are also many similarities, but right now I am focusing on the differences. When someone walks into our house nowadays, we usually do not feed them or give them drinks, we usually see it as some sort of threat to our safety. Rather than finishing book seven and moving straight on to something else, book seven really make me think and reflect. As times have changed, people have too. Book 7, similar the other books, had a theme that connected to me. Life may have been totally different for Odysseus than it is for us, nevertheless,  The Odyssey explored and brought out the connections and similarities

There is so much for us to learn from The Odyssey; you may be thinking “how can a book about gods and a mortal struggling to make his way home relate to me”; it’s not about the experiences Odysseus goes through that we can connect to, it is how he deals with these obstacles which is what we can truly learn from and apply to our lives.