'The Odyssey'

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at Homer's 'The Odyssey' focusing specifically on the question of what it means to be human. The paper discusses the idea of how one must experience pain and suffering in order to grow and develop into a well-rounded human being.

From the Paper:

"Without a doubt, when Polyphemus urges his father Poseidon to make Odysseus' voyage home to Ithaca as difficult as possible, it creates immense hardship and misery for all involved, particularly for Odysseus when he finally does arrive home and finds his wife Penelope overwhelmed by suitors who wish to marry her, not to mention his household which is in chaos. Thus, the value of hardship in this example is linked to Odysseus' inner spirit which is in turmoil
and becomes even more so when his own son Telemachus fails to recognize him upon reaching while dressed as a beggar. In Book 16 of The Odyssey, Odysseus states, "No, I am not a god. . . but I am your father, for whose sake you are always grieving as you look for violence. . . and endure hardships." When Telemachus refuses to believe that the beggar before him is indeed his father, Odysseus replies, "But here I am, and I am as you see me, and after hardships and suffering much, I have come. . . back to my own country" (Fitzgerald, 1998, p. ?). For both of these men, the cruelties linked to hardship have been great, yet in the end, both discover a form of ease via Telemachus finding his beloved father and the murder of Penelope's suitors by Odysseus."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Homer. (1998). The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar

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• Poem Review # 127032 : "Homer's "The Odyssey"
• Comparison Essay # 6789 : "The Odyssey" and "The Mill on the Floss"
• Analytical Essay # 55690 : "The Odyssey"
• Analytical Essay # 47275 : "Women in Homer's "The Odyssey"

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