"The Odyssey"

Poem Review # 116790

English > Analysis
Literature > Greek and Roman
Literature > Poetry

"The Odyssey"

An examination of Ulysses' adventure in Homer's work, "The Odyssey."

1,560 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Homer's work, "The Odyssey." It describes the journey of Ulysses and Homer's recounting of Ulysses' adventures. The symbols and metaphors in "The Odyssey" and how they enhance the story are also discussed. Finally, the paper looks at Ulysses' commitment to his wife and the end of the story and how this fits in with the rest of the work.

From the Paper:

"But, at long last, like Dorothy in Oz, he learns there is, indeed, no place like home. He has no ruby slippers to click together but he does have a ship. Perhaps Ulysses is the ultimate metaphor, symbolizing a man driven to think not with his mind, allowing his desires to override all the good sense he ever had. And for 2700 years he has been the middle-aged lothario, blindly searching for the perfect mate or the perfect mating. He is about rebirth and a search for a man's identity. He is about a quest for freedom before finally turning home."
"Throughout the epic we see women abandoning men. Perhaps that itself is symbolic and marriage is a metaphor for evanescence. The men do no better. It is a condemnation of relationships. But, at long last, the noble Ulysses decides to honor his commitment and duties to wife and son. To their credit they welcome him home and do not kill him for his shabby treatment of them both."

Sample of Sources Used:

Fagles, R., Homer and Knox, B. The Odyssey. New York: Viking Penguin, 1976.
Hamilton, E. Mythology. United States of America: Little, Brown and Company, 1942.
Warner, M. No Go the Bogyman: Scaring, Lulling and Making Mock. New York: Farrar, Strause and Giroux. 1998.