Challenges Of Odysseus Faced In Homer's The Odyssey

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The Odyssey is an Epic Poem written by the ancient Greek Homer that focuses on the hero Odysseus and his strenuous journey home after the fall of Troy. During this hazardous expedition Odysseus faced challenges from defeating the Cyclops, to attempting to avoid the temptation of the Lotus Eaters, and even just the rough seas that Poseidon inflicted on them. Odysseus had to face all of these challenges to achieve his goal of returning back to his home in Ithaca. This can be compared to our lives as we move through our high school years. These are some of the most essential and memorable years of our lives and lead the way to our future. The Cyclops that Odysseus and his men face can represent school in my life. The Cyclops is a “a brute so …show more content…

We must stand strong for what we believe. We must stick to what we know is right and avoid these temptations. Some of Odysseus’ men fell into the trap but there still is a chance that we can escape before we are affected too much. Then there are the gods that participate in this story. All of these gods essentially act like our parents. “Praying the god of earthquake to befriend you his son I am, for he by his avowal fathered me” (432) Odysseus and Polyphemus have parents just as we do. They basically control what happens just as our parents play a big part in our lives and affect them also. Just as they punish us, they also help us get through difficult times just as Athena does in The Odyssey. “Athena urges Odysseus on to battle, yet holds back her fullest aid, waiting for Odysseus and Telemachus to prove themselves.”(The Odyssey) Athena is acting like a mother and giving Odysseus advice to help him finally get back home. Our parents are essential to helping us get through theses tough teenage years and we definitely couldn’t do it without them. This is when we really need them the most, although we might not think so at the time. Just like in our lives as in the poem, the story and our story would not be the same without the presence of adults and

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