A Call for Help
In the opening of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey he explains that Odysseus left Ithaca about 20 years ago to fight in the Trojan War, leaving behind a wife and a young son. After other men had returned from the war, people assumes that Odysseus did not make it home. This encouraged many suitors to come. In book II after being prompted by Athena in disguise Telemachus calls for help from the leaders of Ithaca. Although Telemachus’ use of rhetoric in his speech is strong, it is ultimately ineffective because he has too much of an emotional appeal. His overall persona is seen as weak. As well as the fact that the men of Ithaca are still unable to see where the blame should properly be placed.
Even though the whole speech is a cry for
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Telemachus explains, “Mother wanted no suitors, but like a pack/ they came- sons of the best men here among them“ (II, 53-55). He means no disrespect to the fathers of these men as he refers to their sons as a pack such as that of dogs, but he is explaining that Penelope did not even want these men in her home to begin with, but they came anyway, destroying everything. By saying this in particular instead of just what the suitors are doing he was hopefully sparking a need to protect her from the misbehaviors of the suitors. Telemachus says, “Or did my father, Odysseus, ever do injury to the armed Achaeans? Is this your way of taking it out on me, giving free reign to these young men?” (II, 76-79). Odysseus ruled over Ithaca before leaving to fight in the Trojan war, so in wording it this way Telemachus appeals to their emotions, as if they were leaving the son of a man who had done no harm to them and was a good leader to fend for himself. Behind everything he says there’s a want for pity, he wants the audience to feel sorry for him, so they’ll help him. Also, Telemachus plays to a more selfish side, but nevertheless still an emotional tie to the Greeks by saying, “Think of the talk in the islands all around us,/ and fear the wrath of the gods” (II, 70-71). One’s reputation at this time was vital, without a good reputation there would be nothing to remember them by when they died. Therefore, when he asks …show more content…
He says, “I might as well-might better- see my treasure/ and livestock taken over by you all/…I’d press my claim; you might make restitution./ This way you hurt me when my hands are tied” (II, 80-85). In the end of his speech, Telemachus is saying that if no one is going to do anything about this he might as well just give up, but then he switches back and says that ultimately everything is up to the audience. He has done his part, he made that call for help, but if the Ithacan leaders don’t do anything to help his situation then it’s all their fault. By this attitude of giving up Telemachus does not give off a strong and confident
In book II of the odyssey Telemachus is about to start his journey to find his father. In lines 49-85 Telemachus is beginning to give his speech during the assembly. In this speech he is trying to get some people to help him on his voyage to find his dad. For the simple fact that everything is falling apart because Telemachus mother has attracted suitors. Also Telemachus knows his family doesn’t know how to defend themselves. Although it may seem as if Telemachus words aren’t registering to the people, they are really taking his words into consideration.
In The Odyssey, Homer highlights the character development of Telemahkos, the son of Odysseus. In the beginning of the book, Telemahkos is described as, “...for he, too, /was sitting there unhappy among the suitors,/ a boy, daydreaming.” (1, 144-146) He doesn’t know much about his identity, and doubts that he is the son of the great Odysseus. With some help from Athena, by the end of the book Telemahkos is sure of who he is, and takes pride in knowing that he is the son of Odysseus. When given a challenge, Telemahkos is able to thrive and prove he is strong, brave, and a leader.
Before Telémakhos takes the journey in which he matures and learns how to take care of himself as well as his similarities with Odysseus, Telémakhos would not be able to help Odysseus with his plan to gain back his kingdom because never he would not have developed courage. During the journey Telémakhos takes part, the suitors become aware that Telémakhos is now a threat and decide they must do something. This is shown in the quote: “Meanwhile the suitors had got under way, planning the death plunge for Telémakhos.” (Od.4.896-897) This displays Telémakhos’ growth because it shows that he has changed from the beginning of the poem as a boy who would not stand up for himself to a man who is viewed as a threat. This is essential to Odysseus’ nostos because without Telémakhos becoming courageous he would not be able to fight the suitors with Odysseus. Telémakhos meets Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, in the swineherd’s shelter at first Odysseus keeps his disguise but after talking to Athena he shows Telémakhos his true appearance, Telémakhos and Odysseus become overjoyed with their reunion. Together Odysseus and Telémakhos make a plan to get rid of the suitors once and for all: “I must put all my mind to it, to see if we two by ourselves can take them on or if we should look round for help.” (Od.16.278-282) Odysseus does not know who they can
The first four books of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey are known as The Telemachy because they focus on the maturing and evolution of Telemachus, the Greek hero Odysseus son. The story takes places in Greece 3,000 years ago and especially the island of Ithaca to which Odysseus is king. Due to the king’s long absence, suitors of Telemachus mother Penelope have been driving them “Out of house and home”(book 1,l.269). At first, Telemachus is an unconfident immature boy, then in books 1 through 4 he matures by becoming more assertive and king-like which is a good change because it allows him to stand up to the suitors, conduct himself nobly and express himself eloquently, finally this suggests that a worthy Greek man 3,000 years ago was someone,
Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.
At some point in their life, many people experience feelings of inadequacy or uncertainty. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, one of the main characters Telemachus experiences both of these feelings. He feels that he is not good enough, especially compared to his father, Odysseus, who many people refer to as a great leader. In the beginning of “The Odyssey”, Telemachus’ home has been taken over by suitors, each with the goal of winning over his mother, in hopes to marry her and become king. Telemachus is not fond of these men in his home, but does not have the confidence to get rid of them. Lastly, at this point in the story, Odysseus, Telemachus’ father, has been gone for approximately twenty years, most of Telemachus’ life. Telemachus has been
Telemachus has many experiences on his journey to manhood. In Ithaca while Odysseus is gone Penelope is being plagued with suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Telemachus sees what a nuisance they are to his mother, and how much they are taking from his father’s palace. He wants to put a stop to this and comes to the conclusion that he must find his father, or at least some information
...lts of the insolent suitors in his own home. The anger of Odysseus is only matched by Telemachus whose restraint is forcefully elevated in order to hamper his new mature instinct of defending his father. Meanwhile, Odysseus is forced to couple this with control over holding his love, Penelope, in his arms. Yet, both characters are able to avoid the impediments and at last battle side by side against their foes.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
It is stated, “he kissed his son and let his tears/fall to the ground. He had held them in until now” (Bk XVI, 202-203). Finally, at last after his 10 years fighting at war and 10 years trying to return home, Odysseus is reunited with family for the first time. The emotion Odysseus is feeling is overwhelming and strong as he realizes the mental and physical battle he went through was worth it. Telemachus has much of the same emotion as Odysseus. Although at first Telemachus does not believe that Odysseus is really Odysseus and its just spirit playing a trick on him, he quickly realizes his long lost father has finally returned. When he recognizes who his father is he, “threw his arms around his wonderful father/ and wept. And a longing arose in both of them/ to weep and lament, and their shrill cries/ crowded the air” (Bk XVI, 225-228). For Telemachus and Odysseus there is finally a joyful hiatus in all of the struggle and hardship that was going on and they relax in each other’s presence. They connect with each other like they’ve always known each other, and like they were never actually separated. The reunion between Telemachus and Odysseus is important because it is father and son reuniting together for the first time. They grow stronger together and united to take down the
In the opening books of The Odyssey, the reader is presented with an unsettling situation. One is placed in the city of Ithaka, ten years after the fall of Troy, yet king Odysseus and his men have not returned to their kingdom. This means that there have been ten years in Ithaka with no leadership and no means of law enforcement. In consequence, the lower men of society attempt to seize power. The result is a myriad of suitors spoiling Odysseus’ home, trying to steal his wife, and finally a neglected son trying to keep the estate from crumbling before his eyes. Telemachus has had no father to guide him nor any authentic mentorship to help him handle the suitors taking over his father’s estate. This proves to be an enormous obstacle to his ability
Telemachus’ and his father Odysseus’ experiences/journeys parallel each other in many different ways. One way that they are both similar is that they are both very well liked by Athena, who accompanies both on their journeys around Greece. Athena acts as guardian to both father and son. A quote which proves this is I, 85 “In the meantime I will go to Ithaca, to put heart into Odysseus' son Telemachus; I will embolden him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak out to the suitors of his mother Penelope, who persist in eating up any number of his sheep and oxen; I will also condu...
The first step in any hero’s journey is the Call to Adventure, or the seperation from the pack. For Odysseus this call happened while he was on Calypso’s Island. Up on Olympus Athena had convinced Zeus of her case and Hermes was dispatched to free Odysseus from Calypso’s grasp. Odysseus was settled here for quite some time and had no way of escape until Calypso was forced by the gods to let him go. This is where his journey begins. At first Odysseus is very skeptical of this freedom and thinks that it is a trick by Calypso, which is the denial stage that follows the call to adventure. This stage seperates Odysseus once agaian from what has become familiar to him. He is called to journey alone once again to gain what it is that he has wanted for so long. For Telemachus his call came due to the perils he was facing in his own home with suitors competing for his mother’s love. They started to eat him out of house and home and began to disrespect his mother. Before this Telemachus had stayed quiet, and had not taken action. Telemachus got summoned to branch out from his mother and his home to venture out on a journey of his own. It was now his time to become a man.
The reader first finds the character of Telemachus sitting among the suitors in his father’s palace. This seemingly unimportant detail yields information regarding his temperament. The suitors, whom Homer portrays as malicious usurpers, continue to take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality. Instead of defending his home, his mother, and his belongings from these men, Telemachus numbers among them. This lack of assertiveness displays his frailty and his helplessness given the overwhelming circumstances. At this point, Athena, disguised as Odysseus’ old friend Mentes, visits Telemachus in order to “inspire his heart with courage” (I.105). The two share a meal and engage in a lengthy conversation. The goddess discusses how Telemachus should handle the troublesome suitors and suggests a journey to try to ascertain the whereabouts of Odysseus. The conversation appears to immediately galvanize the young man’s resolve. In fact, immediately after her departure, he summons the courage to confront the suitors, demanding that they are to leave his house at once. The assertiveness that Telemachus displays in this instance is a dramatic departure from ...
...a, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband. He is released from Ogygia and permitted to return to Ithaca only by the command of Zeus, as delivered by Hermes. Telemachus, rather than being trapped physically, was detained emotionally, feeling helpless to repel the suitors wooing Penelope. Only through the motivation of the goddess Athena did Telemachus find the will and courage to embark in search of Odysseus.