James Tiberius Kirk is a name that reigns throughout the entities of space; a fearless leader traveling throughout the galaxies on a mission of peace and conquest. Kirk battles countless species of aliens and encounters numerous walks of life in the Milky Way. While Captain Kirk is a very pragmatic leader, he is, at times, very boisterous and boastful; one could say that he is a modern day Narcissus. After reading this description, it occurs to me that James Tiberius Kirk is not a modern day Narcissus; however, it occurs to me that the prominent theme of a former Greek Hero who, with a few finely- tuned words could easily fit this description. His name you ask? Odysseus.
If you are familiar with the readings of Odysseus then you are well aware of the epic adventures in which Odysseus took part. If you are also aware of the TV action series Star Trek then you are acquainted with the heralding adventures of James T. Kirk. If you are fortunate enough to be familiarized with both works then you can already see the resounding resemblance between the two heroes. No matter how charismatic they may have been their follies and characteristics were the same. For example, they both had great disdain for their crew. Granted it wouldn’t seem that way from what you read or watch, but if that were the case, why were crew member always dying and not themselves?
“We sailed on in shock, glad to get out alive but grieving for the comrades we’d lost”
(Homer 441).
This is only one of the numerous examples we see throughout The Odyssey of Odysseus’ crew members getting killed by either disbandment or his actions, yet he always has crew members? The same can be said for James Kirk as he always gives random members of his crew different appointments t...
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... World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 441. Print.
Homer. “The Odyssey”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 432. Print.
Homer. “The Odyssey”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 475. Print.
Palmer, Lorrie. “Rebooting the Mythical Array.” Extrapolation. 53.1. (2012): 122. InfoTrac Academic One. Web. 27. Nov. 2013.
“The Corbomite Maneuver.” Star Trek: The Original Series. National Broadcasting Company.
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Homer. The Odyssey: Fitzgerald Translation. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
I disagree with Anthony. While the captain can not always control his men, there are things that he did to create the distrust. Man, from a religious view, is a fallen species, thus sin, like greed, taunts him. Because Odysseus holds back knowledge from his men, specifically when he gives the wine of Maron to Polyphemus, he creates the distrust which cause them to open the bag of winds. Continuing from that, Odysseus does not inform his men of the sacrifice that must be made in the pass between Charybdis and Skylla; therefore, when Skylla engulfs 6 men, the trust is destroyed. Odysseus causes his own suffering because he dismantles the unity that is necessary when on a journey.
Odysseus is faced with many obstacles in which he must make smart decisions. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus is frequently faced with hard decisions that he must make to benefit himself and his crew. One of the most difficult decisions that Odysseus is forced to make is the choice between crossing the path of Skylla or Kharybdis. On one hand, if they go to the side of Skylla, then six of Odysseus’s men are bound to be captured and eaten by the monster. On the other hand, if they go to the side of Kharybdis, than it is a lottery between losing all the crew members to a deathly whirlpool, or everyone making it out alive. In this case scenario, Odysseus chooses to cross the path of Skylla because it would be a better decision for the crew to sacrifice only six members than to threaten the lives of all the crew members. As guaranteed, six crew members were captured and eaten by the creatures...
Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988
Odysseus is a Foolish and selfish leader, who makes rash decisions that kill his men just for his own personal gain.
Odysseus starts his journey relying on himself more than others. He does not distribute responsibilities but rather does everything himself as he is not trusting of people. Odysseus not trusting others is a sign that he is failing as a leader. He does not trust his wife Penelope to be home alone all those years without him while he is off with Calypso (which is why he wants to return home to her) and he does not put any trust into his crew members, whom he will be journeying onwards with for many years in the future. His lack of trust in others is seen when he receives the bag of winds from Aeolus as a parting gift and he does not allow the men in his crew to open it and refuses to inform the men what is in the bag. This obviously backfires once the crewmen open the bag and strong winds that are suppose...
Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman) was one of the great Pan-Hellenic heroes of Greek mythology. Famous for his courage, intelligence and leadership he was most recognized through his resourcefulness and oratory skills. Throughout classical literature and through many authors Odysseus’ characteristics have changed as much as the stories that surround him. The epic and tragedy I will focus on in particular is The Odyssey by Homer and Hecuba by Euripides. The defining characteristics of Odysseus ranges widely as is shown in Homer’s The Odyssey and Euripides’s Hecuba. The figure of Odysseus in homers The Odyssey is the antithesis of the Odysseus in Euripides Hecuba due to their historical contexts and respective audiences.
Analysis: From the Star Trek series, Captain Kirk is very much like Odysseus in his behavior. They are both strong, crafty leaders with a moral code however both put their crew in danger and themselves because of their excessive pride.
To begin, both the leadership qualities and flaws of Aeneas and Odysseus must be examined in order to determine who the better leader is. Virgil presents Aeneas very differently than Homer presents Odysseus. They are both certainly heroes, but Aeneas seems more accessible and a stronger leader, due to the way Virgil presents him. Virgil illustrated Aeneas as a man that had to participate in many tests and tempering’s, and from that, his heroism was seen as flawless. The same goes along with Homers’ Odysseus, yet in a different, more astounding way.
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is often referred to as a very courageous Greek hero but a further look into the epic will reveal a man that is more arrogant than courageous. It was truly his arrogance that made his name famous and not his courage. Achilles was a narcissistic, self-serving man who was not concerned with his fellow country man. His actions of courage can easily be revealed as selfishness instead of what most people believe.
Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995.
Lawall, Sarah N. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 206-495. Print.
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.