The Odyssey

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Recommended: Character analysis of Odysseus

The Island of Cicones
Harsh winds blew Odysseus and his men onto Ismarus, the home of the Cicones. Him and his crews conquered the city and took advantage of the riches they discovered there and shared it evenly among one another. Odysseus warned his men that they’d better leave before they get into trouble. His men were already overtaken by avarice, for they yearned to stay to gather more supplies. The citizens of Ismarus joined together to create an army that eventually defeated the defenses of Odysseus and his crews by taking the lives of six men on each ship. The remainder of the survivors escaped in their boats.
Every day, robbers steal what is not rightfully theirs. They are controlled by greed, and the urge to get ahold of more and more valuables increases each time they steal. Soon no amount of riches satisfies their thirst, and it is often the reason why they get caught, just like the crewmen were defeated by the land’s army. If robbers and stealers were to be more subtle and careful, they may not get caught. It is the avarice that induces the addiction, therefore carelessness.

The Island of the Lotus-Eaters
A thunderstorm struck the seas, and the North Winds blew Odysseus and his men in the wrong direction. They landed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters, and they settled there. They decided to send men around the land to find out who the natives were and what they were like. The men that were sent on the mission found the citizens of the island and ate the Lotus fruit, and they fell into a profound trance. After Odysseus noted the men’s absence, he retrieved that and dragged them back to the ships, where they set off into the ocean yet again.
The Lotus fruit itself could represent dictatorship that is an...

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...she is going to pick one of them to be her husband, but they must have a contest to see who can string a bow and shoot it through twelve axes. No one can execute their attempts successfully, but Odysseus does, of course. Odysseus then shoots one of the suitors, and he reveals who he truly is, and the palace becomes a battlefield. When Odysseus asks for more weapons, one of the suitors gathers weapons and supplies his army. When all of the suitors are killed, their women are hanged. Penelope tests him by ordering her bed to be moved, but Odysseus proves his identity by mentioning that the bed is immobile, because it is carved from a grounded olive tree. The next day Odysseus travels to his father’s farm, and they reunite. The fathers of the suitors then show up to seek revenge on Odysseus for killing their sons, but Athena arrives to order peace among all.

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