The Odyssey: Human Will In Homer's Odyssey
analytical Essay
456 words
The Odyssey: Human Will In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus lives in a world where there is no room for the human will. Human choices can make a tremendous difference in his world. The god, Helios, was one who made it difficult for Odysseus to get home with his crew. Another included the witch-goddess, Circe, who delays Odysseus and his men from their homecoming. Odysseus and his men make certain choices that affect their travels home. This is what makes some Gods and Goddesses upset. As Odysseus and his men travel to an island, they encounter the cattle of the sun god. They were specifically told not to touch the cattle or to harm them in any way because the cattle were sacred to Helios, who was the sun god. While they were on the island, Zeus worked up a storm that lasted for a long time and it forced them to stay because they could not continue their travels on the water. Odysseus explains to the men that they have enough food to survive and that they could make it last. Odysseus goes away from his crew for a while and the men decided to eat the cattle. Helios immediately became enraged, and could not stand Odysseus and his men any longer. Helios went straight to Zeus and told him to strike a bolt at their ships. Their decisions changed their fate. …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus lives in a world where there is no room for the human will. the god helios and the witch-goddess circe make certain choices that affect their travels home.
- Analyzes how odysseus and his men encounter the cattle of the sun god, helios. zeus worked up a storm that forced them to stay because they could not continue their travels on the water.
- Analyzes how odysseus and his men end up at the home of the witch-goddess, circe, and hermes approach him in the form of a young man.
- Explains that odysseus had to allow for a few men to be possibly killed so that others could make it home. this decision was to go towards scylla.
- Concludes that odysseus' world doesn't have human will and their decisions do make adifference for certain things.
Here, Circe drugs a band of Odysseus's men and turns them into swine. When Odysseus goes to rescue them, Hermes approaches him in the form of a young man. This was a good example of how people do not have certain rights or will. Circe, as she is a goddess, is able to do what she wants to the
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- Analyzes how odysseus and his men made some decisions that lead to negative effects, like in homer's the odyssey.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that every motivation for conflict within the odyssey is because one of the characters is craving revenge. zeus prevents odysseus and his men from returning home. telemachus feels the need to make the suitors
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- Narrates how poseidon blamed odysseus for blinding his son, the cyclops, after the fact.
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- Analyzes how telemachus is home in ithaca with his mother, penelope, while odysseus was at war in troy and trying to come home despite many of the gods.
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- Narrates how they arrived at the island of the sun god, helios, and were told by circes that whatever they did, they could not harm any cattle. eurylochus convinced the men to eat the cattle and zeus struck them with lightning.
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