Polyphemus Essay

One major difference between the land of the Cyclops and other lands like Ithaca and Sparta is the land and home layout. The environment depicted in the land of the Cyclops is best described as, “ Thick with woods where the wild goats breed…no flocks browse, no plowlands flow with wheat,; / unplowed, unsown forever-empty of human kind”(9.135-36). Furthermore, the area which Polyphemus considers his home is, “In a cave …then to close his door he hoisted overhead / a tremendous, massive slab” (9.266/272). The overall description of Polyphemus homeland is an uncultivated island. The land contains no farms, no dock, and empty of humankind. Similarly, the homes of Polyphemus reflects the atmosphere outside the cave; simple with very few altercations.

The reaction by Polyphemus to discovering stowaways in his home surprised even the season veteran Odysseus. Instead of adhering to the normal hospitality customs, Polyphemus, “Snatching two at once, rapping them on the ground, their brains gushed all over, soaked the floor- / and ripping them limb from limb to fix his meal” (9.325-28). Although Odysseus did not expect the Cyclops to follow the rules of hospitality, the immediate action of murdering guests demonstrates the lack of hospitality of savages. Book nine within the poem, suggests that “civilized” men like Odysseus, viewed savages as violent monsters without the characteristic of sympathy. Civilized men like Nestor and Menelaus, on the other hand, treat their guests with respect, even providing them with many gifts. Nestor greets Telemachus with a friendly greeting, “to probe our guests and find out who they are / strangers-friends, who are you” (3.78-79). Furthermore, Menelaus provides Telemachus with, “a mixing-bowl, forged to perfection- / it’s solid silver finished off with a lip of gold” (15.126-27). Both Nestor and Menelaus excelled as excellent hosts providing Telemachus with a warm welcome and a bountiful farewell. The actions preformed by Polyphemus and the kings, demonstrate the different ideas between the “savage” and “civilized.” The “the savage fears and dislikes the idea of hosting guests, while the civilize enjoy and celebrate with their