Threatening Women of Homers Odyssey Essay example -- Homer, Odyssey E

The Threatening Women of Homer's Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle called this poem 'a story of character' which is very true, as the analysis of people in the Odyssey id detailed and they are carefully depicted. Though the women still remain a fairly mysterious force that test Odysseus' determination for 'nostos' (hero's return home), requiring the man whose words are "like snowflakes" to use every trick he has to evade their threat, his civility not allowing him to strike them. In the Underworld, Agamemnon made it very clear in his enlightened state (consider the wiser Achilles who now regrets his noble death - "rather work the soil as a serf...than be King of all these lifeless dead" 11.490), as one of the dead that women "are no longer to be trusted". It is no co-incidence then that the female figures that Odysseus meets after this point are the most ferocious and dangerous. Both Scylla and Charybdis are hideous monsters, depicted as female, and so too are the tempting Sirens, all which test the hero. It is evidence that even after all his endeavours, Odysseus is still an Iliadic hero at heart, as he dons his armour uselessly to face Scylla's 12-headed threat and look at the good it does him ("Obstinate fool" 12.115). The actions of Odysseus' men result in him swimming in the sea and hanging over the swirling Charybdis, holding onto a fig tree ("clung like a bat" 12.433). Without warning from Circe, Odysseus would not have gone past the Sirens without doo m, since we see what the effect was without the wax in his ears ("longing to listen...set me free" 12.193). However, it is the humanoid females which are to add the most to the poem. The monsters test and batter the hero whilst the women test the man. To threaten Odysseu... ...ly). When he wishes to leave also, no effort is made by Circe to try and stop him unlike her counterpart above, Calypso ("do not stay on unwillingly" 10.484). Odysseus has been kept for the pleasure of Circe and he could have left at any time. This tarnishes our view of the hero's withstanding of the females' subtle threat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whether successfully or unsuccessfully, the female figure of the Odyssey all attempt to stop Odysseus on his inexorable journey home to his own female. Portrayed in contrasting depictions to draw out emphasis and focused details, the women and monsters threaten the hero in slightly different ways each time, testing Odysseus' flexibility and forcing him to break the Iliadic mould. Work Cited: Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles. Preface by Bernard Knox). 1996. The Odyssey. New York: Viking Penguin, div. of Penguin Books, Ltd. Threatening Women of Homer's Odyssey Essay example -- Homer, Odyssey E The Threatening Women of Homer's Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle called this poem 'a story of character' which is very true, as the analysis of people in the Odyssey id detailed and they are carefully depicted. Though the women still remain a fairly mysterious force that test Odysseus' determination for 'nostos' (hero's return home), requiring the man whose words are "like snowflakes" to use every trick he has to evade their threat, his civility not allowing him to strike them. In the Underworld, Agamemnon made it very clear in his enlightened state (consider the wiser Achilles who now regrets his noble death - "rather work the soil as a serf...than be King of all these lifeless dead" 11.490), as one of the dead that women "are no longer to be trusted". It is no co-incidence then that the female figures that Odysseus meets after this point are the most ferocious and dangerous. Both Scylla and Charybdis are hideous monsters, depicted as female, and so too are the tempting Sirens, all which test the hero. It is evidence that even after all his endeavours, Odysseus is still an Iliadic hero at heart, as he dons his armour uselessly to face Scylla's 12-headed threat and look at the good it does him ("Obstinate fool" 12.115). The actions of Odysseus' men result in him swimming in the sea and hanging over the swirling Charybdis, holding onto a fig tree ("clung like a bat" 12.433). Without warning from Circe, Odysseus would not have gone past the Sirens without doo m, since we see what the effect was without the wax in his ears ("longing to listen...set me free" 12.193). However, it is the humanoid females which are to add the most to the poem. The monsters test and batter the hero whilst the women test the man. To threaten Odysseu... ...ly). When he wishes to leave also, no effort is made by Circe to try and stop him unlike her counterpart above, Calypso ("do not stay on unwillingly" 10.484). Odysseus has been kept for the pleasure of Circe and he could have left at any time. This tarnishes our view of the hero's withstanding of the females' subtle threat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whether successfully or unsuccessfully, the female figure of the Odyssey all attempt to stop Odysseus on his inexorable journey home to his own female. Portrayed in contrasting depictions to draw out emphasis and focused details, the women and monsters threaten the hero in slightly different ways each time, testing Odysseus' flexibility and forcing him to break the Iliadic mould. Work Cited: Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles. Preface by Bernard Knox). 1996. The Odyssey. New York: Viking Penguin, div. of Penguin Books, Ltd.

Is Odysseus a Hero? Essay

The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, is an epic poem focused on Odysseus, an Ithacan soldier, and his journey that helps him grow as a hero. Odysseus makes idiotic mistakes that end up costing his crewmembers’ lives. His immature ways are sometimes interrupted by occasional courageous acts, but do not outweigh the negative ones. Even though he possesses some hero archetype qualities, Odysseus is not a hero. One way Odysseus proves himself to not be a hero by having an affair with Calypso while married. â€Å"And now, withdrawing into the cavern’s deep recesses, long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love.† (250,159) This shows that even though Odysseus is so eager to get home to his family, he is willing to make love with another woman instead of staying faithful, like a hero would. We are also shown this through his acts in the Cyclops’s cave. Although he was warned by fellow shipmates to leave the island as soon as possible, Odysseus refuses to leave with the thought of being able to stay there and feast on the food found in the cave of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. Polyphemus is at first a polite host, until the men overstay their welcome. The Cyclops then blocks the exit from the cave so Odysseus and his crew may not leave, but not before killing some of the shipmates. â€Å"Lurching up, he lunged out with his hands towards my men and snatched two at once, rapping them on the ground he knocked them dead like pups—â€Å" (325, 220) This shows that if Odysseus had not acted selfishly by staying in the cave, his crewmates would be alive. A final example of Odysseus not fulfilling the hero archetype is when he refuses to trust his men and does not tell them the content of the bag of winds. This causes the men to come up with the idea that the bag holds riches of coins and treasures. The men are so close to home they can see people on the shore, but the men are too curious and open the bag of winds. Upon the opening of this bag, the ship of Odysseus is then sent back to sea. â€Å"They loosed the sack and all the winds burst out and sudden squall struck and swept us back to sea, wailing, in tears, far from our own native land.† (53, 232) This tragedy could have been avoided had Odysseus shared with the shipmates what was being contained in this bag, instead of being secretive and trying to be the man of the hour. In conclusion, Odysseus may be learning from the mistakes he has made and growing as a hero, but is not at all a hero yet. He makes decisions based on selfish desires that cost many lives throughout the story. A hero is supposed to support his peers and stand up for what is right instead of making choices based on what he wants, and Odysseus does not. Although Odysseus may be perceived as a hero through many readers’ eyes of The Odyssey, he is not at all a hero.

The Rising Sea Levels Are Affected By Climate Change

The United States is made up of eight regions, Northeast, South East, Midwest, Great Plains, Northwest, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaii. The report â€Å"Risky Business† touches on how these areas will be affected by rising sea levels, rising temperatures, or an increase in â€Å"extremely hot days† if the United States keeps on going about it’s business as usual. Every aspect of the U.S. economy is affected by climate change this means all our lives are influenced by climate change. The authors of this article communicated very clearly and effectively their points and evidence. The rising sea levels are associated with almost every region of the U.S., besides those on tectonic plates or landlocked regions. According to the report, most regions have a large majority of their gross domestic product, GDP, and population living in costal counties. This is a problem for areas like the South East which has thirty six percent of it’s inhabitants living on the coas t and thirty three percent of its GDP coming from its coasts. â€Å"In Florida, because of the porous limestone on which the major southern cities are built, even modest sea level rise comes at a significant economic cost.†1 Within the next half a century it reasonable to assume, based on the evidence from the report, that between fifteen and twenty three billion dollars of existing property in the South East will be submerged by the rising sea levels. Furthermore, there is a â€Å"1-in-100 chance that more than $682 billion in property willShow MoreRelatedThe Alarming and Troublesome Global Warming Issue 1407 Words   |  6 Pages Global warming has been one of the most challenging problems our society has encountered and people dont acknowledge that our climate change is becoming worse as the time goes by. 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