Monday, April 16, 2012
Ancient Journey, Modern Problems
In class we discussed how the lotus-eaters could be a metaphor for addiction much like casinos try to tempt people to part with their money. We also noticed that Odysseus' choice between comfort and safety (does he tell Polyphemous his name, risking ruin or ensure he escapes, but risking oblivion? ) is reflected in the tightrope walker who walked on a wire across the World Trade Center. Do modern people have some of the same problems and aspirations as Odysseus? How are modern lives reflected in Odysseus' journey? How can various trials and challenges of Odysseus be a metaphor for our modern trials and challenges?
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Throughout the Odyssey, there are constantly examples and situations of different morals that can be updated to modern situations and used to guide people through different trials and challenges. Even though Odysseus’s problems took place centuries ago, in truth, he faces some of the same trials and challenges as the twenty first century human race does. The strongest example of Odysseus’s difficulties in comparison to our modern struggles is soldiers’ homecoming from warfare. In the story of Odysseus, he must leave his home in Ithaca with his wife and son to fight in the Trojan War. His family and his city suffers insurmountable pain while Odysseus is at war, as they are constantly wondering if their love one is still alive, if they are doing well, or if his fate has taken a turn for the worst. For an example of this pain, Odysseus travels to the underworld where he meets his deceased mother, dead because of the pain endured longing for her son. She describes Odysseus’s wife’s suffering when she states,
ReplyDelete‘she’s still waiting
there in your halls, poor woman, suffering so,
her life an endless hardship like your own…
wasting away the nights, weeping away the days (11.206-9).
The preceding quotation shows Penelope’s longing for Odysseus while he is away at war and has not returned home to Ithaca. Penelope lives a life of endless hardship in the absence of her husband, and is perpetually haunted by fear and uncertainty waiting for Odysseus’s return. Telemachus endures a similar pain for while waiting for the homecoming of his father, and even sets out to search for him. Telemachus must uphold the responsibilities of the estate and longs for his father to return, yet is always plagued by the possibility that Odysseus may never come back. Similarly, while Telemachus, Penelope, and the rest of Ithaca wept for him, Odysseus also underwent a pain of his own very similar to modern day soldiers. Odysseus had been stranded on his journey home for years upon years, and often yearned for his life in Ithaca, shown when he says, “Nevertheless I long- I pine, all my days-/ to travel home and see the dawn of my return” (5.242-3). The preceding quotation shows how Odysseus’s spends all his days in pain, waiting to return to his home. Odysseus’s departure from Ithaca for the war left a long-standing mark on his city, his family, and himself.
Odysseus’s wartime struggles are a direct metaphor to modern day soldiers leaving home. Just as Odysseus’s family suffered and agonized over his return, modern soldiers’ families endure the same ache. Even though the Trojan War was centuries ago, soldiers in wars such as the one in Iraq and Afghanistan are faced with the same obstacles. They must leave their families for months and even years to fight for their countries. They miss their hometowns, friends, and family dearly. Likewise, their family and friends are forced to live without their loved ones. They are haunted by the possibility that their loved one may never return and they may never know what happened, just as Odyssey’s family experienced. The experience and the suffering are unimaginable for everyone involved.
In conclusion, the Odyssey is a tale that can be updated for modern times. There are plenty of examples of how modern obstacles can be compared to those presented in the Odyssey, but warfare and the homecoming of soldiers is perhaps the strongest example of how similar a situation can be; in spite of the centuries in between.
^Ummm... I'm not topping that, but I'll do my best.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that many events within the Odyssey besides Odysseus' visit to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. It's interesting to see all we can learn from the mistakes and successes of those in an ancient society. This can include, as Alyssa stated above, more direct examples such as soldiers returning from war, or more discreet answers. I believe that Circe's actions against the men is a metaphor which can relate to any time period of men, both young and old.
Humans are things of greed, hungry for power and wealth at all times. Circe offers the men her food and the men are happy to take it. Then, she turns them into pigs and holds them in sties. "Once they'd drained the bowls she filled, suddenly/she struck with her wand, drove them into her pigsties,/all of them bristling into swine-" (10.261-263) This seems to be no mistake. Out of all the animals she could turn the humans into, she turns them into pigs who bloat themselves and roam carefree.
The message within this seems to be that humans should not expect gifts from those they don't know. It also shows that humans, when offered something, should take it in small portions, expressing gratitude, and not abusing the generosity of their host. As it says in the text, the men drained the bowls, suggesting that they gulped it down without a thought. This idea of a proper guest-host relationship seems to be a reoccurring theme in the book.
A very important theme collision in this epic is fame vs. safety. Odysseus faces this challenge a few times in his journey back to Ithaca. Although Odysseus lived a very long time ago, modern day people face the same problems and decisions. Deciding between fame and safety is not easy, and Odysseus makes a regrettable decision in book nine. “’So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour there in your vaulted cave-you with your brute force! Your filthy crimes came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal, daring to eat your guests in your own house-so Zeus and the other gods have paid you back!’”(9.31-36) This is Odysseus yelling back to the Cyclops after he drifted away from the island and cave the Cyclops lived on. Right after he yells this, the Cyclops throws a rock that almost washes Odysseus boat back up to shore. In this situation, Odysseus chose fame over safety. This action puts him and his crew in a dangerous position. This also contributes to the fact that he is a poor leader for putting his shipmates and him in harm’s way. Just after Odysseus and his crew get back out to sea, Odysseus yells some other things to the Cyclops which infuriates the Cyclops. Again, Odysseus chooses fame over safety.
ReplyDeleteThis struggle of fame vs. safety is also found in our modern lives. For example, a gunman may put himself in a situation of fame vs. safety. When the gunman shoots whatever, he becomes well known or famous notoriously. Along with that, though, he puts himself in a dangerous situation that can possibly even threaten his life. This is just a modern example of one of the Odyssey’s main value conflicts.
One of the reasons that the Odyssey is still such a well known, renowned, and celebrated poem almost one-thousand years after it was written is that its lessons continue to apply to societies today. Although most people today are not in danger of being eaten by cyclops or snatched up by Scylla, Odysseus's trials and tribulations in the Odyssey can help teach us valuable life lessons that actually will apply to our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe example of the Lotus-Eaters is one of the primary examples that comes to mind when trying to apply Odysseus's struggles to those of modern day people. The island of the Lotus -eaters was an island that grew wonderful fruit. This fruit was so delicious, it entranced whoever ate it, made them abandon all thoughts of leaving the island, and made them leave track of time. This island is virtually an embodiment of a modern-day casino. Casinos are built to function exactly like the Lotus did. Inside, you can effortlessly lose track of time or money and end up in any sort of bad situation. If Odysseus hand't been warned of the Lotus island, he may have been confined like people today are "trapped" by casinos and gambling.
Caution is another value emphasized in the Odyssey. The story of Agamemnon is a prime example of this virtue in action. Homer may have even told the story of Agamemnon to allude to Odysseus's fate if he does not approach Ithaca with attentiveness. Agamemnon is a Greek king and hero, the leader of the Greek forces in Troy. Yet, when he returns home, he is ambushed and killed by his wife and a man she has been living with while Agamemnon was fighting in Troy. Despite, his prowess in battle, Agamemnon is killed back at home because he arrived with grandeur, practically begging to be stabbed in the back. Caution is also imperative in the modern world. For instance, Presidents who make public appearances must be especially careful. In numerous situations throughout history, presidents and important figures have been assassinated because of their fame. Not only did Agamemnon's assassination serve as a metaphor to that of a President or influential figure, it was almost identical. If Agamemnon had been more cautious and less trusting, his life may not have ended so quickly.
As you can see, there are many virtues in the Odyssey that still apply to people today. Self-control and caution, two "game-changing" values in the Odyssey, are still very applicable today. Therefore, modern lives are significantly reflected in the adventures of Odysseus and other Greek heroes who may or may not have survived their returns.
In life we have goals that we hope to succeed, just like Odysseus’s goal to travel home, to his family. Our goals as people in modern day society are to have successful careers, go to Ivy League universities, have a family, live life like you planned it out for yourself, and the list goes on. But on the other hand, Odysseus only has his heart set on one goal in life and that is to travel back home to his family that he has not seen in twenty years, his wife and son. The road home is not the smoothest path but he comes across much adversity along the way, which he learns how to benefit himself and that even applies to our world today, because to reach goals it takes much hard work, determination, and focus. Today we come across adversity in trying to achieve our goals, which we must learn cope with. Odysseus must overcome the adversity he encounters with his adventurous with the Cyclops. The following quote shows how he reacts to the terrifying treatment that the Cyclops shows towards him and his crew,
ReplyDelete“But he boomed back at me from his ruthless heart,
‘Nobody? I’ll eat Nobody last of all his friends-
I’ll eat the others first! That’s my gift to you!’ ” (9. 412-414)
The quote above is said by the Cyclops himself and shows that Odysseus is going to have to outsmart him, so he will survive. Odysseus is going to have to think fast, and he does so by hiding under a ram and sneaking out of the cave so the giant will not see him, in order to escape death, so he can accomplish his goal. Goals are sometimes very challenging to accomplish but no matter how challenging and adverse they are, they are always possible to reach.
Odysseus and his journey can easily connect to modern day people and problems. Although Odysseus has his own problems,the fact that he chooses to stay and enjoy comfort and safety, and that he is drawn into the bribes is not just something that Odysseus experiences. It is not something that could be put against Odysseus unless you were to say that he is a little bit vulnerable to bribe. But, all humans are always going to be drawn into good things and always will be. Humans are made to be greedy. And, humans are made to take offers and take advantage of opportunities. Humans will always want and often appreciate when they are offered what they want. Most humans will agree to a bribe of food, shelter, and endless riches and luxuries if offered, and we always will. So, the fact that Odysseus accepted a bribe is a completely human thing to do, and he not be blamed to harshly for this decision. Simply because we see things like this all the time, and it happens today.
ReplyDeleteThe problems that occur today have multiple similarities when compared to problems that have occurred in the past, especially in the Odyssey. For instance, Odysseus, like any other man, has his strengths and his weaknesses. His strengths include tactfulness and intelligence, while his weakness is cockiness. His behavioral issues can be found in people who live in the present day. Odysseus’ weakness is what caused him trouble in the situation with Polyphemus. Everything was going fine; he had escaped certain death and was now free to go home. However, instead of just doing that, Odysseus let his cockiness take hold of him and make things worse. The man could have just left the Cyclopes alone and sail away, but instead he felt the need to taunt him, making things worse. Because of that, Odysseus created an enemy out of the powerful sea god Poseidon.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus’ behavioral issues can be found in people everywhere who live in the present day. Things can be going well, even great for people, but if they take things for granted, that can all change. A minor example of this is a modern day TV game show. Once a contestant on the show wins a large amount of money, they are feeling invincible and are asked to risk it all or take what they have and leave. They know that the odds are not very good, and the ones with the common sense will leave and be grateful for what they have. However, the majority of the people are the ones that act upon the same lines as Odysseus will stay because they think nothing can bring them down. Unfortunately, when this happens, chances are they lose everything, just like Odysseus did. Imagine someone else with more power in their hands than just a game show. If they become cocky, then they can ruin many lives of others, not just their own.
In conclusion, people from ancient Greece and people from the year 2012 all experience the same behavioral problems like cockiness. They can take things for granted and act recklessly, which causes a great deal of difficulties. Not much has changed when it comes to the behavior of humans, which is why the Odyssey is so relatable.
The problems that occur today have multiple similarities when compared to problems that have occurred in the past, especially in the Odyssey. For instance, Odysseus, like any other man, has his strengths and his weaknesses. His strengths include tactfulness and intelligence, while his weakness is cockiness. His behavioral issues can be found in people who live in the present day. Odysseus’ weakness is what caused him trouble in the situation with Polyphemus. Everything was going fine; he had escaped certain death and was now free to go home. However, instead of just doing that, Odysseus let his cockiness take hold of him and make things worse. The man could have just left the Cyclopes alone and sail away, but instead he felt the need to taunt him, making things worse. Because of that, Odysseus created an enemy out of the powerful sea god Poseidon.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus’ behavioral issues can be found in people everywhere who live in the present day. Things can be going well, even great for people, but if they take things for granted, that can all change. A minor example of this is a modern day TV game show. Once a contestant on the show wins a large amount of money, they are feeling invincible and are asked to risk it all or take what they have and leave. They know that the odds are not very good, and the ones with the common sense will leave and be grateful for what they have. However, the majority of the people are the ones that act upon the same lines as Odysseus will stay because they think nothing can bring them down. Unfortunately, when this happens, chances are they lose everything, just like Odysseus did. Imagine someone else with more power in their hands than just a game show. If they become cocky, then they can ruin many lives of others, not just their own.
In conclusion, people from ancient Greece and people from the year 2012 all experience the same behavioral problems like cockiness. They can take things for granted and act recklessly, which causes a great deal of difficulties. Not much has changed when it comes to the behavior of humans, which is why the Odyssey is so relatable.