Hamilton 1 Jayden Hamilton Mindi Vogel World Lit 25 February 2013 The Odyssey Homers epic poem, The

Odyssey, can be used as an implement to help people through lifes journey. From all the trials and help from some of the Greek gods, to events that Odysseus had to face on his own this book is, to some extent, a manual for life. In The Odyssey, Odysseus had many trials trying to get home to see his wife, Penelope and son Telemachus, after a 10 year war in Troy. Just like Odysseus, today, everyone has their own trials through life. Odysseus was getting back to Ithaca, his home. Through Odysseus journey he came across many different people, places, and things. He was also trapped by gods and goddesses that hurt and sometimes helped him. When their food was dwindling, Odysseus and his men came upon the cave of the Cyclops. At this point, they were greedy and wanted food, so they were focused on capturing the sheep that the Cyclops owned. His men and he got into a little scuffle. They ended up getting food from the cave and killing the Cyclops. We also landed the cyclops sheep, and divided them fairly amongst us (128). Odysseus and his men were not grateful at all. This is an example of an attitude that is becoming more and more acceptable in our society today but, should not be. I believe that this is one reason why it took Odysseus so long to get back home. Even though throughout The Odyssey, Athena helped Odysseus get back to Ithaca however I think Odysseus took Athena for granted. If I were Odysseus, there would have been a lot more gratitude shown, more than he offered. Think about it, he was gone 20 years,

Hamilton 2 had tons of trouble, and basically barely said thank you and then ran off and killed all the suitors of Penelope. In real life, the inhabitants of this Earth dont show their gratitude close to enough. Someday this will catch up to them and bite them in the butt.

If the population of this earth do what other intelligent people instruct them to, they will succeed, through life being able to do the right things and follow in the footsteps of other and successful people. One of Odysseus challenges was to sail past the islands of the Sirens. The Sirens were beautifully singing women which no man could resist. Therefore pass these Sirens by, and stop your mens ears with wax that none of them may hear: but if you like, you can listen yourself, for you may get the men to bind you as you stand upright at the base of the mast(163). When Athena told this to Odysseus, he followed what she counseled him to do. Some people listen to council they get, and some dont. Either way, there are consequences for all actions whether they be good or bad. Since Odysseus and his men listened, no one stepped foot on the Sirens islands, and they stayed safe. Through life, everyone has challenges. If we are grateful for what we have, avoid greed, stop taking people for granted, and follow in the footsteps of good influences, we will be able to go through our life successfully avoiding trouble, and placing ourselves in a safe place. Odysseus is a person that shows us how we can be valuable, productive human beings in our society. Works Cited Will, Frederic. The Odyssey. New York: Pocket Books, 2005. Print.