Homer : “The Odyssey”

The odyssey:  they wrote, spoke, and told stories. The amount of detail and work that was put into illustrating The Odyssey shows they had the skills to craft such perfect epic poetry. The situations and wars fought show similarities to wars in in today’s day. Homer’s purpose for writing The Odyssey was to inspire others to write this form of poetry, and to display the intelligent factors Homer held thousands of years ago.

It’s extremely important to know and understand these kinds of writings from past history.

It shows how far we have come when telling stories, how those stories play out and what happens in writing is what happens in real life. I feel as if a quote from book sixteen sums up the time period of when Homer wrote The Odyssey pretty well, stating, “You’ll soon see what I’m made of, Father, And I don’t think you’ll find me lacking.” (Homer 16. 327-328) This time period was a period of experimenting and trying all different things. Word wasn’t easy to pass around, a man’s knowledge is only his own.

Impressing your own father meant more than anything, and to be doubted adds to the factor. Odysseus along with many other characters are driven by glory and honor. It seems like every action taken by the gods is to glorify themselves in war or in some way. Glory is obtained mainly by winning in battle and by acts of strength and power, while honor is maintained by lawful behavior and good deeds.

Sometimes honor and glory conflict with one another. Striving for glory can lead to reckless and confident behavior that goes against the rules and angers the other gods and goddesses. For the gods and goddesses in The Odyssey, they put an emphasis that blood is thicker than water. Their honor for family life and their families reputation play a massive role in the honorary system. Odysseus’ fearless and relentless attitude to return home to his wife and son in Ithaca shows his dedication. In book sixteen of the The Odyssey, Homer illustrates the emotional pull Penelope is experiencing by expressing, “Penelope went upstairs To

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