Violence in the odyssey. Odyssey Convocation 2022-10-11

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The Odyssey, an epic poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer, features a multitude of instances of violence throughout its narrative. This violence takes various forms, from physical altercations to verbal confrontations, and serves to advance the plot and character development of the story.

One of the most prominent examples of violence in The Odyssey is the Trojan War, which serves as the backdrop for the poem. The war, fought between the Greeks and the Trojans, is described as a brutal and bloody conflict, with both sides suffering significant losses. The war ultimately ends with the fall of the city of Troy, which is achieved through the use of the Trojan Horse, a clever and deceptive tactic employed by the Greeks.

In addition to the Trojan War, there are numerous instances of violence within the story that involve the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is known for his cleverness and cunning, and he often uses violence as a means of achieving his goals. For example, when he and his men are captured by Polyphemus, the Cyclops, Odysseus blinds the giant and ultimately escapes by hiding under the bellies of Polyphemus' sheep. This act of violence allows Odysseus and his men to escape from the dangerous situation they were in and move on with their journey.

Another instance of violence in The Odyssey involves the suitors of Penelope, Odysseus' wife. These suitors, who have been vying for Penelope's hand in marriage while Odysseus is away, are depicted as violent and disrespectful. They frequently engage in physical altercations with each other and with Odysseus when he finally returns home. In the end, Odysseus and his son Telemachus are able to reclaim their home and defeat the suitors, using violence as a means of restoring order and justice.

Despite the frequent use of violence in The Odyssey, it is not presented as a desirable or admirable trait. In fact, many of the instances of violence in the poem have negative consequences, such as the loss of life or the destruction of property. The violence in The Odyssey serves primarily as a means of advancing the plot and character development, and it is ultimately the characters' intelligence and resourcefulness that allow them to overcome the challenges they face.

Role Of Violence In The Odyssey

violence in the odyssey

Be it through verbal communication, or physical, it impacts those involved in great ways. The Cyclops In The Odyssey 448 Words 2 Pages In Greek culture, honor was immensely important and the Cyclops has none. He does not kill a brave son of Priam but rather a group of helpless female slaves. The hunter, of course, is Telemachus and we are left with the image of Telemachus standing beside his hunting trophy, the gaggle of dead women, hanging from the roundhouse beam. Just like in present day, people have ulterior motives to commit acts of violence, and they are long and complicated instead of short and simple.

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Violence Is Never The Answer

violence in the odyssey

Athena and Zeus come to Ithaca, ordering a peace. As modern readers we may puzzle over why the suitors must die, but we know from the first moments of book one that they will die. He barely even have anything that proves he is a hero because it can all be proven wrong with evidence as to why he is not one. This nature of writing could be partially attributed to the setting both time and place of the literary masterpiece. Junior and Polyphemus embody inhospitality, demonstrate brutality through cannibalism, and leave their respective victims with lasting troubles. Violence, perhaps noble and great in some circumstances, is in and of itself ignoble, conferring little honor to those who engage in it. Along the way, Odysseus Morality In The Odyssey 1314 Words 6 Pages What is the definition of a good person? Great works of literature like the Homeric texts — the Odyssey that some of us will discuss in conference tomorrow and the Iliad which our beginning students will discuss next week — present a rich array of ideas and images that make them texts we want to come back to.

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Brutality And Violence In Homer's The Odyssey

violence in the odyssey

Antigone hangs herself in quiet anticipation of reuniting herself with family in hell. He blinds the Kyklops Polyphemos, son of Poseidon. What does it mean that Homer makes this destruction of young life beautiful? Violence, even when carried out honorably, only causes more violence, and in most cases, when considered from a distance, is unnecessary and ineffectual. They threatened his wife and try to force her to marry them. Odysseus was a pretty violent person, sometimes for unnecessary reasons, and throughout the book, it seemed to just keep getting worse. In The Odyssey, Odysseus immediately rises to the forefront as a victim of violence. To reach my goals is shall not give up and work hard to make it where I want to go in life.

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Violence In The Odyssey Analysis

violence in the odyssey

Klebold's mother, Sue, went on Fast forward seventeen years later, when I was attending my first gay pride in Pittsburgh, I looked up at the tv screen and saw that 50 innocent lives were taken, as well as over 50 others were injured in the Orlando nightclub shooting. He had taken the trunk of an olive tree and started carving away at the edges to make a spear shape. For parents who read the text over the summer, I hope to provide one focus for your conference discussion tomorrow. His hubris contributes to his downfall because it allows him to think he can use reason to conquer his fate. Catcher In The Rye By J.

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Odyssey Convocation

violence in the odyssey

The relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love. In some ways the literature showed it better or explained it better than the movie did. Underlying the hubris that gets Odysseus in trouble in his exchange with Polyphemos is the reckless, unrewarding violence he resorts to back at Troy. Rather then inflicting violence on one another we must use the intelligence we were blessed with. But from a contemporary perspective at least, these episodes are easy to dismiss as fantastic, almost of a comic book sensibility, and are much different in kind from images of extreme violence directed by one human being at the other. Not only did he disrespect other powerful people, but he also disrespected the gods.

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Theme Of Violence In The Odyssey (Character Analysis Essay Sample)

violence in the odyssey

But Odysseus ends up arriving home and with the help of his son Telemachus, kills all the suitors and unfaithful women. I am not sure that it would be better to be hacked by a sword than hanged, but it is clear in the text that death by hanging is unclean and disgraces the women. However, Nestor, Diomedes, and Menelaos, three Akhaians who have not participated in this foolish act, realize that the battles they fought during the Trojan War bring them enough grief and sorrow, and sensibly withdraw from fighting any further. In fact, one of the principal purposes of the first play of the trilogy is to force us to recognize that justice based on revenge creates special difficulties, which in turn cannot be solved. When Poseidon tries Odysseus and throws his ship around the world, the god of earthquakes is fueled by rage and sadness for the harm done to his child.

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Theme Of Violence In The Odyssey

violence in the odyssey

Odysseus would never harm anybody without any reason, but in this case, he needed to protect his family and carry what the deities wanted him Argumentative Essay On The Odyssey 415 Words 2 Pages Odyssey Argumentative Essay Odysseus is an arrogant egotistical warrior who hardly ever takes the blame for his own actions. These activists were able to gain support because they peacefully protested and spoke out for what they believed in. For example, Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon as revenge for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigeneia. The more we continue to use violence as a means of retaliation in our society, the more violent our society becomes. What does it mean that Homer makes violent death a part of the cycle of nature? It does not solve the problems that it is meant to, but only causes more problems that are even larger.

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The Theme of Violence and Its Role in The Odyssey and Antigone: [Essay Example], 1283 words GradesFixer

violence in the odyssey

Later, Eupeithes rises to avenge the murder of his son Antinoos and the violent struggle is perpetuated. Odysseus faces many trials and quests in his journey home and to take back his kingdom from the suitors, such as meeting the witch Circe, blinding a Cyclops named Polyphemus, dealing with Poseidon, and staying with the goddess Calypso. After the cyclops had fallen asleep, Odysseus started putting his plan into action. Of course, for the sake of this article, I'm only going to give a brief summary of what happened in each of these incidents. The wooers took over Odysseus's home and that was not going to be tolerated by him at all and his actions would show the way he felt about the situation. This idea is exemplified by the way in which violence is discussed between characters within the Odyssey.


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Violence In The World Today

violence in the odyssey

He obeyed her, glad at heart. The disparities between the Greek concept of heroism and the modern concept of heroism are huge. I have chosen for my topic this afternoon images of violence in the Odyssey. The Hidden Meanings of Violence Violence is seen every day, all around the world. Unfortunately, in Antigone, the curse is lifted only when violence has consumed all. For instance, someone who was isolated during adolescents will likely have difficulty communicating with others just like an abuse victim will be more inclined to have trust issues. These scenes also demonstrate traits in a hero that may be more self destructive, such as arrogance.


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Violence In The Odyssey

violence in the odyssey

At some point Athena should catch on to this. He goes with all his men but they all run away or get scared. The wooers deserved their punishment but it might have been harsh and extremely brutal. Lastly, is when someone drops and cracks your phone. His plan is to give Polyphemus wine, so then he falls asleep and he can poke his one eye out.

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