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Analysis Of ' Am I A Good Man '

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“Am I a good man, Clara?” This simple, powerful question comes from the television show Doctor Who, when the main character— the Doctor— is thinking about all of the pain he has inflicted. He has indirectly responsible for countless deaths, is a pain to some people for his recklessness, and is not always kind. This idea is explored throughout the show, and the characters come to the conclusion that he is a good man because he purposefully goes out of his way to help and save people. However, what if he did not have this quality? Would he still be a good man? In The Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, the main character— Odysseus— does lack this trait. After voyaging home from war as a hero, he and his crew face countless …show more content…

However, his sheer disregard for his crew is one of his many concerning flaws. One such case of this disregard can be shown on the island of Aeaea, where Circe (a bewitching nymph) has just gotten the entirety of his crew drunk:
“But roused by the shouts and tread of marching men, he leapt up with a start at dawn but still so dazed he forgot to climb back down again by the long ladder— headfirst from the roof he plunged, his neck snapped from the backbone, his soul flew down to Death.“ (10.613-17)
This quote reveals that one of Odysseus’s men has just accidently killed himself, under the watch of Odysseus. In fact, under Odysseus’s watch, the men were permitted to be constantly drunk and stay at Circe’s for a full year. Odysseus had no concern for the families he and his men had yet to return to, and had no urgency to get the crew in a safer place and off the island of Aeaea. It took a death to snap some sense into him. This is not a one time issue. In a later story, Odysseus and his men have landed on the island of Thrinakia, land of Helios’ holy cows. Circe has prophesied that if any of Odysseus’s crew touches the cows, that they will all be killed. Odysseus allows them to go onto the island, and simply tells them to not touch the cows, without a reason. Within weeks, Odysseus’s men kill and eat the cows, and within days, all are dead. This blatant mistake made by Odysseus kills all of his crew, leaving him to feel guilty.

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