Examples Of Suspense In The Odyssey

The Odyssey, by Homer, is a story about a hero from the Trojan war named Odysseus, who throughout his story, has to overcome many different challenges that test his strength and reveal many things about himself. In this excerpt, Odysseus and his men travel to a land where they discover the Kyklopes. In the excerpt from the heroic poem The Odyssey, Homer alludes that Odysseus and his men believe that they are better than the Kyklopes by using various connotations. Throughout the story, Odysseus and his men call the Kyklopes “ignorant” and claims that their society is more developed than the Kyklopes.

The Hero’s Journey, as defined by Joseph Campbell, is a set of stages a protagonist must undergo to reinter into his known and normal world after facing many challenges. One specific challenge the hero must face is described as the Supreme Ordeal, which is the moment the greatest fear is confronted. In The Odyssey, Odysseus must kill the suitors who took over his household to reach the next stage of his journey. As Odysseus slaughters the suitors in the hall of his home in Book 22, not only does he enter the Supreme Ordeal stage of the Hero’s Journey to face his greatest fear, but also is one phase closer to reintegrating with society.

Being brave requires massive strength of mind, body, and spirit. It is being prepared to face adversity. It allows people to face their greatest enemies without fear. Out of all of the characteristics that Odysseus portrays, bravery stands out above all. There are many cases in which this shows up in The Odyssey by Homer. Specific examples that represent Odysseus's bravery are the battle of Cicones, the events at the cyclops cave, and the events with the lotus eaters.

Focus on the descriptions of the palaces of Nestor and Menelaus. Find quotations that describe their virtues:

In the Odyssey, Homer uses juxtaposition to characterize Telemachus as a Greek ideal, imagery to connect to the cultural themes of disguise and hospitality, and repetition to enforce the idea that gods were a powerful force in everyday lives. When Athena first comes down to the mortal world and goes to Telemachus’ house, “first by far to see her was Prince Telemachus/sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief.” This image contrasts the boisterous, rowdy crowd of suitors against the quiet, pensive and attentive host Telemachus. As the suitors take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality and good grace, Telemachus continues to be a gracious host by noticing the stranger at the door and inviting her in, unaware that she was a god in disguise.

The Odyssey has many stylistic choices that change the story in many different ways to improve it and make the reader better understand the text they are reading.

Hesitation. A fallen tree on the mountainous path, blocking all who come across it, a barrier so small, nevertheless, so significant. Like the fleet-footed rapids of the rivers of my home, its torrents cascaded against my being, and it left all of me gasping for air as the waters began to drown all that I had known. “Closer to the gods is this Cyclops, the blood of the Three running with the eternal mother. Furthest are you, Odysseus of Ithaca, from the loving arms of Penelope, and from the gaze of the immortals.

Home is a place of comfort, clarity, and relaxation. In The Odyssey, Odysseus uses a reverse metaphor in order to prove that one is truly at home in the presence of family and loved ones. When separated from this amenity, the emotional toll can cause a change of identity. In this particular passage, Odysseus morphs into the image of a distraught woman. This dramatic change represents the effect of Odysseus’ lack of contentment within his body and soul while away from home, which is represented by his wife, Penelope.

In The Odyssey, the act of storytelling plays a significant role in revealing the story of Odysseus. Each storyteller reveals a part of the past of Odysseus and his heroic deeds. Each of their stories gives insight into what a hero should be, according to the standards of the Greek society, and they each reflect a different aspect of a hero. When pieced together, each story becomes part of a whole, however, each has a different function within the epic. Some may not contribute to the hero directly, but teach a moral or lesson to the audience listening to the story. The audience directed towards is the Greek society and the morals are taught by storytelling. By using storytelling, a hero is often

I believe that there is room for human will in the Odyssey because Odysseus was able to compose his own decisions and choices which made an enormous difference. There has to be human will in this story because it wouldn’t be much of a story if all of the actions were decided by the gods. However if all of Odysseus’ choices were actually just the gods’ choices being acted out through him makes no sense because the gods’ liked to watch the humans and see what choices they make. The choices that are made in this story make an enormous difference and how events could have gone if the decisions were not made. There were many choices made in this story and there were helpful actions and there were unhelpful actions.

Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver's song 'Calypso'; is about the relationship between men and women, and he bases this comparison on the relationship between Kalypso and Odysseus in Homer's the Odyssey. In 'Calypso'; Denver portrays women in general as being superior to men by using the beautiful and enchanting goddess, Kalypso, from Homer's epic. John Denver encompasses all women in his song by providing Kalypso as a universal symbol. Along with the relationship between Odysseus and Kalypso and men and women, there are other interpreted allusions from the Odyssey to Kalypso's song.

The eight Greek Evil thoughts were a set of guidlines for the ancient greeks to follow. These guidelines helped the ancient greeks a better life. In The Odyssey, Odyssesus and his crew come to an island of cyclops an they stole food. Polythemus a gaint they met got mad then, ate two of his crew members and then, Odyssesus got him drunk and poked his eye. Odyssesus demonstrates some of the Greek evil thoughts. Philargryia is when someone is greedy or doing whatever it takes to get something, greed leads restlesses because when someone is greedy it’s caused by. Odysseus describes, “We lit a fire, burnt an offering, and took some cheese to eat; then sat in silence around the embers, waiting,” (The Cyclops. [219). This reveals Philargyria which is greed.

Intelligence and Curiosity In 1901 Nikola Tesla imagined a wireless communication system, otherwise known as a cell phone. His creation would not have been thought of without the traits of intelligence and curiosity. Intelligence and curiosity are traits that should be encouraged. Both Odysseus, from “The Odyssey” and Nikola Tesla, an inventor, show these traits.

Can you know true happiness without knowing sorrow? Happiness is a subjective emotion. Some people say they cannot be happy without first experiencing bad things. I do not think this is entirely true. Babies know happiness when they get to play with their favorite toy or when they see something new that excites them. Now some might argue that babies have experienced sorrow or unhappiness when they are crying however, I think their short attention span makes them forget sorrow much easier than happiness.

Deception is defined as a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud. People tend to view this as a sinister action. No matter how sinister it can be, it can also be utilized to gain information and knowledge. How a person uses deception varies among different people. Generally, the more clever people tend to utilize deception very efficiently. Odysseus masters deception in the Odyssey by disguising himself. Odysseus isn't alone for Athena also uses disguises. With that being said, disguises allow Odysseus to succeed in killing the suitors.