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Odysseus And Religion

Decent Essays

The lure of temptations has often played an integral role in the human experience, for many a times, one’s has sacrificed his or her worldly duties and succumbed to primordial urges. From Odysseus and the Sirens, to the story of Adam and Eve, the reference to this Faustian ideal in literature has been ever pervading. Contemporary thought, especially religion, links these desires of temptation as sin and a lack of self-control, and views the discipline of overcoming such impulses as holy or righteous. Such is demonstrated in the tale of the “Temptation of Christ”, where Jesus, after refusing Satan’s attempts to allure him in the desert, is rewarded by angels and is sanctified. Simmilarly “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost mirrors these ideals, suggesting that while the temptations one encounters in life may be strong, overcoming such urges and delaying gratification satisfies the human spirit …show more content…

However, the traveler, much like Odysseus, realizes the folly of being attracted to the illusory beauty of the forest and continues on his journey of life due to the obligations he has to perform, as seen through the refrain at the end of the last stanza “But I have promises to keep, and miles before I sleep.” In this case the sleep described in the text could either refer to rest at the end of one’s duties or death after completing one’s responsibilities while living. Additionally, the village and the horse in the poem assume and personify the position of “civilization”, who would discourage and condemn being tempted by the woods. Society’s criticism is embodied by the horse who “gives his harness bells a shake, to ask if there is some mistake.” The act of the horse questioning the traveler’s actions, even if it is only in the subconscious of the traveler, points to the inherent human-like qualities of the given

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