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Odysseus Obstacles Faced In Homer's The Odyssey

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The epic poem called The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus and is men's journey home from the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men experience many obstacles throughout the story, and we are able to see this. He and his men are faced with whirlpools, six headed monsters, and sirens throughout the story. Odysseus had a strong army with him but their disobedience gets them into trouble on their journey home to Ithaca. Odysseus and his men got the Greek gods angry on their trip home by hurting Poseidon's son the Cyclops, and by eating Helio's cattle. During The Odyssey Odysseus and his men jabbed the Cyclops's eye out with an olive branch because they need to escape from the cave the Cyclops, Polyphemus, locked them in. Once Odysseus and his men got out the cave Odysseus found out that Poseidon was Polyphemus's father, and to eventually be lead on a deadly journey by Poseidon as a punishment for what they have done. In the …show more content…

Helios told Odysseus and his men not to eat the cattle, but while they were there Eurlochos convinced all of Odysseus’s men to eat some of Helios’s cattle. Helios got angry at Odysseus and his men, so he prayed to Zeus for terrible thing to happen to them. Zeus returned Helios’s prayer, and threw a lightning bolt to destroy Odysseus’s ship. In the story Odysseus says “…then savory odors of burnt fat eddied around me; grief took hold of me...[Helios] ‘O father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, punish Odysseus’ men!...[Zeus] let me throw down a white-hot bolt, and make splinters of their ship in the winedark sea” (Homer, lines: 896-915). This shows that Odysseus and his men disobeyed a god so they would have to suffer the loss of their ship. If Odysseus’ men had not ate the cattle it would not of lead to the destruction of their ship, but because of their disobedience they had to suffer the

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