The Role Of Hospitality In The Odyssey

The first part of hospitality is shown in the house of Telemachus. It is abused here by all the suitors. Telemachus becomes angry and says “For all the greatest men who have the power in the islands, in Doulichion and Same and in wooded Zakynthos, and all who in rocky Ithaka are holders of lordships, all these are after my mother for marriage, and wear my house out. And she does not

Xenia is the generosity and hospitality the Greek give to their guest when people come over to their home. Hospitality plays a major role in Greek society. In American society, today hospitality is not a priority. The most we do is let guest in to sit and offer maybe food and water. In the Odyssey Homer shows in Greek culture that hospitality is very important several times in the text and should treat everyone as royalty.

Mary Oliver and Homer use figurative language to reveal that people go on journeys to find what they are missing and explore their own character. The lesson that both pieces relay relates to many people. In life we all struggle to figure out just who we are and what we want. Through experiences and the people we meet we eventually are able to learn more about ourselves, this is conveyed through both pieces of

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and traveled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time”- Homer. Why do people go on journeys? What is the benefit, if anything? The Odyssey, written by Homer, describes the life of a man, Odysseus, who undertakes a journey to reach a destination. Leaving his home town of Ithaca, he arrives at Troy for the Trojan War.

Throughout Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus the main character in the story is tested with the true meaning of hospitality. In the heroic age, hospitality was viewed as punishment or acceptance of a stranger. While Odysseus longed for his return to home, he faced the two different kinds of hospitality offered within the heroic age. My theory is that Odysseus was provided with good hospitality when he would enter a town that allowed him to eat at their table, bathed within their baths, and sleep within their homes. The townspeople and their king often provided superior hospitality for strangers without questioning them first. It's thought that maybe the wonderful hospitality was provided in return of viewing the stranger as a

The Greeks have been known for their hospitality and politeness, especially when treating guests- whether strangers or not. This is demonstrated near the beginning of the Odyssey when Telemachus went to Pylos to visit Nestor. Nestor, not knowing who he was taking into his home as guests, treated them with great honor and respect. "Now is the time," he said, "for a few questions, now that our young guests have enjoyed their dinner. Who are you, strangers? Where are you sailing from, and where to, down the highways of sea water (p 299)?" If ever Greeks were to serve themselves before their guests or even a little better than them, then they were breaking the most basic of all Greek customs,

Have you ever been a guest in someone else's home? Well this ancient idea of hospitality was so key to the ancient Greeks, it was a central theme in one of the most famous epic poems of all time. The Odyssey by Homer, is a story told of a stranger traveling in strange new places trying to make his way home and surviving by the mercy and hospitality and others. Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, went away to fight for the Achaeans in the Trojan War and was cursed by the gods on his travels home. The Odyssey tells the story of his ten year journey home from Troy after it’s fall and the difficult situations and encounters the gods throw in front of him. He was able to make it home because of an ancient custom in Greece called “Xenia,” or hospitality, because of the generosity and care others gave to him. In Ancient Greece, the custom of Xenia was extremely important because it created an atmosphere of communal goodwill, provided a standard of shelter for people trying to survive, and encouraged positive relationships between strangers.

World War II (WWII) had an immense effect on the United States; culturally, economically, and industrially. Although no battles were fought on American soil, the war affected all phases of American life. Among the infinite of changes experienced by Americans during this time, there was a big shift in the industrial complex, a re-imagining of the role of women in society, and economic boost. Social shifts began to shape a new national identity which would change the country forever.

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, hospitality to a guest or a stranger that comes to their home was considered very crucial. The Greek considered the hospitality as a very important and natural behavior because they thought the stranger might be one of the gods who wants to test them. Throughout this epic poem, hospitality was shown numerous times in different situation and usually gave the guest or the stranger nice bath, food, drink, and place to sleep. However, not every person or a kyklop in the poem gives a nice greetings to his guests. Eumaios, a responsible swineherd, gives a great hospitality to “a beggar”, and Polyphemos, Poseidon’s son who’s a kyklop, fails to treat his guests nicely.

Each culture treats strangers and guests with distinct differences from every other culture. One of the most hospitable cultures was that of the ancient Greeks, exemplified in Homer’s The Odyssey by both gracious hosts and guests. In Greece and The Odyssey, not only was good hospitality etiquette expected, but the added pressure from the conviction that the gods would punish the host if guests were treated without respect (whether they were poor or rich) further compelled excellent manners. The Odyssey illustrates the proper etiquette when dealing with guests.

Hospitality is one of the most important and heroic facets of Greek culture that needs to be covered when examining the story line of the Odyssey. There are many settings within the Odyssey that contain both positive and negative connotations of hospitality, and it is important to explore both sides and see how they relate to each other.

“The author spoke of acute bodily illness- of a mental disorder which oppressed him” (pg. 204). Edgar Allan Poe was a very dark and mysterious author but all these stories related to Poe's life in some sort of fashion. House of Usher is about Roderick, his sister and the Narrator (a long time friend of Roderick’s). The siblings live in a large mansion that their family has lived in for centuries. The house is very dark and seems to have a spooky, evil feel to it. Roderick and his sister are ill, he decides to write a letter to his old friend the Narrator and ask him if he would come and take care of him and give him some company. Roderick and sister have a very unhealthy, unnatural and disturbing relationship, that results in the destruction of their lives and family estate.

The Odyssey is an epic poem attributed to the now-famous Greek poet, Homer, written approximately in the early sixth century B.C.E. The poem shares the tale of the wily adventuring solider, Odysseus', return from the Trojan war to his wife and home in Ithaca. The poem details his misadventures, the efforts of his son, Telemachus, to find him, and revenge on his wife's suitors. While many themes run through this poem, the most prevalent is that of hospitality. The Host-Guest relationship is significant in the Odyssey as it acts as one of the main thematic devices used by Homer and examples of good hospitality versus bad hospitality and their results serve as the main plot elements throughout the tale.

Hospitality shaped Greek life. This unspoken code, highly valued in Greek society, established responsibilities for both guests and hosts. Demonstrating generosity and kindness, honorable hosts offered their guests extravagant feasts, luxurious baths, and lavish housing. In response, gracious guests showed courtesy and respect to their hosts by refraining from abusing the hospitality extended towards them. Hospitality reveals the moral character of both hosts and guests in the Homerian epic The Odyssey.

Pausanias’ description, in essence his writing style, can be seen as both an advantage or a disadvantage; the determination of his style’s usefulness can only be made by each individual reader. He gives detailed scholarly descriptions of the placement and attributes of the statues and buildings within the agora. This side of his writing appeals to a more academic-oriented reader. Someone who is an archaeologist or an anthropologist would find his commentary in this style beneficiary in that it can be used presently to locate the things he describes. On the other hand, Pausanias finds a way to intrigue the not so scholarly type of reader. The detailed and vivid backstories he tells of the statues will not only capture the interest of those who are academically invested in the subject, but will also intrigue just a simple average reader.