The Odyssey Response Paper - 1880 Words

True wisdom, according to the Odyssey, is having the ability to reflect on your experiences and tradition, and then doing what ought to be done in similar situations based on the virtues you learned and gained through these insights. The Odyssey portrays a man’s journey toward and growth in true wisdom through his better knowledge of human nature. He undergoes many different trials on his journey back to his home and family, and it is during these trials that Odysseus has insights into human nature. These insights lead to Odysseus’s newfound wisdom, which he achieves by the time he returns home to Ithaca. It is thus during Odysseus’s journey and return home that we most clearly see him growing in true wisdom and virtue. Homer begins the Odyssey with an ironic line: â€Å"This is the story of a man, one who was never at a loss† (p. 3). The irony of this line is seen numerous times throughout the book: Odysseus, who is usually never at a loss, is constantly at a loss. This is because he only knows how to be a man of cunning, and must learn to become a man of wisdom also. Odysseus is able to get his way many times by manipulating the situation with his cunning. But when he comes across a situation where his cunning is of no use to him, he finds himself at a loss because of his lack of wisdom. He does not know what ought to be done in most situations because he has not reflected very deeply on his own experiences, human nature, or tradition. This is evident after he tries to obtainShow MoreRelatedOdyssey Response Paper1240 Words   |  5 Pagesnature. The Odyssey is a story that has many examples of true wisdom in it. The story does this by following the progression of Odysseus, a Greek war hero, growing in wisdom over the course of his journey. Odysseus undergoes many hardships and struggles, and through these he grows in wisdom. At the end of his journey Odysseus has many problems at his home, where he hasn’t been in twenty yea rs, and there he uses his wisdom to solve these problems correctly. Homer’s first line in the Odyssey introducesRead MoreThe Odyssey By Robert Fagles926 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Odyssey delineates a journey as both a transformative and life-changing experience that does not necessitate physical travel. Such characters as Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, and Athena have undergone physical, imaginative, spiritual, and emotional travel, which has had a telling influence on their lives. The journeys have played a critical role in shaping, transforming, and developing the characters. This paper will detail the journeys undertaken by various characters in the Odyssey. OdysseusRead MoreThe Flight Of The Nez Perce And The Cheyenne Odyssey1496 Words   |  6 Pages The flight of the Nez Perce and the Cheyenne Odyssey/Exodus were two equally important parts of American Indian history. Nez Perce and the Northern Cheyenne shared a similar passion of wanting to be left alone in their lands but yet were forced off of them. Where they shared similarity they also had some differences in the specifics of their stories. This short paper will delve into the Nez Perce of the Far West and the Northern Cheyennes of the Great Plains and their truly admirable storiesRead MoreSocial Structure in Homers Odyssey1116 Words   |  5 PagesTalia Regan 05.29.13 Social Structure in Homer s Odyssey Homer s epic, The Odyssey , is a lengthy poem that recounts the Trojan war hero, Odysseus arduous and protracted journey home to Ithaca. In it, Homer accentuates the somewhat feudal nature of his world, a societal structure that far more resembles his own than that which actually existed in Mycenaean Greece, less to supplement the story, but rather to serve as the primary focus. Despite the feudal qualities of the world thatRead MoreEssay Burrhus Frederic Skinner1132 Words   |  5 Pagesway a person behaves and a human’s own behavior brings consequences that change his or her actions (B. F. Skinner). Dr. B.F. Skinner forged the theory of Behaviorism, â€Å"a school of psychology that rejects the unobservable and focuses on patterns of responses to external rewards and stimuli† (Skinner, B. F.). Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born March 20, 1904, and raised in Susquehana, Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a lawyer and his mother was a strong and intelligent housewife (Boeree). Skinner’sRead MoreFoils for Odysseus1448 Words   |  6 PagesCLAS 342 Paper Assignment #2 Character Foils for Odysseus The Odyssey is the epic that has been read time and time again, by varying ages, digging its way into our hearts, becoming an instant classic. Odysseus and the adventures of his homecoming create a much different tale than Homer’s other work, the Iliad, provided. The epic is not about bloodthirsty men trying to get their hands on kleos anymore; it is about the homecoming of a man who uses his wits, not his weapon. In the Odyssey, the charactersRead MoreOf Mice and Men2671 Words   |  11 Pagesreading Of Mice and Men, we will pause to make some observations. These observations are intended to improve your ability to see and interpret key ideas and events in the story. Write your responses to these questions on a separate sheet of paper as you read. It’s fine to type your responses if you prefer. Responses to each question should be thorough, not just a few words or single sentence. 1. Generate a list of five words that describe Lenny. After making the list, choose the one word you thinkRead MoreEssay on Jason vs Odysseus937 Words   |  4 Pagesantiquity, Jason and Odysseus have much in common and just as much not. It has been said that The Voyage of the Argo, written centuries past The Odyssey, is an imitation or some form of plagiarism of the primary epic poem of ancient Greece. I like the other train of thought; it is more an acknowledgement or tip of the hat, so to speak, specifically to The Odyssey. Both tales center on a hero and a fantastic voyage. Jason was less the virtuous demi-God we see in Odysseus. At first glance, he appeared anRead MoreThe Odyssey By Homer1337 Words   |  6 PagesTaylor Michael CLAS342 Paper #2 November 28, 2014 The Odyssey is a work by Homer, written to take place ten years after the fall of Troy. In the Iliad Odysseus was not a crucial character, but this particular text follows him around and details his experience after the war. To give some background, He has yet to return to Ithaca in the beginning of the text, away from his wife now for the duration of the battles as well as these ten years following. While he was gone, his palace was overthrown byRead MoreEssay on Role of Penelope in Homers Odyssey788 Words   |  4 PagesThe Role of Penelope in Homers Odyssey The character of Penelope in Homers Odyssey has served as an archetype of femininity proper. Her physical attributes, while comely by even the most demanding standards, are veiled. Her intellectual attributes are veiled too. She seems more often than not to wear a veil of tears (for her man) or a veil of silence (for her own wishes), or ineptitude (in her dealings with her son). She is certainly no Helen. She is not flaunting or whore-ish. She is not