- Which adventure do you feel was the most difficult one Odysseus faces? Why?
- Which adventure do you feel was the least difficult? Why?
- During these adventures, which decision was the best? Why?
- What is Odysseus's worst decision? Why?
- What do the majority of Odysseus's decisions during these adventures show about his character?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Adventures & Decisions
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Odysseus’s most difficult obstacle to face was by far the journey to land of the Laestrygonians. The journey to the land of the Laestraygonians was the most difficult because Odysseus could do nothing to save his own man from death. In fact the only reason Odysseus was able to escape them was “But I alone anchored my black ship outside, well clear of the harbor’s jaws” (233). So while his men were “Speared like fish” (234) by the Laestraygonians Odysseus and his shipmates fled to his ship in order to escape without harm. The easiest obstacle for Odysseus to face was most definitely the journey to Circe on her island of Aeaea. Odysseus’s journey to the island of Aeaea was the easiest because not only did he not lose any man, but Circe gave him helpful information on the duration of his journey. With the help of Hermes Odysseus was able to withstand Circe’s magic and quickly save his man.
Throughout the entire journey Odysseus’s best decision was the decision to tie his boat further away from the harbor then his other men when at the land of the Laestrygonians. This was Odysseus’s best decision because he saved all his crew members. If Odysseus did not tie his ship outside the harbor then he and his crew would also be eaten by the Laestrygonains, thus ending his journey. Odysseus’s worst decision was to pray to the god on the sun god’s island while his crew and Eurylochus conspired against him. Odysseus prayed to all the gods and they brought a dreadful sleep upon him “Father Zeus! ... You with your fatal sleep, you lulled me into this disaster” (282). Eurylochus then told the men to listen to him and said “I’d rather die at sea, with one gulp of death, than die by inches on this desolate island here!” (282). Enthused by Eurlochus’s speech the men killed the cattle thus in turn ending their lives. In the majority of these books Odysseus displays his character as someone who is extremely loyal to his men. Time and time again Odysseus proves that he wants all of his men to finish this journey with him. For example at Lotus-land the men begin eating the lotus and “I (Odysseus) brought them back, back to the hallow ships, screaming in tears” (214). Another example is when Odysseus buries Elpenor’s body just as Elpenor has asked “We’d burn the dead man and the dead man’s armor” (271). So as you can see Odysseus is always trying to do what is right for his crew, but sadly the gods are working against him and he is the only one to finish this long journey home.
In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus has to make many decisions and face difficult choices. The most difficult adventure Odysseus had to face was the journey to the underworld. This was the hardest because the longer a person is there, the more parts of soul that person loses. Plus, the actual journey is risky and most people die in the attempt. The easiest adventure Odysseus had to face was when he and his men went to Lotus Land. This was a simple journey because as long as he didn’t accept the lotus, he would remain lucid so he could get (or force) his men back to the ship. The best decision Odysseus made during his adventures was by far the decision to hide his men under the flock of sheep in Cyclops’ Land. This decision saved their lives, for if they hadn’t been well hidden the Cyclops’ would have known they were there and eaten the whole crew. Odysseus’ worst decision, however, was also made in Cyclops’ Land, when he and the crew were retreating. Odysseus started to taunt the Cyclops so it threw boulders at the ship and almost capsized the bard. This was foolish because he and his men would have wither drowned or have been forced to go back to shore and face the Cyclops, who would have surely eaten them. The results of all of Odysseus’ decisions show that he is a good leader. A person is a good leader if they take charge in a difficult situation. Odysseus is a good leader for many reasons, particularly because when his men were high off lotus and refused to leave Lotus Land, he took charge and got them out of there so they could continue on to their next voyage. Therefore, Odysseus has to make many decisions in The Odyssey, but always comes to the right choice.
In books 9-12 in The Odyssey, I think the most difficult place that Odysseus faces is Scylla. I think this because Odysseus knew that this was going to happen, but didn’t tell his men that six people were definitely going to die. This was also was the hardest place to face because Odysseus even says in the book, “ Of all the pitiful things I’ve had to witness, suffering, searching out the pathways of the sea, this wrenched my heart the most.”
The adventure that was the least difficult was, to me, was Lotus Land. I think Lotus land was the least difficult because, yes some of his crew the Lotus and wanted to stay, but Odysseus got all his men back, and no one had died.
During these adventures, the best decision that was made by Odysseus was leaving his boat far away from the coast in Laestroygonia. I think this was Odysseus’s best move because-because he did this, they at least had one ship to use. If he had brought his ship to the coast, his ship would have been crushed and everyone would have died from the cannibals that lived there.
Odysseus’s worst move was not telling his men what was in the bag that the King of Aeolia gave him. I think that this was his worst decision because his shipmates got extremely impatient about what was in the bad and wanted to open it, and so they did, while they were so close to Ithaca. Because his men did this, the bag of winds blew his ship all the way to the middle of the sea again.
The majority of Odysseus’s decisions during these adventures show how he loves his men and cares about them. I think this because as they went to all the islands he always tried to help them. An example of this is as they were in Sirens; he let all his men have the beeswax before he did so they wouldn’t be tempted to join the Sirens. Another example is Odysseus went all the way back to Aeaea just to bury his friend that died while they were there. He really and truly loved his men and misses them all dearly.
I think that during Odysseus’s journey, the most difficult adventure he faced was the encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. He and his men had to be very clever to get out of that dangerous situation, and I think it was a very smart idea to use the sheep as cover to exit the cave. I think Odysseus’s least difficult adventure was his first visit to Aeaea, where his men were turned into swine by Circe. It was easiest because Hermes helped Odysseus by giving him the moly, which left him unaffected by Circe’s potion. He really had very little to do in that adventure, seeing as the gods did everything for him. I think Odysseus’s best decision was not telling his men about Scylla and Charybidis until they were almost to the srait, so they wouldn’t be scared and hide under the decks. This was smart because he needed his men to keep rowing so they wouldn’t all die. I think Odysseus's worst decision was to brag to the Cyclops, and make an act of hubris, by telling Polyphemus where he lived, and what his name was. This resulted in disaster for him; the Cyclops called to Poseidon to make it so Odysseus would endure many hardships before he reached home. Most of Odysseus's decisions showed how much of a ‘manly man’ he was. All of these adventures were tests and trials to show how macho he was, and how he easily overcame most of his tasks.
In Books IX through XII in the Odyssey, Odysseus retells of his treacherous journey from Troy to Scheria. Each of his 17 stops holds an obstacle for him and his crew. Some obstacles and temptations were harder than others. I believe that Aeaea was the hardest obstacle to overcome. When first approaching this land, Odysseus sent a crew to scout out what the land held. They met Circe, the sorceress living on this island, and were enchanted by her wine, making them forget of their homeland and their journey. She then turned them into swine. Odysseus then had to figure out why his men weren't returning to the ship. On his way to discovery, he confronts Hermes and devises a plan involving sex, moly, and trickery. After Odysseus frees the men with his seduction towards Circe, they stay for a year because some spell caused them not to feel the laps of time. This was certainly the longest and most complicated bump on the road. However, some obstacles were not as hard to defeat. For example, when passing Sirens, all Odysseus had to do was plug his men's ears with wax and tie himself fast with ropes to avoid being lured by the Sirens. This stop was so easy, it was barely a stop, but rather a 'drive-thru.'
During Odysseus's journey, he makes many important decisions that have an impact the series of events. One of his best decisions seems selfish at first, but turns out to be what saves the whole journey. In Laestrygonia, he cleverly hides his ship , leaving the other five on the harbor. This way, if anything were to happen to the other ships, he would still have at least one vessel to sail away home in. And this was smart, the angered ogres stoned the ships, leaving only Odysseus's ship to continue on the journey. On the contrary, Odysseus also makes some poorer decisions. The worst of his decisions was when he revealed his identity after blinding Polyphemus, the cyclops. Previously, he cleverly said his name was "Nobody," but upon disembarking, he boasted, "Nobody didn't hurt you, Odysseus did!" This was the cause of the original wrath from the gods towards Odysseus, Poseidon especially.
Throughout this journey, Odysseus's traits as a leader are reflected. He strategically is clever and crafty, using words well, especially when dealing with opposing forces such as the Cyclops and Ogres. He is often caring and compassionate to his crew, as he fears mutiny. His bravery and determination also shine through when he perseveres despite the difficult journey. And although he has hubris at times, Odysseus is a good leader, despite the fact his crew didn't reach their destination with him. However, I believe he coped with the pressure of being the leader of such a large crew through obstacles testing physical vigor and emotional strength very well.
One of the most difficult adventures Odysseus has to face is when he had to pass by the Sirens Island. I think this because in the book it states, “ Soften some Beeswax and stop your shipmates’ ears so none can hear, none of the crew, but if you are bent on hearing, have them tie you hand and foot to the in the swift ship, erect at the mast-block lashed by ropes to the mast so you can hear the sirens song to your hearts content.”(273) And sure enough that’s exactly what Odysseus did, and he was lashed till they passed the sirens and their songs. The easiest adventure he had to face was when he had to rescue his shipmates from Circe. I think this because he had the help from Hermes and he tells Odysseus to eat molly, which is an Herb that will protect him from Circe’s drug. Also, to get them out all he had to do was to sleep with Circe and he and his men lived with her for a full year. Odysseus’ best decision was to stay on course and go straight through the straits between Scylla and Charybdis. I think this because if he didn’t stay on course he could have had the whole crew ills instead of just 6 of his men. His worst decision was when they were escaping from the Cyclops. I think this because Odysseus shouts to the Cyclops, “If any man on the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus Raider of Cities, he gouged your eye, Lartes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca.”(227) These decisions show that Odysseus has a strong spirit and isn’t afraid of any thing and will do anything to get home.
The most difficult challenge that Odysseus faced was at Cyclops Land. Not only did he have to outsmart the Cyclops to escape, he had to use brute force to injure Polyphemus to the point that escape was even possible. This was the most difficult adventure for Odysseus because of the combination of necessary smarts and strength. I feel that the least difficult adventure was at Lotus Land. All Odysseus had to do there was control the members of his crew who yearned to stay there with “the honey-sweet fruit.” It wasn’t a physically grueling adventure, nor did it really challenge him mentally.
During his adventures, his best decision was at the very beginning of his journey, in Troy. Odysseus cleverly devised a way to make it past the city’s walls: they constructed a huge wooden horse and hid in it while the Trojans took it into their city. This smart, insightful decision was ultimately why his side ended up winning the war. His worst decision was to tell Polyphemus his name. As we saw, this mistake had an almost fatal effect on the rest of his journey. Being Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus had a lot of power. Poseidon caused many problems for Odysseus down the road that could have been easily avoided had Odysseus been able to control his arrogance. Overall, Odysseus’ decisions show one thing about his character. He is a very clever, articulate man. He cleverly devises the plan of the Trojan horse, comes up with an escape from the home of a Cyclops, forces his men away from a cannibalistic country, and follows Circe’s advice to bring most of his men to safety, and sweet talks Calypso into falling in love with him.
Odysseus faces many difficult adventures. His most difficult on was at Ogyga. Here he had attempted to get away from the island but unsuccessful because of the tides forcing him in. He was also held there for seven years before he was let free. Although we do not know a lot about what happened here we can tell that he was always wanting to get home. The least difficult adventure for Odysseus was at Aeaea the second time he was there. This time he had to go and burry one of his soldiers that had fallen off a roof. He learned he had to do this when he went to the underworld and spoke the man. The task of burying his body had been relatively easy compared the rest of his adventures.
Thought these adventures facing the Sirens was the least difficult decision. Here he only had to make one decision and go with it. He had also informed his crew unlike with the bag of winds. With the orders he had given his men were able to be unfazed by their singing and he not be able to do anything about it. He knew he had to do this for the safety of his crew and himself. Odysseus's worst decision was when he told the Cyclops his name when he said "' Cyclops, / if any on the face of the earth should ask you / who blinded you. shamed you so-say Odysseus. / raider of cities, he who gouged out your eye, / Larates, son who makes his home in Ithica!"'(227, 558-562) this allowed Poseidon to know who blinded his son and be able to punish him with a large storm on his way home.
The majority of Odysseus's decisions were good. They were generally good because they were to protect his crew and get him home safely. although some decisions like not telling his crew what was in the bag and shouting his name to the Cyclops were not decisions, Overall they were good decisions. Some good decisions happened when he went Odysseus pulled his men away from the Lotus lands so he could save them and when he left his ship outside the harbor while the others went in and were killed. Overall the decisions Odysseus's decisions were good.
I feel that the most difficult adventure that Odysseus faces is when he has to not eat Helios’s cattle. I think that this is the hardest adventure because even though Odysseus is warned of his fate he has a mutinous crew. You can see an example of this when Odysseus’s crew opens the bag of winds and blows them back to Aeolus, when they were so close to Ithaca. Also, when they land on the island there is a great storm that keeps them from leaving. Eventually, they run out of food and the crew acts while Odysseus is sleeping. I feel that the adventure that was least difficult to face was in Locus land. I think this because there is no one trying to harm the men. All Odysseus has to do is drag a few of his men back on the ship.
During all of Odysseus adventures I feel that the best decision was to tell the Cyclops that his name was nobody. This is because when they blind the Cyclops he calls out to all of his friends for help, but because he says nobody is attacking him they don’t believe him. This act saved his life. While on his adventures Odysseus’s worst decision is when he taunted the Cyclops and tells him his name. This is a bad decision because the Cyclops is Posidens son. When Odysseus is leaving to go home to Ithaca Posiden hinders his return and makes him take a lot longer and almost kills him. The decisions that Odysseus makes during his journey shows that Odysseus is a good leader. On one occasion he gets his crew out of locus land because he doesn’t want to leave them behind. Also Odysseus is courageous because he goes into the underworld. When you enter into the underworld you can die. Even though he knows this he still goes on.
I believe that the most difficult adventure that Odysseus faces is the adventure is the one where he and his men end up going through the Strait of Messina and when they have their encounter with Scylla and Charybdis. I believe that it was the most difficult adventure for Odysseus for two reasons. The first reason was probably a mental burden. Before that encounter, when he was talking with Circe, she told him that he would have to face theses two monsters. But, Odysseus didn't want to scare his men, for fear that they would not accompany him. So, he did not tell his men. But, now that they are being eaten and killed, he must feel really horrible that if he had told them, they might not have gone and would still be alive. Their deaths were technically his fault. The second reason why I believe this was his most difficult adventure is the physical hardships of it. His ship is under attack by monsters and he has to defend himself as well and his men and steer the ship away from Charybdis. It must be very stressful and take a toll on one's body, and he took it head on.
I believe that the least difficult adventure that Odysseus faces is the adventure where he has to go up to Circe's home, on Aeolius, to convince Circe to turn his men back from swine to people. Even though he did, after all, have to go into the home of a which that could turn people into animals with magic, he did have two valuables sources that made his adventure much easier. One was that Hermes gave him herbs that would prevent him from being turned into an animal and Hermes told Odysseus exactly what to do. That made the job much easier. Also, since Odysseus was a natural smooth talker, he was able do convince Circe to change his men back. That was a natural gift that he was able to use easily.
I think that Odysseus' best decision was to abandon his other men on the island of the Lastrygonians. Even though many people see this as a cruel and bad decision, I do not. Even though he did abandon men that he might have needed later on, he probably would have died himself trying to save his men. The cannibals had already eaten a couple of his men and were destroying the ships. If Odysseus had stayed to save his men, all of the ships would have been destroyed, leaving them all stranded and left for dead. But, Odysseus was quick-thinking and was able to grab all of the men that he could and get out of there before the ship was destroyed and they would all die.
I think that Odysseus' worst decision was telling his name to tell the cyclops, Polyphemus, his real name after Odysseus stabbed him in the eye and blinded him. Even though the cyclops that he told his name to would never be able to find him due to his blindness, the other cyclopses would. Polyphemus would have been able to tell the other cyclopses the name and, since the cyclopses were closely linked with the gods, Odysseus could easily, in the future, be tracked down and killed by either the gods or a cyclops.
The majority of Odysseus' decisions show that he is very smart and is down-to-earth with his knowledge and uses it for what he thinks is the greater good. When he left his people on the island of Lastrygonians, he knew what he needed to do. He used his knowledge to make a good decision; he knew that if he went to help his men, he would also be killed in the process. Also, after talking with Circe and not telling his men about the danger, that showed that he knew what he should and shouldn't say. Even though it was wrong of him to lie, he knew that if he told his men, they would not go and they would be stranded. His decisions show that he has great knowledge and he knows how to use it.
I think the most difficult journey Odysseus faces was the journey to Hades and the experience he had there. I think this because it was a very dangerous journey to make and Hades burns your soul when you go into it. I also think it was difficult for him to hear of his future because that may have scared him, as well as all the dead spirits. I also think it was difficult for him to hear of his homeland of Ithica from his dead mother who said she died out of grief for him. The adventure that I think was the least difficult for Odysseus was sirens and their mesmerizing song. I think this because all he had to do was listen to Circe's directions and sail past with the beeswax in his crew's ears and him tied down, then they were done with that "adventure". During these adventures, I think Odysseus's best decision was in Cyclops Land, he was very clever and able to get him and his men out of fatal situation. I think Odysseus's worst decision was not being straight forward with his men on what was in the bag that he received from Aeolus because he was almost a little deceitful, he was blown away from Ithica when they were in sight of the island. I think that the majority of Odysseus's decisions showed that he was smart and clever.
In my opinion, I think the adventure that was most difficult Odysseus faces was to Hades. It is because it would take someone courageous to go down there. Your soul would burn up easily if something went wrong. The adventure that was the least difficult was to Aeolus. It is because there were friendly people who welcomed them really well. For example, they gave them food, drinks, gold, and supplies. They also sent them off to a good start back home with great winds, keeping the bad winds in a bag. During the adventures, the best decision was when Odysseus dragged his men back to the ships when they were at Lotus Land, since his men ate the fruit and were forgetting about going home. He didn’t leave any man behind in Lotus Land, which showed that he was a thoughtful friend who couldn’t leave without any of his friends or men. The worst decision was when Odysseus chooses to go through the Straits of Messina, knowing that Scylla will be waiting any moment to take his men. His men had died and some more almost died in the whirlpool Charybdis had made. The majority of Odysseus’s decisions during these adventures show about his character are that he is a brave and intelligent. It is because he is wise in the actions he will do or has done. He is also a smooth talker. He is brave enough to go to a place no other man would ever dare to go to so that it shows he is heroic and a manly man.
· I believe the most difficult adventure that Odysseus faced was when most of his squadron was destroyed by the Lastrygonians. Only one out of twelve ships escaped, and on the single ship that was left Odysseus and his crew wept for their lost friends. This was difficult to face because Odysseus was taken completely by surprise and could not do anything to rescue his ships, losing the vast majority of his men.
· I feel that Odysseus’s least difficult adventure was when he was first received by King Aeolus. The King fed him and his men well, also giving them innumerable gifts of gold and valuable goods. In addition to these things, Odysseus was given a bag of winds, which would ensure his fleet a smooth journey home. This bag, however, would cause more trouble than anyone could expect, eventually dooming all of Odysseus’s men.
· I think that Odysseus’s best decision was when he chose to follow Circe’s advice by putting wax in his crewmembers’ ears and telling them to tie him to the mast. By doing this, the ship would not be destroyed by the Sirens, who wished for all ships to be destroyed. This was his best decision because he followed Circe’s suggestion to the fullest and lost not a single man. In some of his other decisions, he followed his own wishes and paid for them.
· I say that Odysseus’s worst decision is when he decides to remain in the Cyclops’s cave, despite advice from a crewmember that they should steal some food and leave. Odysseus chooses to remain and receive a guest gift, oblivious to the giant who is about to return to his cave, angry with the trespassers that he finds. The Cyclops (Polyphemus was his name) killed six of the twelve crewmembers that Odysseus brought with him to the cave and would have killed all of them if Odysseus had not led them to escape. This was a bad decision because Odysseus neglected the advice of another and paid for it.
· The majority of Odysseus’s decisions show him to be very human, making bad mistakes and good choices. He usually redeems himself after he fails his to choose wisely, which also shows him to be human.
Odysseus faced many adventures on his way home, of various difficulties. I believe that enduring 7 years on Ogygia with Calypso was the most trying on Odysseus. I believe this because of several reasons; Firstly, he refused the gift of ageless immortality, which had never been granted before. In addition, he would not have escaped Calypso without outside interference whereas he made it through all of the other adventures. Furthermore, on Ogygia he finally has time to think about all of his failures and the loss of his men. In contrast, I believe that the Lotus Eaters were the least dangerous obstacle. They had no malignant feelings toward Odysseus, and didn't do much to his fleet; Out of over a thousand (this is implied by you, Ms. Breisch) men, they only harmed three men, and even then temporarily. Odysseus faces no real challenge here, and thus this is the easiest trial.
Odysseus also made many decisions on his journey back to Ithaca. I believe that he made his best choice at the beginning of his journey by ending the Trojan war. I believe this because he ended 9 years of warfare and gained much treasure and prestige. Unfortunately, this is undone by the worst choice he made, which was taunting the Cyclops. I believe this because it is this choice that dooms his journey home. Had he kept his tongue, he would have arrived safely to Ithaca without the many perils which befell him.
His actions show much about his character; the majority of his actions show that he cares for his men and will do much for them. He 'mounted Circe's bed', brought back the three men that ate the lotus, and shared Circe's warnings with his men. He is also cunning, as shown when he ends the Trojan War. However, he is also prideful; this is shown when he attempts to fight Scylla taunts the Cyclops; Odysseus is a good leader and cunning, but his pride is his undoing.
**Seeing that all of the information comes from paraphrasing chapters 9-12, I saw no need for quotes. **
Which adventure do you feel was the most difficult for Odysseus? Why?
I feel the Cyclops Land was the most difficult for Odysseus. After his men land on the island they are captured by the great Cyclops Polyphemus. Once in his cave, Odysseus is forced to stand back and watch his men be devoured alive by this savage beast until he can devise a plan to escape. Eventually he and his men stab Polyphemus with a spear they make out of an olive branch, and they escape the cave disguised as sheep.
Which adventure do you feel was the least difficult for Odysseus? Why?
In my opinion, Ismarus seemed to be the easiest adventure for Odysseus. Him and his men were just back from a victory in Troy, and were well armed and ready for a good battle. This is also the only adventure he and his men do willingly. There was no real reason they had to stop at Ismarus, and even if there was there was no reason they had to raid the city. They did it only because they wanted to. In short, the raid of Ismarus seemed in my mind to be the easiest adventure Odysseus went on.
During these adventures, which decision was the best? Why?
Odysseus is faced with a difficult decision in Lastrygonia. Him and his men’s ships are being attacked by the giant Lastrygonians throwing boulders at them. He is forced to cut his own ship’s ties and sail away rather than to stay and fight in the hopes of saving his men‘s lives. Him and his men never actually stood a chance against the giants, and by cutting his own ties he managed to save his ship and himself rather than be sunk like the other 11 ships.
What was Odysseus’ worst decision? Why?
Odysseus’ worst decision was to taunt Polyphemus after he stabbed him. While taunting him, Odysseus lets his real name slip. With that he gets the god of the sea and also father of Polyphemus, Poseidon, angry with him for stabbing out Polyphemus’ eye. It was absolutely unnecessary to taunt Polyphemus, and he could of got away with stabbing him in the eye if he hadn’t told him who he really was.
What do the majority of Odysseus’ decisions during these adventures show about his character?
These adventures are all to show him being a man, and showing how much of a man he really was. This being said, many of his decisions show his courage and manliness. For instance, he has to journey to the underworld to meet with a great prophet. The only problem with entering the underworld is it can burn your soul. Odysseus gladly accepts the challenge, knowing fully what the consequences could be. It is decisions like these that show you how courageous this man truly was.
Odysseus went on many adventures. However, the adventure that is the most difficult is when he travels to the Underworld. The Underworld is the most difficult adventure because when you go down to the underworld it can burn your sole away and only a few people come back alive. This quote shows how even Odysseus was afraid to go. “You must travel down to the House of Death…crushed the heart inside me. I knelt in her bed and wept. I’d no desire to go on living and see the rising light of day” (page 245-246 lines 539-548). Although Odysseus was afraid to travel to the Underworld, he did go threw with the journey. That shows how brave Odysseus is and how difficult of a journey it was for him to because he could have burned up his sole. As you can see, the adventure to the Underworld was the most difficult of them all.
Threw out Odysseus’s many adventures the least difficult one of them all was when he went to Lotus Land. This was the easiest adventure because it didn’t require a lot of work. It also didn’t take up as much time. Some of Odysseus’s men started eating the lotus and they became addicted. “ But I brought them back, back to the hollow ships, and streaming tears-I forced them under the row of benches, lashed them fast and shouted out commands to my other, steady comrades…so none could eat the lotus, forget the voyage home” (page 214 lines 110-115). Odysseus was very caring and didn’t want to leave a man behind, even though it would have made the adventure even easier. In conclusion, the adventure to Lotus Land was the easiest adventure of them all.
During these adventures, Odysseus’s best decision is to go to the Underworld. It was the best decision because Odysseus was able to talk to his mom and find out what was going on back at home. “She’s still waiting there in your halls, there in you halls, poor woman, suffering so, her life an endless hardship like your own…wasting away the nights, weeping away the days. No one has taken over your royal rights, not yet, Telemachus still holds your great estates in peace…” (page 255 lines 206-211). This shows that his was the best decision because now Odysseus knows what is going on at home and how Penelope is doing and that she is still loyal to him. As you can see, traveling to the Underworld was the best decision Odysseus made.
Odysseus's also makes some bad decisions. Odysseus’s worst decision was when he told the Cyclops what his real name was and where he lived. “…but they could not bring my fighting spirit round. I called back with another burst of anger, Cyclops-if any man on the face of the Earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Leartes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (page 227 lines 557-562). This was a bad decision because it infuriated Poseidon, thus creating trouble for the rest of his journey. As you can see, Odysseus’s worst decision was telling the Cyclops his real name.
Based on the majority of Odysseus's decisions during these adventures, you can come to the conclusion that Odysseus is brave and a good leader. You can see how Odysseus is brave by the adventure of the Underworld. Odysseus had to go to the Underworld knowing that he may not survive it. You can see how Odysseus is a good leader because he didn’t leave a man behind. “ But I brought them back, back to the hollow ships, and streaming tears-I forced them under the row of benches, lashed them fast and shouted out commands to my other, steady comrades…so none could eat the lotus, forget the voyage home” (page 214 lines 110-115). This quote shows how Odysseus is a good leader because even though it was only two men he still went back and got them. In conclusion, Odysseus is brave and a good leader.
The most difficult adventure Odysseus faces is at the end of Book XII. Odysseus and his crew are sailing away from Thrinicia and they are clearly going to be punished. One reason is because Polyphemus told Poseidon that he wanted Odysseus to either not make it home, or make it home a broken man with no crewmates left. Also, in Thrinicia, Odysseus has his men promise not to hunt Helios’ cattle, no matter how hungry they are, or Zeus will punish them. Unfortunately, Odysseus’ men end up killing and feasting on Helios’ cattle causing Zeus to kick up a furious storm destroying the ship, and sending everyone, except Odysseus, to their death. This must have been the most difficult for Odysseus because now, not only is he not home, he is stranded out at sea, all by himself. As a result, all of his future adventures are going to have to be faced alone, and his men were also his good friends. I believe that his least difficult adventure was to the Sirens, although without Circe’s help, my opinion would be different. Circe instructs Odysseus to plug his men’s ears with beeswax so they can’t hear the Sirens song. The Sirens song reveals the future, however, it is very seductive. Because of this, Circe tells Odysseus to have his men tie him to the ship’s mast. This journey was very short and the least difficult.
Odysseus’ best move was when he was stopping at Laestrygonia. There was a cove where all of the ships, except Odysseus’, docked. Odysseus makes a very smart move when approaching this unfamiliar place because, come to find out, the Laestrygonians are giants, and begin to chuck huge rocks at the ships. The ships in the cove all sank, however, Odysseus’ survives because since they are outside the cove, they can escape by rowing for their lives. On the other hand, he makes his worst move when sailing away from Aeolia the first time. He stayed up for 5 days and 5 nights straight and finally couldn’t take it any longer and fell asleep. Meanwhile he was sleeping, his greedy crewmembers open the bag King Aeolus gave them. They thought that Odysseus was hiding gold or food, so they opened it. Come to find out that what King Aeolus gave them was a bag of bad winds so they could make it home by the current of the good winds. If Odysseus hadn’t fallen asleep, or even left a trusted man in charge, they would have made it home.
The majority of Odysseus’ decisions show that he is leader material. His scheming plans that end the Trojan War and telling Polyphemus his name was ‘nobody’ shows that he is clever. He is definitely one who believes in ‘no man left behind’. When his men ate the Lotus, causing them to want to stay in Lotus Land, he dragged them down to the row benches. Plus, when Circe turns some of the men into pigs, he risks his life to go and save them. Both of these times he could have just left his men, but being the caring person he is, he didn’t. Additionally, he is very smart. The gods love him and when they tell him something, he listens to their words carefully. Some might just disregard what the gods were telling them. Furthermore, in Scylla and Charybdis, he didn’t tell his men that six of them were going to die. This is really smart, because otherwise, the men would have panicked. Odysseus has all the traits that ever good leader should have.
While trying to escape Cyclops Land, Odysseus faced the most difficult adventure. He needed to find a way for him and his men to escape Polyphemus’s lair without being eaten (some of them were before they finally escaped). Unfortunately, a gigantic boulder sealed the cave from the outside world. Odysseus had to get Polyphemus drunk, gouge his eye, and hide under a goat before he finally could escape. Those events, in my opinion, make for a very complicated adventure. Being tempted by the Sirens was probably the easiest obstacle for Odysseus to face, because although he was entranced and bewitched by the Sirens’ calling to him, his crew was still in control of themselves. They were prepared for the Sirens, also. Odysseus was tied up ahead of time, and the crew put beeswax in their ears so that they could not hear the Sirens themselves. While many of the crew died in other adventures, none died in this one. The best decision Odysseus made during his adventures was to make a large wooden horse and hide soldiers in it during the battle at Troy. Because of this, the soldiers were able to get through the city walls and surprise-attack the Trojans at night. This was how they won the Trojan War. The worst decision Odysseus made was waiting for Polyphemus to return home instead of looting his house and returning back to the ship. Odysseus could have avoided the deaths of some of his best men if he had only escaped while he had the chance. He should not have been so trusting that whoever lived there would be friendly and hospitable. Overall, the majority of Odysseus’s decisions show that he is clever and brave.
The adventure that I feel was the most difficult one for Odysseus to face was when he goes past the Straits of Messina. Here, he has to face Scylla and let her eat up six of his men. This hurts him because he has already lost so many men, and now, he loses six more. It was also tough on Odysseus because he sees his men’s faces when they are being taken away, their faces sad and begging for help, but Odysseus cannot do anything, letting his men down. Odysseus said that it “wrenched [his] heart the most” (page 279). I think that the easiest adventure that Odysseus had to face was when his men became stuck on Lotus Land, addicted to the Lotus. None of Odysseus’s men died, and it did not really put much of a strain on Odysseus, physically and mentally. Odysseus’s best decision during the adventure chapters is the decision to leave Circe’s island. After being on the island for a year, they were starting to lose sight of Ithaca. With help from his crew, Odysseus makes the decision to leave Circe and continue his journey home. I think Odysseus’s worst decision during these adventure chapters was during chapter nine, when they are on the Cyclops’ Land. On Cyclops’ Land, Odysseus and his men steal the sheep and food of the Cyclops, and his men advise Odysseus to be quick and hurry up once they get the food. However, Odysseus decides to stay a little longer and eventually causes all of them to become stuck in Polyphemus’s cave where a few of his men die. Also, when Odysseus is leaving Cyclops’ Land, he shouts out to Polyphemus his real name out of hubris, and ends up getting Poseidon mad at him, which in the end comes back to hurt Odysseus. The majority of these decisions show that Odysseus has a strong will and usually does the right things. He always keeps his goal in mind when making his decisions. His decisions show that he is clever and a quick thinker. There have been times where Odysseus has used clever methods to get away from things, such as in the Cyclops’s cave. It shows Odysseus is smart, and ethically right.
The adventure that was the most difficult for Odysseus to face was traveling to Hades. Hades is known as the underworld and if you stay there for too long it begins to eat out your soul. Most people didn’t come out of the underworld alive. Also, in Hades Odysseus had to view many of the punishments that certain people had to suffer for the rest of their lives. For example Sisyphus, who struggled to push a boulder up a hill, but as soon as it reaches the top it rolls back down again. Another reason it was so hard, is because Odysseus had to see many other spirits and prophets while there. One person he talks to his Agamemnon who tells Odysseus the story of his murder. Another person is his own mother, Anticleia, who explains how she died of a broken heart awaiting his arrival back to Ithaca. Tiresias, a prophet, confronted him and they had a conversation about Odysseus’s return home and how Poseidon was punishing the Achaeans. He even has an encounter with his own crewmate who had just died, Elpenor. He ordered Odysseus to carry out a proper burial for him on Circe’s island. Lastly, Odysseus hears many intense stories while there and has to deal with many spirits who are all asking about their relatives who are still alive.
The adventure that was the easiest for Odysseus was the one he experienced on the land of the Lotus-Eaters. To get there, the crew was drifted by a storm sent by Zeus for nine days. Here the natives gave Odysseus and his crew intoxicating fruit that made them forget any memories of home. After eating it they had no longing to return home and had no reason to go back. This was easy because it wasn’t a lot of work to get to the island since they were drifted by a storm. Also, they just ate fruit while on the island there were no actual events. The only other thing that did happen that wasn’t really a hardship was that Odysseus had to drag the men off the island since they wanted to stay there forever.
Odysseus’s best decision during the adventures was the one he made before entering the straights of Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus knew how dangerous the two monsters were. The six-headed monster, Scylla, eats one sailor for each of his heads every time a ship passes. The other monster, Charybdis, is a huge whirlpool who threatens to swallow the ship. Though he knew, he decided not to warn his crew because he knew that they would be frightened and too afraid to travel in that direction. This was a very good move on Odysseus’s part because by the time the crew figured out they didn’t have time to be scared instead they had to face the situation. I think one of Odysseus’s worst decisions was telling the Cyclops, Polyphemus that he was indeed Odysseus. This wasn’t the brightest idea because Polyphemus wanted to get revenge on Odysseus for getting him drunk, stabbing him in the eye with a red-hot staff, and then escaping. Since he is Poseidon’s son, he will most likely ask his father for vengeance on Odysseus. Poseidon will be more than willing to help destroy and kill him.
The majority of Odysseus’s decisions during these adventures show that he is very courageous. This idea was seen throughout the story because in Greek mythology Odysseus was known as one of the most famous hero’s. That is why bravery is one of his most important traits.
Odysseus faces many struggles and adventures on his journey homebound. Unfortunately, his most difficult struggle came at Laestrygonia. His most difficult challenge was when the Laestrygonians slaughtered the men of 11 of the 12 ships and destroying them. The Laestrygonians, “Down from the cliffs they flung great rocks a man could hardly hoist and a ghastly shattering din rose up from all the ships- men in their death-cries, hulls smashed to splinters- They speared the crews like fish and whisked them home to their next grisly meal.” As you can see, Odysseus’s most difficult struggle was the one with the most casualties.
However, through his journey, there was an easy journey. His journey to the island of Aeaea was the easiest. Although Odysseus has his men turned into pigs, Hermes comes and tell Odysseus how to counter Circe. He ends up sleeping with her and enjoying many luxuries in her palace. For example, Circe’s maids, “One draped the chairs with fine crimson covers over the seats she’d spread with linen cloths below. A second drew up silver tables before the chairs and laid out golden trays to hold the bread. A third mulled heady, heart-warming wine in a silver bowl and set out golden cups. A fourth brought water and lit a blazing fire beneath a massive cauldron. The water heated soon and once it read the boil in the glowing bronze she eased me into a tub and bathed me from the cauldron, mixing the hot and cold to suit my taste, showering head and shoulder down until she’d washed away the spirit-numbing exhaustion from my body. The bathing finished, rubbing me sleek with oil, throwing warm fleece and a shirt around my shoulders, she led me in to sit on a silver-studded chair, ornately carved, with a stool rest my feet.” In this quote, it shows the many luxuries that Odysseus faced when he was in Aeaea, making it obviously the easiest journey of all.
His best decision was made during his most difficult struggle. Odysseus hid his own ship outside of the harbor, preventing him from becoming food to the Laestrygonian cannibals. “We entered a fine harbor there, all walled around by a great unbroken sweep of sky-scraping cliff and two steep headlands, fronting each other, close around the mouth so the passage in is cramped. Here the rest of my rolling squadron steered, right into the gaping cove and moored tightly, prow by prow. Never a swell there, big or small; a milk-white calm spreads all around the place. But I alone anchored my black ship outside, well clear of the harbor’s jaws.” Because he did this, he saved his own life and his crew’s life.
His worst decision started the entire troublesome journey. Odysseus’s worst decision was taunting Polyphemus. He yelled, “Cyclops – if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded, shamed you so – say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” Polyphemus prayed to Poseidon to go against Odysseus. Because Odysseus told Polyphemus his name, Odysseus was basically condemned to a horrible journey homebound.
What does this all say about Odysseus? His decisions show that he is smart and safe, taking precautions that his men would not, such as hiding his ship. However, his other decisions show that Odysseus is a bit arrogant, taunting Polyphemus and therefore, condemning him to his horrible journey home.
I think that the adventure that was most difficult for Odysseus was passing Scylla and Charybdis. This was the most difficult because Odysseus had to keep his men calm while Scylla attacked. He also knew that he would lose six of his men. “…now Scylla snatched six men from our hollow ship” (Page 278, line 265). This quote shows the six men dieing. Also he didn’t want Charybdis to swallow his boat and die. I think that the least difficult was passing the Sirens. I think this because he only had to get tied to the post and have his crew’s ears stuffed with beeswax. This was not the hardest task Odysseus had to overcome. I think that the best decision Odysseus made was hiding his boat outside the harbor when the Laestrygonians attacked the ships. He was able to escape with one ship full with some of his crew. I think this was the best decision because he hid his ship, was very clever and thought in advance. I think that Odysseus’s worst decision was staying on Ismarus too long. Because of this error, he lost 6 men per ship. In the story it says, “Out of each ship, six men-at-arms were killed; the rest of us rowed away from certain doom” (page 213, lines 69-70). He lost men for no reason and this could have been avoided. I think that the majority of Odysseus’s decisions show that he is very strong, brave, and very loyal to his crew. He tries to protect them whenever he could. He faces certain doom many times and he lives through all of it.
The hardest of Odysseus’s obstacles was when he lost almost all his men and ships at the land of the Laestrygonias. This is because of Odysseus’s loyalty to everything he should be loyal to and he couldn’t do anything to help save his men from the cannibals. His men were probably tired of sailing for many days before getting so close before having to do it again. This made them fight less as hard as they usually did. The only reason why Odysseus survived was because he decided to put his ship outside of the port. This was the hardest obstacle that Odysseus had met throughout his journey. Odysseus’s easiest obstacle was Aeaea. This is because he got to listen to a god and get on his god side before having fun and taking a bath. This could be argued that time slowed down there and that slowed their journey back home but they really had no hardships to face. The best decision that Odysseus makes throughout the journey back to Ithaca was when he decided to tie his ship outside the port at Laesrtygonia. This led to him being able to lift off quickly and survive by cutting the ropes binding him to the terrible place. This is why this decision was the best because it allowed him to survive and as his men on his ship did. Odysseus’s worst decision made throughout the journey was that when he taunted the one eyed beast, Polyphemus, after being able to live and sailing away from his prison. This made the beast yell and pray to Poseidon that Odysseus never reach home after a long long time. All of these decisions and more of them showed what needed to be showed by Odysseus, that he was a true man and could withstand any of the hardships that came his way and get back home to Ithaca.
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