Reflections on the Odyssey ^_^

The Odyssey by Homer is a Greek epic poem that was used to teach important Greek virtues. The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. The war was fought because a woman named Helen left her husband, a Greek king to be with the prince of Troy. This story is the background for the Odyssey. The Odyssey is about a great solider named Odysseus attempting to return home from the war. At the beginning of the story it has been ten years since he left Ithaca. His journey home takes ten more years.

The beginning shows the Homer’s devotion to the Greek gods.  He gives a prayer to a Muse. The nine Muses were believed to be daughters of Zeus and they inspired people to produce art, poetry and music. Homer calls on them to help him with the writing of The Odyssey. 

Throughout the book, Greek culture and d religion are found.  He Greek gods play a very important role in the story. For example, being stubborn and full of themselves, Odysseus and his men don’t offer anything to the god of the sea, Poseidon. In return Poseidon and Zeus cause misery to Odysseus and his men and prevent them from ever returning home. Also some gods are in favor of Odysseus, like Athena, who is Zeus’s favorite daughter. She tries to help him.

In Calypso the Sweet Nymph Odysseus is trapped on an island with calypso. He is somewhat willing to be there but longs to return to Ithaca. It describes how he sits on the shore and cries looking longingly out towards the sea. This reminded me of a girl I shared a tent with at camp one year. She really missed her family and would sometimes just sit on the edge of the tent platform looking longingly at the woods as if her family would appear there at any moment. The way Homer describes the scenery of the island reminds me of a place my family often went camping called Kelly’s Island. The beach there is sort of like the one in the story was described.

Some allusions to the Odyssey in modern culture are:

§  The Honda Odyssey

§  Trident brand gum because Poseidon is symbolized by the trident

§  Star Wars, was loosely based off of the Odyssey

§  On The Simpsons there was an episode that depicted the Odyssey using characters from the show

§  Another reference to The Simpsons is the character Homer’s name because the poet who wrote the Odyssey was named Homer

§  The movie called 2001 Space Odyssey has the same theme and a similar plot to the Odyssey

§  In both the Star Trek movies and TV shows there are many allusions to the Odyssey for example, in one episode a group of people are stuck on a planet with holographic people who are trying to persuade them to forget their mission and stay. This is similar to The Lotus Eaters.