An Essay on The Odyssey

In Ancient Greece, people predominantly put a lot of emphasis on leadership,

hospitality, family, and the roles of gods. Homer, the author of this epic poem,
uses the conventions of epic poetry in The Odyssey to highlight these values. The
most important convention which will be focused on in this essay are the roles of
gods and leadership. Throughout the book, the conventions Homer uses are epic
simile, divine intervention, and hubris. The poem’s main character, Odysseus,
demonstrates leadership, whereas Poseidon, Zeus, and Athena represent the
roles of the gods. In the following paragraphs below, the values mentioned above
will be revealed and elaborated on in detail in order to show varying aspects of
Greek society.

First of all, Odysseus’s fate was interfered with by Athena and Poseidon
during his heroes journey. In Book One, Athena pleads with her father, Zeus, to
take pity on Odysseus and allow him to return home. Homer uses the convention
of epic simile to show how Athena helped to liberate Odysseus from Calypso, and
then visit Ithaca to advise King Odysseus’s son, Telemachus. On page 79, Homer
uses negative connotation, wave-washed island, dark wooded island (citation) to
describe the island. These words allow the reader to imagine that there is a
heavy wind blowing on the island, strong waves crashing against the island, and
evil spells surrounding the island. “He suffers torments off on a wave-washed
island rising at the center of the seas. A dark wooded island, and there a goddess
makes her home, daughter of Atlas, wicked Titan who sounds the deep in all its
depths” (H. (2006). Athena then inspires the Prince. In The Odyssey (Vol.
Penguin Book, p. 79) In addition, Homer’s use of diction makes Calypso seem as
if she is a witch who is trying to spellbind Odysseus, and wipe all thoughts of
Ithaca from his mind. Through the roles of gods, epic convention, Athena uses
her power positively to support Odysseus. On the other hand, in Book 5,
Poseidon found out that the other gods planned to help Odysseus to return home
during Poseidon's absence. As a result, Poseidon stirs up a storm, which nearly
drags Odysseus under the sea. Luckily, with the god's support again, Odysseus
swim up the coast and rest on Scheria. In page 162, Homer uses parallelism to
show that the interference by Poseidon is serious and continuous. “At that, a
massive wave came crashing down on his head, a terrific onslaught spinning his
craft round and round— he was thrown clear of the decks—” (H. (2006).
Odysseus-Nymph And Shipwreck. In The Odyssey (Vol. Penguin Book, p. 162)
Moreover, by the use of diction and synonyms, Homer creates a tense feeling to
show how Poseidon is being dead serious, doing everything within his power to
stop Odysseus from returning home. Through the roles of gods and epic
convention, Poseidon uses his power negatively trying to stop Odysseus from
going home. To conclude, by using alliteration, negative connotation, parallelism,
and diction, Homer demonstrates how the gods interfere with Odysseus’s Hero’s
Journey.

The Greeks valued the role of the family greatly, the family is shown as the
top priority even nowadays. A good example is when Odysseus refused the
amazing offers from the gods and went through hell to return home to reunite
with his family. In Book Seventeen, Odysseus returns to Ithaca as a beggar and is
being treated horribly. Even though Odysseus was insulted, he contains his anger
because he doesn’t want to reveal himself since nobody will believe him because
he was gone for 20 years. On page 358, Homer uses epic simile to show how the
suitors are not welcome. "Weak as the doe that beds down her fawns in a mighty
lion's den - her newborn sucklings - then trails off to the mountain spurs and
grassy bends to graze her fill, but back the lion comes to his own lair and the
master deals both fawns a ghastly, bloody death, just what Odysseus will deal
that mob - ghastly death." (H. (2006). Stranger at The Gates. In The Odyssey (Vol.
Penguin Book, p. 358). New York: Robert Fagles. Retrieved April 28, 2018) In
context, this quote is a response by the Spartan king Menelaus to when
Telemachus complains about the suitors. The suitors represent the fawns, the
lion's den is Odysseus's palace, and the lion is Odysseus. The mood set is a brutal
and bloody one, the fawns, and suitors being dealt a ghastly death. This death is
described as a "blood wedding" later on the page. The use of epic similes helps
create a more in-depth description and greater mood setting. Homer uses epic
simile to give the readers a lesson that how the ancient Greeks valued that role of
family seriously.
 Throughout the book, Odysseus continues to show leadership to lead his
crew to go through challenges. In Book Nine, Odysseus faced Cyclops
Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, who is a cyclops (a rough and uncivilized race
of one-eyed giants). With his leadership and his smart tactics, he got his crew
and himself out of the island safely. On page 223, Homer uses visual imagery to
show the steps how Odysseus leads his crew to successfully blind the monster.
“So we seized our stake with its fiery tip and bored it round and round in the
giant’s eye till the blood came boiling up around that smoking shaft and the hot
blast singed his brow and eyelids around the core and the broiling eyeball
burst—” (H. (2006). In The One-Eyed Giant’s Cave. In The Odyssey (Vol. Penguin
Book, p. 223) On the other hand, Homer embodies hubris in Odysseus when he is
battling the Cyclops. Odysseus and his crew drug the monster until it passes out,
and then stab him in his single eye with a sharpened timber log. Proud of himself,
Odysseus starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. In page
226, Homer uses metaphor to show how cocky Odysseus is right after passing
one of his challenges he will face throughout his journey and how he calls the
Cyclops a weak coward. “So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you
bent to devour there in your vaulted cave—”. (H. (2006). In The One-Eyed Giant’s
Cave. In The Odyssey (Vol. Penguin Book, p. 226) Woefully, due to Odysseus
unforgivable behaviour, Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon, to make
Odysseus never see his home again. Through the use of convention of epic poetry,
good leadership and unforgivable hubris is being explored by Homer to show the
characteristics of Odysseus.

In conclusion, Homer clearly conveys the importance of Ancient Greeks

values. For those who disrespect these values in those days are considered to be
cursed with bouts of misfortune and doomed to face adversity in life.
Furthermore, Homer uses a lot of solid examples to help the reader understand
how important those values were to the Greeks in those days. In addition,
through the use of a large number of stylistic features, the readers are strongly
connected and emotionally related to the Greek’s system of core values and
beliefs.