My Odysseus College Essay

Similar to Odysseus’ treacherous journey home, my odyssey through middle school had its moments of success and defeat, happiness and frustration, and absolute uncertainty. From being adrift on my makeshift raft in a vast sea of sixth graders to my final days in middle school, I have obtained many new traits comparable to Odysseus’. As a new sixth grader, I was optimistic and hopeful of the years to come, analogous to Odysseus’ confidence that he would ultimately return to Ithaca. Through seemingly endless hours of studying, I gained the ability to make sacrifices and prioritize in order to succeed. Odysseus also demonstrated this skill when making decisions and sacrifices in acute situations to benefit as many people as possible. In dire circumstances, …show more content…
When facing Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus must choose which route to lead his shipmates on. If they sailed past Scylla, he would easily lose six men, but if they passed Charybdis, the whole crew could lose their lives. “Don’t be there when the whirlpool swallows down— not even the earthquake god could save you from disaster. No, hug Scylla’s crag—sail on past her—top speed! Better by far to lose six men and keep your ship than lose your entire crew.” (274). Odysseus chose to face Scylla rather than risk his entire crew to Charybdis. His best six men were snatched by the monster, forcefully flung up to her cliff. Though he had to sacrifice his finest shipmates, he did the right thing, and presumably saved his entire crew. A prime example of when I had to make sacrifices in my middle school odyssey was exam week. Although we are only in middle school, exam week causes stress and panic for every student. It always seems like there is an incessant amount of material needed to study for each class. This is a time to prioritize and make sacrifices in order to succeed. Whether that means giving up free time or neglecting extra curricular activities to study, exam week tests your ability to make