Odysseus Journey In The Odyssey

“Our lives turn as the days turn” can be translated differently. Some may perceive it as live life to the fullest, while others believe it to mean life is long just like the days in a year. However, for Odysseus he looks at his journey, and life in general, in a positive light. Throughout the Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus learns some valuable lessons while conquering obstacles during his treacherous voyage home. In this specific passage, Odysseus reflects on how he stayed positive ninety-nine percent of the time when coming across obstacles on his journey home. In the passage Odysseus explains how men are born weak, but how they handle situations is what makes them strong. The gods also play a role in these ‘situations.’ They are the …show more content…
However, instead of complaining about everything wrong, he takes on the situation and finds a way to solve the problem; or at least make it simpler. For example, while Odysseus and his men are on their voyage to Ithaca, they come across the Sirens. Sirens are mythical creatures who lure sailors to their deaths by singing. Odysseus takes charge with the temptation by having his men stick beeswax in their ear to prevent them from being injured. To prevent him from doing the same, Odysseus has his men tie him up on the ship's mast, and if he begs to be let go, they tighten the bonds. Through his problem solving in this position, Odysseus is characterized as an intelligent, clever, and insightful human being, who knows how to handle anything thrown his way. Another example is his encounter with the Cyclops (Laestrygonians). When Odysseus attacks him, he does not say his own name until the very end. Instead, he cleverly tells him his name is ‘Nobody’, so when the Cyclops shouts out who is attacking him, it is indeed “Nobody”. However, once he gets away, Odysseus makes sure to leave his actual name with the Cyclops. Poseidon was not a huge fan of Odysseus, yet Odysseus did not let it get to him; even though Poseidon tried to get revenge with sending gnarly waves while he was at sea. He did not try to get back at Poseidon for this. These are just a few of the many obstacles Odysseus faced and defeated with his wits and …show more content…
As he went on his journey, he grew and learned how to handle problems he never did before. He is saying with every day, he grew as a person. He realized life’s struggles is more of a mind over matter kind of thing. The situations he were in were huge, but he did not freak out about it, but remained calmed and figured out ways to handle it. His voyage was an adventure and he looks at it in a positive light. With his speech, Odysseus views his journey as long and treacherous, but all the obstacles he came across made him a better/wiser person. Everything he faced, from the Sirens to being trapped on an island with Calypso, Odysseus kept his eye on his one prize- returning to