The committee has a grueling task at hand, they must choose one literary work out of three options to be deleted. The titles up for deletion are The Odyssey, Oedipus the King and Beowulf. Though it is up to the entire committee’s vote, they should strongly consider the contents of this essay in making their decision. Outlined here is the reasoning given for the removal of The Odyssey and an explanation as to why we should keep Oedipus the King and Beowulf. Hopefully after reading the points made in this essay, they will choose to keep Beowulf and Oedipus the King while making the hard decision to remove The Odyssey. Each of these stories has played a significant role in the literary world, but it is time to choose one to go. The first
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While the story does contain values that would be beneficial to educate readers, the epic does not seem to be as significant as the others. The Odyssey is a great tale of perseverance on Odysseus’ part and loyalty on Penelope’s part, but it does not seem to have much more to offer than that. The life lessons taught in The Odyssey are common and can be taught with other resources, such as household lessons, athletics and forms of entertainment. With the other two epics, not only can one derive life lessons from their stories, but these two works also have a rich history and influence. While The Odyssey is without a doubt a very important literary work, there are many other Greek epics that one can use to learn about Greek society and epic poetry. On the other hand, Beowulf gives us a glimpse into Old English history and Oedipus the King is a dynamic tragedy that is one of a kind. Though the story of Odysseus and his journey home is a truly important and historic epic, it appears that Oedipus the King and Beowulf have an important historical aspect that sets them apart from The Odyssey and other literary works. The committee should understand that while The Odyssey is undoubtedly an important text, the historical significance of Beowulf and Oedipus coupled with the life lessons taught in each are enough to show that the two epics are the best options for
While the story does contain values that would be beneficial to educate readers, the epic does not seem to be as significant as the others. The Odyssey is a great tale of perseverance on Odysseus’ part and loyalty on Penelope’s part, but it does not seem to have much more to offer than that. The life lessons taught in The Odyssey are common and can be taught with other resources, such as household lessons, athletics and forms of entertainment. With the other two epics, not only can one derive life lessons from their stories, but these two works also have a rich history and influence. While The Odyssey is without a doubt a very important literary work, there are many other Greek epics that one can use to learn about Greek society and epic poetry. On the other hand, Beowulf gives us a glimpse into Old English history and Oedipus the King is a dynamic tragedy that is one of a kind. Though the story of Odysseus and his journey home is a truly important and historic epic, it appears that Oedipus the King and Beowulf have an important historical aspect that sets them apart from The Odyssey and other literary works. The committee should understand that while The Odyssey is undoubtedly an important text, the historical significance of Beowulf and Oedipus coupled with the life lessons taught in each are enough to show that the two epics are the best options for