Thomas Homer-Dixon

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the ability of Odysseus to improvise and mix truth and lies to deliver some of the most believable stories is what trademarks our hero in this epic. With the use of his quick wit, Odysseus controls first impressions and is able to craft a favorable image with each new encounter. In particular, when Odysseus is disguised as an old beggar he crafts a story for his wife that is part truth and part lie. By telling the story, Odysseus hopes to gauge his wife’s remaining…

The Iliad is a poem accredited to the Ancient Greek poet Homer. The Iliad tells the story of the conflict between an alliance of Greek Cities and the City of Troy, following the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta by Paris. The Iliad focuses only on two weeks out of the ten years the conflict is said to have lasted. The Trojan War is said to have been committed to paper around the eighth century BCE. However, this poem was recited orally for centuries before it was written down. Despite the poem being…

In Greek mythology, there is always a constant notion for power. The desire for power is associated with the father figure of a family. The father sets the tone for the family by making the rules and establishing their reputation. From the beginning of time, there has been a fear for loss of power, starting with the Earth and sky. Fear occurs when a father finds that one of his children is a threat to his throne. It also occurs when a father realizes that since he sabotaged his father,…

The Greek epic, The Odyssey, is a story of Odysseus, a war hero whom, after the Trojan War, had to find his way home to Ithaca. On his journey, he comes upon many perils, afflicting his crew and himself. His journey lasts twenty years, and the story consists of many different islands. The Odyssey can be interpreted as an allegory for the curiosity and temptations people face in life, as Odysseus must keep himself and his men from the Lotus Eaters, and Sirens, who lure them away from their voyage…

Odyssey Explanatory Essay In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus finally gets home after twenty years of adventures, and experiences . The “Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell represents each step that almost every hero-quest goes through. Odysseus goes through some of those steps when he is traveling on his journey and when he gets home. In “The Odyssey”, there are three events that relate to the “Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell. These events are the Call to Adventure, Entering the Unknown, and…

Achilles loses his honor immediately in the Iliad, and is hell bent on recovering his honor that was taken from him, by Agamemnon, for the rest of the poem. In the end, Achilles does regain it. His character changes throughout the poem, initially he is selfish, refusing to worry about anyone or anything except his honor, and his close friend Patroclus (rather than his nation as a whole). This selfishness is abandoned by Achilles after meeting with the opposing king, Priam. This shift in…

powers are supernatural Using divine intervention details, epic similes, and descriptive epithets, Homer the author of The Odyssey, elaborates on the idea that the Gods hand out fortune and pain to mortals, primarily seen through the help Odysseus receives in his successful odyssey home. The power of Greek Gods and Goddess’ is limitless as their powers are supernatural. Divine intervention is used by Homer to emphasize how Odysseus, without the Gods and Goddess help, would not have made it very…

The household in Homer’s The Odyssey can be considered the basis of Ancient Greek society, as all societal recognition and conventions stem from this unit. Any actions committed that attempt to ruin the integrity and tradition of one’s household are therefore considered severe crimes that must be wholly resolved by equally severe vengeance. Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus recognize the deep importance of their family household, and possess the persistent need to maintain its integrity and…

We all have our personal heroes that we like to compare to others. Mine is Walt Disney in comparison to Odysseus, king of Ithaca. Odysseus is from an island in the Ionian Sea in Greece, “Ithaca is an island in the Ionian Sea in Greece, which was an important setting in one of the most famous myths of ancient Greece, the Odyssey (Ithaca, 2017).” And Walt Disney is from Hermosa, Chicago, IL. Odysseus is a typical hero we all think of when we hear the word hero on behalf of he faces challenges and…

The Aeneid follows the mission of Aeneas, a Trojan hero, to found a new city following the destruction of Troy. Throughout his voyage, Aeneas has to overcome many obstacles and persevere through all the hardships in order to create a new city for his people. The Aeneid presents a multitude of themes that begin in Book I and continue throughout the course of his journey. The concept of land versus sea presents itself as a major concept throughout Aeneas’ expedition. The feeling of being on land,…