Reflecting on Class 2/28-Odysseus

Odysseus exhibited god-like qualities in The Odyssey through the use of his intelligence and ability to inspire his men. For example, he fooled a Cyclops by telling him his name was “nobody”, then disguised his men as sheep so that Polyphemus would let them out of his cave.

He also has the ability to keep his men together by earning their loyalty and devotion. Although they faced many dangers,  such as Scylla and Circe, the men continued to show their loyalty to Odysseus and stuck with him.

Odysseus also finds a way to trick his suitors by doing what no other man except Odysseus can do: string his famous bow. By doing so, he has given himself the weapon with which to defeat the suitors and taken them by surprise. His reward? Getting his wife and getting the opportunity to kill his suitors who planned on taking over Odysseus' kingdom. 

However, his wise character does not end there. In efforts to avoid the Sirens, women who lured in sailors by singing beautiful songs, he had his crew put wax in his ears and strap him down so he would not jump off the ship.

I found this to be extremely fascinating as mortals typically do not possess the qualities of a God, as that level is typically almost unreachable. However the tales of Odysseus changes that. So far throughout this First Year Seminar course, Odysseus seems to be the only mortal which possesses such incredible characteristics. This makes him extremely unique and fascinating to learn about.

Works Cited: 
Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. The Odyssey of Homer. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.