The Odyssey
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Odyssey Book IX
In book IX, we come across an incident where Odysseus reacts with anger, (Lines 558-563). This side of Odysseus that we see is very new. Why do you think this area of his personality is just presenting itself now? Odysseus has been living an extremely harsh life for years, and he has never expressed real rage. Give some examples where Odysseus should have reacted with anger within some of his hardships, but did not show it.
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Odysseus has suffered throughout the last several years, mourning to be back home in Ithaca and to see his son and his wife. However, through all of this time he has never actually showed anger, he has just expressed sadness until the end of this book. I think Odysseus' anger has been bottled up for a while now, and since in book IX he is explaining to Alcinous his long, detailed story of his travels from the very beginning. Because Odysseus is now explaining his life and everything that has happened to him, he realizes that it is reality and how much he actually misses his family and how angry he about everything that has happened to him that he just finally lets it all out. I think he could of expressed his anger during the Trojan War when Zeus presented him with a "disaster" (line 61) and everyone was dying all around him. He also could of reacted with anger when Zeus made the water rough and made him wash up on shore, struggling to stay alive.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus has been through a lot since the beginning of the book, and it is admirable how he always seems to keep calm throughout his life. I agree with Olivia that, after telling and hearing his story in full, Odysseus realizes how terribly life has treated him. He has managed to keep his anger inside for the longest time, and now it is just too much. He was also probably angry at himself for assisting in the killing of so many people, which would remain true to his kind and empathetic personality. He could have been angry at the gods for landing him on the island of Calypso, away from his family. He could have been angry at Poseidon for churning the waves when he finally escaped. However, he was not, because he had kept courage for so long. He has every right to let it out for once.
ReplyDeleteAs Olivia and Christine said, odysseus has had a hard life since we started to read the book. It is very interesting how he has contained himself or been calm this whole time, through all the hardships he has been through. I beleive that one of the reasons he suddenly lets his anger out is because of the gods. They put him through this and stranded him on the island of Calypso. He has also been away from his family for such a long time, and is now fed up and does not know what to do. Odysseus has gone through many struggles since the beggining of the book, and could of lost his temper, and showed is anger in mmany other places, but in this book he really shows his anger.
ReplyDeleteSince the beginning of the book, Odysseus has suffered throughout his life. It seems as if everything is ok and he is going to get home safely, but then he runs into a burden resulting in the process of finding his way home all over again. This can get frustrated, and for Odysseus to keep this in the back of his head and move on with life is very difficult to do, especially after eight long treacherous years. I think that in this book, as he told the story of his journey, he started to realize that he should be angry and upset just by hearing himself spill it out. Just by hearing himself I think that he wants to do something about the things that keep on getting in the way and just make his way back to Ithaca. He has finally realized that he hasn't been living life to the fullest and it has just been a repeat of disaster after disaster. I think that it was time for Odysseus to let out his anger and get angry at the gods and others who have blocked his path back home to Ithaca. He hasn't done much to upset them, but the gods still laugh at him like he is dirt. Overall, I think that it is about time that Odysseus gets back to Ithaca once and for all, because even back in Ithaca it is hectic.
ReplyDeleteIn this book another side of Odysseys is seen. It is a very different Odysseus than the one the reader has seen thus far. This Odysseus is angry, rash and boastful. I think that he is this way because he is tired, frustrated and has given up hope for the most part. Since he is telling this story to Alcinous and he has made a great journey and has been fed, clothed and washed, he is in a better and more hopeful mood. It may be because of the lack of food, sleep and the fact that his crew is being eaten that causes Odysseus to lash out at Polyphemus. I think that he tells Polyphemus who he is in a fit of pride and to boast that he won and make himself known. Looking back, this was a bad idea that got him in a lot of trouble with the gods, especially Poseidon. When Polyphemus throws a rock at Odysseus' ship all his bottled up anger gets released and Odysseus goes crazy with anger for a few minutes. All Odysseus' misfortunes should have been a cause of anger for him, but his respectful and composed attitude keeps him from getting too angry.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus usually reacts to things in a godlike manner. He is humble, prudent, and never has any bravado. These mannerisms usually astound people who meet him, causing them to compare him to a god. In Book 9, the fact that Odysseus is a mortal is actually proven to us, because Odysseus has demonstrated godlike behavior up until this point. In this chapter, Odysseus not only uses offensive anger by throwing the spear at the cyclops, but has bravado and a sense of pride after doing it. The gods won't be to happy about this, so hopefully Odysseus will realize it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Odysseus has faced many hardships in his life, he always tries to look at the bright side of a situation. With all of the gods angry at him, Odysseus has his mind set towards returning home to Ithaca, instead of dwelling on his past suffering. This value sets him apart from all other men, as the normal human would look for anger, revenge, and other ways to escape troubles. Odysseus does not only look on the bright side, but he is also gracious for life. He has come close to death numerous times, and is thankful that he is still alive and on his way home to his family. Odysseus could have acted with anger when Calypso was holding him against his will on her island. He also could have acted out of anger when Broadsea taunted Odysseus that he is just a normal man, who is not athletic and has a mission of receiving gold and treasures. Despite Odysseus' hardships, he has never let his anger get the best of him and this is what sets him apart from the normal man.
ReplyDeleteWell I think it's pretty amazing Odysseus hasn't had a complete mental breakdown so far, so I think all of his anger, depression, sadness and most importantly his dire wanting to go home leads him to a short patience and a long spear. I think the fact that he has his hopes up and believes he is going home leads him to violence. I think these extremes are just the beginning because I think Odysseus will be reluctant and unwilling to give up his quest, his dire manifest mission to go home.
ReplyDeleteRather than getting angry when Odysseus is faced with struggle, he always seems to find a way to deal with the situation. He shows another side of himself during this encounter with the cyclops because he has been through so much and thought he could finally rest on this island, and he was faced with a ruthless monster who ate his shipmates. It is understandable that this would set Odysseus over the edge because all he wanted to do was return to Ithaca. I thought that a situation when he could have been angrier was when he was held hostage at Calypso's island. He missed his wife and could not bring a picture of his son to mind, but this nymph was keeping him for herself for many years and the Gods did not seem to help him at first. Instead of being angry, he was mostly sad, but in this particular situation Odysseus would have had an excuse to be angry.
ReplyDeleteI really think that it is Odysseus's character that has allowed him to keep his cool in most situations. I think this incident was a snapping point for him because of how inhospitable Polyphemus was after they had all ready been through so much. I feel that there are many situations in the book where Odysseus could have expressed anger but instead kept his cool. He was thrown around in the sea by Poseidon and still did not show the slightest bit of anger. Whether he keeps his cool out of fear of the gods' wrath or he is simply just a cool-tempered person is a question that may be answered as we continue to read.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus is faced with so many hardships, but he never gets angry or depressed in any of his situations. He always tries to find the bright side to everything. He always has a positive attitude. All he wants to do is to get home and see his loved ones. Even though he keeps calm most of the time, the cyclops pushes him over the edge. He is so angry when he is trapped in the cave because he has such a great desire to get home. So he takes all his anger that he has held in for so long out on the cyclops.
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