So many people say that Telemachus is like Odysseus and they share many qualities. Can you give some examples from this book or from the other books that shows this? Are there any differences between these two? Is Telemachus as arrogant as young Odysseus or is he more modest like older Odysseus?
Telemachus and Odysseus have their similarities, but are not exactly the same. I think the fact that Athena is always helping Telemachus to act braver and look stronger makes him seem more like his father than he really is.
ReplyDeleteBut I do think they do share traits. For example, Telemachus lets the fugitive come with him on his boat, this shows that he is kind like his father.
Telemachus is more like older Odysseus naturally; wise, modest, and considerate. He let the old man, his father in disguise, sit in the chair because he was old and weak, instead of taking it himself with the excuse that he is a prince. Also, before Athena inspired him, he was too quiet and shy to speak in front of the suitors. After he was inspired, the other side of his father and him shone through. He decided to embark on a dangerous journey to find his lost father. However, he was also considerate of his mother’s feelings when he left to find his father and made Eurycleia swear not to tell Penelope where he went. Thus, Telemachus possesses all of his father’s best qualities, although some come more naturally than others.
ReplyDeleteI think that Telemachus and Odysseus definitely have their similarities. Sometimes when I am reading the book, I feel like they are the same person. Growing up in a rich family and not enduring very many hardships, Odysseus was naturally arrogant and less wise when he was younger. Telemachus reminds me much more of the older Odysseus because Telemachus has grown up without a father in the house and in a palace that is being taken over by suitors. While Odysseus was able to grow up without a care in the world, Telemachus has had to act as the man of the house since he was a child. When Odysseus is telling his story and we get to see the younger side of him, he reminded me nothing of Telemachus. Now, however, I think that they share many qualities. They act similar in many occurrences, such as when they arrive at a stranger's house for the first time. Neither of them admit to who they are at the beginning, and they both act as modest as they can be. Although they have not grown up in the same atmosphere, Telemachus naturally inherited some of Odysseus' positive traits, and throughout this story he has been shaped and molded into a younger version of Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteI think that the differences between Telemachus' and Odysseus' qualities are much greater than their similarities. After enduring such hardships, Odysseus has become wiser, and knows how to get out of tough situations. Telemachus has also traveled to Pylos where he met Nestor and Menelaus. They have both been on extraordinary journeys, but Odysseus has witnessed and experienced so much more. Naturally, being older, Odysseus has gained new talents and has seen so many more things than Telemachus. I think that Telemachus is not as wise. Telemachus is modest, but I think that being wise is something one has to obtain through several experiences. In fact, the quality that is similar between the two of them is modesty. They have both landed on islands where a king or queen rules. They both act very polite and less important in the presence of royalty, even though they are royalty themselves.
ReplyDeleteTelemachus has never gotten to know Odysseus in person, but through stories and other opinions. To him, his father is "the great Odysseus." He is trying to follow his footsteps from what he has heard, which are about Odysseus' wiseness and leadership. I think that Telemachus is more like the older Odysseus. They have now both sailed outside of Ithaca and encountered troubles. But, it was only a couple of days/weeks for Telemachus. While it was twenty years for Odysseus. Telemachus is wise, but he will never be the way Odysseus is unless he has the same journey. Odysseus, unlike many others has made it passed obstacles like no other. Overall, I think that Odysseus and Telemachus share inherited qualities, but I do not think that Telemachus is much similar to Odysseus in wiseness because of his age difference and experience in ruling.
ReplyDeleteTelemachus feels obliged to live up to his father's legacy. It wasn't until Athena encouraged Telemachus by telling him that his father's good qualities and traits had been passed down to him that he felt a need to take action in searching for his father and expelling the suitors. Although Telemachus is very melancholy to due to the absence of his father and his situation at home with his mother, what he was going through cannot be compared to the complete agony that Odysseus faced after the war in order to get home. Odysseus is wiser than Telemachus because he is older than Telemachus. Like Athena, I believe that Telemachus and Odysseus share the same values, both have a will to fight for what they believe in, and are humble, virtuos, and strong in nature. Telemachus just needs more time and more experiences to be at the same level as Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteTelemachus does not share many qualities with his father. Although many people say that he is bold like his father, they are wrong. Telemachus would be nowhere without Athena. She brought him on his journey and forced him to take control over the suitors before he left in search of his father. Without her, Telemachus would be sitting in Ithaca, watching the suitors take over his own palace. Odysseus on the other hand, is probably the bravest man in the universe. He has fought in a war, escaped from monsters, and even blinded a Cyclops. Odysseus also has a plan to overrun the suitors, while for years, Telemachus was too afraid to speak his opinion on having them in his palace. There is no comparison in the bravery of Telemachus to the bravery of Odysseus, as Odysseus has proven himself as a hero, while Telemachus has not proved anything. Telemachus is much more like the older Odysseus, modest and reserved, as he has nothing to really be arrogant about. While men were waiting to marry his mother, Athena gave him the power to stand up to the suitors, when he failed to do it himself.
ReplyDeleteI think that Telemachus and Odysseus are more different than alike. Telemachus, in the beginning of the book, was a coward and sat there when the suitors were taking over his house. If Telemachus had Odysseus’ qualities, he would have never let them eat all his food and bother his mother. Until Athena inspired him, Telemachus was weak, modest and scared. Odysseus is the exact opposite of Telemachus; he is strong, brave and, at times, arrogant. Odysseus has made it back to Ithaca by getting the approval of the Gods and willpower. If Telemachus was in his position he would have not been able to charm the Gods into liking him enough to let him home. Odysseus and Telemachus are alike because they both are kind, loyal and keep to their word.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Odyssey, I have frequently seen there similarities so clearly, that they become different ages of the same person. They share many qualities such as politeness which is shown many times when Odysseus was in Scariea or while Telemachus was at king Nestor’s palace. Also, although with a little help from Athena now and then, they are both brave and willing to take on a challenge similar to fighting a Cyclops or searching for news of Odysseus. On the other hand they share many differences that would be expected. For instance, while Odysseus grew up with a normal family, Telemachus has grown up without a fatherly figure in his life. Also, there is the obvious differential of age, which affects their levels of wisdom and knowledge. Overall, Telemachus and Odysseus both share and have differing characteristics.
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