Comparing Odysseus And Poseidon In Homer's The Odyssey

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In Homer’s appealing epic The Odyssey, voyager Odysseus journeys on a struggling battle to return home on Poseidon’s struggling seas. As Poseidon makes it more difficult for Odysseus to sail back to his homeland, the adventuring salesman Edward Bloom from Daniel Wallace’s Big Fish is remembered for the journeys he takes that keep him at an emotionally distant relationship from his family. To make up for lost times, during every moment he can, Edward presents wild, imaginative stories to his son. Although these two stories seem exceptionally different, the explorations these men experience shape who they are. Odysseus’ pride and curiosity molds his character. These two small traits do not seem to do much harm, but in Odysseus’ case they get…show more content…
Allowing his pride to step in, Odysseus fails to acknowledge the help in which he received from Poseidon during the time of the war. This angered Poseidon, god of the sea and causes Odysseus to sail rampaging waters on the way back to his homeland of Ithaca. While sailing with his crew men, Odysseus has yet to surrender himself and apologize. Upon the whole journey he acts on instinct and curiosity doing what he thinks is best, but only runs into obstacles that push him back a step each time. One of these journeys involves a Cyclopes whom Odysseus out smarts, but wasn’t aware of the fact that the Cyclopes, Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon. Allowing his curiosity to get in the way of what would’ve been the best decision, he decides to make an instant halt at the Cyclopes’ island. On contact with Polyphemus, Odysseus gives him a false name. Once the men escaped the crisis Polyphemus had awaiting them, Odysseus gives the now blinded Cyclopes his real, birth given information stating with high self-esteem, “ Odysseus, raider of cities, /took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (Homer 1.459-460). Cursing Odysseus, Polyphemus prays to his father asking punishment of Odysseus. Of course Poseidon heard the wailing cry of his son and yet again Odysseus was given an extended and even more ambitious excursion…show more content…
Since Odysseus left to go to war, he unintentionally neglected the chance to have a bonding partnership with his son Telemachus and a marital relationship with his wife Penelope. By remembering the family he has waiting for him at home, Odysseus does his best to seek a way home. Enchantress Circe informs him that “in order to reach home he must journey to the land of the dead, Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias” (Homer.1.1064). In contrast to Odysseus, Edward lacks a relationship with his wife and son because he travels a lot. Unlike Odysseus, Edward has a better chance of improving the family connection he lacks because he is home from time to time. By covering his inner self, Edward never releases his genuine side. Once Edward takes sick, William expects him to finally unleash the honest interior, which has been veiled his whole life. Edward either does not pay attention to William trying to get to know more about him or just does not care. Edward’s response for each revealing question is ignored with another story. Once the gods become unmistakably fed up with Odysseus and William with Edward, the two men commence to exposing their more sensitive

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