The Odyssey -- Literary Analysis

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The Odyssey The Odyssey is an epic poem about spiritual journey and how it can bring out the hero in people, and if they are true to themselves, they will always pull through. Odysseus is put through so much struggle and pain, but in the long run it actually ends up helping him become mentally and physically tough by testing his faith in his skills. The King of Ithaca finds himself in many great challenges where he proves to everyone around him, along with himself, that he has found his true identity. Odysseus has always been an honorable and respected man in his small kingdom, and many citizens are starting to see the number of capabilities he has, along with something inside of him that not even Odysseus knows he has. For instance, Odysseus remains strong for his crew, even in the toughest situations, like keeping his men under control while they are crossing paths with Scylla, so the adventurers have some kind of stability. The captain of the only remaining ship has to think quickly about the life or death decision he makes at the time of being stuck between the enormous whirlpool, Charybdis, and the ferocious six-headed monster, Scylla, not knowing if his men trust him to hold their fate. Odysseus remains calm during confrontation with the ship’s crew, even though on the inside he is mourning the loss of the six men eaten alive right in front of his glossy eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do to save them. In addition, while they are escaping the Cyclops, Odysseus foolishly tells Polyphemus his name out of pride, believing that escaping the one-eyed giant makes him almighty. Feeling as if he masters a puppet, Odysseus’s plan to escape the monster works out so perfectly that he cannot help but to boast about his intelligence. He soon realizes the great mistake he has made by revealing is real name, for now Odysseus fears what the Cyclops’s father,
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