Abraham And Odysseus The Journeys Begin Essay, Research Paper
Abraham and Odysseus are two work forces of two different epochs, yet they both have a common end. This common end which links the two work forces together is to acquire to their ultimate finish ; whether it is Odysseus journey to his native land or Abraham & # 8217 ; s journey to the land God promised him. On the manner both suffer adversities on their ain histories ; whether it was Odysseus haughtiness to his Gods or Abraham & # 8217 ; s rebelliousness to God & # 8217 ; s will. After they both have struggled on their journey and faced much trial, they both come to face with the mistake of their ways and in the terminal after larning a few of import lessons they win in their end.
Odysseus, male monarch of Ithaca has been off many old ages from the land he loves, the married woman he cares for, and the boy he ne’er knew ( Homer 2 ) . Meanwhile back at Odysseus estate, work forces who would name themselves heroes, Lords, and even friends of Odysseus wreak mayhem upon his estate and family. Telemachus, neither yet a adult male nor rather being a male child, tries as he might to engender the evil work forces, but Telemachus attempts so in vena. Telemachus is at his marbless end when a cryptic alien arrives at his gate: he so invites his invitee in. At this clip invitees were treated and greeted as if they were a god no affair what their physical visual aspect may be, for Gods would frequently dress as mendicants and seek safety at 1s place in order to prove them ( Homer 3 ) . Small does Telemachus cognize that at this point a new chapter in his life is about to blossom before his eyes. Little besides does this low adult male Abraham know what God has in program for him, that God will do him the male parent of a great state. This alien unknown to Telemachus is truly the goddess Minerva ; she has come to this kid of Odysseus with information that will put him upon his ain journey. After Telemachus and the alien to his family have eaten, she gives him information that is needed to put him down his ain way. The information this visitant has given Telemachus confirms what he has believed: that his male parent Odysseus is still alive. & # 8220 ; But now the the storm-winds have spirited him off we know non whither & # 8221 ; ( Homer 5 ) .
Not far off in the past, we have our friend Abraham who has merely received a message from God stating him to go forth his native land for the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan is the land that God promised to Abraham and where he would hold his great state of posterities born. Abraham leaves with his married woman Sarah and on the manner to the land God promised them they travel through the great land of Egypt. Abraham cognizing that his married woman is rather lovely asks her to present as his sister. Abraham believing that they would kill him in order to hold his married woman. The Pharaoh of Egypt seeing that she is just and thought that she is Abraham & # 8217 ; s sister begets her as his married woman. After many pestilences upon his family and happening out who she truly is, the angry Pharaoh sends them on their manner out of Egypt. This is similar to how Minerva appeared to Telemachus and set him on his ain journey.
At first Telemachus doubts what this alien has to state, but after she is finished he is now more than of all time convinced that his male parent is still alive. Abraham besides at first uncertainties what God has to state, but in the terminal he believes him and rejoices. After the alien leaves Telemachus warns the suers that his male parent, the great warrior Odysseus, is coming and will penalize them for their evil workss ( Homer 8 ) . He warns them, yet none wage this man-child & # 8217 ; s words any attentiveness. Although Telemachus tried himself to throw the evil suers out he failed every clip.
The inquiry that arises from these incidents is whether Telemachus is a adult male or a coward. Telemachus, holding grown up without a male parent to steer him through his old ages of boyhood, was ne’er truly given the opportunity to turn up to be a adult male. None the lupus erythematosus, he tries to throw out the suers and set himself on the right way ( Homer 11 ) . Abraham as good is holding problems of his ain on history of his ain actions.
While these events take topographic point, Odysseus is trapped on the island of the nymph, Calypso. Odysseus calls and seeks commiseration from Calypso to enable him to return to his fatherland, yet she merely refuses him from go forthing ( Homer 15 ) . Why, you ask would a goddess privation to maintain a mere mortal adult male and do him immortal? The simple reply is that she loved Odysseus with all her bosom, though he did non portion these feelings, she kept seeking to do him love her, ye
t she failed. Finally after some persuading on Minerva’s portion, the Gods agree to allow our hero travel, Neptune who was non informed as to their determination decides to hold a small merriment at Odysseus disbursal ( Homer 18 ) .
Oh O long Odysseus has desired to be set free and eventually, with great daze, he finds that the goddess will allow him travel, and that she plans on maintaining her word. She provides him a warm air current, and he sails off into the skyline on a raft that he constructed ( Homer 20 ) . Not long after he sets out he I caught in a storm created by Neptune, for he is enraged at this person for holding blinded his boy. While Odysseus is happy to be on his manner place at last, he begins to believe that possibly it was a better thought to remain with Calypso ( Homer 21 ) . & # 8220 ; I am afraid that Calypso was right when she said I should hold problem by the sea before I got home & # 8221 ; ( Homer 22 ) . This is witness to the fact that although Odysseus is a courageous adult male who wanted nil more than to return to his household, even he is non immune to the effects of enticement and lecherousness. After go throughing this thought out of his head, our hero is content to be on the manner to the lone adult female he has of all time genuinely loved and the land of his boyhood. After Abraham & # 8217 ; s ordeal in Egypt he and his married woman Sarah are besides more than happy to be back on their manner to Canaan.
Neptune, being huffy at Odysseus, decides he will hold a small merriment with him, for he may non kill him but he can do populating worse than decease! & # 8220 ; However Minerva, has decided to help Odysseus, so she bound the ways of the air currents except one, and made them lie rather still & # 8221 ; ( Homer 24 ) . She roused a good stiff zephyr from the North that should put the H2O boulder clay Odysseus reached the land of the Phaeacians where he would be safe. Odysseus sees land in the distance and swims for it, Neptune still being angry with him lbs Odysseus with immense moving ridges and smashes him against immense drops, but thanks to Minerva and the gift of a goddess he comes to beach beaten but alive ( Homer 25 ) . There the princess of the land and her amahs find him and take him to her male parent, king Alcinous.
While he is at the house of the mighty male monarch, he tells the narratives of his many journeys ( Homer 28 ) . They do non believe him at first, but at the terminal of his sad narrative ; the sort knows what this adult male has said is no prevarication. Odysseus tells them of his visit to Hades, his blinding of the boy of Neptune, and many other fantastic narratives. Finally after many yearss of detainment our hero is eventually on his manner place! Before Odysseus leaves the male monarch have many rich work forces give Odysseus fantastic nowadayss. & # 8220 ; Alderman and town councilors, our guest seem to be a individual of remarkable opinion ; allow us give such cogent evidence of our cordial reception as he may reasonably expect. & # 8221 ; ( Homer 30 ) Odysseus so sets sail one time more, towards his darling Ithaca. Abraham, on the other manus, eventually sets himself on the proper way God has set before him and continues his journey onward.
At last Odysseus, male monarch of Ithaca has returned to his native land, bearing many all right nowadayss so, but goddess Minerva is non yet through with him, and she has him go through a few more tests. She has Odysseus take on the visual aspect of an old adult male, he is so set out to implore at the doors of his ain castle ; merely his beloved boy knows who his is, for she saw tantrum for him to cognize. At his castle Odysseus disguised as the evil suers treat the old adult male as a piece of rubbish, and he rapidly plots how to take his ultimate retaliation.
At last, Penelope, married woman of Odysseus accepts the belief that her hubby is dead and she plans a competition for her manus in matrimony. The victor of the competition would be the adult male who could hit an pointer from Odysseus bow flawlessly through the underside of 12 battle-axes! All the suers try, yet none can carry through such a undertaking ; none but an old adult male, weak and frail, who manages to win the competition despite the odds! Odysseus is so uncloaked from his mask of furrows, he so, with the assistance of his boy, slays these work forces and their lovers in the great hall.
After holding disobeyed God and being set on the strait way, Abraham makes it to the land God promised him, where he would carry through what God had told him. Odysseus, after holding such a journey and holding murder the evil suers, re-takes his throne, holding learned many of import values along the manner. It is of import to see what allowed these work forces to acquire through, while their journeys were both different, it was their religion that guided them to their journey & # 8217 ; s terminal.
