Odyssey Essay, Research Paper

The Odyssey, by Homer, is a classical piece of Grecian literature. Throughout The

Odyssey, Homer makes usage of many literary techniques in order to give significance to

the verse form beyond its significance as a work of historic fiction and assist his

readers in the comprehension of the narrative. One of these techniques is the usage of

motives. In The Odyssey, possibly the most of import of Homer & # 8217 ; s motives is the

symbolic decease and rebirth subject. This motive is used throughout The Odyssey to

stress the growing and ripening of the characters. The first illustration of this

motive occurs with Telemachus early in the book. Telemachus, in book I, is

visited by the goddess Athena in camouflage. In their conversation, Telemachus

reveals the hurting and agony that he is sing as a consequence of life

without cognizing the position of his male parent, fearing that he is dead. “ . . .

and he left hurting and plaint to me. Nor is it for him entirely that I grieve in

my hurting now ( The Odyssey, Latimore, I. 242-3 ) . ” Symbolically, at this point

in the text, Telemachus is dead. He is willing to take no action to salvage his

place from the suers or take any enterprise to find the position of his

losing male parent. However, his symbolic decease is non without a metempsychosis. Athena,

disguised as Mentes, brings Telemachus back to life. She convinces him that he

must take action to continue the family and find the destiny of his male parent.

This prompts Telemachus to take over his male parent & # 8217 ; s function in the family and

journey forward to garner information about his losing male parent. His metempsychosis is

farther carried out in the narrative when he is reunited with his male parent ; together,

the two act to recover control of their family from the suers. The following

illustration of the decease and metempsychosis motive occurs with our debut to the

narrative & # 8217 ; s chief character and hero, Odysseus. Homer introduces Odysseus on the

Kalypso & # 8217 ; s island. Odysseus & # 8217 ; s remain with Kalypso would do his death as that

was the destiny of persons who lived with goddesses. On a more symbolic degree,

Odysseus was dead to the universe as Kalypso forbids him from go forthing the island

and forces him to make her command. Odysseus was reborn, nevertheless, at the custodies of

Hermes, who was a courier for Zeus. Hermes tells Kalypso that Odysseus is to

be freed so Odysseus builds a raft and sets out for place. This symbolic metempsychosis

is emphasized by Odysseus & # 8217 ; s outgrowth from the ocean on the island of the

Phaiakians. He is washed ashore with nil & # 8211 ; his raft is destroyed and he is

wholly bare. This bare outgrowth can besides be seen as symbolic of birth.

Another mention to this metempsychosis is found at the terminal of book V. “ As when a

adult male buries a firing log in a black ash pile in a distant topographic point in the state,

where none unrecorded near as neighbours, and saves the seed of fire, holding no other

topographic point to acquire a visible radiation from. . . ( V. 488-91 ) . ” The phrase “ seed of the

fire ” is used by Homer specifically to do mention to the metempsychosis of

Odysseus ; the term “ seed ” clearly brings to mind generative and

birth images that would non be associated with a less metaphorical mention.

Another case in which Homer makes usage of the decease and metempsychosis motive occurs

with Odysseus & # 8217 ; s escapade with the Cyclopss Polyphemus. Odysseus and his work forces are

trapped in the cave of Polyphemus, which symbolizes their decease. This decease is

farther emphasized when Odysseus refers to himself as “ Cipher ” . As

Homer subsequently recounts, those in the underworld are genuinely nobodies & # 8211 ; they have no

interaction with the life universe and can non even pass on. Odysseus is

reborn through

his ain inventiveness and inventiveness as he escaped Polyphemus’s cave

and announced to the Cyclopss his true individuality, one time once more doing himself born

into the kingdom of persons. The symbolic metempsychosis of Odysseus can be emphasized by

the cave, which can be seen as a symbol of the uterus, hence doing Odysseus & # 8217 ;

outgrowth from the Cyclopss & # 8217 ; s cave a true metempsychosis. The following illustration of the decease

and metempsychosis motive is a instead obvious 1 that has small symbolic illation:

Odysseus & # 8217 ; descent into the underworld in book XI. Homer uses many light and dark

mentions to stress the decease and rebirth subject in this book & # 8211 ; darkness

typifying decease and visible radiation typifying life and hence metempsychosis. While in the

underworld, Odysseus additions penetrations about his eventual return place. With this

cognition, Odysseus and his crew return to the universe of the life, typifying

their metempsychosis. Again, visible radiation and dark images are used to stress this metempsychosis.

“ . . .where Helios, the Sun, makes his uprising. . . ( XII. 4 ) . ” As

illustrated in the preceding line, Odysseus returns from the Underworld to the

topographic point where the Sun rises & # 8211 ; the symbolism is obvious. The decease and metempsychosis

subject surfaces once more in book XIII. Odysseus, after sing the underworld, is

returning place to Ithaca. During the long ocean trip, he is visited by Arete & # 8217 ; s

functioning adult females. The adult females bring Odysseus gifts and put him into a deep sleep,

which Homer himself likens to decease: “ The set to their rowing, and with

oars tossed up the sea spray, and upon the eyes of Odysseus there fell a slumber,

gentle, the sweetest sort of slumber with no waking up, most like decease. . .

( Thirteen. 78-81 ) . ” Again, this decease is non without a metempsychosis. The Phaiakians

go forth the sleeping. This subject is re-emphasized in this book because many of the

citizens of Ithaca believe that Odysseus really is dead ; they will see his

return from the underworld as a true metempsychosis. Penelope is Homer & # 8217 ; s following vehicle

to beef up the decease and metempsychosis motive. In book XVIII, Athena causes Penelope

to undergo a deep slumber which Penelope associates with decease. “ How I wish

chaste Artemis would give me a decease so soft. . . ( XVIII. 202 ) . ” While

asleep, Athena enhances Penelope & # 8217 ; s expressions in expectancy of Odysseus & # 8217 ; s return.

Penelope awakens looking younger, taller, and more beautiful. After she awakens

Penelope negotiations to her boy and makes a unequivocal statement reprobating the

suers ; something she had ne’er done earlier in public. Truly, this represents a

metempsychosis and waking up in the character of Penelope. The concluding illustration of the

decease and rebirth subject in The Odyssey occurs in book Twenty-four when Odysseus is

reunited with his male parent, Laertes. Laertes swoons when he realizes that his boy

has returned. This fainting symbolizes his decease. When he awakens, and is

hence born-again, he has a new love for life and no longer wants for decease to

catch him. This is a merely a compact version of the decease and rebirth subject at

the terminal of the book. Overall, the decease and rebirth subject makes a really of import

part to The Odyssey. Throughout the work, Homer makes usage of this subject

for several grounds. Chiefly, it helps the reader addition better apprehension

into what is one of the more of import implicit in subjects in the full book: 1

should ne’er give up on life. Homer tells his narrative and emphasizes that, even

though a state of affairs may look unsurmountable, there is ever an option that, if

taken, will non merely sustain life but supply some valuable penetration or

experience. This subject of The Odyssey is a cosmopolitan one, which genuinely helps to

history for the timelessness illustration of Homer & # 8217 ; s work.