Odyssey Analytical Writing Assignment

            Throughout the book The Odyssey, there is a common theme that is stay faithful to your leaders and if you do not it will come back to get you in the end.  

     

            In book 12 of The Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew face many problems and without the help of Odysseus, their leader, they would most likely all die. Odysseus not only knows about all of the obstacles they are going to face in their travels, but also how to get past them. So overall without Odysseus' leadership the crew would not make it very far alive.  One example is the run in with the Sirens, Odysseus told his crew to tie him to the ship and then plug there ears with wax so they will not hear the sirens.  "...and I stopped the ears of my comrades one by one.  They bound me hand and foot in the tight ship-erect at the mast-block lashed by ropes to the mast." (Page 276 Lines 192-194) The crew had to put wax in their ears so they would not jump off the sip and drowned, Odysseus however wants to hear the Sirens so even the wax would not stop him from steering the ship into the island and killing everyone.  With the leadership of odysseus the crew made it past the Sirens and continued onto face more troubles.

                In book 19 of The Odyssey, Odysseus returns to Ithacea, his homeland, and wants to see if his wife is still loyal to him.  There are many suitors that are trying to take the hand of Odysseus' wife in marriage because they believe he is dead.  His wife seems to be staying loyal to him and she is not believing that Odysseus is dead.  "I YEARN FOR ODYSSEUS ALWAYS (Page 394 Lines 151-152) 

This quote shows that she prays that Odysseus will come back because no one can replace him.  She knows none of the suitors can match the love she has for Odysseus, so when she hears that he is on his way home she is overcome with joy and stays loyal to her one and true husband.  

            In Book 22 of The Odyssey, there are people that have not stayed loyal to one of the most important person in the land, the king Odysseus, and he will not let this go unpunished.  For example, the suitors have not stayed loyal to Odysseus and the will be paying the price of death for it.  Odysseus says, "You dogs! you never imagined I'd return from Troy- so cocksure that you bled my house to death..." (Page 440 Lines 36-39) Odysseus and his son Telemachus set free their anger that has been built up in them on to the helpless suitors.  Because of the suitors lack of loyalty to Odysseus they all pay with their lives.