Analysis of The Odyssey by Homer - Essay Example

The Odyssey Introduction Every written piece of literature has a story behind it. Many pieces of literature are written with the intention of making an impact on the readers. They reflect the day to day lives that people encounter and give a detailed description of how the day to day lives are affected by the many things that people do. A good piece of literature dwells on the facts of real life. Real life or the life that people experience is written inform of books so that people can relate to them. From the social lives of people, to the cultural and political lives of people, they are all portrayed in the pieces of literatures that are written all over the world. Written pieces of literature, as said before, have a hidden and an outer meaning. The outer meaning of written pieces of literature is easy to understand and acquire. The hidden meaning, however, requires an understanding of the text in question. In order to get the intended message of any written literature, one should be able to read and look for the major themes in the text, writing styles and other forms that are written within the literature in order to understand the real and intended message of the written literature to the readers. Most of literature written contains numerous themes, themes which bear a significant amount of the intended message. In this essay, attention will be focused upon a piece of literature that has numerous themes; The Odyssey (Homer, 12). These themes all which bear certain significance to the life that people presently live in. Attention will be focused on the gender theme. This is a theme that many bear and relate with, both men and women. Gender is an issue that has found its way in many pieces of literature. “So then, royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, man of exploits, still eager to leave at once and hurry back to your own home, your beloved native land? Good luck to you, even so. Farewell!” (Homer, 16) This is a quote told to Odysseus when he was help by the goddess in order to provide sexual desires. Gender is an issue that has been discussed by many authors, many of whom have disagreed on the superiority over the other. The Odyssey can be described as a prehistoric Greek classic poems attributed to Homer. The poem one that is very fundamental to the modern western canon. Looking at the poem, it mainly focuses on the Greek hero, Odysseus. Odysseus is also known as Ulysses in Roman myths. The story is about his journey to his home place, which is after the fall of Troy (Homer, 14). According to the captivating poem, it takes the hero a number of years, ten to exact, to reach Ithaca after the Trojan War that ended after ten years. Because of his long time without being present, he is assumed dead in the war or elsewhere. In his absence, he left a wife and son, and they are overcome with the burden of dealing with unruly suitors who compete for the hand of his wife, Penelope. The unruly suitors have a name, the Mnesteres or Proci, and they compete for the hand of the wife they think has been left a widow. This is where the base of this essay comes to play; the gender roles of men and women, an issue that has sought much attention among many. Discussed below are the gender constructs, relations, interaction and limitations. This is a significant theme in the poem of Odysseus (Homer, 19). Gender has been used to explain the difference between the powers that the different genders possess in the poem. Gender in the poem is defined and depicted in various styles, from the way the lives of males and the females interact. The women of the poem are regarded as the weaker gender, a quality that lowers them to be like slaves. Looking at an example from the poem, it is evident that the women of the poem are not regarded as highly as the men. Men are respected, treated with much dignity and use women as servants to work for them. A perfect example is when hospitality is offered to a visitor. For a proper hospitality procedure, it starts with a bath, offered to the stranger who has come to visit or beg for food, and then the food is given. All this is done by a woman; from the giving of the bath to the giving of food. Women are portrayed as the gender that needs only to stay at home and provide for the family. They are used to benefit others. The scene of bathing the strangers and giving them food acts as a scene that portrays the exact way that the women in the poem are handled. It shows their significant role and also helps with the character development (Homer, 22). Looking at their opposite gender, the men, they are highly regarded in the society. They are praised while coming from battles and they are treated as kings by their women. Women have no say in whatever decisions that are made by anyone. Their decisions are made for them by the men present. An example that can show this is the scene where Penelope objects to Phemius’ theme, the “Return from Troy” because makes her recall her companion. Telemachus objects to whatever she feels. This shows that women in the poem are not regarded highly. Their opinions do not carry as much weight as their opposite gender carries. They are to follow whatever they are told and not to question. Looking at the poem, it is true to conclude that women are used towards the desires of men. Men are the ones who receive the most awarding jobs while women are left to take care of homes. Women are placed in a place that is below that of women. Another thing that makes women be important figures is the part that they act; of being seductresses (Homer, 24). The allure of the many women in the poem leads men to go astray. This is a part that Homer presents and is viewed with much truth. In this part, Homer is of the idea that all men can fall, no matter how strong the look or no matter their achievements. Homer brings a side of women that can be used to bring men down, men who hold positions and are respectable. This can be seen in different scenes such as; Circe and Calypso. These are just some of women, and they are obvious examples of how women can also use their power to maneuver amongst men. They become obstacles towards the return of Odysseus. They enchant Odysseus with their lovely songs. Even the wife, Penelope, seems to lead the men who follow her on and they follow. Penelope uses her feminine wiles to conceal whatever she does in secret every night. She uses the same charm to get gifts from the suitors who are following her looking for her hand in marriage. One instance where she uses her charm to her level best is when she states that she will marry whoever brings her the nicest gifts (Homer, 30). The women in the poem have not only been portrayed as weak; they have also been portrayed to have certain strengths that only they can use. They use their charm, beauty and sexuality to gain whatever it is that they seek. Yet even with all this charm and beauty, they are forced to be below the men. They are forced to be patient and wait for their loved ones to return. They are subjects to divine whim, forced to wait and desire for love when it is absent or away from their grasp. Even with all the qualities that Homer has given the women in this poem, he still goes on to show that women are still below the men. Still, in a way, Homer portrays the greatest ability and power that women have above all others; the ability to love. Women are full of love, and it is a love that does not wither. Their love lasts, and this can be proven by the wife of Odysseus, Penelope. She eagerly waits for her husband, refusing any suitors but choosing to play with them until she has had her share. She loves her husband unconditionally, and even after her husband’s departure, which sees him stay for more than ten years, she still has the hope and the desire to wait until he is returned to her arms. This is a gesture that Homer uses to make another theme, the theme of love (Homer, 32). Conclusion As seen from the above writing, it is evident that Homer wants his writers to get the message from the poem by looking at the major themes. The theme pertaining to gender is a theme that the writer has placed emphasis on, and through it many conclusions have been drawn. Among them is that even though women are represented as the weaker gender, they have their own strengths and when they are used to perfection, they can make the gender balance more equal. Women are not the weaker gender, but it is because they are not presented with opportunity to prove otherwise that they are not weak. Work Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Reprint. New York: Plain Label Books. 2007. ISBN: 1603038582, 9781603038584 Read More