FATHER- SON RELATIONSHIP ACCORDING TO HIBREW BIBLE AND ODESSEY
The way of depicting fathers and sons in The Odyssey is widely contrary to the Hebrew Bible. Unlike the Hebrew Bible, fathers and sons in The Odyssey are more vividly portrayed. In the Hebrew Bible, the relationship between fathers and sons is mainly about obedience: sons are obedient to fathers and fathers and sons are both obedient to God; however, in The Odyssey, the father-son relationship is partnership and man-to-man relationship rather than man-to-child relationship. The Hebrew Bible demonstrates God’s sovereignty when The Odyssey places more emphasis on the importance of a family structure, which is the reason why two books portray the relationship between fathers and sons so differently (Connell p.6). For example, Abraham had only one son, Isaac. Abraham had always trusted in God that all his life and God blessed him and gave him a son at a very Old age. The nature of obedience Abraham had to God is what led him to have a son. He taught Isaac in the ways of the Lord. The relationship Abraham had with his son was magnificent. In addition, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, he had no doubt that it was for his own good. Therefore, Isaac also agreed to be sacrificed. In the end, God provided a lamb for sacrifice after proving to God that he was obedient to him. Isaac was rescued like Abraham had initially told his son God himself will provide (New International Version, Genesis 22.8). When we talk about Odyssey, wealth and power was above all. Homer proved that Father- Son relationships were form of partnership. When Odysseus was in the field fighting, he left his son behind to take care of the throne. Telemachus was young; however, he was entitled to rule like a man. A conflict arose between him and other men of that city who wanted to be the suitor of Telemachus’ mother. There was need to have a strong leader with wealth and power to avoid being defeated by other cities. Therefore, it was upon Telemachus to find ways of attaining that wealth and power without the help of his father.
According to the Hebrew bible, the Father- Son relationship creates a picture of provision. Regardless of Abraham’s age, he made sure that he provided to his son like a father does. He taught him how to be a good son, obedient and strong willed. However, Homer depicts, Odyssey as selfish and self-centered. He lives for war for twenty years without getting back to his family. His son struggles alone to make sure that he becomes like his father but does not know how. It is evident that, Penelope, mother to Telemachus, is trying to delay the selection of his suitor to allow his son to get all he needs and become a respected heir.
There are situations when Homer portrays father son relationship in odyssey as admirable. According to the Greek culture, it was presumed that sons should take the footsteps of their fathers at all times. However, only those who could achieve noble acts and maintain the social status of society were prized. For example, according to Homer, in his writings he shows that Odysseus and Priam were proud of their sons Telemachus, and Hector respectively (Mackail, P. 45). They proved that they could be trusted and were hard working to get what they wanted. On the contrary, the methods used to get wealth and power never mattered to the Greeks. A s long as someone could find a way of becoming superior, then al was set. In the Hebrew setting, father son relationship emphasized genuine struggle. Jacob admired his son Joseph for his hard work, a situation that instilled from his older brothers. In the end, the bible portrays that, Joseph was sold to the Egyptians, but because of trusting in God and working hard to make life better for him and his family he became the ruler of the land. He solved issues of starvation in Egypt and pharaoh put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Genesis, 41.41). Therefore, it is clear that, the Hebrew bible instills the idea of hard work and faith to achieve a positive outcome unlike the Odysseys that encourages poor conduct of sons and their fathers on getting riches. There is always a need to protect once power. However, children should have the mandate to chose how they would prefer their lives to be instead of being directed all the time.
In conclusions, the odyssey reveals a positive relationship of father and son. However, the relationships hare built on a poor play form. The Hebrew bible on the other hand teaches impressive ways of determining a father son relationship. Most fathers are determined to provide for their children in the right way and always take time to advise their children on the right things to do. In the end, admirable men are born.
Works Cited
Connell, Ruth S. Turnaround Time Between ILLiad’s Odyssey and Ariel Delivery Methods: A
Comparison, Web. 12 Feb. 2013
<https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/678/ConnellJankeFinal.pdf;jsessionid=3E18A145485A8B4BDB7BBFE9645AE0CB?sequence=1>
Mackail , John William. The Odyssey, Volume 2, The University of California, 2007. Print
Smith, Nicole Father and Son Relationships in The Odyssey by Homer, 2011. Web 12. Feb.
2013.
<http://www.articlemyriad.com/father-son-relationships-odyssey-homer/>
New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2013. BibleGateway.com. Web. 12.Feb.
2013.
