The visit of Odysseus to the Phaiakians
The Odyssey is probably said to be put down in paper around 750 and 650 B.C.The Odyssey is a heroic ode (poem) and it centers the Greek champion Odysseus after his undisputed winning of the Trojan War that occurred around 12th century B.C.The is dying to go home, has home sickness, and the first thing in his mind is going back to his motherland. He has aptitude and shrewd. He undergoes a lot of trials ranging from ogres to his personal security. However tempting it maybe, he brushes off the many luring things in Ithaca and voila! At long last, he goes back to his motherland.
For the significance of the Odyssey to be figured out and brought to the fore, there is much importance to delve a little into the story. Odysseus is wanderlust and in his journeys he meets many individuals among them a foreteller who is blind, Tiresias, who prophesies that Odysseus will not make it home in one piece. Also the prophet predicts that Odysseus will have his demise while seafaring. Odysseus’ deceased mother updates him on the situation back home: as in the ruthless run-out-of -the-mill aspiring grooms and who are not only basking on his wealth but also impolite to his wife and male child.Still,the grooms want to woo his wife and marry him. As he is progressing with the journey, it is then that he encounters with the administrators of Phaiakians (Hoena B.A 2009). While still in Phaiakians Odysseus encounters with the princess from that place by the name Nauiskaa who falls in love with him. The princess opens wide the doors of her palace and once there the Odysseus at first hides his real identity bur finally bends to the request of the Phaiakians Another god of the wind, gave a bag of winds to Odysseus that would help him sail home, but it was opened by his gluttonous men thus made the ship to be blown to another dangerous place for the place contained ogres that preyed on the men (Laistrygonians) but they escaped with a whisker. Only his son and the old swineherd that belonged to him, Eumaios. Veiled as a beggar, Odysseus receives a very cold reception from the run amok suitors and a handful of his former servants. Penelope has an observation of the strange coincidence on the similarity between the person who is begging and her thought to be dead husband and so she comes up with a plan that if anyone accomplishes it she will be his bride. Odysseus kills executes the other suitors in point blank with the assistance of Eumaios ,Philoitos and Telemakhos.Also his goddess play a vital role in that slaying of the suitors. Later, Odysseus pays a visit to his biological father, Laertes, who is in his extremis at a place in the exterior of the town. The relatives of the deceased suitors gang up against them.
In the story,there is a pearl of wisdom that is proffered to the Greek society :a dose at a time.As the story commences,Odysseus is said to have won the war but he is far away from home and he is very much yearning to go home.The first obvious thing is the theme.’won the war…want to go home.’There is something that is seared into the minds of the people of the Greek society : that east or west,home is the best.On Odysseus journey home there are many trials: orgres that feed on his men,but he overcomes them all,temptations to his paratroop and who after being lured by them suffer the consequences…The Greek society,learn a lesson that :when the deal is too good,think twice.Odysseus meets many people on his journeys.ASmong his many encounters is a blind prophet,who foretells that he will die enroute home.However,and it doesn’t necessarily mean that all prophets are liars,Odysseus makes it home in one piece.In the ode,Tiresias is said to be blind.It,may,not mean that he has got a physical blindness but the blindness that is characreized to him may be meaning that his perceptions ,ideas and perspectives arfe unfounded.Odysseus listens to the prophet but doesn’t react to the news,this tends to mean that people who fall out if kilter with the Greek Society,s hopes,aims and visions should have their words heeded.In one of his journeys,Odysseus meet with the rulers of Phaiakians and they pay homage to his masterly in storytelling.The honesty of using purposefully his talent proves to be important.To the Greek society,another lesson is profferd to them,’honesty is the best gamble when you don’t know whether or not a lie will serve you better.At least you state your case,and if you fail,you can keep your integrity.’This is seen when Odysseus albeit after his story telling is honored with a good send-off in a water craft (Hoena B.A.2009).There is the encouragement of hoping against hope and self-motivation.When the orgre comes anmd claims two men day after day,Odysseus doesn’t lose hope of defeating it,he takes time to come up with a scheme and he eventually burn its one eye.The Greek society is taught by the ode to always be cunning. Another astonishing lesson taught to the Greeks society is not to be promiscuous or philanderers as it is portrayed by Odysseus’ wife( while Odysseus is free to have sex out of wedlock, Penelope is a decently upright person as she lets the aspiring suitors sleep in palace but basically because he doesn’t have the strength to shoo them off). Even though Odysseus is conscious of the fact that he will eventually go back to his motherland ,he goes on to the point of sleeping with Kalypso and he does not reveal to her that he has got a wife back at home “makes a careful replies, flattening the goddess while simply saying that he ‘longs[s] for home, long[s] for the sight of home”(229).The Greek are taught that,’ you should not wear your heart on your sleeve for everyone to see.’Again,there is the part where a certain princess, lures and charms Odysseus in such a way that he is undecided whether to go home or stay. Therein the Greeks are taught that,’mid pleasures and palaces we may roam, but it ever so humble there’s no place like home. ‘In the story ,there is another lesson that is taught to the Greek society,justice.Penelope,Odysseus legally wedded wife, that she will marry the only p[person who can twine Odysseus bow and discharge it through a dozen heads, because she knows that the only person who is justified to have her can pull the fete. During the time that the gang that of one of the suitors gangs up against Odysseus and his family, there is a god who stops the blood shed among the two rivals, this shows to the Greek society that we should discourage violence.
Hoena, B. A. (2004). Odysseus. Minesota,U.S.A.: Capstone Press.
