“O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands,”
December 4th, 2008First paraphrase Polyphemus’ prayer to Poseidon, (p. 997, lines 484-493 in the new version of your textbook that you have at home) then explain the significance, based on what you know from having read the synopsis of the whole plot in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. What heroic flaw of Odyssesus’ caused this to come about? What life lesson can readers of today draw from this episode?
December 4th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus showed us once again that he is skilled in all ways of contending. To escape his fate of becoming eaten by Polyphemus the giant cyclops, he and his men made a large wooden stake out of a tree, dipped it into the fire, and stabbed it right into the cyclops’ eye. After the cyclops was wounded, Odysseus and his men hid under the rams and sheep inside of the cave. When Polyphemus let the rams go by, Odysseus and his men escaped. When they got to the boat, however, Odysseus made a terrible mistake.
Odysseus was acting to high. He was yelling back at the cyclops that he had outsmarted him, and that he was overall better. As we know about Greek mythology, the gods did not approve of one “bragging” about his/her accomplishments. In this case, it was Odysseus, whom I thought was very wise, acting this way. Everyone on his ship was saying for him to stop, and hills and land were being thrown at him. And because of this, Polyphemus did a wise thing.
Polyphemus the cyclops was praying to his father Poseidon for Odysseus to never see his home again!. As we learned in Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology”, he does, however, find his home in Ithaca. The cyclops also prayed for Odysseus to lose all his companions. The significance of all of this praying was to kill Odysseus.
Lastly, readers reading this epic today can learn many lessons. One is “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”. Odysseus could have easily been killed as he was yelling at Polyphemus. That one huge boulder came so close to hitting his ship and killing him and all of his companions. So readers, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
In order to trick the Cyclops into letting him go, Odysseus Stabs Polyphemus in the eye. This makes Polyphemus unable to see. Odysseus then ties his men under the rams so they can escape. This plan works but then Odysseus gets cocky. He starts yelling at Polyphemus and his plan falls apart.
When Odysseus tells Polyphemus his true name, Polyphemus begins praying to Poseidon. The first thing Polyphemus asks for is that Odysseus never reaches home. He then says that if he does return it will take forever and during the travel he is faced with many hardships. The last thing he asks for is for all of his crew to not be with him when he returns, and that he loses his ship.
From reading the synopsis I believe that Polyphemus’ prayer is answered. The reason I think this is that it takes him 10 years to finally return home. In the synopsis it also says that all of the gods begin to feel sorry for Odysseus except for Poseidon, to whom Polyphemus had prayed. During his journeys he is held captive by Calypso. Lastly, he lands on an island all by himself naked and has no ship. The people of the island then send him off with one of their ships.
This is all because of Odysseus’ arrogance and anger. Odysseus enraged the Cyclops enough for him to pray to his father Poseidon. This would have not been bad but Polyphemus knew his true name. Polyphemus, knowing Odysseus’ name could give Poseidon the exact name of his attacker. His crew even knew better, encouraging him to be quiet, but Odysseus refused to listen.
I believe that the lesson is not to let our arrogance and anger take over. Had Odysseus just listened to his fellow travelers none of this would have happened. Polyphemus would not have known his name and they would have made it home in no time. Whenever anyone lets their anger and arrogance take over they tend to make rash decisions.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Heh. I don’t even have to type in the website as the address anymore. I just use the Google tool.
Polyphemus’ prayer: ‘Hear me, creator of islands. I am yours and you are my father: see it that Odysseus, invader of cities never gets home: Odysseus’ father (Laertes), who kept his arena in Ithaca. If fate brings him to his house, family and homeland again, let that be far from now. Let the years that pass until that point be gloomy and shall all of his men perish. Let him return to his home sore…’
The prayer recited by the Cyclops is quite significant. Had Odysseus not said everything that he said, the Cyclops would have not made the payer that specifically included Odysseus. Though I’m pro Odysseus, he DID make a mistake by taking it even farther, although I must admit, I would have done the same. The Cyclops clearly had enough. He got drunk and lost an eye. I personally believe that the monster has anger management problems. Why on Earth would he
a.) Wish to kill people that he can eat instead
b.) Make Odysseus pay for what he did in such a harsh manner? Had he not made the alliance with the king, poor Odysseus wouldn’t be sizzling eyes! All he wanted to do was be with his family, who believes that he is long dead at this point. Give some mercy, grand Cyclops! I mean, it’s “okay” for Polyphemus to eat people, but not take his eye? I shouldn’t think so!
I must agree with Tom about the prayer being answered. I also agree with him that the prayer’s the reason why it takes Odysseus so long to get back home. At least the gods felt pity for him. I do not find it surprising that Poseidon does/did not feel bad for Odysseus, because like Tom said, he was the one who answered Polyphemus’ prayer.
I must admit that Odysseus IS a hero, therefore, he has the heroic quality of being too proud. If it wasn’t for this quality, I don’t think that this would be a very good myth. It goes to show that everyone (including me) gets a bit too stuck up sometimes. Though we know when it shows and people tell us to stop, we just can’t. It feels as if you’re “living in the moment” and that’s exactly what Odysseus did.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
As Polyphemus cries out his prayer to Poseidon, he says, in easier terms than what is written, “Listen to me, king of the sea. If i am really your son, and you are really my father, grant my wish that Odysseus will never return home. Even if destiny says that he will someday return home, make sure that it’s after a long period of dreary wandering. He should lose his entire crew and return to sadness even in Ithaca.”
I agree with Tom that it seems that Polyphemus’ prayer is answered. After the prayer is uttered, Odysseus wandered miserably for almost ten full years until finally reaching his home. But although Odysseus spent several boring years in Calypsos’ captivity, the gods all developed a liking for him-except Poseidon, of course. One could see that while Odysseus goes through a fair share of the suffering put upon him by Poseidon, there are gentle nudges everywhere he goes that assist in sending him home.
For example, when Odysseus lands naked on the island, he had thrashed about in the sea and fought the currents for a very long time. But after that particular hardship that Poseidon had forced upon him, the gods compensated by allowing him to be found by a princess whose father gave him a ship to leave the island and return home.
Odysseus is very much like a hero, anyone must agree. Even a hero like Harry Potter holds the trademarked pride and arrogance. Basically, Odysseus may not have run into trouble had he not been so prideful. But as he sailed away from the Cyclops, he had the nerve and the pride to turn and face Polyphemus and state his true name, as if he believed that now that he had poked Polyphemus’ eye out, Polyphemus could never do anything to retaliate. He was wrong, and his boasting bought him suffering.
The moral to this would obviously be that if one takes too much pride in his achievements, he will find reason to later regret it. As Gia said in class, he who brags would fall into a ‘karma circle.’
December 4th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Odysseus is so incredibly gifted to have the mind to come up with his marvelous escape plan. That is pretty much Odysseus’ only advantage. The Cyclops has strength, he’s in his home, he has other Cyclopes around him, and as we find out at the end, he is the son of the powerful God, Poseidon. It is very easy to compare Odysseus and Polyphemus’ tale to a couple of toddlers. Polyphemus is hurt by Odysseus and Odysseus runs away sticking his tongue out. Polyphemus then throws a tantrum and a mountain. Odysseus continues to bother Polyphemus so Polyphemus tells his Daddy.
Like Tom said, Polyphemus’ little prayer used to tell on Odysseus worked because there is an entire, wordy epic written on Odysseus’ adventures to get back home. This sort of makes me feel bad for Odysseus because he is already cursed by Zeus and the Gods because of what he did at Troy. Now Odysseus has to endure double the punishment because of a “Tattle Tailor”.
What I find odd though, is that none of the Greeks are looking for Odysseus. Wouldn’t they want to be keeping track of the man who led them to Victory? I know the Gods are mad at the Greeks but wouldn’t some of them who are happy with Troy’s defeat try to help him, even a little?
However, it serves him right. That’s the magic of Karma. What goes around comes around. If Odysseus hadn’t let his arrogance and his belief of his own superiority come over him he never would have order Polyphemus to tell anyone that asked what happened to his eye say Odysseus did it. It’s better for Odysseus to keep his mouth shut and he would have gotten home. Also, Polyphemus would have continued to be pestered whenever some one asks who did that to your eye because Polyphemus would reply Nohbdy, and his fellow Cyclopes would be confused. However, since arrogance did over come Odysseus, he has to suffer the consequences. KARMA! What goes around comes around; what goes up, must come down; eye for and eye tooth for a tooth. Anything that relates to karma.
Also, I wanted to bring up the saying “Beware of Greeks baring gifts” because Odysseus is a Greek that offered Polyphemus wine and Polyphemus took it and was tricked just like the Trojans.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
An interesting play of words from the story:
Polyphemus: “Nohbdy will not get out alive, I swear.” (p.994)
Polyphemus’ prayer to Poseidon:“O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes’ son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he see his roof again among his family in his father land, far by that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all his companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” (Polyphemus, p.997, lines 484-493)
Among many of Odysseus’ heroic qualities, one of his negative traits is arrogance. Even after he outsmarts the Cyclops Polyphemus by sneaking his men and himself out of the cave, he is still enraged about the ingestive death of his six other friends. As soon as he thinks that his minifleet is out of the Cyclops’ reach, he begins to shout insults at the blinded monster, and goes a bit too far by revealing his true identity. With the knowledge of Odysseus’ name, Polyphemus can curse him in the name of the gods. Odysseus brought forth his own trouble because of his impulsive behavior.
I think the meaning of this scene is clear: be careful around your enemies, they can use anything you do against you.
Caitlin, you brought up a good point about Odysseus’ pride being a problem. Being a braggart never gets you anywhere, it holds you down.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
This prayer of the Cyclops’ was the basic cause of most of Odysseus’s journey home. Polyphemus would not have been able to perform this prayer without Odysseus’s real name, which unfortunately, Odysseus gave. In his triumph he boasted to Polyphemus about his genius plan. And in that boast he could not help but reveal his name: “Odysseus, Laertes’ son, who ma whose home is on Ithaca.”
Though this information was important and should not have been given, Polyphemus would not have been able to use it without knowing more about Odysseus’s journey. Earlier in the poem, Odysseus tells the Cyclops how he came to be on the island. He says that they had been blown off course, and that they were homeward bound.
With these two facts, Polyphemus could get his revenge with his father Poseidon’s help. The prayer he utters (it’s more of a curse in my opinion) determines many parts of Odysseus’s fate. First, he makes it clear that he wishes Odysseus to never see his home on Ithaca again, and that if destiny must bring Odysseus home, it will be years ahead of now. Next, he prays that Odysseus will lose all of his men on the journey home and that when he finally returns he will face ‘bitter days’. All of this ends up coming true (save the part about bitter days maybe?).
When I read the Odyssey in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, I wondered what made Poseidon take revenge for so long. Athena, who had reason to be much angrier than he, had forgiven Odysseus and was even on his side by the end of the tale. Now I know why Poseidon continued to give Odysseus such hardships.
The moral (or life lesson) of this is how arrogance can come back to get you. That it is never wise to brag or boast, and that nothing good can come of it. I like how Joan phrases it: “Being a braggart never gets you anywhere, it holds you down.”
December 4th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I think Odysseus’ plan to escape the Cyclops’ was quite clever. Of course it was only good before Odysseus had to act arrogant to the one eyed giant. Odysseus had blinded the great beast using a steak made out of wood. Then he tied his men to the underbellies of the Cyclops’ great sheep and ram. This was so the Polyphemus (the Cyclops’ name) would not feel the men or hear the men leaving the cave by foot. Once they had escaped the cave the men then stole Polyphemus’ rams and sheep and left the island. While on the ship Odysseus started acting pretty cocky. He provoked the Cyclops to throw a couple of objects at the ship and when that did not work Polyphemus began to pray to Poseidon.
He prayed to Poseidon that Odysseus shall not make it home and that all of the companions that sailed with him would be killed by the god’s fury. Like Keith said it did not help that Odysseus mentioned his real name to Polyphemus. Actually I think that is the reason for Polyphemus praying. Odysseus had to be arrogant and mention his name. Then because of his arrogance Zeus got very angry with Odysseus. So then Odysseus had the first and second most powerful gods angry with Odysseus. I do not think Odysseus was thinking straight when he said this. If his crew was not killed I think mutiny would be the last thing Odysseus ever saw.
Like Keith also stated the prayer affected many concept of Odysseus’ fate. I knew Poseidon wanted to take revenge on Odysseus for so long but I had never known the true reason. The irony about this is that Odysseus has always tried to take care of his men and keep them on the course for home but he ends up doing the one thing that takes away every crewman’s life. He also winds up jeopardizing his own fate and is sent down a path which takes him ten more years to get back home.
The one heroic flaw Odysseus shows is arrogance. He is just human but his arrogance was not small. He freely bragged about how he was able to defeat the Cyclops. The life lesson here might be that if someone brags and is not modest their fate shall take a drastic turn for the worst. The only way to get out of the karma circle is to obtain the ability of being modest.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
As discussed in class a while ago, being a hero in the myths will require that person to have many traits. Some of which we can live without. In this part of The Odyssey, Odysseus shows his courage and his wit but also reveals his arrogance. However, we cannot blame this heroic flaw on Odysseus, or Homer, for the reason that arrogance is a part of human nature. What we can blame Odysseus for, is not his arrogance, but his lack of self control. If he was able to control himself he would have saved his companions and he would have won the favor of the gods. His lack of self control greatly influenced Polyphemus’ decision to pray to Poseidon and also dismayed the gods.
As Odysseus was sailing away from the Cyclops, his excitement got the best of him. On the boat, he yelled, boasting about how a small man like him defeated and overcame a giant like Polyphemus’. This statement stirred up Polyphemus but, not enough for him to look to the Gods for aid. However, Odysseus apparently crossed the line when he cursed the Polyphemus and the earthquake god. This was a mistake; as soon as Polyphemus heard this he prayed to Poseidon and ask him for a favor: “…..grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home…….Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his father land, far be that day, and dark years between. Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” And to this prayer, the god responded with pleasure, ensuring Odysseus’ future as a horrible one.
The amusing part of this is that he was warned not to boast. Not by the Gods and Goddesses, but by his fellow crew members on board. This was very humorous because I can imagine that if the Gods told him, directly, to stop boasting he would have immediately stopped. However, it was not the Gods; it was the mortal crew member that told him to stop.
We, being the readers, knew that Odysseus was going to lose his cool soon. I do not think it is possible (at least I think), that somebody can go through an entire war and watch his/her friends get eaten by a Cyclops, and still not lose their cool. I think it was perfectly normal that Odysseus lost his cool. I admit that I definitely would have lost my cool.
I like how Keith stated in his post that it was very interesting how Athena was so quick to forgive Odysseus and Poseidon was so slow to punish Odysseus. I think that the life lesson we can learn from it today is: Arrogance is human nature but lack o self control isn’t. We have to learn to control ourselves.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
sorry i said that “i do not think” and “at least i think” in the same sentence.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows the qualities of any hero or heroine- the good, the bad, and the ugly. He is very resourceful, and is a great leader of men. But in this episode, Odysseus’ arrogance is nearly the death of him and his men. After cleverly escaping the clutches of Cyclops by blinding his one eye, Odysseus and his men latch themselves underneath the bodies of the monster’s rams- and they all prevail to the outside from the darkness of the cave. Odysseus and his men then steal the flock and trap them aboard their ship; for food, sacrifice, etc… Then, when the ship hasn’t even reached open water Odysseus mocks the beast. He yells his true name and how terrible for a small, insignificant human could outsmart such a large (but uncivilized) monster.
The Cyclops then answers with dismay that a prophet- a wizard had predicted that he would be overtaken by a man called Odysseus. Then he asked for him to return to shore, and that he could and would be hospitable. But the arrogant fool was too far gone. His crew pleaded for their captain not to answer, in case of angering the beast any further. But Odysseus had already cupped his hands, and projected that he would only return to kill him. Then, the Cyclops prayed to Poseidon- his father. As Joan said, in the prayer the great monster asked for Odysseus to never return home. Then, if he should return, let him have a long and torturous journey ahead. He also asked that his companions all perish- and that he return home under a strange flag. I agree with Devin on the issue of Karma. What goes around eventually comes around. For example, my sister and I were riding bikes and we were having a fight. She was insulting me left and right, and the moment I lashed out at her I fell off my bike and scarred my knee!! She still hasn’t gotten what she deserves though…
December 4th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
in some versions, odysseus tells polyphemus his name is noman, which in greek is odysseus abbreviated. another play on words, also, apparently polyphemus was correct with his double negative “noman will not leave here alive”no man didnt escape alive(all men alive at that point stayed alive and escaped alive but many died shortly afterwards)
December 4th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Odysseus as usual, comes up with another cunning plan to get himself out of an unpleasant situation. He and his men were trapped inside a cave with a Cyclops named Polyphemus who was eating the men one-by-one. Polyphemus was Poseidon’s son. Odysseus gets Polyphemus drunk and stabs his only eye with a stake. He twisted the stake as it was ledged inside the eye. He described how the eye sizzles and mentioned the blood gushing out.
This was part 1 of Odysseus’ plan to escape the Cyclopes. He tied himself and his men to the bottom of the rams as they exited the cave. The Cyclopes checked the tops of the rams but did not check the bottom; where the men were hiding.
As Polyphemus roared in pain, his fellow Cyclopes came to his aid. They asked him: “Polyphemus? Why do you cry so sore in the starry night? You will not let us sleep. Sure no man’s driving off your flock? No man has tricked you, ruined you?”
His reply was: Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nodbdy’s ruined me!”
The annoyed Cyclopes replied by saying: “Ah well, if nobody has played you foul there in your lonely bed, we are no use in pain given by great Zeus. Let it be your father, Poseidon Lord to whom you play”
I personally find this so hilarious. Odysseus tricked the Cyclopes AGAIN. He said his name was Nohbdy, so that when Polyphemus was in much need of help to destroy Odysseus, he did not know his real name, tricking the Cyclopes into thinking that he said ‘nobody’ instead of ‘Nohbdy’. Here’s another example of humor in Greek literature!
Of course, Odysseus had to be arrogant and come back to Polyphemus to rub it in his face. He returned and said: “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”
This quote made me think so much less of Odysseus. I mean, he blinded the Cyclops, and he came back to boast. There was a line, and Odysseus sure crossed it. Even though the Cyclops was eating his men, the Cyclopes are uncivilized and they know no better!
Odysseus even told him his real name…not only his real name, but where he hailed from, and also who his parent was. I mean, you have GOT to be kidding me…Cunning Odysseus seriously made a huge mistake like this?? That is ridiculous and absolutely absurd!!
Odysseus made a huge mistake when he was boasting and being arrogant. Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon, god of sea, earthquakes, horses, and storms at sea. Polyphemus then prayed to Poseidon and said: “O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes’ son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he see his roof again among his family in his father land, far by that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all his companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.”
Polyphemus prayed that Odysseus makes his trip home in a LONG period of time. He prayed for dark years for Odysseus, and to loose all his companions. He wished for him to return under strange sail, to bitter days at home. What a lovely example of karma! Polyphemus was cruel to the men, he got stabbed in the eye; then Odysseus started being arrogant and now Polyphemus prayed him the worst thing that could happen. What goes around comes around!
I love it when Sean says “The only way to get out of the karma circle is to obtain the ability of being modest.” because that is so true….if only Odysseus knew that.
Now I’m excited to learn about Polyphemus’ prayers coming true!
December 4th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
i bet everybody that ben gets his info from wikipedia.
jk
December 4th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Odysseus has many great qualities to his personality. He is smart, caring, and very witty. However, like every other hero out there, he has his flaws. At a point in the story he just felt it was so necessary to go over the limit, brag about how amazing and strong he is, and shout out his name. As soon as I read what Odysseus had I said, I thought to myself “What the hell is your problem?” His crew did the right thing in telling him to just leave it alone…but NO!! HE IS A HERO! Odysseus has to boast, and take pride in his actions.
As Polyphemus was crying to Poseidon, he pretty much said to him “If you care about me at all, you will punish Odysseus so that he suffers and never returns home. But if he shall, make is journey long and tedious.” Now the way I see it, the situation could be looked at in many different perspectives. Some people might say that Odysseus deserved the long hard journey he went through. However, others might say that he saved many people and he went through enough; just send him home. The way I look at the situation is the karma circle I discussed in class today. If you do something harmful to another person, you will get the same in return. In simpler terms “What goes around, comes around!” I don’t think anyone of us could say Odysseus deserves this, or the Cyclops deserves that etc… But, if you perform a bad deed, then you should have a taste of your own medicine. For example, the Cyclops ate Odysseus’s friends, so in return he was fooled and got hurt. But, what Odysseus did after that was superfluous. He went over the limit and did what people should learn not to do!! An outcome of this was he experienced a difficult, tiresome journey. When you take a good look at the events, it is going in a circle. The way I see it is that people who do wrong in the world always get their punishment.
Everyone before me already stated this, but the story’s obvious moral is to be responsible of your actions. Sometimes we get carried away, and forget how we treat people. I like the way Justin said arrogance is human nature, but self control is not. When I read that I really thought and came to the conclusion that it is totally true! Bragging about yourself doesn’t get you anywhere in life. One thing I found kind of ironic was that the gods punished Odysseus for bragging about his own self, but don’t the gods and goddesses do it all the time? I mean that’s just my opinion, and perhaps I may be mistaken (please, anyone tell me if I am interpreting incorrectly). When we were discussing this story in class, we talked about how the Cyclops eating humans is just downright immoral. On the other hand, we eat chicken, beef, and pork (some of us are vegetarians). The only difference between the two situations is that animals such as the ones listed above cannot speak and rebel against the fact that we are eating them. So another indirect moral we could learn is to be sympathetic and understand where this creature is coming from. The Cyclops did not know any better because he lives in a remote area, and has no “laws” to keep him under check.
“Life is a two way street. If you want to receive a golden apple, you gotta give one first”
“Your deeds decide you fate”
December 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
At first, Odysseus tricks the Cyclops into thinking that his name is Nohbody. I’m not sure if this means anything, but I think the name Nohbody fits Odysseus. He has left his homeland in Ithaca. His family doesn’t know where he is or whether he’s still alive or not. He kind of just disappeared from everyone’s lives.
The Cyclops prayed to Poseidon after Odysseus boasted about his victory. Basically, the Cyclops wanted Odysseus to be miserable for the rest of his life. The Cyclops prayed that it would be a while until Odysseus reached his homeland, let him loose all of his men, and when he does reach his home, for his days to be bitter.
I actually think Odysseus kind of deserves this “curse” that the Cyclops “bestowed” upon him. It was a VERY bad idea for Odysseus to brag, instead of fleeing to the ship for safety. Although it was also bad for the Cyclops to eat Odysseus’ men, it’s like what Leila said in class we eat animals and they are living things), Odysseus shouldn’t have risked his life just to recite a speech. Everyone knows that the Cyclops is a mean monster, and if you mess with him, something bad is going to happen to you.
Some characteristics of a hero are intelligence, bravery, and arrogance. Odysseus had many of these herioc flaws in this part of his quest. First of all, he thought of a brilliant idea; to hide unerneath the flock of sheep to avoid getting caught by the Cyclops. He was very boastful; when he bragged about how he defeated the Cyclops. He was also very brave; he risked his men’s lives and his own to accomplish these tasks.
I agree with Thomas and Caitlin. In a way, Polyphemus’ prayer does get answered. If Odysseus didn’t have to be so arrogant, him and his men would have made it home safe and quickly. On the other hand, if the Cyclops hadn’t made this prayer, there would have been no story. After this scenario, Odysseus was in grave danger.
Wow I’ve never written this much before!
December 4th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Sorry, I forgot to put a parenthesis before the “we” in the third paragraph.
December 4th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son and received epic punishment. Matter of fact, if Odysseus had simply only blinded Polyphemos he might have been forgiven, but instead his arrogant self went too far, he added insult to injury. Polyphemos is the son of Poseidon and lived in a cave far away from civilization. When Odysseus arrived at his cave, he and his shipmates were horrified to find that Polyphemos was a man-eater. The Cyclopes began to think that he had the entire sailors trapped so he gradually let down his guard. Now here is where Odysseus’ clever plan comes into play. To calm the Cyclopes down, Odysseus gave him some potent wine to drink. Polyphemos seemed to like it and asked for more. He ended up having 3 bowls of it and turned out drunk. Odysseus played along with it and then started talking clever talk towards the drunk Cyclopes, and it ended when Odysseus sprang upon him with a burning spear, which was wedged right through his one huge eye. Considering that a Cyclopes only has one eye, Polyphemos was blinded as his eye was being boiled and spurted everywhere. To make his escape, Odysseus had each of his men lay on underneath of the rams that exited the cave. Polyphemos did not detect them because he simply only put his hand on the top of the rams and never had much thought about checking the bottom. Once Odysseus made his escape, he turned around and taunted the creature with cruel results. While he thought it was necessary, his shipmates told him to cut it out but the arrogant, over self confident Odysseus merely took notice and went on with his taunting. Now is when Polyphemos decided to pray to his father, the god of the sea, Poseidon. In summary, what he prayed for was that Odysseus should never see his home again, or at least for a long time which would be filled with hardships and loneliness. He prayed for Odysseus to lose all his shipmen and to live in pain and misery until he returned to his fatherland where he will still dwell with unhappiness.
The quality that is truly shown here out of all the characteristics that the heroes had is arrogance. If Odysseus hadn’t been so arrogant as to turn back and start shouting nonsense, and just listened to his shipmates then he probably wouldn’t have been cursed and would get home safely.
The moral lesson in this is if all is well, there is no reason to go back and make things better, or in this case a whole lot worse. I really think that the whole reason that this myth was created was to show how arrogance would always get back to you, as Gia said in class today, its kind of like a karma circle. I couldn’t really think of any quotes to put in but I really like the quotes that everyone else used so far. One in particular that I really liked was the one Gia used, “Life is a two way street. If you want to receive a golden apple, you gotta give one first.” I really like mythology and look forward to finishing this unit with a deeper understanding than what I had coming in to it.
December 4th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Rephrase the entire prayer to Poseidon? I guess I can do that. So when Odysseus escapes the Cyclop, he is delighted. But he goes a bit to far and gets what is known as hubris, or over excessive pride. He shouts out to the massive giant, “ if ever mortal man inquire, how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of the cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home is on Ithaca” This is what I consider pretty stupid. So far, Polyphemus knew Odysseus as Nohbdy, so when the other giants inquire why Polyphemus is crying, he is unable to answer, since he doesn’t know the name, but now when Polyphemus prays to Poseidon, he has a name to say. I am pretty sure that Odysseus would have known that hubris makes the Greek gods angry.
Anyways, I think that Polyphemus’ prayer is the reason why Odysseus trip home is delayed. The prayer goes, “O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes’ son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he see his roof again among his family in his fatherland, far by that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all his companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” (Polyphemus, p.997, lines 484-493)
I believe that this prayer of Polyphemus means that if I exist in your world, and you are my father you will make sure that Odysseus never reaches, and sees his home again, but if fate has decided that he will, then make sure that his trip home is protracted, bitter, and tedious.
I agree with Caitlin and Tom, that Polyphemus’ prayer is granted in a way. After all, Odysseus is blown of course, stuck on islands for decades, and been miserable.
The prayer by Polyphemus is harsh, but too bad for Odysseus, because what he did was wrong in a way too. Odysseus should have been happy that he escaped the giant and just fled to his ship as fast as he could. Instead, hubris gets the best of him. Hubris leads Odysseus to I guess taunt Polyphemus, when he should have just left it alone. The great beast did not know any better. As it was discussed in class today, the Cyclopes were uncivilized. They were inhumane beings “ without a single law to bless them”(Polyphemus, p. 986, line 110) Come to think of it, we are almost like Polyphemus too. Vegans probably view non-vegetarians as cannibalistic beings also.
Odysseus has many fine skills of a hero like intellectual abilities etcetera, but he does have one negative trait; arrogance, or hubris as The Greeks would say.
Odysseus story has many morals including be happy with what you have or, what goes around, comes back around. It is like how Gia said in class today, the karma circle. That arrogance is never good, and that it most usually always gets back at you.
Gia, i guess that both Jenny and i like your quote “Life is a two way street. If you want to receive a golden apple, you gotta give one first”, because the quote is a perfect example to fit in to the topic of hubris. That too much arrogance is never good.=)
December 4th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
After Odysseus and his remaining men escape from the cave of Polyphemus, the Cyclops, Odysseus makes a terrible mistake that results from the fateful prayer of Polyphemus to his father Poseidon. Perhaps if Odysseus had been wise enough to listen to his crew and stop while he was ahead, maybe he would have been able to make it home more quickly. When the men escape the rams and sheep of the man-eating Cyclops, Odysseus takes the liberty to brag. This is perhaps the heroic flaw of Odysseus, he is proud and cocky. Sure, he was clever for coming up with the idea for the Trojan horse and outsmarting the gigantic Cyclops, but he should I have listened to his men. Instead, Odysseus goes so far as to mention his name and where he lives! In this way, Polyphemus can specifically condemn Odysseus in his prayer. Those traits are perhaps some of the worst to the gods, and from the synopsis, I believe that those characteristics will hinder him from going home to Ithaca and his wife and son for ten long years.
When the men are getting away in the sea, Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon, the powerful god of the sea. He requests specifically to Odysseus, who was rash enough to shout his name to Polyphemus, that he shall not return to his beloved home, land, and family, but if fate as willed it so, that he must lose all company and suffer for many long years until that day. I believe that just from this, that the prayer is foreshadowing what will happen to Odysseus. Also, when Zeus does not accept Odysseus’ offering and when it says he intended for the destruction of his ships, that shows Odysseus shall suffer and high chances, his crew and friends shall die in the process. Edith Hamilton’s synopsis further supports this with details of Odysseus washing out to the shores of the Phaecians naked and being detained by Calypso.
As in most pieces of Greek mythology, the Odyssey is no different in the sense that it also teaches a moral lesson. Today, readers learn not to be arrogant or cocky like Odysseus was to the Cyclops. That trait ended up detaining Odysseus from the things he loved. It took the lives of his friends and crew and prevented him from being in his own home and land and seeing his wife and son. I really thought Joan phrased this well about Odysseus, “being a braggart never gets you anywhere, it holds you down.”Also, this myth in some ways also teaches the idea of “what goes around comes around.” Since Polyphemus ate Odysseus’ men, Odysseus blinded him. But because Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, Polyphemus prayed to his great father Poseidon to prevent Odysseus from making it home.
Devin, I thought you made a really good connection about the beware of Greeks bearing gifts! Even here, Odysseus’ gift leads to an injury to the receiving Poly
December 4th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
When Odysseus is beginning to sail away, Polyphemus sends a prayer to Poseidon, the sea God. Rephrased, it basically means,
Poseidon, if you are my father, please don’t let Odysseus return home, and if he must, please make sure it takes him a long time and he has a lot of problems getting there. Plus, kill all of his friends along the way and get rid of his ship. Then, when he eventually gets home, give him a bad life.
This obviously came true. He lost all of his men on the way home, and lost his ship as well. He wanders for ten years before getting back, and then returns to find his son full grown and his wife surrounded by men who want to marry her.
I think he deserved it, though. First of all, he was one of the Greeks who helped lead the killing of all of the Trojans. Then, he stabbed the Cyclops in the eye. This wasn’t so bad - he would have died if he hadn’t, but then while he was leaving, he bragged to the Cyclops. Sure, he ate four men (or six? I wasn’t sure about that), but that’s what he’d learned to do! As I pointed out today, most people eat other animals. Isn’t that what Polyphemus was doing? Just eating another animal? Then, after eating a meal, he was stabbed in the eye, blinded, and he lost his prisoners. After all this, he was taunted, too! I think he had every right to pray for bad luck for Odysseus, and I think Poseidon was right to grant it.
I think we are supposed to take something from this. First of all, obviously, don’t be arrogant. But also, as Gia said before, think about where people are coming from, and try to be sympathetic. I can understand why Odysseus was upset - I would be too, if my friends were eaten. But I think he should have maybe stopped to think about what was going through the Cyclops’s head.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Aw, Emily beat me again… but I beat her writing this (sorry we’re weird)
December 4th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
i beat leila in the rematch
hahahahah heyyyy!!!! you had a headstart leila!!!!!
yes, i do apologize for our…bizarre behavior…
December 4th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Polyphemus requests several things from his father, Poseidon, after Odysseus boldly states his name. He first asks that Odysseus should never return home, which was Odysseus’ main reason for not wanting to be drafted in the Trojan War. This must hit home pretty hard on Odysseus when he heard this, because even from the start, back with his family was where he longed to be. Polyphemus’ next request was that if fate brought him back to his home, that it would take him many years of hard suffrage before he did see his home again. This shows that Polyphemus really isn’t as dumb as I had originally thought, and that he is not just one big monster with a single eye. He understood that some way or another, Odysseus might end up home, and Polyphemus basically thought up a back-up plan, just in case. Lastly, to be the final punch in the gut for Odysseus, he prays for his crew to all be dead, and without his original ship. Again, showing Polyphemus’ intelligence, he saw how much Odysseus cared for his crew. In the last post, I said how one of Odysseus’ traits was that he was a good captain, and wanted to save the lives of as many crew members as he could. Polyphemus somehow saw this “parental” care the leader had, and dove on it, trying to make the pains even worse for Odysseus.
So it seems that Polyphemus hurt Odysseus in every way imaginable: his family, his home, his crew, his ship. What could Odysseus have done to deserve this? Well Odysseus isn’t as innocent as he may seem. After giving the Cyclops enough liquor to make him drunk, he later gouges Polyphemus’ only eye, and then escapes. Of course, he could have just left it at that, but no, the great and mighty Odysseus has to taunt the drunken, eye-less Cyclops. Before this point, Odysseus seemed to have no flaws. He was smart: he created the Trojan Horse, and thought of numerous ingenious plans. But now we see that Odysseus can be an arrogant fool, for he shouts out his name. Says he: “…tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”
This reminds me of how in class we were talking about how you should never put your full name, address, and phone number on the blog, for obvious reasons that someone can come and look for you. Well, here we see Odysseus give Polyphemus his name, his father’s name, and where he lives! Odysseus seems to be really asking for it. He is so proud of what he had done to the Cyclops that he wants to take credit for it, not knowing that it can boomerang right back at him. Which it did, for Poseidon carried out Polyphemus’ prayers, and made Odysseus roam the seas for ten years before returning home.
This shows what many of my classmates have already stated, that karma has come back to get Odysseus. So did Odysseus deserve it? Which side are we supposed to take, Polyphemus’ or Odysseus’? We can look at it either way; just like how Devin said about the toddler example. I really liked that; it showed how the Cyclops and the victorious hero can act like three year olds at times.
Also, I liked how Jenny said that this myth was created to show “how arrogance can get back at you.” I agree with her, because this story really shows the consequences of one’s actions; and Odysseus had to live with ten years of it!
December 4th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
After the cyclops Polyphemus learned that Odysseus and his men escaped from him and were sailing away; Polyphemus hurled a boulder at them at prayed to Poseidon, the creator of the cyclopses. He basiacally to Poseidon for Odysseus and his men to never reach their homes, and if somehow Odysseeus does, that he will lose all his men and return under another flag, in the ship of another country.
This quick prayer is very signifigant because it actually comes true. It is almost like really, really simply understood foreshadowing. I think this leads us to believe that the gods are angry at Odysseus because of what he did despite the cyclops’ lack of courtesy to guests. In the end Odysseus does lose all his men but returns home after landing on a foreign island where the people of the civilized kingdom on the island send Odysseus back home after his long journey. The prayer was also like another example of fate. Though i think that Odysseus’ fate was changed and it was changed for the worse by the cyclops Polyphemus.
The moral lesson from this is to never become arrogant. To almost quit while your ahead which is something that if Odysseus had done this he would have probably returned in a year with all his men instead of ten years and no men. What Odysseus did was very much like ‘throwing salt on a wound’ . Really now, you’ve blinded him, stole his food, made everyone around him think he’s crazy, what else do you want to do to the person. Although Odysseus’ other characteristics are very important because they help Odysseus positievely his most important characteristic, arogance, negatively affected him greatly.
I also believe that Odysseus recieved what he deserved. it wasn’t the cyclops’ fault in the first place for eating them, he didnt think anything was wrong with eating humans, people from another race of animals. we eat animals and we think its fine. But also Odysseus did have the right to blind Polyphemus and escape but when he was safe… he had to be mean and turn around and pretty much show off and brag that he got away and that he and his tiny soldiers had defeated a humungous giant. This is why i believe that Polyphemus’ prayer was just and so was his gift of boulders and bits of mountains.
I also agree with Gia’s karma circle. Doing something bad did get Odysseus into his own trouble.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Who’s nohbody? well nobody (except people who have the Odyssey) knows. But who’s Odysseus? I bet most people have heard of him. Odysseus and Nohbody are in fact the same people. It was another one of Odysseus’ clever plans that was executed without a hitch…until the end.
Odysseus returned to his ship only to find that Polyphemus was a cannibal (or just a man-eater since Polyphemus is cyclops not human). Polyphemus thinks that he has all the men wrapped around his finger but then Odysseus puts his plan in action. He gets the cyclops drunk. This suddenly becomes cocaine to Polyphemus as he keeps asking for more and more wine. While he’s in a daze, Odysseus takes a flaming hot stake and stabs Polyphemus in the eye-his only eye-with it. Of course nature does its magic and makes the cyclops’ eye gush out onto the ground. So part one of Odysseus’ plan is under his belt, now time for the second part.
After their encounter with Polyphemus, Odysseus and his men had to escape. Odysseus hid his men and himself under the rams where he knew safety was gauranteed. Indeed they escaped safely (the cyclops only felt the top of the rams not the bottom). Upon leaving the cave, Odysseus felt the urge to run his bragging mouth. Basically he said he was smarter, faster, stronger, and just simply better than Plyphemus. His plan would’ve worked but once the insults came out of his mouth, Polyphemus began to pray to his father poseiden. He wanted to make Odysseus’ life hell on Earth by either not letting him return home or making his journey home a living catastrophe.
I suppose POlyphemus’ prayer was answered because like Tom said, Odysseus’ journey home not only took forever but it was also quite treacherous and required grueling “labor” and thinking. As Gia mentioned in class, there is an idea of karma throughout this story. Odysseus was too cocky and Polythemus seeked revenge then Odysseus was miserable. So in trying to make someone else feel bad, he made himself feel bad. Hence Gia’s karma circle. HOwever,Odysseus is a hero…he has the right to show off. In fact, he must brag-he’s required to since being arrogant and overly confident is a trait all hero’s must have.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Useful link: click on me!!!!! About Odysseus and gives information on Greek meanings and puns hidden by Homer but forgotten with translation and retelling
Question: Miss. Quinson on the website the homework says something about a rock, what rock?
Odysseus’ name, in Greek, means wrathful or hated. So I’m thinking that homer created this character with his cockiness in mind as his heroic flaw. It gives you a sense that Homer plans everything to fit in perfectly and for connections to be made. Also, I think that in the translations and retellings of this story, some of the minor details that explain the story such as the meaning, humor, irony, or significance of a name are lost. Odysseus was an intelligent and resourceful character who was famous for his qualities. Because of his fame and his tendency to have lots of luck, he was very cocky and angered the gods. He angered most of the gods once or twice, but this was for a relatively short period of time. But, he managed to get Poseidon god of the sea mad at him constantly. Poseidon held a grudge on Odysseus, for a few reasons. Also, this was especially bad for Odysseus, because he needed to travel by sea to get home from the Trojan War. The distance was great, but he was carried across Greece to almost twice the distance he originally was from home. The main reason Poseidon is mad at Odysseus, is related to his cockiness. Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus was enraged and threw rocks at Odysseus’ ship as he escaped from Polyphemus’ cave where he and his men were being eaten by the Giant Cyclops. Odysseus, cocky over his triumph over Polyphemus, as Polyphemus being a giant man eating Cyclops defeated by a puny mortal like himself. He was even cockier, because he defeated him with wine and a wooden stake. His men, warned him not to taunt the Cyclops, but Odysseus, disregarded their warning, and almost got them all killed by a hilltop thrown by the Cyclops. His cockiness was brought down a little, but he couldn’t resist Gloating to the Cyclops about defeating him, and gives away not only his true name, but also the names of his father, and homeland, Ithaca. Upon learning Odysseus’ name, Polyphemus instantly becomes more hospitable to Odysseus, for a wizard, Telemus, foretold this to happen long ago. Polyphemus finds respect for Odysseus, and then tries to make amends by promising to treat him properly, and trying to befriend him to his father Poseidon. Odysseus, in his cockiness arrogantly declines the offer of peace, insulting the Cyclops who then prays to his father Poseidon to either kill Odysseus before he can reach home or, if he is destined to return home, kill all his crew, make many years elapse before the day he return and those years filled with sadness and suffering for him. Polyphemus prays this along with other punishments he sees fit for Odysseus. I agree with Tom and Katy, about Polyphemus’ prayer being granted. Poseidon wants to seek justice for his son, identifying his tormenter to be Odysseus through Polyphemus’ prayer. This makes his name true, as becoming hated by Poseidon for many years of suffering.
Long story made short: Odysseus became cocky and paid for it DON”T BE LIKE ODYSSEUS! Respect others and don’t brag/gloat/be cocky. You’ll regret it.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
justin is right i do get a lot of my info from wikipedia
December 4th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
First off, I have a question for anyone who is reading this. Is it true that the Cyclopes are on a separate island because Poseidon did not want them? Is it because they were ugly, or large or strange? Someone told me that, but I’m not sure if it is true. If it is true, that might explain why the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, insulted the gods before. Maybe he was sad or angry that he was rejected on to an island where his kind was isolated. Does anyone know if that is true?
So, Odysseus came up with a master plan. The gods allowed him to come up with it so fast, because they control everything, don’t they? He found a way to escape the cave by stabbing the Cyclopes with a burnt and pointed stick. Then come all the details that we love! Just kidding, well except for Charissa and Tom. I think they enjoy this. Anyway, by doing this, they blinded Polyphemus and escaped attached to the bottom of his fat rams. Everything was going according to plan until Odysseus started to brag. Of course, that is what makes him a true hero. He has to go and tell Polyphemus his name, his parents, and where he came from. Like Merin, I think this is quite foolish of him. I guess he was so wound up in his glory that he forgot how to be modest. (Well was he ever, really?)
I guess if Odysseus knew inhospitality made the gods angry, he probably knew arrogance made them angry as well! He went on about how he and his men killed him and how Zeus gave revenge to him. His crewmembers even had to tell him to stop. But he could not. He was too proud, so he made the mistake of angering the gods. That was the reason for his hardship home. If he simply escaped and sailed home, he would have seen his family. He had to put the “cherry on top” and brag about his defeat.
I’m a little confused. Why did Polyphemus pray to Poseidon if he said, “… we do not care a whistle for your thundering Zeus or all the gods in bliss; we have more force by far, I would not let you go for fear of Zeus–”? (Pp. 989)
Why would he pray to Poseidon if he does not care a “whistle?” Is it possible that he was lying? Maybe he was trying to sound tough and intimidating towards Odysseus. Maybe he wanted to show that nothing would hold him back from killing him and his men.
Polyphemus prays to Poseidon and says the following: “O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes’ son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he see his roof again among his family in his fatherland, far by that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all his companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” (Pp. 997) (Notice, thanks to Odysseus, Polyphemus was able to condemn THE Odysseus, and punish him for his deed
But maybe he really wanted revenge. Would praying to Poseidon, his father, be a last resort? Maybe he was hoping Poseidon would have some pity on his child, since he is, after all, his child. Odysseus did not really have the right to become cocky after hurting Polyphemus and escaping his cave. I know he killed so many people, and he was heartless. But for him to pray to his father? I think he has some kind of heart, be it big, or be it small.
I guess I should not be so sympathetic for Polyphemus. After all, he was extremely cruel. But if you noticed, he did try to make Odysseus come back. Do you think it is because he wanted to get a chance to kill him? Or did he really want to befriend him? Odysseus replies: “If I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there!” He makes references to a god and his what he was not capable of. On top of his arrogance, this was sure to make the gods furious. So, Poseidon took revenge and Odysseus was doomed to a dreary trip and losing his friends. One can infer that because Zeus distained Odysseus’ offering, his fate is dark.
Once again, someone was able to escape his fate (not being able to see his family for a long, long time). By tampering with it at the last moment, Odysseus got rid of all hope of getting home soon. This teaches us to be satisfied with what we have done, because trying to change things for what one thinks is better may end up changing everything for the worse.
I can think of one example of this. My little brother was playing a fighting video game and I was trying to learn how to win, because I never can. So, he showed me a demonstration. He fought with another wrestler and defeated them. I noticed that after he officially killed them, he kept kicking them to try and “finish him off.” During this process, some other guy ambushed my little brother and killed his character. I thought that was similar to Odysseus’ case because he already defeated the Cyclopes, but still tried to, in essence, “finish him off.” This turned out to be negative, because the outcome was much less than Odysseus hoped for. By his mistake, he was not able to see his family until… well… a long time! My little brother already killed his opponent, but, in his glory, he kicked the dead. This ended up getting him killed by a different opponent. We should be satisfied with our wins, and not try to polish them.
“What goes around comes around,” is a good moral for this specific story. Grief and a dreary, lonely trip “came around” as a result of Odysseus’ arrogance.
Darn. I tried to write less this time.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Odysseus is a typical image of the Greek mythical hero. After he is done with his plan to escape the Polyphemus’ island, his arrogance and over-confidence leads him to make stupid remarks to the Cyclops. This angers the monster and he prays to father Poseidon, to ensure the “small, pitiful and twiggy” Odysseus will have an extremely difficult journey home.
“O hear me lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus raider of cities never sees his home: Laertes’ son, I mean who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his father land, far be that day, and the dark years between. Let him lose all companions and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.” (Odyssey, lines 484-493)
Gia, before I write anything I have to say, when I reread Odysseus’s remarks I had a very similar reaction. I thought “Trust me Odysseus, you’re not THAT great.”
Odysseus acts very conceited and contemptuous, mocking Polyphemus, as he leaves the island. Odysseus tells the Polyphemus, that a small and clever man has outsmarted and beaten a giant. Poseidon hears his son’s prayers and this leads to Odysseus’s ten years of wandering. The prayer is said to make sure Odysseus pays for his disgusting remarks. The prayer of Polyphemus greatly foreshadows Odysseus’s journey. He does not see his home for an incredibly long time, he loses all his companions, he has dark years during his journey and when he returns home, disgusting suitors ruined his home; all of which the Cyclops had prayed for. It is also not the best idea to anger the son of the God of the Sea, when you are sailing (Odysseus cough, cough)!
Many life lessons come from this story. It shows that not all heroes are perfect and they have their flaws. Karma is also shown throughout this story. Cyclops eats some of Odysseus’s crew so Odysseus wounds his eye and he and his crew escape. Odysseus mocks the monster so he is stuck traveling for ten years. What goes around comes around, the basic analogy of karma. I think the most important and obvious lesson of the story is to let your perfection shine not your pride. What this means is that you should show all of your greatness but not show your attitude. In arrogance, you show no wisdom but in achievements you show all the wisdom you have. A person should try to be an achiever not a boaster. Odysseus in this case tries to be the boaster instead of being happy that he finally escaped Polyphemus’s cave. Odysseus, the clever and brilliant man, could not even listen to his crew members to stop saying dumb remarks because of his attitude. Maybe if he was nice to Polyphemus, the gods would have seen his kindness and led him home. Another lesson that is taught in Greek philosophy as well, is to be responsible for your actions. Socrates accepted the death penalty (even though the law might have been unjust) just like Odysseus had to accept an extremely difficult adventure home. Odysseus shows readers that rude and egotistical personalities lead to nowhere but ten years of wandering.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Odysseus wisely blinded Polyphemus to escape the cave. Everyone knows that Odysseus is very witty and clever, and I thought it was a genius idea of how he tied his men under the sheep to get out of the cave. When Odysseus and his men were on their ship, Odysseus boasted about his plan to Polyphemus, about him stabbing Polyphemus, escaping underneath the sheep, and he got so cocky that he told the Cyclops his name. Polyphemus is the son of Poisedon. He prayed to his father, asking him to make sure Odysseus could never get back to his home, or al least take a really long time to get back.
If Odysseus hadn’t gotten cocky and gloated about his defeat of the great Cyclops, Polyphemus never would have learned his name and prayed to Poisedon. Like all heroes, Odysseus had his good and bad qualities. Some good qualities were his cleverness and good leadership. His bad qualities were his cockiness, stubborness, and his acts of bragging. Although his men were urging him to be quiet or it would be the end of them all, Odysseus continued to boast about his victory to the Cyclops. Even though Odysseus got them away safely, his men were still right.
I like how Joan stated that “being a braggart never gets you anwhere, it just holds you down.” That is such a true statement. There are a lot of people that waste their time bragging, while they could have been using that time to get even better.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
“’Oh hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands,
if I am thine indeed, and thou art father:
grant that Odysseus, raider of the cties, never
see his home: Laertes’ son , I mean,
who kept his hall on Ithica. Should destiny
intend that he shall see his roof again
among his family in his father land,
far be that day, and dark the years between.
Let him lose all companions, and return
under strange sail to bitter days at home.”
When Polyphemus requests this prayer to his father Poseidon, he does it with much vengeance and hatred towards Odysseus. As presented in this quote, Polyphemus wishes for Odysseus to never return home and instead wishes Odysseus will spend his days suffering a miserable life without his companions. In class today, we discussed that Polyphemus is an “uncivilized” being. His desire to devour Odysseus’ men was found to be rather gross and unbelievable by many! However, I agree with Darra- Polyphemus’ request of a dreadful life for Odysseus shows us that he is not stupid and unaware of his surroundings. After being outwitted and harshly injured by Odysseus, Polyphemus decided to place revenge upon Odysseus for his cruel actions.
As Emily stated, when the men escape the rams and sheep of the man-eating Cyclops, Odysseus takes the liberty to brag. Odysseus foolishly mentions his name and his homeland to Polyphemus, and therefore Polyphemus can specifically denounce Odysseus in his prayer to Poseidon.
In my opinion, I believe that Odysseus has strong leadership qualities along with a strong sense of arrogance. Without Odysseus, the defeat of Troy would have never came about. However, Odysseus’ conceited and much too prideful attitude leads to a massive devastation among the Greeks.
Today in class, Gia mentioned how this part of the Odyssey related to a circle of karma and I strongly agree with her perspective of this story. Basically, the karma circle explains that whatever comes around shall go around. Just as Odysseus outwitted and treated Polyphemus harshly, Odysseus was treated the same away in return. In other words, Odyseuss received what he deserved. Oddyseus’ arrogant attitude of imprudently announcing his name and homeland enabled Polyphemus to request a despondent life for Oddyseus.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Polyphemus’s prayer/curse to his father was put in vast, melodramatic terms (then again, befitting for a god) and went something like this: “If you are truly my father, then make Odysseus’s life miserable. May he never return home - or, if Fate decides that he will, that it be a very long time until then, and a terrible life awaits him in Ithaca”. As Emily said, this is almost direct foreshadowing, telling us what is planned for the hero in advance. Odysseus takes ten years to get back home to a house full of suitors that he ends up killing. He had been taken for dead all those years by everyone but his wife and son, who waited amongst temptation. His wife refused to marry any of the men, believing that Odysseus would come back, no matter how long it would take. She is a classic example of the “undying love” concept and the “perfect spouse”. She fits in with the rest of the ideal Greek woman: always attending to their husband, being faithful to them and depending on them. Women were kept inside in most Greek societies (a notable exception being Sparta). Widows were meant to be wed again in their culture, and this refusal to remarry shows determination, a willingness to break the mold, even in little steps. (No, huge. It’s hard to fight off people when you’re under emotional strain.)
Odysseus’s hubris brought about this curse. Even after escaping successfully, he decided to turn back and call out boasts, insulting Polyphemus, gloating until he was satisfied. His arrogance was apparent even after he’d won the battle. He’s trying to win too much. He couldn’t hold in his celebrations and instead took his joy and malice out on his enemy, bringing his fate upon himself. The life lesson we take from this is that we shouldn’t gloat after we’ve won and provoke others into hurting us.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:35 am
The paraphrase on page 997 holds great significance because it determined the next ten years of Odysseus’ life. Polythemus asked his father that Odysseus never see his home in Ithaca again while he spends dark years losing all his companions. Polythemus’ prayer is what caused Odysseus to wander the earth helplessly. I love how Devin compared Polythemus to a “tattle tail”; it fits him perfectly! Odysseus hurt his feelings, so he went and told his daddy-how cute! Unfortunately, Poseidon, Polythemus’ father, is quite powerful so Polythemus got his way.
Truthfully, Odysseus got himself into the huge mess. He angered the gods, especially Poseidon, who just happens to be the god of the sea-the sea he needed to travel on. It was completely foolish of him to say, “If I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there!” Yeah, not the brightest thing to say… Although, I think Odysseus definitely did not deserve his punishment, but it was a true karma circle. What goes around truly did come around in this story. If Odysseus hadn’t boasted about his victory and given his name and where he was from, he would not have spent ten years of his life hopelessly wandering the earth. For that reason, I feel really bad for Odysseus; his arrogance certainly got him into trouble. Heroes aren’t perfect; they make mistakes occasionally. Odysseus usually makes the right decisions, but, for once, he didn’t-his men even told him he was making a mistake. One small (okay, huge), cocky mistake cost him ten years of his life…a little harsh, don’t you think? I think Odysseus did get one positive out of those years though. He definitely coped with them very well, and I think they brought him back down to earth, which is just what he needed. Hopefully he’ll never act conceited again.
Odysseus is a true hero- he is intelligent, clever, strong, and courageous, but along with those qualities came arrogance. In this tale, Odysseus’ arrogance overcame him. Odysseus’ heroic and leadership qualities have shown throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey. He defeated Troy and the Cicones, escaped the island of the lotus-eaters, and outsmarted the Cyclopes. However, as all these defeats built up, Odysseus’ pride also built up until a point where his arrogance overpowered him. Being egotistical got him no where in the island of the Cyclopes.
While I feel bad for Odysseus, I also feel bad for Polythemus. He is a monstrous, scary, one-eyed man, but I have to keep in mind that he’s uncivilized and without a law to bless him. I think he truly doesn’t know any better-no one has ever taught him the way of the world. Some people say it’s common sense not to eat another human, but I don’t really think that applies to Polythemus. He’s a completely different ’species’ of human. Civilized (normal-sized) humans are to him as animals are to us (as Leila pointed out in class today).
So, there were many life lessons in this tale: First, what goes around comes around, aka karma. Bad deeds will come back around to bite you. Next, nobody’s perfect, not humans, heroes, or gods. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody has their flaws. Another life lesson is don’t let your arrogance overpower you. It’s okay to have pride, as long as you don’t flaunt it-that will only hold you down. Success comes from only your good qualities, and those do not include being cocky, arrogant, conceited, egotistical, etc. (basically, everything Odysseus was on page 997). Odysseus fell into a karma circle, and his arrogance only led to regret.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:11 am
I find myself again having nothing new to say because I agree with most people that wrote on the blog. Odysseus was both cocky and arrogant, like most people already stated. However, I think I would have done the same. I think I would have been too proud of myself and I would have said what Odysseus said. It’s that feeling when you are so happy about what you achieved that you feel like you need to tell the world. I think what he did is just a reaction that happens to all humans. Some might say that a hero would be able to control himself in that situation, but heroes have different characteristics, some bad and some good. Humans can’t be perfect. We all have our flaws. When I first thought of who a hero was, I immediately thought of someone perfect and flawless. Now, I see that heroes do in fact make mistakes, maybe even more than people that are not heroes (although I think that we are all heroes in different ways).
I think the life lesson here is that we can all be heroes, but that doesn’t mean we are perfect. Also, I think that it is showing that arrogance can destroy your goal in life. Odysseus’s goal was to return back to Ithica to his wife and son. However his arrogance resulted in the gods giving him punishments for his words.
I also think that thinking before speaking also applies to this. If Odysseus thought about the consequences of his words, I believe him might not have said them.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:13 am
When Odysseus and his men were living the island of the cyclops Odysseus said that he was the gods paying him back for what he’d done and said that he wouldn’t forgive the cyclops and would in fact kill him if he comes back. After this was done he prayed to Poseidon and in his prayer he asked that Odysseus never see his home ever again. if he does get home let him loose all his companions and a that it should be a long and terrible time till he finally gets home. The god Poseidon heard his prayer. Odysseus and his men landed back on shore and when they were the made a sacrifice to Zeus with their best lamb and he disdained it. He was to destroy his ships and the people in them, his companions.
When Odyseus and his men had left the island and rowed of to what they thought was a safe distance Odysseus started acting very arrogant. he was saying things to th cyclops like that he was sent by the gods and that god of earthquake wouldn’t heal him. ahter that is when things went wrong. The cyclops prayed to
poseidon that they may not gat home aand the at if they do it shall be a long time and they will loose their friends. Right aftr the pryer they were grounded again and started their long trip back home.
Arrogance was the big flaw of Odysseus. If he had not become arrogant like his men were telling him to they would have been in much less trouble, still have their companions, and would have gotten back to their homes much sooner. Odysseus is a hero and you can see that clearly thpugh alllt he things that he’s done and been through. he’s gotten away from the cyclops while staying completely calm and he even thought of the idea of the Trojan
horse. Arrogace is one of the characteristics of a hero,along with others such as brave, talented or wise.
Through Odysseus we can learn many things from what he’s done. It says somewhere that fools learn from their own mistakes but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. lets not be foolish but be wise and Learn from his mistake. Through what we had read he teaches us not to be prideful or arrogant or it will lead to trouble, like what happens to him and his men. I also remember seeing somewhere in the Bible that pride will lead to your own disaster (not in those exact words of course.) Don’t be arrogant.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:14 am
I agree with everything Marnie said!!!! Great blog!!
Also, I agree with Lauren and Gia about the karma circle!!
December 5th, 2008 at 1:18 am
I agree with amilia about Odysseus giving away his real name. Not only his name but his parents and where he came from as well this was also another great fault of Odysseus. If he had not told the cyclops all of this he couldn’t have prayed to Poseidon and they might have all gotten home.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Good karma!