What is the value of reading the Odyssey? What do we gain by reading about Odysseus and his journey to get back home? How can reading the Odyssey help us become a better person? Your response MUST be at least 150 words. Give specific and real life examples. Use specific details / examples from the poem / story to support your ideas. Have you enjoyed learning about the Odyssey so far? What;s your favorite part / character? Post your reply in the comments.
41 Comments
Jacob Idsinga
12/20/2017 10:45:17 am
The Odyssey has many values and life lessons that the book can teach somebody whilst reading. For example, Odysseus runs into many problems while on his trip back from troy to Ithaca; he found himself on an island harboring poseidon's children, the cyclops. Odysseus’s curiosity gets him blocked in a cave by a giant rock with a giant cyclops. The cyclops eats some of his men and tells Odysseus that he's going to eat them all. Odysseus ponders for an escape out of the cave, and eventually outsmarts the cyclops leading the remaining men back to the safety of their ship. This just shows that sometimes fighting your curiosity can keep you out of trouble. This also shows that once it's too late to avoid trouble, to stay focused and find a way out of whatever bad situation you might find yourself in. Another reason to read the Odyssey. In the story Odysseus is forced to do things he hadn't wanted to do, but in the end he always wanted to get back to his wife and child. This can help us become a better person by showing loyalty and responsibilities that everyone could have someday. Lastly, Odysseus never gives up. He has been through so much in the last 15 years of his life, his child being born, being away from his family, the loss of his mother, the loss of all of his men, yet Odysseus still continues on. This shows us that no matter what in life, you can never give up no matter how hard it is or what it takes.
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YO WHAT
4/28/2021 07:34:49 pm
YO WHAT
Maddie Kooistra
12/20/2017 10:46:30 am
I think that the value of reading the Odyssey is very important. I think that it teaches us a lot about life, the world around us, and the people around us. We gain a lot of knowledge about how one action can change everything. Just like in the book, Odysseus and his men could see their island, Ithaca. Then one of his men had to be suspicious and open us the bag he said not to touch. That bag blew wind that turned the right around to the other island far far away from Ithaca. Another example would be the island of the Cyclops. Odysseus got a little curious and wondered who/what lived on that island. In the meantime, that action of him looking around the island caused many deaths of his men. Later in the book, it also put Odysseus and the rest of his men in danger. It can also teach us about loyalty. In the book Odysseus was gone for a very very long time, and he left his wife and son on the island of Ithaca. His wife promised him that she wouldn’t find a new husband, but only until their son became a man. She kept the promise even though a bunch of men gave her gifts, and tried to bribe her into marrying one of them. Odysseus on the other hand did not stay loyal. He slept with quite a few women, but that was only so he could come home to his wife and child. Some people might think that the Odyssey can’t be useful to people like us because, the Odyssey is very very very old. They are wrong because, even though the story is old people are still people and we can still learn from their mistakes. Others may want to argue this opinion, but I truly believe that the Odyssey can really impact your life if you let it.
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Emerson Kuizema
12/20/2017 10:48:58 am
The value of reading the Odyssey is that there is so much to learn. Throughout the book the main character, Odysseus, makes a lot of mistakes. He learns from these mistakes that he makes and doesn't do it again. He also does things right too. He is one of the only mortals that uses their brain instead of just using their swords to get out of trouble. Even in the modern day, you can learn a lot by how Odysseus does things. We gain knowledge when reading about how Odysseus gets home and the struggles he has along the way. When him and his crew get stuck is a cyclops’ cave, he outsmarts the cyclops and gets him and most of his crew out. In real life you probably aren't going to get stuck in a cyclops’ cave, but you can still use his thinking in other things in life. Another example from the story where Odysseus uses his brains to make sure his crew is safe is when they are sailing past the sirens. They are “women” who sing so beautiful that the men sailing past can’t help but to stop and find who is singing. When they get there, the sirens eat them alive. Odysseus thinks ahead and puts bees wax in the ears of his crew so they can’t hear the sirens. Then he has them tie him to a pole so he can’t go anywhere, but he will know when they are far enough away so the men can’t hear the sirens sing. Again, you probably won’t be in this exact situation, but you can use his ways of thinking for your own life. This can make us better people and help us use our brains to figure different things out.
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Holly Rickerd
12/20/2017 10:49:48 am
The Odyssey is a book of adventure, heroics, war, monsters, gods, witches, etc. The value of reading this book is it tells the life of Odysseus, a clever man who embarks on a long journey home from Troy. A lot of obstacles get thrown in his way. He has gods mad at him, monsters picking his crew off one by one, and many more issues on his way home to Ithaca. The story tells us about how every time Odysseus is close to home he gets another problem thrown at him. His wife and son wait for him day in and day out. He has tried and tried to get home to Ithaca, but always seems to fail, but he never gives up. Another value of this story, is it encourages us to never give up and to just keep going. We gain the privilege of hearing the story of how he can survive out in the world full of monsters and witches by just using his mind and his resources. The story makes us believe that nothing is impossible if you try hard enough. Odysseus always used his brain and the resources around him. For example, when he wanted to escape the Cyclops, he thought of a clever way to escape without killing more people. He used the resources that just happened to be in the area. He proved that using your mind and thinking of a strategy to get something done always helps your situation. This story basically is a story talking about how there’s always a way and to never give up. The Odyssey is just an example of these things. Reading the Odyssey also makes you more loyal and more aware of your surroundings. The Odyssey teaches us how to always think ahead and make a strategy, it also teaches us how to think and not just go off doing whatever you want. This story makes us a better person because, it shows a good person and his mistakes, but also his successes. We all learn from our mistakes, and when we read about Odysseus’ mistakes, we get inspired to do better than him. We also learn that even if you make a mistake there is a way to fix it. The Odyssey just inspires greatness in people’s minds and encourages other to try new things.
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ashlynd bakker
12/20/2017 10:51:06 am
The odyssey is a very old book but its not a bad read. Odysseus trip was really long. He left his home in Ithaca when his son was little and didn't return until his son was a man. He left behind his son, wife, mother, and home where he was the ruler. he did not think he was going to be gone for 15 years or longer. He spent most of his time on his boat in the sea with his men, going to different islands and defeating monsters. He had made it to this island with one eyed monsters and went into one of the caves. This cave was one of the homes of the cyclopes. When the cyclopes was not happy to see people in his home so he ended up eating 2 of Odysseus men the later ate 2 more. Odysseus was not to happy with that so he stabbed him in the eye but keep in mind he only had one eye. The cyclopes asked him his name but Odysseus just said my name is no body. Another island was one of the most beautiful goddess's, he was on her island for a good 5 years or longer. She turned his men into pigs and made a deal with him, she said the if he just had sex with her and some of her people she would let them go and help them get home.
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Keegan Westmoreland
12/20/2017 10:51:30 am
The Odyssey is related to me in some sort of way because back when my parents were divorced my dad would always be in texas for work. He wouldn’t come home often but sometimes he showed and stayed for a bit then went back to texas to continue to work. Now that my parents are divorced i still don’t see my dad often, now i see him twice a month. This relates to the Odyssey in a way because Odysseus hasn’t seen his family in a long time. This book is showing that bravery and pride can leave you a long way. Odysseus is very smart and can think of ideas in seconds. This story gives us knowledge on mythology and also prepares us for the big world and the roadblocks we’ll come across. This book helps us in many ways: Don’t mess with things that are not to be messed with, never taunt or show off, and pay back will haunt you. This book is trying to tell us theirs going to be obstacles in life and they will be hard to accomplish but you don’t give up and neither did Odysseus. Brainstorming is big in the real world because you’re going to need to use it to help you overcome some difficulties. There's going to be bumps in the path, that's why you brainstorm. If humans didn’t have brains we wouldn’t be able to overcome anything. This story shows that brainstorming is one of the main reasons of survival.
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Andrew Doornbos
12/20/2017 10:52:26 am
The value of reading the odyssey is that it has an effect on your life. It tries to say don't be like the crew because they don't think of the consequences like opening the bag with the winds. The story want you to be like Odysseus because he thinks ahead and he can use his brain and figure out what to do. When reading the Odyssey there have been many facts on what you should not do. When they say do not feed on Helios kine the men on the ship besides Odysseus go and find the sheep they are hungry so they go and feed on the sheep but that is against what they said so they get a curse put on them. We gain knowledge from the book. The book is showing us that there are consequences for your actions. The book is saying don't bite off more than you can chew. When it says that it is like going to fight a god with only your men you are bound to lose. Odysseus tries to get home but he pissed of a god by impaling a stick into the gods sons eye. The god would not give up until he is dead. Odysseus lost all his crew to Poseidon because he did not apologise for hurting his son. The book is trying to say take ownership of what you did and don't try to push it off. The book has a good point because it said humans are foolish and only care about themself and their pride. There are many thing that Odysseus does wrong he goes to the cave and insisted that they stay to meet the owner of the cave.they eat his food without the giant knowing. The giant come to the cave and sees that his food is gone and sees the men. Odysseus get 6 men killed by insisting staying in the cave. That said that all people make mistakes.
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Destinee Bell
12/20/2017 10:54:11 am
The value of reading the Odyssey is to learn about ancient history. How they thought. How they processed different things. What they valued most. The gain from reading the Odyssey is that it makes the impression of being in that time period. The lessons from this book are plenty. The lesson of courage and bravery. The lesson of brains over brawn. The lesson of the journey of loss; life is a journey:loss, love, strength, smarts, and the pull towards home or purpose. For Odysseus it was all of them but the only thing that kept him going was the pull to get home for his purpose of being a father, husband, and king. Love for his wife, Penelope and his son, Telemachus kept him going through all the pain, the hard times, the loss.The journey of life is what Odysseus has to go through on his journey home.
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Hadley Detter
12/20/2017 10:54:41 am
The odyssey is an epic story that is about bravery, and strength of a ‘hero’ called Odysseus. In the epic poem Odysseus takes place over many years over an adventure to get home when really the men should have been home years before. The book is told in a storyteller way. The odyssey teaches us about the gods, the importance of home, hope, faith, and family. This epic teaches you about the past and how life was for the men that were leaders and the women that had to stay home and wait never knowing if their husband or son was alive. Odysseus models the greatness of using your brain over bran to out wit monsters and gods. But Odysseus is flawed because of his brain, he is extremely curious and that has gotten him into bad situations. When he and his men landed on the cyclops island they raided the home of a cyclops, that cyclopes was the son of poseidon, the god of the seas. When the men wanted to leave Odysseus said they would wait to see the beast and ask for there gift. The cyclops did not give them a gift, he ate them. His curiosity is what got his men killed. While reading the odyssey you began to think of how you use your wits. You began to think about how you could think more than just act out. I personally love adventure and to travel, so when I read the odyssey I am thinking about the great adventure that the crew is taking part in. Reading the poem can also make you think of home and your family and how important they are. When Odysseus is in the land of the dead he sees his mother. His mom then says that she has died of a broken heart.
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Colton Dana
12/20/2017 10:55:37 am
The value of reading the Odyssey is that you can learn from the many experiences that the characters go through. We can gain lessons of courage, friendship, and devotion as Odysseus journeys home. An example of this is Odysseus' strong desire to return home to his wife, as this shows his devotion to his wife. Another example of this are when Odysseus and his men were trapped in the cave of the cyclops, Odysseus showed courage by thinking of a way out for him, and his friends. Another example of this is when Odysseus and his men had to bypass the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis, Odysseus inspired his men to keep on going, despite everything. Reading the Odyssey can help us become better people by teaching us valuable lessons, such as courage, and it also shows a character that uses this to overcome great obstacles.
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Micayla Timmer
12/20/2017 10:56:14 am
I think that the purpose of the Odyssey is to show how one person can go threw many journeys and continue to grow as a person. Odysseus leaves his perfect life, with his wife and newborn son, to go to the Trojan war. This one trip should have taken less than a month or two. It has taken over 20 years. Throughout this Odysseus experiences new adventures and exceeds the expectation of success each time. He goes on living after each experience. Odysseus is a great hero, but he does have his flaws. His bravery and self reliance can put him and his crew in danger. He also keeps information from his crew. Whether the crew should have know the information or not, this led to the crew not trusting him as much as they could. It also led to the crew eating the cattle Helios. This action condemned the whole crew to many gruesome, certain deaths. He repeats this action when he doesn’t make clear that the bag that the ship carried trapped the wind that kept them from Ithaca. The crew got curious and opened the bag. When they were so close to home, they were thrown into the sea by the rough winds. This represents that in life, all of us have flaws. These flaws can cause us to make mistakes. Sometimes we repeat these mistakes and have to deal with the consequences. The way to success is to learn how not to repeat these mistakes. The Odyssey teaches us to seek adventure and make mistakes but to learn from these. It shows Odysseus, a hero, husband, and father, lead a crew of men through many challenges and overcome them. Despite all of the loss and terror he has been through, Odysseus continues on and improves. This poem teaches us to persevere through hard times and struggles to reach our goal. Odysseus never gives up on getting home to Ithaca. He goes through so many obstacles and finally reaches his destination.
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Shelby Boelens
12/20/2017 10:58:37 am
A value of reading the Odyssey is learning valuable things. These valuable things are things that could relate the things in your life. One way it relates to my life is doing things that are important to you. An example of that in the book is when even though Odyssey is leaving his family his is doing something that is important to him, that is protective his island. We also gain things from reading the Odyssey. Something we gain is important knowledge and lessons. One lesson I learned from the Odyssey is you can always have hope that someone will return when they have been gone a long time. In the Odyssey, Odysseus has been gone for about 10 years, but his wife, Penelope still believes that he will return soon. Another life lesson is have a plan before you do something. In the book Odysseus was planning on entering the cyclops’ cave, but before he did he already had a plan on how to get out. A final lesson from the Odyssey is, keep moving forward even if something is hard. Odysseus continued to move forward even when most of the people on his ship had died. His love for Penelope and his son was pushing him through the hard times. The Odyssey can help you become a better person by learning from Odysseus's achievement and mistakes. The Odyssey can help you become a good leader because in the book Odysseus shows traits of a good leader. One of the things Odysseus did that showed good leadership was leaving his men behind. He had to leave some of his men behind if it was better for the rest of the crew. You can also learn from Odysseus mistakes. For example when they were leaving the cyclops island Odysseus yelled out his name to the cyclops to take credit for what he did. This resulted in the cyclops throwing giant rocks at their ship. We can learn that we don't need to take credit for everything even good things.
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Lindsey Franklin
12/20/2017 10:59:20 am
The value of reading the odyssey is to see how people can and will overcome great struggles that may face them in their lifetime. When reading the odyssey we have to use our imagination a lot of the time. We gain knowledge about how he overcame the obstacles that came about, how he treated his men and the Gods and Goddesses he had found on his journey. We learned that it’s not always best to be the good guy in the situation. I think that reading the odyssey can help us become a better person because we can pick up on some of the kind, cunning, and heroic actions that Odysseus made during the several different sections. When reading between the lines in the odyssey we start to learn what greek civilization was like, their codes of ethics and rules of etiquette. On Odysseus’s journey he observes and learns the customs of all the different people he meets along his long journey home. I think the epithets that the author used made us look at the world in a bigger, better lense. Along his journey he makes mistakes but he overcomes them and comes out stronger than when he went in. Odysseus is very persistent, he is gone for 15 years trying to get home to Ithaca but he never gives up, no matter what pops up in his path he just keeps going. I think when reading the book it kind of went in a way the said, ‘obey the Gods, or else.’ I feel that, that is saying to use that we need to obey our superiors because we could get consequences and/or something bad will happen because while they were telling us what to do they were also just looking out for us.
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Seth Ridenour
12/20/2017 02:19:47 pm
Seth Ridenour
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Gabe Placzek
12/21/2017 04:58:52 am
The value of reading the Odyssey is to know ancient mythology and how Ancient Greeks survived back then. The Odyssey is also still being studied today to bring us back to life in Ancient Greece. Also a similarity between back then and now is that society still rewards a heroic action, or a hero. In the Odyssey by Homer, the main idea would be a life's journey that is filled with obstacles. The journey has been long and full of trials, tribulations and obstacles. When reading the Odyssey, we enter a world infused by the imagination. Everything becomes fresh and new; familiar objects light up with an inner radiance, as if we were seeing the sky or smelling the grass for the first time. We gain knowledge about Odysseus and his historical accomplishments like winning the Trojan War through a strategy called the Trojan Horse. We see what might have existed back then and possibly influence our interests of history a lot. When we like in history we might consider jobs like being an Archaeologist, Journalist, Documentary editor, or an Archivists. When we read the Odyssey we can learn what special techniques that were used in many situations like when Odysseus and his men faced the cyclops Polyphemus. Reading the book can make us a better person by learning why brains, wits and cunning are better than brutes so that we don’t make the wrong decisions. We also can learn how people back then responded properly when other people were in their house. It can change someone’s perspective on love and how one can keep his/her promises. The mistakes that were taken place in the Odyssey can be learned from and able to know what to do next time something similar to it happens. Odysseus has been through so much in the last 15 years of his life, his child being born, being away from his family, the loss of his mother, the loss of all of his men, yet Odysseus still continues on. If Odysseus has that much perseverance any man can.
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Justin Morgan
12/22/2017 10:47:13 am
The values you get from reading the Odyssey are things about the culture of the people back then. An example would be how if you go to someone's house they are expected to give you a gift instead of it being the other way around. Other things of culture back then from the Odyssey are rituals like sacrificing animals, they believed in many gods like the god of the sea, the sun, love, wind, and the sky. They also had rulers like kings. It also shows how life was different back then than it is today. They didn’t have good communication like phones, fighting was with swords not guns, you had to travel by boat or walk, and they had had kingdoms.
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Logan R
12/22/2017 11:27:05 am
The reason I am reading the odyssey is because I have to in order to get a good grade.While I am reading the odyssey I noticed some of the values are to not be to proud because it can get you in trouble.A example of this is when odysseus is leaving the cyclops island and tells him his name.This was a wrong choice because the cyclops curses him and tells his father Poseidon not to allow odysseus to go home.Another lesson is that humans have special minds.An example of this is when odysseus tells the cyclops his name is nobody.This does not make sense at first but it was so that when the cyclopes screams he screams nobody is hurting me nobody is harming me.This was very smart of odysseus and shows that the human mind is capable of much more than most animals for example we are much smarter than a dog who can't invent things to make life easier.Another value is that being curious is sometimes a bad thing.A example of this is when odysseus crew opens the bag that contains all the winds that blow them away from Ithaca.The crew waits till odysseus is sleeping and opens the bag if they would have waited a few more hours they would have been able to get to Ithaca alive and a lot earlier.This also shows forgiveness because odysseus forgiveness his crew for many things including opening the bag with all the winds trapped inside.This is smart because he needs his crew to get to Ithaca.Another big value is bravery as odysseus is not scared of any monsters.An example is when he goes to the underworld to find the prophet because he knows the way to Ithaca.
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Kristen Maycroft
1/1/2018 06:37:37 pm
The Odyssey has a huge value and teaches you a lot about life. There are many lessons and inspirations that are expressed through the great adventures of Odysseus. We gain many different things from learning about Odysseus. One thing we learn about Odysseus is how brave he is. He shows bravery many times throughout the story, for example, when he encounters the cyclops that eats some of his men. Another example of bravery is when Odysseus and his crew go in the cave while they’re sailing and meet this large monster that ate their goat and one man. Not only is Odysseus brave, but he is adventurous too. In the book, Odysseus was very adventurous and always looking for new things to try and new places to go. He was curious what was in the cave where the cyclops lived, so he decided to go in at any risk. Another lesson the Odyssey teaches is loyalty. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope showed she was loyal when he was gone for a very long time, she never fell in love with another man. The Odyssey also shows you to never give up. Throughout the whole story Odysseus is trying to get back to his homeland of Ithaca. He is gone for many years, but he never gives up on trying to get home to the people he cares most about. Reading the Odyssey can help you become and better person from the choices that are made, the themes that are repeated, and the actions shown.
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alexces
1/3/2018 06:30:51 am
I like the book Odysseus book and movie, it has taught me a lot of stuff. We enter a world infused by the imagination. Everything becomes fresh and new familiar objects light up with an inner radiance, as if we were seeing the sky or smelling the grass for the first time. And we are always carried along by the steady yet constantly varying rhythms of the meter, which serves as a counterpoint to even the most horrific events, so that everything we read is lifted up into the realm of the beautiful. When Odysseus travels to The land of the dead and sees his mother, we see a man who is truly who is broken who can no longer handle holding himself for the sake of the troops. Throughout his journey he has been patient, responsible, enduring, confident and strong particularly for his men. Here, when he finds his mother has passed on i see him allowing human emotion over take him and just for a few moments he does not seem to be the god-like or larger-than-life that we have watched so far. I would think this symbolizes for Odysseus the passage of time, and dept of that which he has missed. I believe it his longing for home increase he might be wondering who could be next that will never again get to see. The narrative structure that Homer used to tell his tale can be jarring if you are unprepared. The story of Odysseus would have been well-known by the time Homer crafted his definitive version, so he plunges in, fully expecting that the audience is already familiar with the hero. As with The Iliad, he begins by invoking the muse.The adventure with the Cattle of the Sun is near the end of Odysseus’ suffering abroad, yet it is one of the first things Homer tells us. It is a narrative technique called in medias res, which means to begin “in the middle of things.” As a result, the majority of Odysseus’ most famous adventures are told in a flashback sequence that spans four lengthy chapters. We also bounce between what it happening with Odysseus abroad and what is occurring with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus back in Ithaca. Additionally, there are a few abrupt transitions to the gods conversing on Olympus. If you feel lost at any point while you read, SparkNotes has an excellent breakdown of the book that you can view for free on their website.
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Andrew Hollenbeck
1/3/2018 04:10:49 pm
The Odyssey is a journey just like how some people call life a journey. The people who read the Odyssey have all these things that they can relate to that happened or was talked about in the past. People who read the Odyssey also learn not to make rash decisions at the fate of other people or even your family members/close friends. We gain information on how to use our brain to actually think ahead make the right decisions and how to find a path in life and be good people. We can become better people by making better choices that do not cost us friendship. In the story he brought his men into the cannibal cyclops’s lair. He didn't feel the warning that it was not good even though his men were saying exactly that. His men were later eaten and he was in fear of that and that is a big burden to have on your shoulders. We also can be better people by assessing the situation. In the story Odysseus always thought ahead. He would bring random items that would make people think. “ What the heck is that man doing?” If we start doing this we will all make better choices and be better people.
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Maggie VanDyken
1/10/2018 06:29:44 am
I think that reading the Odysseys is very important, it gives you good lessons. I think that it teaches us good things and things going on in life and the things around us. In the book Odyssey is the main character. During the books he makes many mistakes. But throughout all of his mistakes he learns from them. Also how they processed different things and how they did. Also what they valued the most. Action can change a lot of things to. What we have read so far, is it's pretty good. Some of the values that I noticed in the Odyssey is, dont always be proud because it can get you in trouble. One example is when the Odyssey is leaving the cyclopes and then he tells him his name. This not such a good thing, because after he tells the the cyclopes. The cyclopes curses him, and goes and tells his father and makes him go back home. Another good lesson is that the humans have good and special minds. Another good example is when the Odyssey tells the cyclops that his name is nobody. There are woman who sing super super good that some of the men sailing can't stop and want to find out who is singing. Then once they get there all of the sirens eat them alive. Odysse buts some bee wax in his group/crew’s ears so that they cannot hear the sirens coming. Then they have him tie him up to a pole so he cannot leave or go anywhere but once they get far enough he will hear because of the sirens sing. Sometimes you may not have a close or the exact situation in your life but always be thinking and knowing what you are doing. This can help us because if we know what is going around and we are paying attention our brains are moving so this helps us.
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Ryan Hart
1/10/2018 08:28:11 am
What I really liked about the odyssey is how the authors words really told the story and how you really felt the emotions within the characters, like when odysseus sees his men being eaten by a giant cyclops and is terrified by somehow he knows that worrying about the problem isnt gonna help so he looks for a sollution.
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Jordan Silvis
1/10/2018 11:30:38 am
The value of reading the odyssey is that you can learn so much from the story. One of the things I really enjoy about the book the relates to real life is that the main character Odysseus makes mistakes but he uses them and learn from them. Odysseus runs into many problems while on his trip back from troy to Ithaca. He gets captured by a cyclops that happened to be poseidon's son. The man eating cyclops devoured Odysseus’s men and told him that he was going to eat them all. Odysseus’s cleverness got him and some of his men out of this bad situation. I really liked this part because I try to imagine myself doing something as clever and sneaky as what he did. He will do whatever it takes to get back to his wife and son and I like that and really look up to that because that is so cool. That is a real life lesson right there. He left when his son was born and never got to see him until he was 20, Odysseus was gone for 20 years and still did whatever it took to get back to telemachus his son and penelope his wife. There were many other adventures that Odysseus had to endure that were so crazy and insane but his will and perseverance got him through it to get home to ithaca. This is such a good story because it isn't a superhero or something like that he is a real man that actually went through this. The odyssey is one of the best books I have ever got the chance to read and I am glad I read it.
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Ryan B.
1/11/2018 10:18:06 am
The Odyssey reading
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kayleigh richards
1/11/2018 01:35:10 pm
The Odyssey is a great book that reflects the values of the culture that make Odysseus memorable. Like his intelligence and bravery and loyalty. I like the Odyssey because, it shows you some of the crazy things that happen and it can show all of the love and care in the relationship with Odysseus and his wife. He goes through a long journey and he fights through it and doesn't give up.
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Mike Reed
1/12/2018 10:51:15 am
The Odyssey is a great epic that consists of the epic hero himself Odysseus. This epic which is not only interesting and epic, but it is intense at times, even clever. This epic is full of epithets and just amazing descriptive words to describe the simplest things. The odyssey is filled with non stop action that odysseus just can’t get a break from. I feel like this book is trying to say how ever many obstacles or “monsters” that you encounter, you can always have a plan and get through it. Throughout a major part of the epic odysseus is trying to find his way home to his kingdom, his wife, and his son, but throughout the whole thing he is stuck at sea trying to get home. Even though he has help from many gods, he still can’t manage to get home, because he can’t utilize his help properly. When you see Odysseus going through all of these problems and monsters, he still manages to get through it all. Odysseus never gives up even though the odds might not be in his favor, he is always still thinking, and thinking of possible outcomes, which some people nowadays do a lot. This story is great to read because it teaches you many lessons. It can teach you that you can’t give up, because you can always do something to solve your problem. It can also teach you that love never gives up, his wife waits for him for several years before he comes back, now that is true love. This story can also teach us about persistence and how we can overcome anything we put our minds to.
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Austin Walta
1/12/2018 02:31:20 pm
If you read the Odyssey then you might learn a few valuable lessons. The first is to always try to think your way out a problem. When Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the cyclops, he wants to kill the cyclops but doesn’t because they would be trapped in the cave forever.
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Ben K
1/16/2018 02:16:08 pm
In Book 9 Odysseus spends seven of the ten years on an island on the Mediterranean Sea. He was held captive there until Zeus sends the god Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseus. Calypso gives Odysseus materials to build a raft but he has to sail for 20 days before he can land on the island of Scheria. On the island of Scheria, where he gets help from the king. The king gives a banquet in honor of Odysseus. On that same night the king begs Odysseus to tell who he is and what happened to him. Odysseus tells the king. Odysseus explains to the king where his home is located and he tells the king about his adventures. Soon after Odysseus and his crew leaves from Troy they were raided and the raiders killed 72 of Odysseus's men. Once they were at sea they were delayed for two days due to a storm. Odysseus and the remaining of his crew continued their journey to Ithaca.
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logan gasper
12/20/2018 11:14:09 am
by reading the odyssey we gain knowledge of the past and dream off the possibilities and how. it helps us wonder and gain reason. it teaches us about karma and how it can treat you.
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Sage Suits
12/20/2018 11:21:33 am
There is so much to learn from the Odyssey. Odysseus himself is an epic character and he teaches us so much. For example Odysseus shows very many important big ideas like Bravery, Family, Homecoming, cleverly, and many more. For example when he is in the cave with the cyclops he is so innovative and clever that he tricks the cyclops, and they escape under the sheep. There is so much to learn from that one part things like, think outside the box and there is always a way. Another thing he taught us comes from the homecoming part where he does not give away that he is home to anybody but Temelascus and the herder. In the end this saves him if word had gotten out the sutters would have killed him. During this he also teaches Temelascus about patience and how you have to wait, as they did to kill the sutter’s. Lastly he can teach us about selflessness. In the book he tries so hard to save the crew and does everything in his power to get everybody home safe in the end he will be the only one because of the crews mistake to eat Helios's cows. There is so much more but that is just a few examples form the text. In the end the Odyssey can teach us many thing and i think it is a important poem/epic to read and learn from.
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Aidan Anderson
12/20/2018 11:23:26 am
I think we read the Odyssey because it teaches us about goals and how hard it is to get to them. Especially if the goal is really big. I think we gain knowledge about how difficult things can be when you have a goal and that things and/or people can set you back from what you are working towards. I think reading the Odyssey can make us a better person by helping us understand how we can work towards things and achieve them.
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Carrie A Cline
12/20/2018 11:28:56 am
The value of reading the Odyssey is as good as reading any other text in literature. There are plenty of stories and novels about the same man but who goes by a different name. The Odyssey is not that of value, but of a raging lesson about man. We gain information about Odysseus’ habits and clear adjectives as well as his scornful pride. The people reading the novel tend to see Odysseus as a hero, an epic hero. I personally do not see a heroic man. I see the essence of man. Man is awful and the epic poem makes that clear when taking closer observations on Odysseus’ intentions, habits, treatment, mentality, and goals. The character he could be is tarnished by his actions throughout the poem. He says he stayed true to Penelope in his heart, but he laid with other women and strayed away from Penelope and his journey home, especially on the island of all women. He slept with a goddess and said he stayed true to Penelope. It’s absolute rubbish to call him a hero of any sort. He killed many other men and there was not a second thought. Odysseus is not an epic hero, he is a murderer and liar. Only a human. Humans destroy themselves and that is the most common theme I see in the Odyssey. Reading the Odyssey can help someone become a better person by being wary of temptation and see how humans demolish, destroy, wreck, and ruin everything they touch. The Odyssey can bring light to it and make it avoidable. When a human is faced with the decision to sacrifice something they love, they can learn something from Odysseus. He sacrificed all his comrades, his wife and child as well as Ithaca. Is it worth it and what are you doing it for?
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Clare Korreck
12/20/2018 11:30:35 am
The Odyssey, an extremely old epic poem, tells a tale about a king named Odysseus, who must go through many challenges to get back to his homeland, Ithaca. These sets of poems are commonly read by many students in their high school career, which makes one wonder: What is the value in reading this? Why are there so many schools that require reading this book in their curriculum? Well, there may be many reasons for this question, but there is also one answer that sticks out the most. Reading The Odyssey can teach a person many important morals and themes. As an example, loyalty and trust. When Odysseus received a bag of bad wind, he told his men to not open it. Unfortunately, his crew got too curious, and opened it, releasing a storm. This shows to believe people, because sometimes betraying trust can have severe consequences. Another theme shown is that your actions may have negative consequences. When Odysseus’ crew ate Helios's cattle, they all perished. This shows that you shouldn’t do a certain action without knowing the possible outcome. That is only two of many messages shown in The Odyssey. All in all, reading the Odyssey can provide a person with important themes and morals that may be shown in everyday life.
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Adiel Garcia
12/20/2018 12:20:44 pm
By reading the Odyssey we can see that we can gain knowledge by not making the same mistakes. The book teaches us many times that one thing can change a lot of stuff. We can see this in the book when they arrive at the land of the lotus eaters and eat the honeyed plant. The men who would eat this they would forget about going home and lost all hope. Another way we can see where they make mistakes is the part where Odysseus is curious and they go inside the cave of the cyclops and stay there, as they were in the cave the cyclops ate some of the men that were with Odysseus. Odysseus outsmarts the Cyclops and leaves. We can gain knowledge on how not to make the same mistakes.
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Molly Green
12/21/2018 04:42:15 am
The value of reading the odyssey is the theme and the knowledge. One of the themes is family and family is apart of who you are and you always love family. Another theme is bravery because to do what odysseus did you need to be brave for the men so they don’t lose courage or hope. Taking a break from the theme aspect let's look at knowledge of this read. The knowledge of this is the finding of greek culture and how they did thing then then they do now which is very different. These differences include strangers coming in your house and you give them gifts wich now they would kick the strangers out, there ships thinking now the ships we have are very different the oars and people having to row and now there are machines that do it for us.
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Kaylea Sobeck
12/21/2018 09:40:42 am
There are many different values to reading the Odyssey. One is that we get to see what life is like back when this was happening, and we gat to learn about all the things that were normal back then. Another is we see how women were treated and what they were to the men of that time. We gain the knowledge that no matter what happens to the human race that we all have the urge to be with the people that we love. Also we see that the Greeks so the basics of human civilization and how things progressed. There are many ways the reading the Odyssey can make us better people. One is when Odysseus was willing to put his life on the line so that his shipmates could live. Another is when Penelope was faithful for 20 years to her husband and that she had hope that he would come back even after so long. These two moments show us that these people were selfless, brave, and strong.
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12/21/2018 10:50:30 am
You can learn so much about life and the values in it and why every second is important in your life from reading the Odyssey. When you read the Odyssey you follow a man named Odysseus and his journey trying to get home to his family. We can learn from this because throughout his journey Odysseus makes many mistakes. One mistake we can learn from Odysseus is to never be too cocky. In the story Odysseus and his crew get trapped on an island with a man eating cyclops. He and his crew end up finding a way to blind the cyclops in order to sneak away but during their escape Odysseus brags to the cyclops and reveals his name which ends up being a grave mistake because the cyclops he blinds ends up being poseidon's son which angers poseidon and results into Odysseus being forced to go on his epic adventure. This helps me know never to be cocky because if Odysseus never would of braged and revealed his name he would have been able to go home in a couple of months instead of 20 years. We can also learn that family is the most important thing in life, and that you would do anything to be with them. The main goal in the Odyssey is Odysseus trying to get home to see his wife and son.
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garv patel
12/21/2018 11:02:07 am
The odyssey is read all around the world for very many reasons, such as the lessons and the use of similes and other literary devices. The odyssey teaches us about the importance of family and overcoming obstacles in the face of danger. Odysseus longing for Ithaca, represents the feeling of need for family with being separated from his wife and son for more than 20 years. The need for a place to belong and comfort is embedded into human nature and behaviors by nature and teaches people that the concept of home is not just defined by our society, it is integrated into us as humans. The odyssey also gives example to tons of literary devices and can be used to teach the modern era about the use of language.
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Matthew Miller
1/18/2019 11:03:35 am
The value of reading the odyssey is that it has an effect on your life. It tries to say don't be like the crew because they don't think of the consequences like opening the bag with the winds. The story want you to be like Odysseus because he thinks ahead and he can use his brain and figure out what to do. When reading the Odyssey there have been many facts on what you should not do. When they say do not feed on Helios kine the men on the ship besides Odysseus go and find the sheep they are hungry so they go and feed on the sheep but that is against what they said so they get a curse put on them. We gain knowledge from the book. The book is showing us that there are consequences for your actions. The book is saying don't bite off more than you can chew. When it says that it is like going to fight a god with only your men you are bound to lose. Odysseus tries to get home but he pissed of a god by impaling a stick into the gods sons eye. The god would not give up until he is dead. Odysseus lost all his crew to Poseidon because he did not apologise for hurting his son. The book is trying to say take ownership of what you did and don't try to push it off. The book has a good point because it said humans are foolish and only care about themself and their pride. There are many thing that Odysseus does wrong he goes to the cave and insisted that they stay to meet the owner of the cave.they eat his food without the giant knowing. The giant come to the cave and sees that his food is gone and sees the men. Odysseus get 6 men killed by insisting staying in the cave. That said that all people make mistakes.
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