History, Symbolism, and Characters in Homer’s The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, it takes Odysseus twenty years to make it home from the Trojan War. On his journey home, he runs into many obstacles and creatures that he must overcome. He encounters the sirens, the Cyclops, and others. Each event in this epic poem has a symbolic meaning behind it. Homer writes about the history, symbolism, and the characters in The Odyssey. The Odyssey is about the Greek gods and heroes and their adventures (Makman). Odysseus is the main character, and he is going on a quest that takes him several years to complete. Homer’s story, the Odyssey, arises many questions in the later years of its readers (Thornton). Homer’s work is has such an impact on poets and literary works today that no one could match his work in†¦show more content†¦Odysseus is just a normal Average Joe, who has to fight these mythical monsters and at the same time learn the meanings of each encounter. (Sale, â€Å"Odyssey†). According to Frank, â€Å"The recognition scene, following a twenty-year separation, between Odysseus and his dog Argos, in Homers Odyssey, is one of the greatly moving moments in Western literature. And yet it remains strangely incomplete, a recognition scene manque. Argos acknowledges his master, but he does not reciprocate† (Frank). Argos is Odysseus, and hasn’t seen him for many year s, and even though he has aged quite a bit, argos still recognizes his master, and doesn’t hesitate. Symbolism takes a big part of this story. The reader learned from Odysseus mistakes and decisions he made through the poem. According to Homer â€Å"If any one unwarily draws in too close and hears the singing of the Sirens, his wife and children will never welcome him home again, for they sit in a green field and warble him to death with the sweetness of their song. There is a great heap of dead mens bones lying all around, with the flesh still rotting off them† (Homer). The sirens are a mythical monster that pulls them in with their singing, and they will end up taking their lives. The Odyssey is an epic poem with many characters, from monsters to heroes. According to Worman, â€Å"The reputation of Odysseus suffered somewhat in the fifthShow MoreRelated Essay on Symbolism, Imagery and Diction in Homer’s Odyssey878 Words   |  4 Pages Symbolism, Imagery and Diction in Homer’s Odyssey nbsp; During the course of history, the world has seen many fine works of literature like Homer’s epic, Odyssey. This book is a standard against which to compare all literary novels. The symbolism permeates the pages drawing the reader into the intriguing plot that includes twists within the central theme. 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