Starr Odyssey

Lotus Eaters

1200 BCE

Summary
Odysseus and his crew of men and twelve ships first stop for a break and some water on an island or piece of land. He then sends his men to go and scout the land in order to survey the race of people there. His men first see the Lotus Eaters but as they longer are drawn in and become Lotus Eaters. This then causes them to lose their will to go back home. Odysseus then is prompted to go and get his men back but still loses 6 men for each of his twelve ships.

Trojan War

1200 BCE

The Trojan War was a fight between Troy and Sparta. It was started when the king of Troy took Helen, wife of Spartan king
Menelaus. The war went on for 10 years and at the end of it Sparta won. Odysseus was the master mind who helped Sparta win by creating an opportunity to help Sparta invade Troy practically unseen.

Trojan War

1200 BCE

Analysis
In the Trojan War this is where Odysseus basically gets introduced to the reader. This plan of his to infiltrate Troy shows his ability to think through problems. We gain a sense of his guile and wit from this event. At the same time we can see his sense of adventure to come up with such a plan that involves going into the heart of enemy territory.

Lotus Eaters

1200 BCE

Analysis
Odysseus is a very loving leader and cares for his men. Not only is he caring for his men but he also shows his will to get back to his home. This shows his determination as a man and this also shows his strength. Even though he is not physically the strongest he is able to use his mind in ways that others can't.

Cyclops

1200 BCE

Summary
Odysseus once again encounters another obstacle as he goes back on his journey home to Ithaca. This time he encounters a cyclops in his cave. He is tempted to see him and then kill him but as they venture farther into the cave the door closes with a huge boulder. Odysseus is now trapped inside with the cyclops. He then talks with the cyclops stabs him in the eye as says his name is nobody. Odysseus gets prideful spouts his true name and causes a curse to be set upon him and his men.

Cyclops

1200 BCE

Analysis
Odysseus' actions in this situation overall leads the reader to believe he is not so good of a leader. This is because he first puts his men in harms way by taking the into the cave. Then at the end he reveals his true personality and identity and gets everyone cursed. This shows his selfishness and foolishness as a person and a leader because he gets so full of himself that he goes out of his way to then put him and his men in dangers way. Now he has caused hard times for everyone.

Bag of Winds

1200 BCE

In this part of the Odyssey the crew and Odysseus get help from the god of winds Aeolus. He gives them a bag of strong winds capable of pushing them all the way back home if pointed in the right direction. When Odysseus comes back with the bag the men in his crew wrongly assume that the bag is full of gold and silver. This then causes them to get pushed back to Aeolus's island and this time he refuses to give them help because he believes they are cursed by the gods.

Sirens

1200 BCE

Analysis
In this trial once again Odysseus shows his inability to control himself. His curiosity drives him so mad that he rages at his crew to take out the wax as the sirens song their transforming song. Obviously he has good situation analysis but he really has to work on his curiosity. Surely he had to know that he would get harmed by the song.

Scylla/Charybdis

1200 BCE

This situation is a gruesome one that will be dangerous for the men. Six men will die going against Scylla or everyone will die depending on which path is chosen. Odysseus knows this but his men don't. Odysseus leads his men into battle and doesn't tell them of the upcoming dangers for he fears that this will discourage them. They are attacked by the two of them and now Odysseus inevitably loses more men.

Scylla/Charybdis

1200 BCE

Analysis
Once again in another trial Odysseus leads his men into peril. Instead of telling them the dangers he doesn't tell them at all in fear that he would discourage them. Overall I believe the reader would generally see this as a bad moral decision because he somewhat disregards how they would feel about knowing their fates. Although he does state his remorse for not telling them.

Helios’ Cattle

1200 BCE

As the crew proceeds in their journey they encounter a land full of cattle. They insist that they stop for a break and some livestock. Because these are the cattle of Helios the god of light this property is personal and used for Helios and only Helios. After using the cattle, Helios demands retribution for this crime. In the end the men are all killed and Odysseus is left stranded by himself with nothing left.

Helios’ Cattle

1200 BCE

Analysis
Odysseus makes the mistake of not stopping his men for the last time. This time instead of it just being another trial it has become a situation of upmost peril and now all his men are dead. This puts his chances to get home at almost none because he also loses all his supplies and ships. This all leads to nothing great and this should be obvious.

Suitors/Home

1200 BCE

Odysseus has finally returned home after a long journey. Through all his trials he and his now dead crew knew that upon returning home they'd come back to dior situations. Odysseus, now being introduced to these dior situations, he finds that his home and people have been raveged by many suitors. He now plots to get his people and possessions and as the reader can see he is accompanied by old friends (cow and swineherd), his son, and the goddess Athena. He wins the fight and goes to his wife.

Suitors/Home

1200 BCE

Analysis
Now Odysseus has finally returned home and is ready to take his life back. He is finally able to show his worth not only to the reader but to his wife mainly because he has made so many mistakes that only prolonged his already horrible journey home. Not only is this his chance to prove himself to his wife and the reader but he also has the chance to redeem himself as the people's leader and he can prove himself worthy to a goddess of great power. Overall he proves himself valuable.

Bag of Winds

1200 BCE

Analysis
Now Odysseus is getting help from gods personally. This is a very simple task and if they do it right they will definitely get home and live happily. Instead of immediately explaining the situation to his crew, Odysseus lets them open the bag and now they have ruined all chances of getting home. This is the very start of the god's curse and the challenges will only grow harder as time passes.

Circes

1200 BCE

Now Odysseus and his crew have ended up on another island. This time Odysseus and his men do not know of this island and what they're getting themselves into. As Polites and Eurylachus go scout out the island the they clash about whether they should seize the opportunity to get food, water, and shelter from an unknown source. Polites takes up the offer and gets turned into pigs as a result. Eurylachus then goes to tell Odysseus to leave but Odysseus goes back to save his men from danger.

Circes

1200 BCE

Analysis
As a leader Odysseus has now established his connection back with his men. As a leader Odysseus has now established his worth to the reader as well. His sense of pride has now almost disappeared and his care for his men is now being put on display. Now all he has to do is get his men and leave.

Sirens

1200

In this trial Odysseus and his crew have to face the sirens. These inhuman creatures sing enticing songs that can cause terrible changes to the body. Odysseus, being himself, is very curious about the sound of this song that is said to sound so good. He knows the consequences for such an action but yet he insists on it anyway. In response to his request his men have to first have their ears clogged with wax and then they have to tie down Odysseus and clog his ears as well and distract him.