Odysseus the protagonist of this epic poem and his sailing crew face frequent temptations that not only determine their loyalty and strength to resist these temptations, but also how long-lasting their sail back home can be. The enlightened message portrayed through various literary elements is: Temptation can trace someone’s strength to accomplish goals and can serve as a loyalty obstacle.In order to portray this message Homer uses symbolism, tone, and setting as literal devices to transmit his central theme. Homer uses symbolism to portray the theme throughout the epic poem, using food as a primary symbol.
Food can be used as a symbol of hunger or healthiness in our logical minds, but the deeper meaning that is referred to in this poem is more complex. Symbolically, food is used in this epic poem to represent the lack of responsibility within the kings and queens eating and/or how important eating is to them in a daily basis.Though food is used symbolically to represent satisfaction in this epic poem it is also used as an element of temptation to Odysseus and his crew. For example, when Odysseus and his crew are with the “Lotus Eaters” they are offered “Fruit Lotus” which is a trap to make their journey back home longer. The fruit lotus is used as an object of attraction because obviously the crew men were hungry and with the fruit in front of them they didn’t have the strength to resist it.
Not only are Odysseus and his crew tempted by food but also by women.Women serve as another example of symbolism, because throughout this epidemic poem they are used for pleasure. An example can be when Odysseus and his crew are being hosted by Circe for a year they aren’t there to work or anything related they are there because they are receiving pleasure. The temptation of having relations with the women are what keep them there for so long and this makes their journey back home even long further.
Another literary device used by Homer is setting. Most of the settings in this poem are taken place on sea. The sea is also the place where one of the most tragically event happens in this poem.Just when Odysseus and his crew are about to arrive at Ithaca the curiosity and temptation of his crew result in an unsatisfactory outcome.
The sack which contains only the winds that are trapped in their to take Odysseus and his crew back home safely, is opened by his crew because they think that it is a treasure Odysseus wants to keep to himself. The temptation and selfishness of the crew results in a catastrophe because they are sent back to Aeolus the king who gave Odysseus the sack. The weakness they have to resist this temptation not only pays off negatively but it shows Odysseus how unloyal the crew truly is.This is shown by the excerpt from Book 10, page 232: “They loosed the sack and all the winds burst out and a sudden squall struck and swept us back to sea,” this expresses Odysseus explaining to Aeolus after the crew has been tempted again.
While the king Aeolus thinks that Odysseus is cursed the only element stopping them from reaching home is their inability to resist temptations and that is why they are mostly at sea while on this “journey” back home. The tone used in this epic poem by Homer gives a lot to say about the theme of this epic poem, the sense of the book, and the humor of the protagonist who is telling the story.It lets the reader know whether it’s a comic or sad poem. Homer uses a great attitude to support the theme because he thoroughly explains the danger the hero and his crew are facing when they are regulated for falling into temptations, but he also adds a comic attitude to part of the poem. This lets the reader know at what parts of the book the protagonist is in danger and when he is not anywhere near danger, it lets the reader know the level of importance it represents.
When Odysseus is sent back to Aeolus’ island because of his crews give in to temptation he has a slight different tone than when he has revealed himself to Penelope or when he spent nights with Circe. There is a difference in his feeling and in his way of expressing his journey. When he is being tempted he tries to stay away but he doesn’t because he doesn’t have the strength needed to do so. The tone reveals to the reader how important every scene is in this poem and it communicates the central theme.In conclusion, when it comes to being loyal and accomplishing goals, we all need to be prepared to face temptations and curiosity, because one mistake can take us further away from our goal.
Loyalty also matters when accomplishing a goal especially when it’s in a group because if one messes up the entire group is screwed. Giving in or not giving in to temptations can trace a persons strength and abilities. Homer proved in this epic poem that Odysseus might have not had the strength to resist the temptations but he did not give up. Now, will you have the strength to resist temptation when it comes to accomplishing a goal?
