Quoted Passage for Commentary:
“If he’d caught a sound form one of us, just a moan, he would have crushed out heads and ship timbers with one heave of another flashing, jagged rock!….I called back with another burst of anger, ‘Cyclops, if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you so-say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!”
Date or approximate time of composition(oral and/or written):850 BC-700 BC
Exact title of the story: The Odyssey
Author or authors of the piece (theory surrounding its origin): Homer
The country/region of origin: Greece
Page & line number or page, paragraph, and speaker of the passage: Pg 369, Line #’s 553-562, and the speaker was Odysseus
Context within the story( 1.5 pts): [note: by “context,” I mean for you to tell me at what point in the plot we find this passage and, if pertinent, who says it and why; about 50 words]
This passage appears after Odysseus and his men have successfully stabbed the Polyphemus in the eye and escaped his cave. After fleeing and boarding the ship, the chosen passage appears as Odysseus taunts the Cyclops. Significance of the passage (6 pts):
The quote I have chosen to discuss reflects a negative aspect of Odysseus. Despite his many heroic traits such as being courageous, cunning, persistent, quick on his feet, etc., he possesses a trait that could’ve cost him and his crew their lives; being egotistical. Odysseus’s rather large ego was responsible for hindering him and his crew from going home. His cockiness is what kept the story going and lengthening his journey. His encounter with Polyphemus displayed just that. After successfully flushing out his plan to stab the Cyclops in the eye, Odysseus and his men reached the ship and are clearly safe since the Cyclops was blinded. Instead of safely sailing away without a word, Odysseus’s ego kicked in and he taunted the Polyphemus by yelling out his name (even though it would reveal his position) just to make a name for himself.
It’s almost as if he values some sort of fame over his own life. His arrogant behavior leads to a chain of consequences and temporarily banned his return to Ithaca. Although his Odysseus ego ahs landed him in nothing but more trouble, I realize that his ego puts him in favor of the gods. It gives him confidence, courage, and intellect. All of which the gods recognize and appraise him for. Despite this, I think that the negatives of his ego outweigh what the gods think of him. His arrogance not only affects him but his crew and his native land. His ego cost his crew their lives and forbids him from returning home. As a result of not being at Ithaca to rule over, it hurts the city and the economy. In conclusion, Odysseus is a great but flawed leader like many. He has had many victories but not without major cutbacks and costs.
