This is an epic poem that was done by Homer. When writing an essay on The Odyssey, perhaps the best way to start off is to explore how the poem got its title. This is important because it links the title of the poem with the poem’s central focus, a Greek hero called Odysseus.
Apart from the title, there are several other elements that a student must include in his/her essay on The Odyssey. One of these elements which could differentiate an essay on this subject from another literature essay is the fact that The Odyssey is written with a non-linear plot. It has already been mentioned that as a general rule, a literature essay should be simple in terms of language. By merely stating that The Odyssey’s plot is non-linear, the student will only have confused the person reading the essay. It would be valuable to substantiate this point by saying that the plot of The Odyssey starts halfway through the story, and that before this the poem is written via flashbacks and using the method of storytelling. This is a crucial inclusion in the essay on The Odyssey, because it makes readers know what to expect in the literature.
Themes should not be forgotten in the essay on The Odyssey, just like in every other work on literature. Perhaps a student could be wondering why the issue of themes has to be emphasized in this type of essay. This is because of the simple reason that the theme of any literature is what makes the piece worth reading, and this is especially true for scholarly literature. Unless a person is reading for pleasure, people prefer to read books with themes, and this is the main reason for writing an essay of this type. If the theme as depicted in the essay is interesting to the reader, he/she is bound to read the entire book.
The Odyssey essay example
It is widely accepted that women in Ancient Greece had been viewed as the inferior to males; they could not be a component of the action in between the men back to back. Only a lesser amount of of Greek women had the leading roles and dominated within the political, social and personal lives.
Yet in Homer’s Odyssey they are even far more strong and influential. Indeed, women that inhabited the story have been not meek and humble subdued to the males, but strong and wise, possessing the subtle, but strong power over men – dark horses that ruled secretly. Let us remind Penelope – Odyssey’s wife: “… her head full of pride to think how Athena had been generous to her beyond all others, given her skill in beautiful work and good intelligence and cleverness such as never was heard of, even in the old stories” (Homer, 24). For many years she was waiting for her husband to get back and was a leader of the state supporting peace and order. “.. She has been deluding the wits of a whole nation. Hopes for all, promises for every man by special messenger – and what she means is quite different” (Homer, 24).
Thus, it is obvious that Ancient Greek women charmed and then controlled the men; they had more than enough power and courage to provide patience, wisdom and advice. Actually, women took care of the men and through the male influences controlled the whole nation. Thus, the goddesses like Calypso and Athena are strong sufficient to rule throughout the story. The mortal women like Arete, Helen, and Nausicaa played an significant role in the life of their native land together with Penelope – the empress of Ithaca. The story is filled with the sympathy for ones female destiny and dignity. Thus, although the Odyssey by the Greek poet Homer is very much an epic tale of the man’s heroic quest, women played an quite big role in it, as well.