The Odyssey -- Adam Kienas

Adam Kienas
4-7-08
6th Period
Odyssey – Final Project – Final



In The Odyssey story of Odysseus as told by Homer, three Greek values are critical. They are Loyalty, Respect, and Heroism and were distinct cultural norms. These values were represented in several chapters. Today our world faces similar situations, which hold essence of the same values. Odysseus’ epic still has relevance in today’s opinionated world.
In the book loyalty occurs many times. One in particular is when Odysseus actually gets on the boat and leaves to troy. It shows how loyal he is to his country and how even though it is his choice, he decides to stay true to his beliefs and to Ithaca. Also, on top of just leaving to the war, he is also leaving his new born son, witch if you can imagine, would be a tragic decision to have to make.
One other value that reoccurs in The Odyssey is respect. A huge showing of this value is when Penelope insists for the beggar (Odysseus) to try “The Test of The Great Bow” while the rest of the suitors and disloyal Ithacans laugh in his face and do not even think the idea of him trying. In the end, Penelope of course has her way and the beggar is the only one that is able to defeat the task, which shows respects importance in Greeks legacies.
Also in the book, one of the largest, most shown throughout the story, and obvious is heroism. In The Odyssey they make it very bold that heroism doesn’t just come from physical strength, it also shows in mental challenges. One time it shows this is during the controversy with the Cyclops, Odysseus has him drunk and has one of his men play music to let him fall asleep, then has a giant spike driven into his eye while his men escape under sheep skin. Only inside that one task does Odysseus show cleverness and mental strength several times. Heroism takes place during almost all of his challenges in some sort of way.
The Odyssey is a legend, which reveals many of the Greek values. Loyalty, Respect, and Heroism are shown in many books of our time. Today we can see those same values in life. The influence of Greek culture on modern western civilization is well recognized today.