Ignorance In The Odyssey

Kayleigh Curran

Olivencia

English 9

15 February 2023

Essay About The Odyssey Greek Poet Homer is considered one of the greatest and most prominent poets who is credited for writing The Odyssey. The Odyssey lays the foundations for Greek history and culture through the classical era. Known for its dynamic style of writing, use of repetition, and similes, The Odyssey demonstrates how ignorance does not always correlate with selective knowledge, but exposure. In the epic, Greek hero, Odysseus, embarks on his journey to his native land, Ithaca. Unbeknownst to him, his son Telemachus, seeks news of his father while his wife with the help of the gods and goddesses. In Ithaca, his wife Penelope, wards off the suitors while grieving over him.

Rather than bringing Odysseus back from Ogygia, Athena guides Telemachus to embark on a journey to learn of his whereabouts. Athena hopes to inspire adventure and perseverance into Telemachus and prepare him for his future. However, Athena purposely presents herself as other characters instead of in her true form. The first instance of Athena acting as a mentor to Telemachus, she disguised herself as Mentes. She states, “ Your father will not be exiled much longer from the land he loves so well, not even if he’s kept in iron chains. He will think of a way to return – he is endlessly resourceful” (Page 8). Athena encourages Telemachus to start on a journey of self-exploration, helping him in his transition from an immature young boy to a grown adult. She appears as Mentes because he has already established trust with Telemachus, which emphasizes her advice and plan rather than appearing as a goddess to provoke self-discovery. Moreover, Athena plays a significant role in progressing Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca. She appears in the princess, Nausicaa’s, dreams telling her to go wash her clothes in a river. She guilts her into going by saying, “All your shining clothes have been left lying about neglected, but you may soon be married and need beautiful clothes, not only to wear yourself but to provide for your bridegroom’s party. That is how a bride gains a good reputation with people, which brings great pleasure to her father and her mother” (Page 76-77). Athena questions Nausicaa’s womanhood, pressuring her to wash her clothes where she will inevitably meet Odysseus. Again, Athena presents herself an established character to reinforce her message and evoke action by changing perceived reality. The characters listen to her, unbeknownst that they were in the presence of a goddess. The interactions reveal how an invitation is often needed to invoke change to shift the course