The Development Of Desire Essay Research Paper — страница 2

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to return home. Odysseus’s biggest attribute is his personal control of emotions and events. He has many emotions throughout the story, but always exhibits control in thinking and actions. Look at the careful planning and patience when waiting for the time to kill all his suitors. Another duration, Odysseus wants to punish his men many times over for the greed and stupidity they show throughout their journeys, ?My men are mutinous fools…? (Homer 146), but he controls his anger and continues on their journey back home. Odysseus, with such control, is the very model of a leader and king. Control was very valuable in Greek society. A perfect contrast to Odysseus’s’ control is the character Antinous. Antinous has no control over his emotions or actions, as he leads the ban of

suitors, being the most brash of the suitors. Look at the anger he displaces on Odysseus during a dinner in which Odysseus is in disguise as a beggar: God what evil wind blew in this pest? Get over, stand in the passage! Nudge my table, will you? Egyptian whips are sweet to what you’ll come to here, you nosing rat, making your pitch to everyone! (Homer 325). The desire of Odysseus to returning home is that of pure dedication. This is easily seen throughout the text, by the rejections he sends to all who give him gifts to stay. This dedication falls into the ideals of the Greek culture, and the belief behind community above all other ideals. Wealth, and power would be nothing without the sense of community behind the individual. A careful look into the story of The Odyssey,

points out Homer’s feelings of when the sense of community can be abused with the presentation of the suitors. A statement speaks of Odysseus’s absolute desire to return home. When he nears Ithacas’ shores which falls asleep from exhaustion, his men doom him by taking the gift from Aiolos, as mentioned previously in the text, the gloom and despair Odysseus confesses to as the thought he whispers to himself, ?Roused up, despairing in that gloom, I thought: ‘Should I go overside for a quick finish or clench my teeth and stay among the living?’…?(Homer 166). Such a thought does occur to our hero, but he fights to return home instead of taking the simple way out, and eventually becomes triumphant in his desire. Beowulf becomes a different type of male warrior which

surfaces at a new time in civilization from The Odyssey. Written after the ancient civilizations of Greek and Rome, dawning in the hour of the dark ages. Our warrior surfaces during a time when different tribes throughout Europe were trying to keep their different identities alive. To accomplish such a feat, the warriors of this era had to have an ideal that connected them to their tribe, but ,above all, the warriors had to be menacing. The ability to scare away invasions by the rumors of their warriors is possibly how the story of Beowulf first surfaced. This is where Beowulf’s size and strength become a valuable attribute to the society. He is the epitome of pure strength and power. He is also a man who is the first story in which our hero is Christian. In the stories before

Beowulf, like The Odyssey and The Aenied, the stories are between men and gods on an even playing field[Earth], but different level of players. It would be like a basketball game between high school players and NBA players. No longer are the events occurring between the gods and men, instead we have the super human versus those of the evil realm. Beowulf becomes more complex as a warrior, and a character who transforms throughout the story: To you I will now put one request, Royal Scylding, Shield of South Danes, one sole favor that you will not deny me, dear lord of your people, now that I have come so far, Fastness of Warriors; that I alone may be allowed, with my loyal and determined crew of companions, to cleanse your hall Heorot As I am informed of this unlovely one is

careless enough to carry no weapon, so that my lord Hygelac, my leader in war, may you take joy in me, I abjure utterly the bearing of sword or shielding yellow board in this battle! With bare hands shall I grapple with the fiend, fight to the death here, hater and hated! He who is chosen shall deliver himself to the Lord’s judgment (Beowulf 64-5). He is a man of honor, and seeks that honor throughout his life. He feels that the fight shall be on even terms, of no weapons on each side. This honor is another aspect of the society of the times. The idea of honor to your allies and towns people to help them with their needs was existent to survive in these times of invasions by other tribes and hoards, and strengthening the ties leading to the forming of nation states. He is also