Odyssey
The Odyssey, by Homer, is a classical piece of Greek literature. Throughout The Odyssey, Homer makes use of many literary techniques in order to give meaning to the poem beyond its significance as a work of historic fiction and help his readers in the comprehension of the story. One of these techniques is the use of motifs. In The Odyssey, perhaps the most important of Homer's motifs is the symbolic death and rebirth theme. This motif is used throughout The Odyssey to emphasize the growth and maturation of the characters.The first example of this motif occurs with Telemachus early in the book. Telemachus, in book I, is visited by the goddess Athena in disguise. In their conversation, Telemachus reveals the pain and suffering that he is experiencing as a result of living without knowing the status of his father, fearing that he is dead. ". . . and he left pain and lamentation to me. Nor is it for him alone that I grieve in my pain now (The Odyssey, Latimore, I. 242-3)." Symbolically, at this point in the text, Telemachus is dead. He is willing to take no action to save his home from the suitors or take any initiative to determine the status of his missing father. However, his symbolic death is not without a rebirth.
The final example of the death and rebirth theme in The Odyssey occurs in book XXIV when Odysseus is reunited with his father, Laertes. Laertes faints when he realizes that his son has returned. This fainting symbolizes his death. When he awakens, and is therefore reborn, he has a new love for life and no longer wishes for death to overtake him. This is a just a compact version of the death and rebirth theme at the end of the book. The next example of the death and rebirth motif occurs with our introduction to the story's main character and hero, Odysseus. Homer introduces Odysseus on the Kalypso's island. Odysseus's stay with Kalypso would cause his demise as that was the fate of mortals who lived with goddesses. On a more symbolic level, Odysseus was dead to the world as Kalypso forbids him from leaving the island and forces him to do her bidding. Odysseus was reborn, however, at the hands of Hermes, who was a messenger for Zeus. Hermes tells Kalypso that Odysseus is to be freed so Odysseus builds a raft and sets out for home. This symbolic rebirth is emphasized by Odysseus's emergence from the ocean on the island of the Phaiakians. He is washed ashore with nothing--his raft is destroyed and he is completely naked. This naked emergence can also be seen as symbolic of birth. Another reference to this rebirth is found at the end of book V. "As when a man buries a burning log in a black ash heap in a remote place in the country, where none live near as neighbors, and saves the seed of fire, having no other place to get a light from . . . (V. 488-91)." The phrase "seed of the fire" is used by Homer specifically to make reference to the rebirth of Odysseus; the term "seed" clearly brings to mind reproductive and birth images that would not be associated with a less metaphorical reference. The death and rebirth theme surfaces again in book XIII. Odysseus, after visiting the under
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Approximate Word count = 1287
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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