The Odyssey in Pop Sugar's Annual Ultimate Reading Challenge

Sep 19, 2017 Brianna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-again

Have you ever been forced to read a book for school and thought, "Ugh, this book is going to suck like all the others?" That is exactly what I had thought when having to read this book for my Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome class. I am thankful I actually gave it a chance without going straight to sparknotes or cliffnotes. The Odyssey, written by Homer, is a continuation of the epic poem The Illiad. Odysseus finds himself in a long voyage home that has lasted now 10 years. In this journey, he ha Have you ever been forced to read a book for school and thought, "Ugh, this book is going to suck like all the others?" That is exactly what I had thought when having to read this book for my Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome class. I am thankful I actually gave it a chance without going straight to sparknotes or cliffnotes. The Odyssey, written by Homer, is a continuation of the epic poem The Illiad. Odysseus finds himself in a long voyage home that has lasted now 10 years. In this journey, he has been succumbed by pride and materialistic wants and has fallen into complacency with goddesses like Calypso and many others. He has managed to anger the god Poseidon by injuring Poseidon's son, Polyphemus. Odysseus, with the help of the goddess Athena, must try to voyage home all while trying to mend his relationship to Poseidon. Should he be able to make amends, he will be able to finally return home safely by sea. But things at home are not the same. His wife is being harassed by suitors whom have made rest in her house, divulging on their food and wine. Her son is trying to uncover the truth about his father and find any way to expunge the suitors once and for all.
This poem expresses themes like true strength being found in the cunning of mind. With great struggles in life, one can overcome them with the greatest perseverance. Homer also reiterates the Greek's worries in troubling the gods. In ancient times, the Greeks tried to avoid angering the gods because they believed all bad things that happened to them was in retaliation of them having done something to anger or offend the gods. Natural disasters such as storms, land slides and earth quakes were said to have been the gods way of punishing the humans for their misdeed.
Perhaps it is this version, but the book was wonderfully translated and I was able to follow along quite easily without having to look up the meanings of words. Homer is a great recommendation even for those not having to read it for school. If history or Greek mythology interest you, please give it a try! ...more

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