Blog Question #1

2. I think Homer shows Odysseus as a liar and murderer because he thought that pretty words weren't enough. If you were to find your spouse being courted by suitors who are sucking your wealth dry after you have been gone for 20 years, anybody would be upset. To do justice what brings us to Odysseus' side when he pretty much commits cold-blooded murder. There are probably not many people who read the book thinking that Odysseus should have reasoned with the suitors, revenge is what we would hope for, even today. Today, I think we as a people have gained perspective and have learned that both sides of wars have stories, which means our heroes should be different that Odysseus, but Odysseus still strikes a chord with a lot of us because we still, and probably will always be attracted to the side of humanity that is raw and hasn't changed for thousands of years.

There is also the cunning and always planning side of Odysseus that seems ahead of its time. Smarts are always thought of as a good characteristic for a hero, and Odysseus exemplifies this really well. He is always labeled as the "great tactician" which was definitely good, especially during war-time which meant it was a good characteristic like bravery. Pride, however wasn't so great of a thing to have. Achilles was prideful in The Iliad when he said he wouldn't fight, which ended up killing his best friend. I think Odysseus was more like a real person than an unreachable hero (or superhero) because he had those bad qualities and the great qualities you would expect. I think this causes us to reach out to Odysseus more and makes him seem much more like a hero we like nowadays.