ENG 102. 0827
Rachel Bianca Mallari
October 4, 2004
Dear Flavia,
I am in great awe after I heard the story of a great man and his voyage home. I
can feel the intense power of his passion as he speaks of his journey. His voice seethes
into my soul bringing me into the exact time and place where he has been. He tells his
story like a man who yearns for nourishment. His words are of a human who thirsts
for the comfort of his own land. His struggle to fight the pitfalls of temptations make
him the man of many wiles. His name is Odysseus.
Odysseus’ character is put to the test when life’s unexpected twists and turns
strike him. After ten harsh and rough years fighting in troy, Odysseus hankers to the
place where he truly belongs, in Ithaca. Although he wasn’t able to go back home for
an enormous amount of years, his heart always reaches out to his homeland.
In Odysseus’ voyage he conquers vast uninhibited lands . He face natural and
supernatural perils. He even comes face to face with death. Each of these places serves
as windows that unravels his real character. In Cíconës, Odysseus tries to warn his men
that they have to leave. However, they defy Odysseus. Consequently, the Cíconës are
able to get their revenge which leads to his comrades inevitable death. With a burden
heart Odysseus had no choice but to sail away. His compassion with his men is
reflecting through his agonizing pain.
Odysseus is a man of sharp intellect which is he distinguishly known. He is able
to overcome his trials through his brilliant strategy. His encounter with the Cyclops
proves his cunning wits. Odysseus with his twelve other men are trap in the cave of the
one-eyed and flesh-eating giant. It seems that there is no way they could escape their
horrible fate in the cave. Except Odysseus makes a plot which saves them from the
cruel hands of the Cyclops. He tell the Cyclops that his name is nobody and lure him
to be drunk. Afterwards Odysseus blind him. The Cyclops scream in pain. When the
other giants asks the Cyclops who is harming him he says it is nobody. At day break
Odysseus tie his men on the belly of the cattle so they can escape unnotice.
Odysseus has an interesting quality. He is willing to pay a price for the sake of
knowledge. Círcë told Odysseus and his men that they have to put bee wax on their
ears when they pass the Siren’s isle. However, because of his curiousness on what is it
that makes you forget the important things in life when you hear the Siren’s song,
Odysseus didn’t comply. Rather, he tells his comrades to tie him and if he tells them
to free him they have to bind him more.
My heart cries out to Odysseus. He might not say directly that he is tired of all
he’s going through but somehow he is. He’s like an ocean that yields little
information on what really lies beneath. I see through his armor that there is also
vulnerability inside. He cries when he hears the song of Demodocus. However, he
bows his head so nobody will know that he is in deep anguish. He has to appear tough
for the sake of his men and family.
Odysseus’ strength, courage ,nobility, and confidence in his authority partly
makes him a man. What really completes Odysseus exceptional being is his sense of
accountability for his faults. He admits his short comings.
Odysseus’s compelling story leaves me in high revere to him as a person. He is
very articulate speaker. I am indeed captured by his overwhelming nostalgia. Although
he has flaws, he always try to do the right thing. He’s a man with a big heart.
Respectfully Yours,
Diomeda