July 28, 2015 - Posted toCatchy topics for your research papers
The Odyssey Essay – Looking at Some New Approaches
The Odyssey is really early superhero fiction at its best. Think about it – there are gods and goddesses, monsters and bad guys with superhuman traits, and a “good guy” is just trying to get home to his wife and kid.
This epic poem is usually read as a group activity in a class, because it is translated from original Greek, and has language and style that may be challenging and certainly distracting if you are trying to keep focused on the plot!
But inevitably the Odyssey essay assignment comes, and you are wondering what in the heck you can choose for a topic. If you think that getting essay writing help is the best option for you - we are happy to help. Also, we have here some suggestions that might be useful in order to make your essay a bit different from all of the other Odyssey essays that your instructor may read.
- Write a personal Odyssey essay that compares your life journey thus far to that of Odysseus. Obviously, you have not encountered being physically imprisoned or monsters from the deep, and you have not had to return home to reclaim you kingdom, but you can look at Odysseus’ struggles as symbolic of life struggles you have faced. For example, have you ever or do you now feel mentally imprisoned by some outside forces or beliefs with which you were raised that you are not trying to shed? And what about your personal “monsters?” What threats to your emotional well-being have you met and conquered? This tack would be a great twist on the rather boring essay on the Odyssey that your instructor reads all of the time.
- One of the themes of the Odyssey is hospitality, and you might consider how you can relate the circumstances of hospitality in the poem to those in your experience. The Odyssey hospitality essay you write, might speak to how we treat strangers or those who are less fortunate than us. Odysseus experienced great hospitality on the part of a king and queen when they didn’t even know who he was; likewise, he faced horrible hospitality when, disguised as a beggar, he was abused and tormented by the Suitors. How does bullying compare as a measure of hospitality? How does acceptance of those whose lifestyles are different relate to hospitality? You see, hospitality does not just have to relate to welcoming someone into your home!
- Other themes in the Odyssey include loyalty, perseverance, and vengeance. When in your life have you experienced these things? Write an essay about the Odyssey that speaks to the methods by which we show these traits in the 21st century. While Odysseus’ vengeance was pretty horrible, for example, what are some more insidious ways in which we choose to get vengeance today that do not involve murder?
You may not have enjoyed the Odyssey, but you can have fun writing an essay about it, if you get a little creative with your ideas!