Wednesday 27 May 2009

Please provide two quotes from book nine of Homer's The Odyssey illustrating how Odysseus shows intelligence.

Theof 's
is Odysseus. Odysseus's heroic ability (or most important characteristic)
is his great intelligence. His intelligence proves the saying "brains [intelligence] over
brawn [physical strength]." 

Book nine offers numerous examples which
highlight Odysseus' intelligence. In this book, Odysseus is telling the Phaeacians the story of
his travels. 

-When Odysseus finds his ship in the land of the Lotus-Eaters,
"three of [his] tasted it and all they wanted was more." Odysseus, knowing that the
men would not desire home if the lotus kept its control over them, tied the men to a pole and
set sail away from the lands. 

-Another quote which illustrates Odysseus'
intelligence is found when he is describing his trials in the cave of the cyclops: "But I
realized that only he could unstopper the mouth of the cave." Odysseus realizes that he
cannot kill the cyclops (Polyphemus); instead, he must outwit the cyclops in order to get him to
move the bolder which blocks the exit. 

-As the other cyclops in the area
come to find out what Polyphemus is screaming about, the cyclops screams that Nobody is hurting
him. Nobody is the name Odysseus gave to the cyclops ('My name is Nobody,' I told him. 'It's
Nobody!' bellowed Polyphemus.). The other cyclops believe that nothing is really
wrong. 

-Lastly, Odysseus, needing to hide from the blinded cyclops, creates
a plan where his men will hide under three sheep tied together. "When it was time to let
them out to pasture, the Cyclops ran his hands over their backs but did not notice the men
underneath." 

All of these quotes illustrate the great intelligence of
Odysseus--a trait he could not have survived without. 

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