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The Odyssey: How Literature Affected Western Culture

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The Odyssey: How Literature Affected Western Culture
Literature affects the culture of different regions. The bible was mostly affected the Western culture because that is where the book in found. As for the Odyssey, it affects Eastern cultures. Both piece of literature use morals to convey a message. The bible tells stories and the Odyssey is a poem. The poem incorporates lessons about respect for the gods, obedience to the laws of hospitality, and love for one’s home and family. The Odyssey displays characters that respect the gods, and shows the consequences of disrespecting the gods. In the poem, disrespecting the gods leads to great misfortune. After being convinced by Eurylochus, Odysseus’s crew decided to slaughter the Cattle of the Sun. Zeus was informed about their actions and punished them right away. He made a storm that wrecked Odysseus’s ship and killed the entire crew; Odysseus barely made it out of the storm with his life. Another example of disrespecting the gods is when Odysseus …show more content…
Hospitality towards strangers is like a moral code in the Odyssey. When a stranger visits a household, the residents must feed them and clothe them in fine fabrics. In return the visitor just has to give thanks and gratitude. This hospitality was taken advantage of when the suitors decided to stay in the palace until Penelope picked a husband. Eurymachos, one of the suitors, says “his wealth shall be wasted and consumed, and there shall be no retribution, as long as that woman keeps putting off her wedding and wasting our time!”(Homer, 21). The suitors eventually get punished for breaking the laws of hospitality. Odysseus and Telemachus ruthlessly kill all the suitors at the end, using Athena’s plan. An example of good hospitality is when Odysseus goes to the kingdom of Scheria. The king Alcinous generously serves Odysseus without hesitation. The king even gives up his son's chair for Odysseus, showing the kindness of
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