Analysis of Book IX in the Odyssey.

Essay by thomas16crownCollege, UndergraduateA, November 2003

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Book IX of The Odyssey describes various adventures of Odysseus and his men when they are sailing back from Troy. The events in Book IX tell us that greed leads only to trouble and problems. Several times throughout this book, Odysseus and his men get into trouble due to their greed and gluttony. While Odysseus's men are celebrating their surprise attack and capture of Ismarus by eating and drinking the night away, the Cicones manage to plan a surprise attack of their own and they recapture the city, killing many of Odysseus's men during the process. Odysseus and his men's greed caused them to get into severe trouble and even killed. Not learning from their mistakes, once they reach the land of the Lotus-Eaters, Odysseus's men once again give in to their greed; when they accept the plants from the locals and eat them, the men do not want to return to their homeland.

Oddyseus is forced to drag the men back on their ship and pull them out of trouble once again. However, their greed forces them into another problem for the third time; after having eaten on an island near the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus decides to go and find out if the Cyclops are really what people say they are. When he and his men do not find anything in the caves, instead of leaving, they greedily tuck into some cheese that was in the cave even though they have just had a feast. Finally the giant does come back and once again, Odysseus and his men are required to find a solution to the self-inflicted problem. Odysseus and his men's greed cause them to be killed, injured, or escape with their life three times in a row.

Therefore, by analyzing the...