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Feb. 10th, 2002 03:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfgroveI don't suppose I could get proofreaders or advice on this essay? I'm supposed to be relating The Odyssey to Homer teaching lessons in Human Vulnerabilities. My vulnerability is identity, and how those closest to us are who we're most vulnerable to.
Becky Shropshire
ENGL 2200-023
02.12.2002
Word Count: 1,240
Nearest Vulnerabilities
__People have tendency to hide their true selves behind masks, say one thing when they think another, smile when they are sad, and be polite to hide their anger. What a sad state of conditions it is, that you cannot trust the way a person is acting. People do not like to let other people behind the projected self to see the real identity, because it makes them feel vulnerable. If they cannot hide their thoughts, the kind of person they really are, there is a loss of control over the situations they come to be in. That leaves people vulnerable to being deeply and irreparably hurt, thus people hold their projected selves, their psychological masks. Anyone who knows the truth of a person beyond that mask, is the closest to that person, and could do the most damage to that person by knowing the true identity.
__However, this is not a new development to today's societies, it has existed throughout recorded time, the tendency to hide one's real identity. Perhaps it has been a natural instinct to all humans, to protect their identity, to shield their vulnerabilities. In the Homer's epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly hides his true identity to protect himself.
__In the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus came wandering into the home of Polyphemus, hoping to find generous gifts, but rather found himself and his men trapped and doomed to be eaten by the giant. When Odysseus started to form a plan to escape from Polyphemus's grasp, he hid his true identity, saying he was named "Nobody". While so simple a thing as a true name would seem to be a very small part of protecting one's identity, it had great effect on the success of Odysseus's escape. Odysseus and his men took a pike to the giant Cyclops's eye, and when he jumped up crying out to the other Cyclopes for aid, he said, "'O my friends, it's Nobody's treachery, not violence, that is doing me to death."" (Page 136) And hearing that, Polyphemus's potential rescuers and doom of Odysseus left Polyphemus alone. And when morning came, Odysseus and his allies escaped to their ship, and the blind Cyclops began throwing rocks, hoping to sink them. And he would not have come close except that Odysseus identified his position by yelling, bragging even that he was Odysseus of Ithaca who had done this deed. Although they escaped Polyphemus completely, had he not revealed the identity of his name, Poseidon would never have known he was the one who did it and would not have caused him so much trouble later. Even today, though we may not often think about it, we protect our identities from others by something so simple as giving a false name. On the Internet we take nicknames so that people who meet us there do not know who we really are, cannot find us in reality, and we can easily put forth a different identity or mask.
__When Odysseus first awoke once again on the land of Ithaca, his patron goddess, Athena had covered the place in mist, to protect his identity so that no one yet knew he had returned. Athena came to him in the guise of a young Shepard in order to aid him. He immediately spun a false identity to present to this apparent stranger, in order to protect his identity. Athena was pleased by his craftiness in guarding himself saying, "Anyone who met you, even a god, would have to be a consummate trickster to surpass your subterfuge." (Page 201) Athena continued to help him in his tricks as the tale progressed, and if anyone could have, she could have completely revealed Odysseus, ruining him. For with is real identity known, he would have been extremely vulnerable to his enemies.
__When Odysseus came to Eumaeus's house, he was well hidden in his disguise and projected identity, and he was able to gather news of his home without arousing the swine herder's suspicions. He was not only able to learn what had occurred in his absence, but he learned truly who was still loyal to him out of his servants, that had he not hidden his identity he might never had been able to be truly sure who to trust. Odysseus would have been perpetually vulnerable had his identity been known, because he would not have been able to learn the true loyalties of his men. And because no one knew of his presence, because no one was close enough to identify him, there were no rumors of his return to warn the suitors into preparing arms against him.
__When Eurycleia recognized the scar on Odysseus's leg, she could have, and nearly did, reveal him to all his enemies as well as his allies. The maid who had nursed Odysseus in his infancy knew him beyond his masks and false identities, and he was extremely vulnerable to her ability to reveal all his disguises. Odysseus stopped her from revealing him, "Nurse… do you want to ruin me, you who suckled me at your own breast?" (Page 299) She did not and kept silent, but had she spoken up, Odysseus quite possibly would have been destroyed before his plan was through.
__Had any of the suitors known him better and been able to see past the projected identity and disguise of a beggar, Odysseus would not have defeated them. Had one seen his real identity, all the suitors would have known, and would have killed him before he could prepare himself. And that would be a sad end to the epic, the great strategist discovered and killed as he failed in protecting his identity. Because hiding his identity was vital, many times he had to hold himself back from attacking the suitors for their dreadful behavior, "He just shook his head in silence, filled with thoughts of revenge." (Page 268) To reveal his identity too soon in his plans would have left him vulnerable to defeat.
__When the suitors were finally defeated, Penelope was suspicious as to whether or not it was truly Odysseus before her. She suspected someone else might be trying to assume his identity, and thus tested him. She said something that should not have been able to occur had, but only the true Odysseus would know that secret. And even had this man chanced to know it, the real Odysseus would be angered at the bed having been moved, for he had carefully created it himself in a way that it could not be. Upon hearing Penelope's lie that the bed had been moved, he flew to anger, "Lady… your words are a knife to my heart!" (Page 349) And he proceeded to complain of how hard he had worked and just how he had made the bed. That was when Penelope knew the truth, that the man before her was truly Odysseus, which only she knew that things such as that would upset him so.
__Truly Homer's Odyssey proved that the people who know and see beyond a persons masks, who knows their true identity, is who that person is vulnerable to. For only those who truly know us can truly effect our hearts, and truly know how best to harm us. That is as true today as it was in Homer's time, and people still feel just as inclined to project false identities.
Becky Shropshire
ENGL 2200-023
02.12.2002
Word Count: 1,240
Nearest Vulnerabilities
__People have tendency to hide their true selves behind masks, say one thing when they think another, smile when they are sad, and be polite to hide their anger. What a sad state of conditions it is, that you cannot trust the way a person is acting. People do not like to let other people behind the projected self to see the real identity, because it makes them feel vulnerable. If they cannot hide their thoughts, the kind of person they really are, there is a loss of control over the situations they come to be in. That leaves people vulnerable to being deeply and irreparably hurt, thus people hold their projected selves, their psychological masks. Anyone who knows the truth of a person beyond that mask, is the closest to that person, and could do the most damage to that person by knowing the true identity.
__However, this is not a new development to today's societies, it has existed throughout recorded time, the tendency to hide one's real identity. Perhaps it has been a natural instinct to all humans, to protect their identity, to shield their vulnerabilities. In the Homer's epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly hides his true identity to protect himself.
__In the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus came wandering into the home of Polyphemus, hoping to find generous gifts, but rather found himself and his men trapped and doomed to be eaten by the giant. When Odysseus started to form a plan to escape from Polyphemus's grasp, he hid his true identity, saying he was named "Nobody". While so simple a thing as a true name would seem to be a very small part of protecting one's identity, it had great effect on the success of Odysseus's escape. Odysseus and his men took a pike to the giant Cyclops's eye, and when he jumped up crying out to the other Cyclopes for aid, he said, "'O my friends, it's Nobody's treachery, not violence, that is doing me to death."" (Page 136) And hearing that, Polyphemus's potential rescuers and doom of Odysseus left Polyphemus alone. And when morning came, Odysseus and his allies escaped to their ship, and the blind Cyclops began throwing rocks, hoping to sink them. And he would not have come close except that Odysseus identified his position by yelling, bragging even that he was Odysseus of Ithaca who had done this deed. Although they escaped Polyphemus completely, had he not revealed the identity of his name, Poseidon would never have known he was the one who did it and would not have caused him so much trouble later. Even today, though we may not often think about it, we protect our identities from others by something so simple as giving a false name. On the Internet we take nicknames so that people who meet us there do not know who we really are, cannot find us in reality, and we can easily put forth a different identity or mask.
__When Odysseus first awoke once again on the land of Ithaca, his patron goddess, Athena had covered the place in mist, to protect his identity so that no one yet knew he had returned. Athena came to him in the guise of a young Shepard in order to aid him. He immediately spun a false identity to present to this apparent stranger, in order to protect his identity. Athena was pleased by his craftiness in guarding himself saying, "Anyone who met you, even a god, would have to be a consummate trickster to surpass your subterfuge." (Page 201) Athena continued to help him in his tricks as the tale progressed, and if anyone could have, she could have completely revealed Odysseus, ruining him. For with is real identity known, he would have been extremely vulnerable to his enemies.
__When Odysseus came to Eumaeus's house, he was well hidden in his disguise and projected identity, and he was able to gather news of his home without arousing the swine herder's suspicions. He was not only able to learn what had occurred in his absence, but he learned truly who was still loyal to him out of his servants, that had he not hidden his identity he might never had been able to be truly sure who to trust. Odysseus would have been perpetually vulnerable had his identity been known, because he would not have been able to learn the true loyalties of his men. And because no one knew of his presence, because no one was close enough to identify him, there were no rumors of his return to warn the suitors into preparing arms against him.
__When Eurycleia recognized the scar on Odysseus's leg, she could have, and nearly did, reveal him to all his enemies as well as his allies. The maid who had nursed Odysseus in his infancy knew him beyond his masks and false identities, and he was extremely vulnerable to her ability to reveal all his disguises. Odysseus stopped her from revealing him, "Nurse… do you want to ruin me, you who suckled me at your own breast?" (Page 299) She did not and kept silent, but had she spoken up, Odysseus quite possibly would have been destroyed before his plan was through.
__Had any of the suitors known him better and been able to see past the projected identity and disguise of a beggar, Odysseus would not have defeated them. Had one seen his real identity, all the suitors would have known, and would have killed him before he could prepare himself. And that would be a sad end to the epic, the great strategist discovered and killed as he failed in protecting his identity. Because hiding his identity was vital, many times he had to hold himself back from attacking the suitors for their dreadful behavior, "He just shook his head in silence, filled with thoughts of revenge." (Page 268) To reveal his identity too soon in his plans would have left him vulnerable to defeat.
__When the suitors were finally defeated, Penelope was suspicious as to whether or not it was truly Odysseus before her. She suspected someone else might be trying to assume his identity, and thus tested him. She said something that should not have been able to occur had, but only the true Odysseus would know that secret. And even had this man chanced to know it, the real Odysseus would be angered at the bed having been moved, for he had carefully created it himself in a way that it could not be. Upon hearing Penelope's lie that the bed had been moved, he flew to anger, "Lady… your words are a knife to my heart!" (Page 349) And he proceeded to complain of how hard he had worked and just how he had made the bed. That was when Penelope knew the truth, that the man before her was truly Odysseus, which only she knew that things such as that would upset him so.
__Truly Homer's Odyssey proved that the people who know and see beyond a persons masks, who knows their true identity, is who that person is vulnerable to. For only those who truly know us can truly effect our hearts, and truly know how best to harm us. That is as true today as it was in Homer's time, and people still feel just as inclined to project false identities.