Essay On Free Will In The Odyssey
Prophecy, Free-will, and the Real World
Considering your ability to think and make decisions for yourself, you’d believe you’re in control of your fate, right? A popular theme in Greek myths is that of predetermination or prophecy. In Homer’s The Odyssey, and in Serial, people attempt to control their lives while unknowingly conforming to their predetermined fate. Whether or not they were conscious of the acting determinants, both situations were actively being pursued. In book 9 of The Odyssey, it hardly seems like a coincidence that Odysseus has the godly wine, which he uses to disarm the Cyclops, however, it is his fate to survive the trip home and that all depends on his possession of said wine (222). It also seems to be a coincidence …show more content…
that the members of the Taliban who captured Bowe Bergdahl knew exactly where the U.S. military would look for him. Either way, Bergdahl nor Odysseus had full control over the direction of their lives in those situations. However, Odysseus has an idea of the direction of his life, whereas Bergdahl spent years not knowing what would happen next.
And even though both Odysseus and Bergdahl were consciously making choices, there were other figures and groups determining their fate for them. In Odysseus’s case, the Olympian gods had taken sides even though the outcome had been prophesized, told by Tiresias, ”You all may still reach Ithaca” or “you will find a world of pain at home”(253). Odysseus did know what was going to happen to him in the distant future, while Bergdahl was in a constant state of confusion, trapped in dark rooms without knowledge of what fate was being determined for him. But in both the cases of Bergdahl and Odysseus, they were not sure what was going to lead to the end of their journey. In Bergdahl’s case, Bowe was unaware of outside affairs in the United States or elsewhere and how people not directly involved made conscious choices of belief (blamed the death of a loved one on Bergdahl’s abandonment of his post) that directly affected Bergdahl’s future once he was freed, which could be compared to Odysseus’s ignorance of the council of the gods. Both characters face the dilemma of being in a foreign land for years but the interjections of “unseen forces” alter both of their paths. But then again, the choices
you make aren't the only ones made for you.
Considering your ability to think and make decisions for yourself, you’d believe you’re in control of your fate, right? A popular theme in Greek myths is that of predetermination or prophecy. In Homer’s The Odyssey, and in Serial, people attempt to control their lives while unknowingly conforming to their predetermined fate. Whether or not they were conscious of the acting determinants, both situations were actively being pursued. In book 9 of The Odyssey, it hardly seems like a coincidence that Odysseus has the godly wine, which he uses to disarm the Cyclops, however, it is his fate to survive the trip home and that all depends on his possession of said wine (222). It also seems to be a coincidence …show more content…
that the members of the Taliban who captured Bowe Bergdahl knew exactly where the U.S. military would look for him. Either way, Bergdahl nor Odysseus had full control over the direction of their lives in those situations. However, Odysseus has an idea of the direction of his life, whereas Bergdahl spent years not knowing what would happen next.
And even though both Odysseus and Bergdahl were consciously making choices, there were other figures and groups determining their fate for them. In Odysseus’s case, the Olympian gods had taken sides even though the outcome had been prophesized, told by Tiresias, ”You all may still reach Ithaca” or “you will find a world of pain at home”(253). Odysseus did know what was going to happen to him in the distant future, while Bergdahl was in a constant state of confusion, trapped in dark rooms without knowledge of what fate was being determined for him. But in both the cases of Bergdahl and Odysseus, they were not sure what was going to lead to the end of their journey. In Bergdahl’s case, Bowe was unaware of outside affairs in the United States or elsewhere and how people not directly involved made conscious choices of belief (blamed the death of a loved one on Bergdahl’s abandonment of his post) that directly affected Bergdahl’s future once he was freed, which could be compared to Odysseus’s ignorance of the council of the gods. Both characters face the dilemma of being in a foreign land for years but the interjections of “unseen forces” alter both of their paths. But then again, the choices
you make aren't the only ones made for you.