Examples Of Eyewitness In The Odyssey

As said by Italian Renaissance historian Niccolo Machiavelli, “Never attempt to win by force what can be one by deception.” By this he means that one’s brain is a powerful force, one to be reckoned with, and that it can outmatch any force. This is shown in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, and has held true in my personal life as well. Wise Odysseus displays his mental deftness throughout his perils in The Odyssey by outmatching opponents relying on his brain in lieu of beauty or brawn. This is demonstrated when Odysseus is faced with the strong and formidable opponent, the giant, Polyphemus. Odysseus is well aware he cannot win against the giant by using brute force, as he is largely outmatched physically. Odysseus and his men are stuck in quite the predicament because if they kill the giant, they will forever be
stuck in his cave.
Finally, clever Odysseus comes to the rescue and comes up with an ingenious plan to save both him and his men. They give Polyphemus gifts of liquor, causing him to get drunk; drive a stake into his eye, blinding him; and finally, they sneak out of Polyphemus’s cave by stowing away under the bellies of the giant’s sheep. The cherry on top of this smart plan was that Odysseus lied to the giant by claiming the name, Nohbdy. When Polyphemus calls out to his fellow cyclops or help, he bellows, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy tricked me. Nohbdy has ruined me!” (905). Believing that their friend Polyphemus was alright, no one came to his aide. Another time Odysseus uses his brains to win is when faced with the sirens. With the help of the witch Circe, he devises a plan to make sure his men hear not of their sweet song. He instructs them to fill their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast, so only he, Odysseus, may
marvel on the siren’s melody. Their plan works like a charm. His men “[row] on, until the sirens [drop] under the sea rim, and their song [dwindles] away,” (919). Without their plan, when faced with the sirens, the men would be compelled to scurry off to their island, which does not sound so bad except for the fact that none would ever see home again. Just like Odysseus I, myself, use my brain as my weapon of choice. This was shown when I was in the fifth grade when I was on my class’s female relay team. Mid-race, my team was caught dead even with an opposing one and it was my turn to run. I let my opponent surge ahead of me while I held back. Unlike her, I was running smart, not strong. When we neared the end of the lap she tired, dropping back. I had saved my energy and rallied, bursting forward towards my teammates, passing my adversary, and ready to hand off the baton. Although my team did not end up ultimately winning the race, I earned my team valuable seconds which helped my team to place a close second. Another time my brain triumphed over brawn, surprisingly enough, was in the physical contest arm-wrestling. This time, as well as others, I have been able to accomplish beating opponents much stronger than I by using my cerebrum. Although arm-wrestling appears purely physical, there are some strategies that can be applied to help a smaller challenger, such as myself, to become victorious. I, personally, prefer to plant my dominant foot in from of my other and push my dominant hip inwards towards the table, which provides me with more leverage. Also, since I know that the muscles in the arm are best utilized while pushing or pulling, I know it it best to, ever so slightly, twist your wrist inward so that the arm mimics more of a pulling motion towards yourself. Another trick that always helps is to use your body weight at the last second when you go in for the kill. Applying such strategies as these, one can be sure to win… all you have to do is use your head.
In summation, using your head over your fists wins out. It is proven in stories, such as The Odyssey as well as in everyday life. Not all of us were gifted with an adonis-like physique or the strength of Hercules, but one can always harness the brain they have, because unlike the so-called power of the other two qualities, the power of the brain is unlimited.