Preview

The Odyssey and the Pearl: Loyalty

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
452 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Odyssey and the Pearl: Loyalty
The Odyssey and The Pearl: Loyalty

Loyalty to another person or to a cause may be an admirable trait, but it can lead to either positive or negative consequences. In Homer's epic The
Odyssey and John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl there are characters that show great examples of this trait. Penelope in The Odyssey and Juana in The Pearl are the most obvious, although there are many. Penelope stayed loyal to
Odysseus while he was on his twenty-year journey and Juana stayed by her husband through his time of distress. Penelope stayed loyal to Odysseus while he was on his twenty-year journey.
To ward off suitors that were beckoning for her hand, she made them a promise that as soon as she finished weaving a gift for her father, she would take one of their hands in marriage. Nightly, unbeknownst to the suitors, she would unravel her work, so that she could remain faithful to Odysseus. Also, Penelope promised her hand to the suitor who could meet a test. Penelope's test was to string Odysseus' bow and then shoot an arrow through the eye of twelve ax handles. Penelope knew that only Odysseus could accomplish this task. By doing this, she avoided having to marry one of the suitors. Staying loyal to Odysseus brought about positive consequences to Penelope. She was reunited with her beloved husband Odysseus. Kino's wife Juana stayed by her husband through his time of distress.
Although it was her belief that the pearl was an omen of evil, she loyally stayed at her husband's side. Juana remained loyal to Kino even after he had savagely beaten her. She knew that she had brought it upon herself and it was her place to accept the beating. Also, Juana vowed not to leave her husband's side when he decided to flee from the town after murdering one of the townspeople. She made the treacherous journey with her husband across a desert trying to outrun the men that pursued them. Negative consequences were the outcome of Juana's loyalty to Kino. Her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    That she dearly loved them and did all that was in her power to bring them up until they didn’t need her anymore.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Loyalty is extremely important within Odysseus’ world. Characters in The Odyssey will go as far as to die for their leader and or fellow men. If you are not loyal to your leader or a person of power, they could go as far as to kill you for disloyalty. For example, in all of book one of The Odyssey, Odysseus’ men die for Odysseus on countless occasions. To be more specific, when Odysseus was passing through the island with the lotus eaters, Odysseus’ men go out and explore the island for Odysseus. The men end up dying in the end. Disloyalty can get also get you into a lot of trouble. In book 2 of The Odyssey, the suitors are punished by their disloyalty toward Odysseus by immediate death. This goes to show that loyalty is obviously an enormous…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This poem is not about odyssey journey but rather hummer explain the effort of loyalty and disloyalty within a community. This book talks about friends odyssey had who are loyal still loyal to him after 20 years. Loyal is how we make friends or respect someone. Odyssey had respect everyone who believed in him and he trusts him. Without loyal people wouldn't be friends or respect every Other. This world wouldn't be the same with loyalty.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trust is the one of the most important aspects of our daily life, and we all know how much we need solid friendships to thrive. It is for that reasons that friendship and trust are the themes that were singled out in the pieces of literature that we have read over the course of the year. The Odyssey shows not quite genuine friendship, but it shows a great example of general friendship and trust. To Kill A Mockingbird had multiple relationships and interactions including the following; Jem and Scout, Scout and Dill, Scout and Boo Radley, and that sense of trust and well being between Atticus and Tom Robinson. Romeo and Juliet is sort of a given as an example of this theme but it adds even more to the equation, it adds love. Lastly, 12 Angry Men showed a lot of trust. In the way that the young boy must trust the Jurors to judge fairly, and how all of the other jurors must trust Juror 8's theories of innocence for the defendant. Although these four stories share different types of friendship and trust it is still just as important of a theme in all of them.…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Went to find Odysseus in his stone seat to seaward---tear on tear brimming in his eyes. The sweet days of his life time were running out in anguish over his exile, for long ago the nymph had ceased to please. ………………………… ………………………………………….. But when day came he sat on the rocky shore and broke his own heart groaning, with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon of the sea.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A common theme used throughout the poem, “The Odyssey” by Homer, is deception. Deception is the action of deceiving someone by false appearance or statement. Lies and disguises are used by characters of “The Odyssey” to support their own causes such as assisting others, gathering information, or plotting revenge.…

    • 49 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Odyssey Analytical Paper

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Loyalty (n.) – the act of showing faithfulness or devotion to a person, country, group or cause. Loyalty is essential for many reasons. Being loyal means you are willing to make self-sacrifice and do things for others to help them succeed. It means standing by somebody or something that you believe in, no matter what. Countless people have died showing loyalty for their country and for people they love. In Ancient Greece, loyalty to one’s family, friends, and acquaintances was viewed as essential, if not absolutely indispensable. Today still, almost all people see loyalty as an extremely substantial part of a strong relationship, and those whose lack loyalty are often shunned and ridiculed (e.g. Tiger Woods). Throughout The Odyssey, this value is reflected through the actions of Odysseus’s wife, Penelope. Although not a textbook hero by any means, Penelope’s loyalty was essential to the development of the story; otherwise, Odysseus’s twenty year journey would have been for naught. While Odysseus is away and enjoying all his different excursions, Penelope is able to resist the long line of suitors waiting to take her hand in marriage and stay loyal to him, showing her faith in Odysseus, her unmatchable patience, and her at-times overlooked intelligence.…

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Helen In The Odyssey

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Odyssey is mainly about men and their heroic triumphs and mighty deaths, which cast a shadow over the strong women. Most of the women are thought to be either motherly figures or romantic interests, but in truth, they are so much more, just like in present day society. Perhaps the most strong of all mortal characters is Penelope, the loyal wife of Odysseus. Although she is bombarded with suitors who stay at her house, she has managed to not give in.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Faith In The Odyssey

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page

    “God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them but to cleanse them.”- Aughey. It is true that God will give us different struggle in life it might be easy or it might be difficult. But this struggle will come not to down us but to test our trust and faith to HIM and cleanse us from sin and recognized Him as the greatest of all.…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Ovidian opinion of human nature is that humans will always do something wrong. When this wrong-doing offends one or more of the gods, the punishment typically results in negative changes in the person’s life, and often their ruin or death. In the myths Ovid presents in his Metamorphoses, the wrong-doing is brought about in one of three ways. The first of these ways is by an act of the gods, seen in the myths of Io and Tiresias. The second way is through bad luck, as we see in the myth of Actaeon. The third and final of the ways the wrong-doing comes about is through intentional wrong-doing, in which the humans choose an action that they know is offensive to the gods, as we see in the myths of Lycaon and Pentheus.…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HERMIA : I do entreat your grace to pardon me.I know not by what power I am made bold, nor how it may concern my modesty, In such a presence here to plead my thoughts; But I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this case,If I refuse to wed demetrius…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Red Sea is an small inlet of the Indian Ocean. It measures 190 miles in width, and 1,200 miles in length. Many dust storms are caused around the area of the Red Sea, because of its hot and dry location. According to the Torah, the Exodus occurred in 1446 BCE, which was a 40 year journey in which Moses lead the Israelites out of slavery. He parted the Red Sea with his staff so that they could cross it. This was important because it helped the Israelites on their journey to Canaan.…

    • 93 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Pearl Women

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When Kino wakes every day, he is welcomed by the eyes of his wife, Juana. Juana is just like every other women of the time. A women, who is supposed to take care of the children and home while her husband works, she did this job very well. When Kino finds the pearl she supports his dreams the pearl allows Kino to have. Like being able to get married in the church and their son, Coyotito, being able to go to school. Juana supports her husband, but also warns him that the pearl could also bring bad luck upon their family.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Helen of Troy

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Later in life “when it was time for Helen to marry, many kings and princes from around the world came to ask for her hand. Bringing rich gifts with them, or sent Brothers or emissaries to do so for them” During the contest, Castor and Pollux had a prominent role in dealing with the suitors, although the final decision was in the hands of Tyndareus. Menelaus did not come but sent his brother, Agamemnon to represent him and put him in the running. Odysseus said that before the decision was made all the suitors should swear an oath to defend the chosen husband against whoever should fight with him. After the suitors had sworn to defend, Menelaus was chosen to be Helen's husband and she would rule with him by her side. Little did she know someone was going to pay her a visit.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays