Not-So-Hero

Throughout my reading, I personally have found the way in which the Cyclopses are framed as “the other” by Odysseus to be both effective and interesting. Based on the context of the story, as we’ve discussed in seminar, Polyphemus is being antagonized by Odysseus in the name of creating an intriguing story. While I find that to be true, I think that more specifically, the Cyclopes are being socially alienated as beings that resemble humans. The section in which this is most obvious is when this when Odysseus begins to explain the Cyclopes’ way of life. 

“Now the Cyclopes neither plant nor plough, but trust in providence, and live on such wheat, barley, and grapes as grow wild without any kind of tillage, and their wild grapes yield them wine as the sun and the rain may grow them. They have no laws nor assemblies of the people, but live in caves on the tops of high mountains; each is lord and master in his family, and they take no account of their neighbours.”

In saying that the Cyclopes do not plant or plough, due to their self-sustaining land, Odysseus points out their lack of innovation as a society. Although one could say that details of the lushness of their land almost justifies their lack of agriculture, they actually add much more to the creation of the outsider image of the Cyclopes. Their lack of human ingenuity, in which opportunities are not maximized, makes the reader depict a society that is lacking and pitiful. Additionally, Odysseus mentions their lack of laws and assemblies which furthers this idea, as they do not have the same organized systems as man. With this, the listener can assume that they are living in a disorganized and chaotic environment. But it is also said that they live independently of one another, taking no account for their neighbors, which is a way of life that presumably works for them. It was not described as a land of chaos and anarchy, but simply a land of no laws. What I’m getting to with this is that the Cyclopes’ simply live a simple life, one that is different from the one that mankind cherishes and preaches. But this simplicity is different, and as humans do, they belittle the Cyclopes’ way of life for their differences. This to me is such a rude way to antagonize the Cyclopses, because the details in which the peacefulness of their lives were included, but in the eyes of an ignorant human, their peace in an alien way of living is what truly makes them the villain. To have the audacity to not do as man does makes them brutes, savages, and monsters, which perfectly sets up the story for what is to come. Odysseus did well in building the world in this way, as he perfectly crafts the uncivilized world of the Cyclopses. 

The lecture made me reflect on this more when we went over the second reading of the book, in which there was more sympathy for the Cyclopses and less tolerance for man. Hearing other perspectives on a situation allows for further thought, and because I was already skeptical of Odysseus’ ways, it did help me reflect more on the world being built, and other truths were behind minute details in the story. The way in which it is said that they are not mindful of their neighbors, despite Polyphemus' neighbors actually checking on him, and the way in which the “brutish” Polyphemus so tenderly cares for his livestock allows us to question the narrative being built. This is a side of the story worth looking for as it is being told, and to me makes it more investing through the strong feelings of annoyance it brings.