“Nobody–that’s my name”?
Odysseus' self-portrayal as a valiant hero and courageous warrior towards the Phaeacians in comparison to the description of other characters in the story exemplifies the power of rhetoric. Odysseus pleasing the Phaeacians with his voyage in order to receive spoils to return to Ithaca after the war helps contextualize his literary choices and his often hyperbolic descriptions of events.
"Now let me begin by telling you my name... so you may know it well and I in times to come, if I can escape the fatal day, will be your host, your sworn friend, though my home is far from here. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft—my fame has reached the skies. Sunny Ithaca is my home" (21-23).
Through Odysseus’ literary construction of The Cyclopes as animalistic aliens and “lawless brutes''(119), the Phaeacians are negatively disposed by the Cyclopes and their island. The heap of flourishing crops and rich soil, where “your vines would never flag”(145), implies the Cyclopes’ indolence and their lack of hard work needed. Everything necessary to live is already lavishly at their disposal and they simply spend their time as shepherds with grazing sheep. With “no meeting place for council, [and] no laws either” (125), Odysseus reduces the Cyclopes to intellectually-inferior beings and are incompetent in gathering, collaborating, having a community, or even navigating the seas.
Professor Ginnaloupou introduces the concept of xenia—a sacred practice or hospitality etiquette protected by Zeus and is performed by the host in a deliberate series of steps when accepting a guest into their abode. Breaching xenia with any of the steps or the order of steps purports the defiance of divinity and disrespect the gods, or Zeus. Consequently, Polyphemus, as the host of the cave, asks for Odysseus’ name before offering him a meal, promises to eat Odysseus last, and wishes upon his misfortune on the journey home to Poseidon, thoroughly violating xenia with a lack of hospitality. This, in return, allows Odysseus to legitimately “punish” Polyphemus as a ramification of his transgressions.
A pivoting perspective on Odysseus and Polyphemus' relationship.
The Phaeacians place Odysseus on a pedestal, thanks to his dramatic storytelling and his unrelenting perseverance to sail back to Ithaca despite predicaments and dilemmas along the way. Yet Professor Ginnaloupou spotlights how Odysseus is conventionally portrayed and the fact that the readers’ perspectives are indeed skewed in proportion to how we were taught to interpret and analyze Homer’s text. Under the superficial representation of great protagonist Odysseus, he is an unreliable narrator with his acts of bravery overly glorified to wholly construct him as a true hero. His inconsistency throughout the storytelling makes him hypocritical even if the contradictions are as minuscule as the diction.
A clear example would be the juxtaposition of “powerful Polyphemus. . . stroking [his ram] gently”(497-498). Polyphemus’ image in reality proves otherwise of Odysseus’ visual construction of them as an animalistic monster. Odysseus’ hypocrisy strikes, once again, when he proclaims the Cyclopes' disrespect towards xenia in spite of barging into Polyphemus’ cave first without hesitation and allowing themselves to feast on his cheese. Furthermore, Odysseus tells Polyphemus to “try this wine–to top off the banquet of human flesh [he had] bolted down”(388-389). Under the cunning facade of a gift exchange, Odysseus deceives Polyphemus with his wine to get him intoxicated and unaware of his surroundings.
Modern Interpretation: Percy Jackson BY RICK RIORDAN Movies
Percy Jackson, the Greek mythology inspired science fiction series written by Rick Riordan, were the books I enjoyed most in my childhood. The way I perceived certain Greek gods and goddesses and mythical creatures was attributed to their portrayal in Percy Jackson. On the left is a clip from the movie adaptation of Percy Jackson with Polyphemus, where Percy and the half-bloods/demigods have to steal something from Polyphemus and escape like how Odysseus did. Now that I am reflecting back on the movie scene with newfound knowledge, it was interesting with the visual portrayal of Polyphemus. He's shown to be huge, animalistic, holistic to the people that visit his cave, and aggressive with his actions. The fact that Polyphemus' hair is in dreads makes me question the deeply-rooted racist views of BIPOC people, who typically wear dreads for their hair style, being unruly, untidy, and "savage"-like. This movie scene is also an indication of how harmful media consumption can be if we views characters and scenes in the perspective they were intended to portray.