Reckless Ways: Why Every Student Should Read The Odyssey by Dominic

Reckless Ways: Why Every Student Should Read The Odyssey by Dominic - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

"Tell me, Muse, of the many of many devices, who wandered far and wide after he had sacked Troy's sacred city, and saw the towns of many men and knew their mind." Thus begins one of the most classic books of all time, The Odyssey by Homer. In the book, the main hero, Odysseus, travels across the land and seas to return to his home in "rocky Ithaca." He had just sacked Troy, and was homeward bound when his own transgressions angered Poseidon, who killed his comrades and forced Odysseus to wander for ten years before he returns home. While he is away, over one hundred suitors are waiting to marry his wife, Peneloope. However, Odysseus' son, Telemachus, tries to stall them and keep them from marrying the reluctant Penelope. When Odysseus returns home, he slaughters the suitors and regains his throne.

I believe that all high school students should read this epic because of the lessons that it teaches. While its sister story, The Iliad, has a message that the gods simply sprinkle joys and sadnesses arbitrarily to each person, The Odyssesy states that most suffering is caused by one's own transgressions. As Odysseus recounts his adventures three by three, there is a common theme that two are caused by something that Odysseus or his shipmates could control and one that is out of their control, such as the mosters Scylla and Charybdis. Thusly, a poem told by word of mouth over 3,000 years ago relates to today. When students read this book, they gain insight on why their suffering exists and how to limit their future sufferings. A student may take more time to make a better decision after reading this book. I know I have.