1-18

Ms. Borkowski
English 9x
21 November 2013
Blood and Fear
Homers epic, The Odyssey, tells the story of a legendary war heros journey
home and the family he left behind. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus faces an
arduous, character-defining journey in attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, and son,
Telemachus. During his absence, his home is taken over by a shifty swarm of suitors
seeking Penelopes hand, inspiring Odysseus to enact his brutal revenge. Revenge
intoxicates and leads even the holiest of beings to commit unspeakable horrors.
The desire for revenge inspires Odysseus, a man who has already spent a decade
in battle, to fight once again. The Trojan War is one of the bloodiest events in Greek
mythology. Odysseus completes his objective and attempts to return from a decades
absence to his family. Even after his years of battle, Odysseus forces himself to pick up
his weapons once more when he learns from Telemachus of the suitors villainous plot to
marry Penelope. Helen of Troy forewarns Telemachus of his fathers rampage. Just as
the eagle swooped down from the crags / where it was born and bred / Odysseus will
descend on his house and take revenge (15.195-8). Homers use of an epic simile
illustrates the violence of the upcoming attack. Odysseus was overcome by revenge,
representing the archetype of the eagle. His revenge is fueled by his perpetual struggle to
journey home. Just for hunger we rig and ride our long benched ships / speeding
death to our enemies (17.315-16). Once the drive is inside of him, he is blinded by all
other emotions interfering with his revenge. He refuses to embrace his wife when they
reunite by fear the she would have him killed or interfere with his plan. When he has the
suitors cornered, he flashes a blood-stained smirk, saying, Now all your necks are in the
noose your doom is sealed! (22.42). Plunging arrows into suitors left and right,
Odysseus barrels through them, an unstoppable force of hate and revenge.
The desire for revenge has a pull so strong that not only does it inspire Odysseus
violence; it leads even the holiest gods to commit atrocities. One would assume that only
humans would be susceptible to emotions as petty as revenge and jealousy. However in
Greek mythology, it is shown that emotions like revenge take over the mind to the extent
that they can overtake the gods, the holiest beings of the time. Poseidon, the god of the
sea, is already furious with Odysseus after the defeat of the Trojans. His son,
Polyphemus, prays to him after Odysseus stabs and blinds him. I really am your son /
grant that Odysseus / never reaches home (9.587-90). Poseidons need for revenge
only increases, and he hampers Odysseus travels at every step of the way. However,
Poseidon is not the only god that prays against Odysseus. After his crew devours the
cattle of the sun god, Odysseus prays to Zeus for help while Helios prays to him for
reprisal. Punish them all, that crew of Laertes son Odysseus / they killed my cattle, /
the great joy of my heart (12.407-9) Zeus promised Helios a toasty termination of crew
members with his thunderbolts. The only god to attempt to stop this violence of
retaliation was Zeus daughter, Athena. Hold back, you men of Ithaca / Break off
shed no more blood make peace at once! (24.583). All citizens of Ithaca had been
intoxicated by revenge and begin a vicious brawl. Despite her constant encouragement of
Oddyseus violence against the suitors, Athena realizes in the denouement the harm to
which revenge leads.
Stories of violence and bloodshed inspired by the desire for revenge fill the news
every day. These atrocities occur with an increasing frequency as people are entranced
by hate and the need for retaliation. Many question the sanity of those who can be so
fully enthralled by this emotion. Many medical professionals and news corporations
viewed criminals such as James Holmes, Dylan Klebold, and Eric Harris as mentally ill
after their bloody rampages. Another of these shooters is Anjohnito Willet, Jr., a student
who shot three of his classmates in Pittsburgh. Willet was inspired to take matters into
his own account after a drug deal gone wrong (Curry.) A similar case of retaliation
occurred in Tulsa when Jake England and Alvin Watts shot five random African
American citizens simply because Englands father had been killed by an African
American (Prince.) Today, these stories appear in the media so frequently that they are
no longer shocking to some. Many people believe these individuals to be ill or insane,
seeing that as the only excuse for their overwhelming need for revenge. Others dispute
these illnesses due to the planning and detail that go into the attacks. Despite the
arguments, it is undisputable that when revenge takes hold, it devours humans and gods
alike, leaving nothing behind but blood and fear.

Works Cited

Curry, Colleen. Pittsburgh School Shooting Suspected Sought Revenge, Cops Say.
ABC News. ABC News Network, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Prince, Rosa. Tulsa Sooting Suspect was seeking revenge for killing of his father.
The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Nov.
2013.