Almost all societies contain myths/stories of "The Journey" or quest. Why? What is the attraction we have to journeys? What are some of the American journey or quest stories? What lessons, what themes, what values do we see played out in the stories of journeys? (Specific to 'The Odyssey: What is the difference between Odysseus' journey and Telemachus' journey? Do any of the other characters go on quests, metaphorical or literal?)
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Almost all societies contain myths or stories of " the Journey" or quest beacuese they explain how things happened or what happened to maybe someone important. If the journey is about a real person and the journey they took, its not that they are attracted to it, its what is acually happening in there life. Its there life journey. One quest story is the story of Tiger Woods. He was a great golf player and then with one little bad thing he was stuck in the abyss. It took him a long time to transform out of it but with recovery he was able to get out of it. Some lessons, themes, and values that we see in these stories are that with any little thing you do you can put your life through a bit of hell. The difference between their journeys was that Telemachus was tring to find his father and Odysseus was tring to find his way homes. And yes other character do go on quests. Athena goes on a quest with Telemachus to find more out about Odysseus and she also helps him by coming to him as different important people, in his father's life.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that most societies, if not all, contain myths or stories of a Hero's Journey is because the stories relate to our life. An American journey stories is the coming to America from Europe. It taught the people to bring extra food and water on the long voyages to the new world. the value that it taught us was to never give up, no matter how hard it was to survive. the difference between Odysseus and Telemachus' journeys was the length of the journey and the goal of the quest. A metaphorical quest was taken by Penelope as she prevented the suitors from being given a reason to marry her, such as the example of the shroud that she would unwind at night.
ReplyDeleteI think most myths/stories all revolve around the same ida of "The Journey" because all human beings go through this cycle. Usually these stories are made to be relatable for regular people. Everyone has to cross into an unknown world sometimes, and everybody experiences a time similar to the "Abyss". Usually, these kinds of stories have lessons or themes. Many show that one bad action can lead to another bad action, which leads to the "Abyss". But what stories also show us is that one or more good actions help you recover from the abyss. Many stories have themes involving truth and honesty, hubris, thinking carefully, etc. Odysseus has been away from Ithaca for ten years, and takes ten more years to find his way back home. Telemachus is on a quest looking for how to save his family name.
ReplyDeleteI think that we have attraction to journeys because at some point, we all face them and we like to know that we aren't alone. Many stories that we have today contain journeys because everyone can relate. When we can relate, we can empathize. An example of one of these stories is Moby Dick. On his first trip out to sea, the big whale bites off the sailors leg and destroyed his boat, but instead of letting it stop him, the sailor returns to sea for a second time. In journeys, it's usually common to see the lesson of not giving up.
ReplyDeleteThere are many differences between Odysseus' journey and Telemachus' journey, but the main one is that Odysseus is not trying to get home but Telemachus is.
I think we are attracted to journey stories, because we enjoy adventure and the transformation that occurs when a hero takes a journey. Some well known American journey stories are Tom Sawyer, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Call of the Wild. We see certain values emphasized in adventure stories such as hubris, vanity, or ambition. A lot of adventure stories also have morals that teach certain life lessons. In The Odyssey, Odysseus' journey is very physical. He goes through oceans, mountains, and literally hell. Telemachus' journey is more mental. He becomes a man, because he has to find his father. I also think Penelope goes on a mental journey, because she has to endure all the pains of loneliness while she stalls her viscous suitors.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all societies are attracted to "journeys" because it gives us something to think about and something to motivate us to do achieve one of our goals in life. It is also very entertaining to see these actions happen in someone else's life.There are many stories of "journeys" in our country. One that I see as important was the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. His fight for black people's rights never ended and he tried so hard and never gave up. Rosa Parks contributed in starting that idea and they both fought against segregation. Many other people have their own journeys within Martin Luther King, Jr's such as black kids who were the first to go into an all white school and be tormented by parents, teachers and peers. We see many values and stories played out in these journeys. Some are more sentimental than others and some teach us more educational things such as The Odyssey. Odysseus's journey is on the way back from The Trojan War and he encounters many different obstacles such as the island of Pylos and the sorceress trying to seduce him. His journey is more literal. Telemachus's journey is more metaphorical and trying to become a man is a big part of it. Telemachus does not encounter many literal obstacles with other people besides the suitors, but more of himself and him becoming a man and helping his father and mother.
ReplyDeleteI think we like journey stories because usually in some ways we can relate to the person going through their journeys. We mentioned this in my class but all teenagers at some time go through their journey, they start different go through some changes and all of a sudden they are in an unknown world maybe this is college for many people. They might go through and abyss for a little of for a long time and in the end they change and mature and come out as an adult. This happens in a lot of movies we know for example in mean girls the main character goes through her journey and comes out as a better person which is very common in journeys. Odysseus is trying to come back from war literally and metaphorically while Telemachus is trying to become man. Telemachus is getting older but he also is learning how to take charge of his household. So they are going on two very different journeys and it proves that while journeys all follow the same structure everyones journey is different which is why we like them.
ReplyDeleteAll societies are connected to a journey because i think that everybody likes to follow something while the journey goes on and how it evolves. I think we are attracted to journeys because fun to see how they play out and see all the ups and downs and suprises. Harry Potter quest story and so id the book the hunger games. Lessons such as; tortoise and the hare lesson, cheaters never win, & practice makes perfect. The themes can be horror, sad, & happy. Those are the three basic ones in my opinion. The difference is Odysseus is trying to get home and Telemachus is going away from home looking for answers to his problems. Another character is Athena and her quest is to help Telemachus out.
ReplyDeleteI think all societies contain stories of a journey myth because these stories replicate the lives of ALL human beings. Although everybody goes through this cycle, one famous American Journey is Lewis and Clark. They both discovered places that many people did not know about and discovered something. That was important because they both set out on a quest and discovered something. Some lessons of journeys are do what your heart tells you, and always believe in yourself. Even though you have those tough times, you will eventually reach a better person. This is what happens in the Odyssey. Telemachus goes and tries to find out about where his father is and has a internal adventure of trying to mature from a boy to a man. Odysseus has to try to get home and it is going to take him 10 years.
ReplyDeleteI think that almost all societies contain stories of “The Journey” because the format of the myth is so universal and one that any human can relate to. An example of an American quest story would be the journey of Rex Walls, which we read about in the book The Glass Caste. The Odyssey and the Glass Castle are similar in the fact in that they are both about people trying to find their way home, though the Walls can never seem to decide where their home is. The theme of homecoming, or nostos, is played out in many journeys. The difference between Odysseus’ journey and Telemachus’ is that Odysseus is journey that he is being forced into; it was not his choice to be gone from home for twenty years. Telemachus choses to leave home and search for news of his father. Another quest in the Odyssey is Penelope’s metaphorical quest as she tries to come to terms with the fact that both her husband and son have left her.
ReplyDeletePeople are attracted to journeys because we are curious. An american example of a journey would be the lewis and clark expedition. Some ways this shows ways and values when they get lost and they come out of the abyss when sacagawea comes along and helps them out. The difference between Odysseus journey and Telemachus journey is that ones a journey from the under world and ones a journey for his father.
ReplyDeleteAn American journey is the story of George Washington at Valley Forge. People like journeys because they give people some inspiration of how to recover from any hardships and they sometimes become role models. At Valley Forge, George Washington and his troops were forced into a situation of severe hardship until they eventually came out of it. This is similar to how Odysseus was stuck on Calypso's island. In Odysseus' journey, he is trying to go home but has many distractions along the way that he does not always try his hardest to get out of. In Telemachus' journey, he is trying his hardest to find his farther and is not succumbing to the distractions along the way.
ReplyDeleteI think that most societies are attracted to journey or quest stories, because most societies find it entertaining to know what is going on in other people's personal lives and see them go through some sort of pain or struggle. Take reality television shows, such as Teen Mom, or celebrities for example. They are in the public eye almost all the time, and either their lives are being broadcasted all over the world on television, or they are written about in magazines. Most of time, these people's lives are shown and perceived in a negative light. In Teen Mom, you watch teenage mothers go through the struggles of getting pregnant, and the pain it causes in their lives. The values of Teen Mom are that you should wait until a proper age to have a child, and to be responsible. In the Odyssey, Odysseus's journey is to get back home to Ithaca. Telemachus's journey is to find his father and to grow out of boyhood into manhood. The difference is that Odysseus is already a man, and Telemachus is developing from a boy into a man. Also, Odysseus is finding home, and Telemachus is going away from home. Athena also goes on a quest to bring Odysseus home to Ithaca.
ReplyDeleteIt's always great to have a hero that we can look up to. It's even better to have a hero whose journey plays out a little like our own lives, such as maturing, have ups and downs, and finding their own special place in the world, known or unknown. Captain America, Superman, and Spiderman, are only a few stories that have evolved from the "monomyth." We already know that Odysseus journeys home. Therefore, I would put him in the return part of the "Hero's Journey", even though he's now quite out of the unknown world yet. Telemachus, on the other hand, to me is more of a "novice" hero, and when the Odyssey begins, is right at step number one. I guess you could say the suitors are on a "quest" to seduce Penelope. Athena might be going on a quest also, because she accompanies Telemachus as a mentor figure throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteI believe journeys allow normal people, who lead regular lives, to be able to feel like they are experiencing the journey themselves through the character or other person experiencing the journey first hand. An American example of this is the journey to the moon, when millions on the television watched the lunar landing, and were amazed when Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon. The journeys of Odysseus and Telemachus were different. This is because Odysseus was trying to return to to home after many years of war, and he was already a grown man, while Telemachus is just learning to be a man, so therefore he is not as knowledgeable as his father. You could say that Poseidon is on a quest to get vengeance for the death of Polyphemus.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all societies like journey stories because they explain how a figure gained glory and the trials they had to go through. We like this because it we can relate it the trails we go through and it can inspire us to go on our own journey to find ourselves. Some examples of american quest stories are the stories of Captain America, Green Lantern, Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, etc. We can learn from these stories that even though it seems scary at times we need to venture into the unknown so that we can grow and mature as people. Often in journey stories people transfer from boy to man, or girl to woman. They can also become better people (by stopping a bad habit, such as lying or cheating), or overcome some sort of fear. In the Odyssey, Odysseus' and Telemachus' journey differ in a couple of ways. As far as I know, Odysseus is just trying to get home to his kingdom and family. Telemachus on the other hand, is not only on a journey to find/discover where his father is, he is trying to find himself as a person and become a man. Journey stories will continue to be a part of our culture for years to come. Pg 87 lines 41 & 42 " You must not cling to your boyhood any longer, it's time you were a man" - Athena as Mentes.
ReplyDeletePeople enjoy tales about journeys because we never seem to do anything special. We go to school or work everyday except weekends, come home, relax a little, and then do it all over again the next day. It's plain dull. Journeys are full of adventure and suspense. In almost all quests or journeys, the person feels like they can't achieve their goal, and then they do. We struggle with this feeling frequently. I know almost all romantic comedies have a part where someone feels like they will never get the person they are in love with to realize how much they love them. So many real people feel the same way everyday. Without that hope that things will work out, as they do in fantasies, we would aspire to reach our own dreams. In the Odyssey, Odysseus's journey is a physical journey as he tries to get home, and Telemachus's is an emotional journey from boyhood to manhood.
ReplyDeleteMost societies contain myths about "The Journey", because they show that even under foreign conditions, a man can still end up better than he was before. One example of a journey, is Miley Cyrus. She entered a new life, when she became Miley Cyrus, and her abyss, was that most teenagers were mean to her and didn't like her songs or shows. But after that, she still made new songs and decided to ignore the people who hated her. The lesson that is learned, is that if you are in an abyss, you will later come out of it a better erosion. In Odysseus's quest, he's struggling to get out of an abyss and get back to his home. In Telemachus' quest, he's moving into the unknown world and taking charge, for once and finding his father. Penelope is going on her own metaphorical quest. She's trying to get out of the abyss of her suitors, and make her family whole again.
ReplyDeleteMost societies contain stories or myths about "The Journey" because people in those societies like to have a reason for why they are here, and what they are doing here. Similar to an etiological tale, "The Journey" explains the journey that someone took help create who we are today. Stories about journeys can also be used to help motivate the people in each society. People are generally attracted to journeys because they get people motivated, and because human beings happen to be very interested in what goes on in other peoples lives. We like to snoop because in a way it gives us a feeling of empowerment. Some American journeys or quest stories include many superheros (wonder woman, spiderman etc.), many celebrity's stories such as Tiger Woods, and story lines from movies or books (for example Marty McFly from Back to the Future or Cinderella). Many of these stories are teaching people how to be persevering. A constant theme in these stories is that they all follow the cycle of the hero's journey, even if you wouldn't necessarily think of the main character as a hero. In the Odyssey, a key difference between Odysseus' journey and Telemachus' journey is that while Telemachus is constantly moving during his journey, Odysseus' journey remains on the island with Calypso. Other characters that go on quests/journeys are Hermes (his journey to send a message to Calypso), and Athena (her journey to help Telemachus).
ReplyDeleteCultures around the world have stories that can be mapped out using the hero's journey map. While I myself do not understand the fascination with which people regard these stories, I do feel as though I understand the reason that most cultures have at least one story that follows this outline. In my opinion, the hero's journey is almost an outline for most people's lives, at least at some point or another. We all have journeys, either literal or metaphorical, that change us for life. Everybody reaches an 'abyss' in their life at some point, and either we rise from the abyss or we die, and dying before the story has a happy ending is viewed as 'bad' and 'depressing' in most societies, and therefore they would rather have the main character in their stories to survive the abyss and succeed in conquering a major obstacle in their life. It is my belief that people's attraction to journeys is due, once again, to the fact that journeys are something that everybody can relate to because everybody has had a horrible part in their life, a part they wish they could forget, and everybody has had a moment when they have to venture into the unknown. Journeys are a universal thing, something anybody anywhere can relate to, which make them something people are willing to hear and talk about. An American example of a Hero's Journey would be the story of America itself. Many years ago, America crossed from the world of the known, the world of being 13 small British colonies, into the world of the unknown, the world of being its own independent country. Later on, in the late 1920s, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. America was in a grave financial crisis, and was in a deep seemingly bottomless abyss. However, after World War Two, America began to slowly stabilize its economy again and eventually rose again, more financially responsible than in previous stages of US history. I've noticed that some values come up again and again in these stories, including (but not limited to) there is power in persistence and you should never doubt your own strength. These stories imply that persistence produces power because when the heroes reach the bottom of the abyss, they do not simply give up and stay there. They persist, they work hard, and eventually they triumph. Much in the same way, when the hero reaches the abyss, they do not underestimate themselves. They push past their limitations and end up discovering their own strengths and capacities.
ReplyDeleteOdyssey Specific
Odysseus' journey differs very much from the journey of his son. Odysseus' journey is the journey in which he comes home, and in it he encounters many perils such as the sirens. Telemachus' journey, on the other hand, is very different. He embarks on a metaphorical journey, during which he leaves his boyhood behind and becomes a man. They are not the only characters in the Odyssey that embark on a journey. Penelope, Odysseus' wife, goes on a journey of her own. During this journey, Penelope learns to rely on her wits in order keep her growing number of suitors at bay and defend Odysseus' honor and kingdom. The goddess Pallas Athena goes on a journey too. She accompanies Telemachus on his literal journey, and guides him through it disguised as mentor, an old friend of Odysseus.
The reason that most societies contain myths is because myths have journeys that represent the circle of life. We start out young, then we grow with our parents being our mentors. As we get older, we go through trials into the so called "unknown world" and end up in the abyss when we mess up. We soon find a way to overcome that trial and climb out of that abyss and we're reborn so to speak. And the cycle goes over and over. Personally, I believe that journeys jog our curiosity no matter what we see upfront or don't see until later down the road. A quest story that is evident in the world of sports is the story of Michael Vick. He was drafted and played for the Atlanta Falcons. He dominated the league with his double threat ability to run and pass. However, he was convicted to a dog fighting incident which sent him to his abyss which was jail. After he was released from jail, he came out of his "abyss" and returned to the NFL. He continues to raise money for charity and partners with the humane society. He is now currently signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The main thing you would gain in a journey/quest is to learn from your mistakes and become a better person as your life progresses. There's no telling how many times one may go through the journey cycle in one's lifetime. The reason that Odysseus' story is different from Telemachus' story is that Odysseus is stuck in his "abyss" and is trying to finish his journey cycle while Telemachus is at the beginning of his Journey cycle. As for Telemachus, he is a young boy trying to find his way in the world making eventually making mistakes as he goes along. It could also be inferred that Telemachus' mother Penelope went on a metaphorical quest. Her quest also was shown to have started out in the abyss. Her abyss was the longing she had for Odysseus to come home from the war. This could be interpreted as an emotional abyss. I believe she would've felt reborn or renewed if Odysseus had come home when the other warriors came home.
ReplyDeleteMost societies contain myths of “The Journey” because it is relatable and people like to read about things that they can relate to. An example of an American journey is John McCain when he is deployed in the Vietnam War. Many stories of journeys show the character coming back even stronger after coming out of their abyss. Odysseus’s journey is different from Telemachus journey because Telemachus’ journey is based off of Odysseus’s journey of trying to come home. Telemachus goes on a quest to discover the fate of his father.
ReplyDeleteSocieties have attractions to journeys because everyone loves a good story. And a journey type of story is just that much better. It includes a variety of elements that keep you wondering what will happen next. Journeys are very relatable as well.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an American journey could be the “journey” the United States itself took when dealing with slavery. We crossed into the unknown of not knowing how to settle the dispute and we entered the “Abyss” in the form of the Civil War.
In stories of journeys we often see characters overcoming obstacles, receiving help from friends, having courage, and evolving throughout the story. In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey is one where he is leaving and returning to his “known” world, whereas Telemachus is leaving is his “known” world and setting out to find Odysseus in a very unknown adventure. The suitors go on a quest to kill Telemachus.
The reason stories about a journey are popular is because they are exciting and simple to write. If the protagonist has a mission to get somewhere, the story progresses easily so it isn't slow. But the protagonist must have obstacles that slow him or her down from achieving the mission. For example, many movies or books are about treasure hunters. Their goal is to get the treasure, but many things get in their way. In Indiana Jones, the obstacles range from puzzles or monsters to nazis. But the story that came much earlier was The Odyssey, the quintessence of stories about journeys. Odysseus's journey is to get back to Ithaca. One of his obstacles includes Calypso, who prevents him from getting back home. His "abyss" would be the 7 years he spent with Calypso. He liked being with Calypso at the time, but during "transformation" and "atonement", he will probably realize that it was a bad decision in the long run. He will also have to apologize to Penelope for sleeping with Calypso. Telemachus's journey is to help his father come back home. His helper or mentor is Athena in the form of Mentes. There are also many other things in the story that make The Odyssey fit the definition of "The Hero's Journey" perfectly.
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