The Odyssey: The Lotus Eaters

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The Odyssey The Lotus Eaters

• By Michael C.
• 18 October 2006
• Block F

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Plot Summary

• Odysseus and his men made their way to Ismaros
  where they met the Ciconians.
• They destroyed the city, killed the men, and kept
  the women, some cattle, and goods.
• The men had a feast, but some Ciconians, held
  captive, escaped to their neighbors.
• The neighbors came and killed six men from each
  ship, while Odysseus and his men went to safety.
  

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Plot Summary cont.

• Zeus sent clouds over the land and sea and
  brought night to earth.
• The winds were so strong that the ships sails
  ripped, and the men spent two days and two nights
  in hardship and anxiety.
• On the third day, light came, but the sea current
  and wind brought the boats outside Cythera.
• They spent nine more days out at sea, but on the
  tenth, they reached the land of the lotus-eaters,
  who get their food from flowers.

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Plot Summary cont.

• Odysseus sent some men to meet the lotus-eaters,
  and they did no harm to them.
• The men were given some honey-sweet lotus fruit,
  and when they ate it, they did not come back and
  wanted more.

• Odysseus came to get them and tied them up by
  force.
• The men were back in the ocean and were on their
  way to the land of the Cyclopians.

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Characters

• Odysseus-The whole story revolves around him.
• After the Trojan war, Odysseus and his men were
  on their way back home to Ithaca.
• Odysseus and his men went through many obstacles.

• Odysseus was held captive by Calypso, the
  husband-to-be by Circe, and trapped inside
  Cyclops's cave.
• He went through many trials and troubles, but was
  able to get back to Ithaca and see his wife,
  Penelope, and son, Telemachos.

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Characters cont.

• Ciconians-They are the people on the island of
  Ismaros.
• Odysseus and his men brought destruction and ruin
  to the people, and kept the women and some goods
  for themselves.
• Some were able to escape to their other neighbors
  and brought death to six of Odysseuss men.
• They forced the men off their island, and were
  able to live back to their lives.

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Characters cont.

• Zeus-He is the king of the gods, and the ruler of
  earth.
• After Odysseus escaped from the Ciconians, he
  brought night over earth, very strong winds, and
  violent waves of fury.
• Zeus controls the fates of all men on earth and
  uses them for his pleasure and entertainment.

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Characters cont.

• Lotus Eaters-These are the people whom some of
  Odysseuss men met.
• They get their food, which is lotus, from
  flowers.
• Lotus is very honey-sweet and makes its eaters
  want more.

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Lotus Symbols

• The lotus represents many things.
• It can represent the good life, wanting to stay
  and never coming back, not wanting to do
  anything, and selfishness and greed.
• Moremoremore, two of the 7 deadliest sins
  (greed and gluttony), and forgetting about
  everything else and only caring for your needs
  are also things that can symbolize the use of
  lotus in the text.

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Conflict

• A conflict in the adventure was man vs.
  temptations (rather himself) because the men that
  ate the lotus fruit were tempted to eat more.
• Another conflict is man vs. greed and the
  majoritys pick because the men wanted more and
  a majority of people would have picked the easy
  way out.

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Greek society

• In Greek society, a majority of men (and some
  women) want more in life and are greedy.
• Most of the time, after men destroy a city, they
  take the original owners belongings, such as
  women, animals, and goods.
• Sometimes the Greeks want an easy life and only
  think about their needs, stating that they are
  selfish.

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Modern Society Event in the Bible

• Even though the Bible is old, it connects to the
  lotus eater adventure.
• In the story of the Prodigal son, a father gives
  his son all of his money, but the son wastes all
  of it for himself.
• In connection to the adventure, the Prodigal son
  represents the men that ate the lotus, the money
  represents the lotus, and the spending of money
  represents Odysseuss taking away the men from
  the lotus.

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Modern Society Event in Current Events

• Terry Schiavo case-The case in which Terry
  Schaivo, a woman in a vegetable-like state, had
  her plug pulled by her husband Michael.
• This connects to the adventure because most of
  society wanted to keep her alive and going, but
  her husband, on the contrary, pulled her plug.

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Modern Society Event in Current Events

• In the text, the lotus eaters, representing most
  of society, wanted the men, symbolizing Terry, to
  have more, but Odysseus, as a sign of Terrys
  husband, got the men to stop.
• The action of Odysseuss taking away represents
  when Terrys husband took her life away.

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Modern Society Event in a Movie and Book

• In the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens,
  Scrooge, a very greedy man, had his life changed
  by three ghosts (past, present, and future).
• Scrooge was greedy and a grouch, but three ghosts
  changed his whereabouts, meaning that the men
  were greedy and stayed to eat, but Odysseus tied
  them up to keep.

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Modern Society Event in a Movie and Book

• Scrooge was represented by the men who ate the
  lotus.
• His money symbolizes the lotus fruit.
• Odysseus represents the three ghosts who changed
  Scrooges mean acts and got him to be giving.

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Difference Between Modern and Greek Society

• In Greek society, men took things for themselves
  by force, but in todays society, people take
  things for themselves by choice.
• Back in Greek society, they probably didnt know
  it was a sin to be greedy and eat with greed, but
  now, it is a deadly sin to be greedy and eat a
  lot (gluttony).
• Still, some people today and back then want the
  easy way in life and only think for their needs
  (selfishness).

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Bibliography

• Virtual Odyssey. 12 Oct. 2006 lthttp//library.thin
  kquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/virtodyssey4.htmgt.
• Literature Timeline. 12 Oct. 2006
  lthttp//www.socsdteachers.org/tzenglish/litera...
  gt.
• Diospyros lotus. 16 Oct. 2006 lthttp//132.236.163.
  186/cgi-bin/dol/dol_image_win.pl?image_id9461ima
  ge_filehttp//132.236.163.186/users/dws/10_24_04/
  DWSMisc12/Diospyros_lotusFruit2.jpgfamilyEbenace
  aegenusDiospyrosspecieslotusgt.
• Art. 16 Oct. 2006 lthttp//www.sikyon.com/Olympia/A
  rt/olymp_eg00a.html gt.

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Bibliography cont.

• Sacraments Reconciliation/Penance.16 Oct. 2006
  lthttp//www.stblase.org/sacraments/penance.htmgt.
• Dead Bodies, Inc.17 Oct 2006 lthttp//www.deadbodie
  sinc.com/article.php/73/1/robot_advice.php gt.
• Bad Attitudes. 17 Oct. 2006 lthttp//badattitudes.c
  om/MT/archives/003471.htmlgt.