Table of ContentsIntroductionArgument of OdysseusArgument of PoseidonIntroductionAfter the events of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men returned home to Ithaca. En route, they unknowingly stopped at Cyclops Island to gather supplies for their long journey home. Unfortunately, the island's inhabitants were not very friendly, including a cyclops named Polyphemus. In an attempt to hide from the other giants, Odysseus and his men hid in Polyphemus' cave. Polyphemus then trapped the men inside with a huge boulder blocking the only entrance and exit. One by one, Polyphemus ate Odysseus' crew. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Odysseus, keeping a cool head, hatched a plan to escape. Odysseus had undiluted wine with him and cleverly offered it to Polyphemus without telling him how strong the wine was. Polyphemus eagerly took the wine, became drunk and immediately fell asleep. Odysseus and his remaining men heated a wooden stake in a fire and blinded one of Polyphemus' eyes. After screaming in pain, the men hid under the giant's sheep, where they could neither be smelled nor eaten. The next morning, when Polyphemus let his sheep graze, Odysseus and his men slipped under the woolly bellies of the sheep and fled to their ship. Polyphemus realized that the men had escaped while Odysseus was already at sea. Polyphemus threw a (poorly aimed) rock at the ship and called on his father Poseidon to take revenge. Poseidon, in his rage, destroyed Odysseus' ship, along with its entire crew, during a ten-year journey back to Ithaca. Odysseus only survived because he had the favor and protection of Athena. Odysseus' ArgumentUlysses was acting in self-defense. As captain and king, he had a duty to protect himself and his men at all costs. He used his intelligence to escape a life-threatening situation. He also did not know that Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon. No matter who Polyphemus was, Odysseus did not kill him, despite the threat to Odysseus and his crew; it would have been just as easy to kill him while he was drunk or asleep. Poseidon, being a god, acts with extreme emotion and decides that his son's injury warrants mass murder. Odysseus thought rationally and spared Polyphemus, the man-eater; Poseidon acted irrationally and wiped out Odysseus' crew. Poseidon could have been more merciful and quickly eliminated Odysseus and his crew. Instead, Poseidon prolonged Odysseus' punishment and made him suffer by watching his entire crew die for ten years. Additionally, this long journey caused unrest in Odysseus' kingdom of Ithaca. When Odysseus left for Troy, his son, Telemachus, was too young to ascend the throne. This left Penelope to rule the entire country. While Odysseus was gone, suitors came to Penelope's court, attacking her palace while they were there. Since there was no evidence that Odysseus had survived the Trojan War, suitors constantly pressured Penelope to remarry. She did not want to, but instead delayed the suitors until Odysseus returned because she believed he was still alive. Poseidon's Argument Before Poseidon did anything to Odysseus, he had to get his idea approved by Zeus, the king of the gods. Additionally, Odysseus was in Poseidon's domain, the ocean, for most of his journey, which already puts Odysseus in a precarious position. Poseidon's intended target was Odysseus; the rest of the crew suffered.