Comparing Odyssey 'And O Brother Where Art Thou?'

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Introduction

For our English 9 Final we read and watched ‘The Odyssey’ as well as ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’. The movie was based in the 1930’s while the book occurred around the year 1200 B.C.E. Both were very successful works of art that express concern over the problems of the world. However, they take different approaches to expressing them. We will start at the beginning of the movie to compare the differences and similarities between characters and themes.

Similarities In the movie, the men are wanted criminals who are hunted by Sheriff Cooley. But in the book, they are regarded as heroes and the people on the right. A reminder that these soldiers have ransacked cities, killed the children and raped their women. Odysseus and his crew …show more content…
He is an obstacle in the men's way and someone they need to avoid at all costs. The Sheriff is portrayed as a man with black glasses and is accompanied by a bloodhound. Tommy describes him as follows: “He’s white. As white as you folks. With empty eyes and a big, hollow voice. He traveled around with a mean old hound, that’s right.” An obvious difference between the characters is their actions. When Zeus tells Posiedon to refrain from hunting Odysseus, he listens. Sheriff Cololey does not do this and when he catches the men after they have received a full pardon he says “Is that right? Well, we ain’t got a radio”. He assumes that if he can lead the authorities to believe he did not know of the pardon. Then he will not receive punishment. Pappy O’Daniel is introduced after the Soggy Bottom Boys make their first appearance on the radio. His first words were “I’m not here to make a record you dumb cracker”. They broadcast me on the radio.” This already gives you a sense of his character. He seems to be an important man that does not think about things that do not benefit himself. He portrays the God of Olympus ‘Zeus’. The icing on the cake is that O’Daniel owns an electric company that is very important to the state of Mississippi. By the end of the movie, he wins the title of governor and gives the boys a full pardon. This correlates to Zeus, who turns a blind …show more content…
They care very much about their appearance. Odysseus is turned into a younger version of himself in order to reunite with his wife. Throughout the course of the movie, Ulysses is constantly worried about his appearance. Specifically his hair “How is my hair”? He spends the money that would have bought them food on his Pomade. What is a hair gel? He uses a hair net to preserve his looks and this could be seen as girly or not masculine. In today's society, if a man does not take care of his personal looks, he is deemed lazy. But if he cares too much, then he is obsessive or self-centered. The directors of the movie are making fun of Odysseus’ obsession with Ulysses. Both of these characters are arrogant. After escaping the Cyclops, Odysseus gives up his safety and taunts him. He gives his name and the location of his home. This is a very arrogant and foolish thing to do. He is cursed because of this and has to fight through more obstacles than before. Ulysses was arrested for using a fake doctor's license. This was also foolish and created obstacles. At the end of the movie, he tells his ex-wife that he can become a dentist and make money for his family. But the way he gets the license is the same as before. He is arrogant to think it will work again. Odysseus is portrayed as a smart captain who saves his crew with thought-out plans. Ulysses uses big words to seem more intelligent than he actually is. When
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