Examples Of Bad Eating In The Odyssey

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The Odyssey Chapters 9-13 Essay #3

There are many instances of bad eating in The Odyssey. It is a metaphor to show that the eater is unaware about a possible danger lurking near. Bad eating is bad because the eater is unaware and, therefore, placing themselves in danger. Eating, however, isn’t bad. Eating is symbolic of mortality and is necessary for all humans. Immortals, however, don’t have to eat and they only do it for enjoyment. Bad eating, however, is unhuman. Bad eating means you reject the balance between spiritual and animal.
The first instance of bad eating is at the island of the Ciconians. There, without a reason, Odysseus and his men kill almost all of the people on the island. Then, immediately after killing everyone, they sit on the beach and eat random sheep and goats that come by. This is very reckless of them. They should have examined the area first, watched for people, or have done anything but start eating. The remaining members of the island come and drive off Odysseus and his men and some get killed. One instance of bad eating is at Circe’s island. Right when Odysseus and his men come on to the island, a majestic, gorgeous, glisteningly white stag. Odysseus spears it immediately and they roast it. What Odysseus doesn’t know is that this …show more content…
The island of Helios contains Helios’s cattle that MUST not be eaten, or else he and his men may die. Odysseus tries to bind his men by oath instead of force this time, but to no avail. His men, after a very long while without food, bind together (with a speech by Eurylochus) and kill and eat the cattle. This is the worst bad eating. Odysseus’s men ignore the gods and their spiritual side and only focus on humanity and don’t believe they can be sustained by the gods, or an unknown source. Adding insult to injury, the men ignore the fact the meat was mooing and the skins were writhing, all in the quest to satiate their animal

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