... and Odysseus and aids them in their respective travels. She continually aids Odysseus, giving him advice and practical assistance. In the climactic scene of the slaughter of the suitors, she actually deflects weapons aimed at him and frightens his adversaries by flashing her shield from the roof. Athene's role is not ... the plot. Odysseus" resolution occurs at the end of the poem in the combination of two events - the stringing of the great bow by Odysseus and the slaughter of the suitors. At the end of Book 21, Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, lifts the heavy bow, bends it, pick...

• Word Count: 1268
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... them. War, in contrast, though seemingly exists to destroy human compacts and governments, may in fact create a bond between two people that can be intensified by the horrific and senseless slaughter in its wake. However, a bond based on such a problematic foundation is bound to self-destruct, in the same way that a marriage collapses when the people it binds are fundamentally dysfunctional ... of civilized culture. This is, however, a desire to fulfill his primal instinct of greed; even if he is telling the truth and that he merely wishes economic security for his house, he still is so...

• Word Count: 2535
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate