Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey Essay - 2154 Words

Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey The difference between a wise and a foolish decision is often found in discerning when to conceal and when to reveal. This discretion in concealing and revealing is a major theme within The Odyssey. There is a proper time to deceive and a proper time to tell the truth; thus, it is crucial that one act accordingly. This importance is exemplified in Odysseus life. When he is discreet in his timing, he achieves his goal. One example of this is the Trojan War. While the other men in the horse want to expose themselves when they hear their wives voices being mimicked by Helen, Odysseus forces them to stay hidden within the horse (Book IV, lines 306-311). Because of this discernment and†¦show more content†¦The recognition scene and the introduction to the story are found within the same sentence as represented in the text, But when she bared her lords leg, bending near, she knew the groove at once. An old wound a boars white tusk inflicted, on Parnassos years ago. He had gone hun ting there... (Book XIX, lines 458-462). Because of this combination within a sentence, the story of the scar is structurally indistinguishable from the recognition scene. Although the story exists, it is inconspicuous. Since the hidden story is about a scar particular to Odysseus, the identity of Odysseus is also kept concealed within the text. Thus, Homer hides the story to stress the need to maintain Odysseus disguise as a beggar. Another literary technique that Homer uses to conceal the story of Odysseus identity is repetition. The repetition found in the recognition scene (Book XIX) is like a mirror image. The recognition scene is followed by introduction to the hunting incident, which finishes with an introduction to the hunting incident followed by the recognition scene. To better visualize this, the text takes on the mathematical format: (...recognition scene][scar story][recognition scene...). The brackets in the model indicate separation and are mirrored on each side so that the story of the scar can be slipped in more casually. The first green bracket occurs at lines 458-459, But when she bared her lords leg, bending near, she knew the groove at once. 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