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Essay / Physical Border Crossing in The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights and The Book of Joshua
Throughout history, people around the world have experienced a period of physical border crossing during which they traveled, migrated or were in exile. These events are seen in many famous literary texts, including The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights, and the Book of Joshua. In The Odyssey, a man named Odysseus is seen lost and trying to find his way home after fighting in a war. In The Thousand and One Nights, a sailor named Sindbad recounts his adventures over the course of seven voyages. Finally, in Joshua, we see a group of nomadic Israelites trying to find a home. With these texts, we see many different ideas, as well as the effects of these border crossings such as the benefits, the dangers and the upheaval of certain conceptions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Odyssey is a great example of physical border crossings. The idea of travel and exile is a major part of this epic. Odysseus travels to Troy so that he can participate in the Trojan War. With this decision, Ulysses finds himself confronted with many dangers. First, he leaves to go fight in a war, a war in which many men die and so does he. But in addition to this danger of losing his life, Ulysses also endangers all his wealth and his family. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, and so by leaving as king he risks everything he leaves behind. Wars can last for many years and so people at home can take advantage of this type of situation and betray others. This can be seen with the example of Agamemon. Even though this happens after the war ends, it is still a good example of what can happen when a person leaves home. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, left to command the forces of the Greek army and on his return found his wife to betray him with Aegisthus. He was killed by the traitors after losing everything he owned. This is not exactly what happened to Odysseus, but after Odysseus accepted the risks of leaving his home and not returning for twenty years, suitors from noble families came to Ithaca and attempted to s seize the throne of Odysseus with his wife. Another danger or The upheaval felt by Odysseus' absence is that of his family whom he leaves behind. When a father crosses borders for a while and leaves his family behind, it affects them as much as he does. With his son Telemachus, the reader sees a man, but even though he physically represents a man, Telemachus is a boy whom his father had left when he left for Troy. Without a father figure to help raise and teach Telemachus, he could not become the heir and protector of Ithaca that he was meant to be. Throughout the epic, Wilson calls Telemachus "boy" or "son of Odysseus." » An example of this is found on page 131 when “the boy went down to his father's cellar…” and on page 133 when Telemachus' crew “loaded everything onto the decks; Ulysses' son instructed them, then set sail...". The fact that Telemachus is still called a boy or is part of Odysseus' name shows how much he struggles in everyday life as the son of a great warrior and king. He is unable to fend off suitors and loses a large part of his inheritance every day, as well as his house and his mother. Telemachus longs for Odysseus to return so that he can become an adult and make his father proud. With Odysseus' wife Penelope, the reader neither sees nor learns much, but his grief is also visible throughout the epic. The pressure of.