Exile Essay What to Avoid and How to Improve

Definitions  Exile - the state of being barred from one's native country  Alienate- cause (someone) to feel isolated or estranged  cause (someone) to become unsympathetic or hostile  Alienation- the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved  loss or lack of sympathy; estrangement  Psychiatry a state of depersonalization or loss of identity in which the self seems unreal, thought to be caused by difficulties in relating to society and the resulting prolonged inhibition of emotion.

Definitions  Enrich/Enrichment - to endow with fine or desirable qualities  To improve in quality  To make someone better  Potent- having great power, influence, or effect

Do #1  Have a clear thesis that explains Odysseus’s exile as you begin to make a connection to the overall meaning of the epic.  Examples:  Although Odysseus experiences desperation and loneliness, his experience with exile enabled him to self-reflect and work to diminish his flaw of pride from his personality.  Odysseus’s exile should have transformed him into a humble man, his alienation only fueled his need for pride and power.  This experience, along with all of the hardships that it entailed, definitely caused Odysseus to feel a sense of alientation; however, this journey also proved to be enriching as well. Odysseus’s exile causes a necessary alteration to his persona.

Do #2  Discuss Odysseus as though he is a real person. Try to explain how he internalizes his experience.  Internalize- to make (an idea or attitude) an important part of the kind of person you are  To incorporate within the self as guiding principles

Do #3  Choose one or two specific moments to discuss in detail. Then decide whether the situation improved or harmed Odysseus’s personality/being. You will want to address the necessity for change as well.  Example:  Although Odysseus will forever be haunted by his journey, his experience with the wrath of a god was truly humbling. Being as cocky as he was after his glorious stunt in Troy, he might finally have his priorities in order. During the beginning of his homeward journey, his main priorities were money and glory. The first thing he ordered was the looting of a city nearby Troy right after they left. Odysseus was in no rush to come home, but to get as much loot as possible to bring home.  This student sets up the necessity for change. Then the student uses an example of an obstacle that Odysseus faced in which the result humbled his personality.

Do #4  Do expand on the emotional side of his experiences to help prove why he needed exile to illuminate the meaning.  Example:  While he is exiled, there is not much to look forward to. He does not know where he is or how to get home. His isolation causes him to feel the regret of ever becoming a warrior and wishes he would have died in battle.  This student begins to show an emotional experience. Then this student moves on to examine how Odysseus handles his regret and how it changes him.

Do #5  Do examine both sides of the prompt, but choose a side to stress more in relationship to the meaning.  Examples:  To begin, Odysseus experiences feelings of alienation on his journey home, yet these emotions helped Odysseus in many ways.  This student addresses how the experience is alienating, but chooses to stress that it was necessary to create enrichment.  With the isolation that accompanied this journey, so did life lessons.  Again, the negative aspect of exile is turned into a positive for the character.  Odysseus’s experience with exile gives insight to the true strength of a hero and how his determination exemplifies the values of the Greek culture.  The student begins to shed light on why Odysseus needed to experience exile in order to stress a message.

Don’t #1  Do not talk about the reader. The prompt wants you to only focus on the character’s experience and the message his experience conveys.  Example: The reader can see that Odysseus is sad because he is alone. The reader knows that ten years is a long time to be away from home.  Yes, readers can pick up on that, but so what? How does Odysseus internalize his sadness?  Does he learn anything positive about himself? Does he improve? Or does he give in to the alienating emotions and digresses as a person?

Don’t #2  Don’t talk directly to your reader. (No I, we, us, you, etc)  Your job is to only focus on explaining Odysseus’s situation with exile, not the readers’ experience.  Example:  Imagine you were stuck on Calypso’s island. We can all feel as Odysseus did.

Don’t # 3  DO NOT WRITE A REVIEW OF THE EPIC!  Example:  The Odyssey is a very important epic. It is a great story of how a man ventures across the sea.  I know that the Odyssey is a great epic. It wouldn’t be listed as a choice of high literary merit if it wasn’t. Your job is to only focus on analyzing the text, not giving me your personal evaluation of whether or not it was a good story.

Don’t #4  Don’t summarize the story.  If you just list the obstacles Odysseus faces, you are not analyzing his experience.  If you just focus on his material gifts, you are not analyzing his experience.  If you discuss the home front and how Penelope feels, you are not analyzing his experience. She is not the one exiled, Odysseus is.

What to think about…  What are Odysseus’s flaws?  How does his experience make his flaws worse? Better?  How does Odysseus’s personality change? Is it for the better or worse? Does he really change?  Which moments really illustrate his alienation? How does he internalize those moments?  Which moments really illustrate his enrichment as a person? How does he internalize those moments?  Based on how he changes, what is the meaning of his exile and the epic?