Meggie's Blog Post #2

The difference between hope and hopelessness lies almost entirely in one’s ability to believe in something farfetched or unlikely, despite all odds. Often times, this ability is hindered by constantly repeating a certain negative idea either out-loud or in one’s head. In the first two books of The Odyssey, Telemachus repeatedly states that he does not believe that his father is alive or will ever make it home. He grieves:

“The gods have reversed our fortunes with a vengeance -
wiped that man [Odysseus] from the earth like no one else before.
I would never have grieved so much about his death
if he’d gone down with comrades off in Tory
or died in the arms of loved ones,
once he had wound down the long coil of war.
Then all united Achaea would have raised his tomb
and he’d have won his son great fame for years to come.
But now the whirlwinds have ripped him away, no fame for him!
He’s lost and gone now - out of sight, out of mind.” (Book 1, Lines 272-281)

Phrases like “wiped that man from the earth” and “whirlwinds... ripped him away,” imply that Odysseus has been permanently taken from the living world. The hopelessness of Telemachus is emphasized many times as he repeats his sentiments to various pairs of listening ears. To Athena, disguised as Mentes, he states that there is “no use” in thinking about his father since “he’s died a wretched death” (Book 1, Line 193). Also, when Telemachus speaks to the gathered men, he explains that he has “lost [his] noble father who ruled,” reiterating the fact that he believes his father is truly gone. The more he speaks it, the more he seems to have confidence in the fact.

The purpose of Telemachus’s insistence that his father is truly “dead and gone” is to juxtapose the hope that Telemachus gains when Athena convinces him that Odysseus is alive. After years of thinking his father will never come home, Telemachus finally sees a glimmer of hope. This hope provides Telemachus with the courage to finally leave his home and search for his long-lost father.