Repeating the Punishment

Sydney Bernardo

“Practice makes perfect!”

This one phrase, consistently hammered into our brains by parents, teachers, and coaches, invokes the idea that repetition always brings about good results. It is true that the way to master ideas, concepts, and activities is to practice and repeat, changing little aspects to ensure mastery; however, in Book 11: The Kingdom of the Dead in Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men visit the underworld to consult with the seer Tiresias and recognize a series of men serving punishment for their respective “offenses” to the gods.

When asked to look for a pattern of repetition in The Odyssey, I found it interesting how repetition did not serve as a means of perfection, but rather, made for very (effective?) brutal punishment. Tityus, for example, has vultures digging into him for his innards; Tantalus is constantly “tantalized” by food and water he can never obtain; and Sisyphus must push a boulder uphill only to have it tumble down - and these happen repeatedly! Because these “activities” seem so gory and horrifying in nature, I automatically believed repetition as punishment was only applicable in the kingdom of the dead. And yet, when I thought about it, I realized that repetition can seem like punishment in our daily lives as well. There are so many creative people, weighed down by their lack-luster jobs, who despise the monotony of the same routine every single day. Prisons, the epitome of authoritative punishment, also make use of systemized procedures (which ironically parallels the structure of elementary and high school, in which designated times for lunch and recreation, and dress codes ruled the lives of children for so many years).

The fact that Homer references the use of repetition as punishment directly speaks to his audiences and readers, even in modern times. The experience of recognizing ourselves - the constantly pained, hungry, or burdened by happenings in life - in Tityus, Tantalus, or Sisyphus brings another dimension into the epic, making the book even more relatable. As for me, the next time I feel famished and there’s nothing left in the fridge, I’ll be happy that there’s always a grocery nearby, and that I don’t have to stand under a tree with food dangling above my head.