Oral tradition is the oldest and most archaic form of human speech. Homer's Odyssey is an example of a literary work that emphasizes the importance of such an oral tradition. In it, the hero, Odysseus, is faced with the task of recounting, through poetry, how he found himself in the difficult situation of losing both the spoils he had collected in the Trojan War , as well as the lives of the men with whom he fought. this war, and be able to answer important questions about why he was the only man to survive the ordeal of returning to Ithaca. The story Odysseus crafts must be able to withstand scrutiny, otherwise suspicion, or even civil uprising, could result. Odysseus must practice the art of synthesizing his own story for the Phaiakans because of the need of the people of Ithaca, especially Odysseus' wife and son, to have a coherent story describing how those who died in the fighting as well as returning home met their end; this would bring closure to the families of those who died and explain why Odysseus is the only survivor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the days of the ancient Ithacans, the acquisition of honor, both in life and in death, was of the highest priority. For this reason, the people of Ithaca need closure on how their loved ones died in combat and on the journey home. Specifically, Ithacans need to know whether their loved ones lived and died honorably or in disgrace. Odysseus, being the only survivor, is the only one who can answer this burning question in the hearts of the loved ones of fallen Ithac: "My men were thrown into the water and, swaying like sea crows, they were carried away by the waves running all around. the black ship, and the god carried them away” (12. 417-419). In this passage, Odysseus describes the shameful disappearance of his comrades, who ate Helios' cattle and were punished by Zeus for their transgression. Unfortunately, similarly to the crew described above, any Ithacans who die upon returning perish dishonorably, whether by Zeus or otherwise. This harsh reality seems to be a little too much for the Ithacans to handle, and so Odysseus strives to highlight the honor of his crew while living out the story of how the Ithacans strategically broke through the domination of the mermaids: One by one, I stopped the ears of all my companions, then they tied me hand and foot in the fast ship, standing against the mast with the ends of the ropes tied around it, and then sitting down to row, they cast their oars into the gray sea… the swift ship, as it approached, was seen by the sirens, and they directed their sweet song towards us… and I beckoned to my companions to free me, nodding with my eyebrows, but they leaned and rowed strongly, and Perimedes and Eurylochus, getting up, immediately tied me with even more straps and held me tighter. (12. 177-180, 182-183, 193-196) This description of the iron will and loyalty of the crew is a mechanism that Odysseus will use to comfort the loved ones of his fallen comrades by showing them their nobility of life. Tragic deaths each have a reason to happen. The people of Ithaca do not know the reasons for the death of their beloved warriors and therefore need an explanation as to why Odysseus was the only one to survive the journey home. Ulysses perhaps emphasizes honorof his men, but he blames his crew for the reason they met their demise. This principle of collective responsibility of the crew can be seen in Odysseus' description of the destruction of the bag of winds given to Odysseus by Aiolos. “…Now also, Aiolos, favorable to friendship, gave him all these goods. Let us quickly look inside and see what is inside, and how much silver and gold this bag contains inside” (10:43-45). The purposeThis is to show that Odysseus was not responsible for their deaths, because he had every intention of using the bag of wind to bring his crew back to Ithaca, but the crew, in their greed, caused his displacement and its ultimate destruction. It is with this ruse that Odysseus describes the honor of his crew. He praises the crew's honor enough to hopefully appease the families of his fallen comrades, but not enough to stoke their anger against him for some sort of negligence or mistake on his part . This strategy is most important in Odysseus' reconnection with his own family. Telemachus has not yet had a fair impression of who his father really is, and Odysseus's first impression of his son would be one of disdain if there were the slightest indication that Odysseus was in any way inferior to his subordinates in the accumulation of honor. . Penelope's reaction to Odysseus's account of such events is perhaps even more important, as she rebuffed many suitors who wanted her hand in marriage throughout Odysseus's absence. If Odysseus had come home to tell him that he had let all the men of Ithaca die because of his recklessness, it is possible that Penelope would have regretted her choice to reject the suitors in anticipation of Odysseus' return. Odysseus designed this story for the Phaiakans. , as they ask him to recount how his situation came about. Odysseus agrees, albeit reluctantly, to tell the painful story of how he came across such an unfortunate woman. This oral account that Odysseus gives, as painful as it is for him, is a perfect opportunity for Odysseus to practice telling his tale of woe to his fellow Ithacans; This gives him the opportunity to write a "draft", thus allowing him to synthesize his story from scratch without any challenge from other witnesses, and simultaneously allowing him to use the Phaiakans' reaction to his story as a accurate measure of how coherent its story remains from start to finish. If the Phaiakans had reacted badly, Odysseus would have had the opportunity to refine his story to better suit the Ithacans' interests. Instead, the Phaiakans reacted overwhelmingly positively. They are not only captivated by Odysseus' compelling account of his struggles, but they also allow him to return him to his country, as well as plunder bronze and gold: "But they carried him away, put him to sleep in the swift ship, over the sea., and set him down at Ithaca, and gave him innumerable gifts, as bronze and gold in abundance, and woven garments, more than Odysseus would have never been able to take Troy, even if he returned without sorrow and with his fair share of the plunder. .' » (13. 134-138) This reaction of the Phaiakans shows Odysseus that he has indeed proven his ability to masterfully craft a testament of his experiences, as well as his ability to use this testament to his advantage. The attentive reader of the Odyssey might say that Odysseus' irresponsible and reckless actions in the domain of the Cyclops might reveal to the Phaiakans and Ithacans that Odysseus was partly responsible for the deaths of his comrades. Through closer examination of the text, it can be inferred that the Phaiakans observe that Odysseus was greatly.