An article in the New York Time called “Germany, Unscathed, Remains a Hub of Terrorism Scare” shows a resemblance to the Odyssey. In the article, Germany is basically showing how great of a nation it is and downplaying the negative things in the country. For example, the article states “This wealthy port city advertises its bustling canals and bridges and its towering 19th century churches to draw visitors from around the world. It is less interested in drawing more attention to Al Quds Mosque, where the Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta prayed and which has become a destination for jihadi tourism.” Germany makes it seem as if the area is a great place to reside, however, they downplay the potential danger the area has. In the Odyssey a similar situation occurs, when Odysseus is leading a group of crew members and they are placed in a difficult situation. Odysseus leads them towards Scylla a six-headed monster instead of Charybdis, a giant whirlpool and is shown when Odysseus shouts
‘You helmsman, here’s your order- burn it in your mind- the steering oar of our rolling ship is in your hands. Keep her clear of that smoke and surging breakers, head for those crags or she’ll catch you off guard, she’ll yaw over there- you’ll plunge us all in ruin!’ So [He] shout[s].” (A, 405-406)
Odysseus order shows how he downplays the path towards Scylla by not mentioning how dangerous Scylla is and only mentions how dangerous Charydbis is. The article and the Odyssey show how in both scenario, leaders deceive the ones they lead because the leaders believe it would cause more harm. The leader in the article would be Germany leading its citizens and the leader in the Odyssey is Odysseus leading his crew members.
Slackman, Michael. “Germany, Unscathed, Remains a Hub of the Terrorism Scare.” New York Times. 13 Oct 2010.
Link:
