In The Odyssey, readers are introduced to a great Greek hero, Odysseus. After fighting an infamous war in Troy, most of the warriors returned home, all except the king of Ithica, Odysseus. Ten years elapsed and most of the townspeople gave up on the hope of Odysseus’s arrival. However, Odysseus’s wife , Penelope, and son, Telemachus, still believed he would return home. Meanwhile, suitors from all over Ithica were trying to take over the kingdom and court. During this time, Odysseus faced many obstacles in order to return home. He had to battle with the Cyclopes , Polyphemus, who was held captive by the Goddess Calypso and survived a brutal storm sent by Poisdon as punishment for blinding the Cyclops while he was at sea. Even through all these unfortunate events, Odysseus was determined to be reunited with his family. In book nine we read “So nothing is as sweet as a man’s own country”. Odysseus had a great longing to return home and would do go through even more hardships if it would mean he could return to his kingdom and family.
We can compare Odysseus’s determination to the recent headlines of the Chilean miners. Since August 5th, 33 Chilean men had been trapped in an underground mine. At first, no one had known if they were alive. After a starteling discovery of two notes sent by the trapped miners, rescue missions began. The mission was seen as a challenge from the start since no one had ever attempted to go so far underground. Engineers worked day after day to build a hole that would bring the men back to safety. On October 12th, after much aniticipation the miners were finally rescued. Much like Odysseus, the miners had undergone a struggle to return home. Most of their resources were limited, they were living in poor health conditions and couldn’t see their family for 68 days. However these men were determined to get home and kept positive that their life wasn’t over. In a quote from the New York Times article “Trapped 68 days, first Chilean miners taste freedom” written by Alexei Barrionuevo and Simon Romero, we read “during their more then two months confinement, the miners and their determination to survive have inspired this country and riveted the world”. Both the story of The Odyssey and the 33 Chilean miners teach us that once you set a goal for yourself you can accomplish it, and even though you might have to go through some obstacles, the reward will be that much greater.
