As Benjamin
Disraeli once said, Through perseverance, many people win success
out of what seemed to be destined certain failure. (Disraeli) The
Odyssey, by Homer, The Journey, by Mary Oliver, and The Cruelest
Journey, by Kira Salak, are all works with complex characters that
all undergo a particular quest, and face numerous conflicts and
adversities along the way. The
Odysseytells
the tale of
Odysseusas he
undergoes a long and harrowing journey back to his homeland of
Ithaca. In The
Journey, the speaker is aiming to break away from living for
others, and journeys to find her confidence and her voice. The
Cruelest Journey details the true story of Kira Salaks physical
and mental journey as she embarks on a 600 mile journey from
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He ...drove
his ...big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and
cheered
his ...men along with battle talk to keep their courage
up... (Homer 380) Odysseus was challenged in facing the Cyclops,
and had to persevere through the torture of being trapped in a cave
with a savage monster, as well as having to witness his men
literally being torn apart and eaten alive. He also had to
persevere through the agony of having to strategically think and
come up with a plan in this extremely chaotic environment, as well
as physically facing the Cyclops. The author uses this conflict to
emphasize the vitality of perseverance in Odysseuss quest. In
order to escape the Cyclops, he had to really think and persevere
through a number of terrifyingly stressful situations. Yet another
obstacle in Odysseus path that he had to persevere through was the
Sirens, creatures with voices so enticing, it would be impossible
for anyone to restrain themselves from following them solely with
their own willpower. However, their voices masked their true
nature, as they ate any men who followed their voice and came near
them. Odysseus had to travel and lead his men through the Sirens,
and he had to
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However, after
she had taken on the quest, she has an epiphany, and realizes that
perseverance is key to finding success. In addition to conflict,
metaphor is used to emphasize the speakers epiphany. Throughout
the poem, the speaker speaks in the voice of the reader, and
begins the poem by boldly stating that ...one day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept
shouting
(Oliver 1-4) The speaker wants to reach the mental
destination of confidence and independence from others. She
initially embarks on the quest to reach this mental place, however,
she gathers other lessons upon taking on her quest. Throughout her
journey, the speaker faces a number of situations where she is held
back by others. She is weighed down by their begging to her for her
time, and her assistance. For the longest time, she has been
restrained by the ...old tug at
her ...ankles, and shes been
used to hearing voices constantly saying Mend my life! (Oliver
6-11) The speaker has been unable to live and speak for herself
because of all of the people around her trying to get involved in
her life. This external conflict she faces with those around her
proves her need to reach her
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