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Fitri Teddy

Ms. Johnson
English
3/4/2014

The Odyssey is a poem by Homer that tells the story of Odysseus homecoming. It
took him about 20 years to return to his homeland, Ithaca, after the Trojan war. The Odyssey
tells us the story of the struggles and problems Odysseus has to get through in order to get
back to his family. Being in a war is seriousl. One has to really commit to it and bet ones life
on it. Everything wont be the same upon return. Odysseus goes through many trials to be
able to return to his hometown. Events with Cyclops and the God of Sea, Poseidon, has
delayed Odysseus' return home and his reunion with his family. They have caused various
storms and high winds to push Odysseus further from Ithaca, and at one point caused a
shipwreck that drowned all his crew. All the trials experienced by Odysseus to return home
remind us of the problem almost all veterans and soldiers are facing, of course, in a different
context. When warriors were done in war, another war began in themselves. Trauma, injury,
and stress from war itself changed them. Sometimes without realizing it, they have come
home a different person from the one who left home for war. In Charlotte Higgins article
from the British newspaper, The Guardian, The Odyssey: A Soldiers Road Home, she
states The Odyssey invites us to ask can soldiers ever, truly, return home? (page 2, line
15).This is true for three reasons: There is a relationship between Odysseus homecoming
struggles and veterans problems returning home, They both change mentally and physically
because of their war experience. War impacts the veterans lives entirely. Odysseus, active
duty soldiers, and veterans

experience the same problems in the process of their

homecoming. Odysseus encountered obstacles when he came home and tried to reunite with

his wife and children. Instead, the veterans are now fighting to come home in the real sense;
come home and without bringing along a war inside themselves.

Article made by Higgins describe another Odysseus in the 21st century, they are the
veterans. So, what is actually the relationship between all the veterans and the Odyssey?
Odysseus got into troubles and problems a lot when he tried to go home. Even the God,
Poseidon, make it harder for him to returns home. With all of those problems, he still has a
great motivation to reunited with his family. With these trials, Odysseus still say "What I
want and all my days I pine for is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming.
And if some good batters me far out on the wine-blue water, I will endure it "(chapter 5, line
219-224). This case showed us that after come back from the Trojan War, Odysseus has
another war to face, a war to come home. Almost the same problem, but different context,
veterans and soldiers are facing another war after come out from one war. Higgins states
"coming out of one war to another war" (page 1, line 5) and she also states that "every war
has its after-war" (page 2, line 25). Problems that most of the veterans and soldiers are facing
in their homecoming is not God who prevented them from returning home, the real problem
is the war within themselves. A problem to not bring the war back home with them. The
trauma, suffered, and scars they got already changed them in so many ways ,both physically
and mentally.

Speaking about changes that many soldiers and veterans face both mental and
physical has changed their lives entirely. Higgins states that "The wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have created some 500,000 roomates Mentally Wounded American veterans"
(page 2, line 26). Higgins also stated that almost 20-30 % of the two million US soldiers
deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home with post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI). They got depression, anixety, nightmares, memory
problems, personality changes and suicidal thoughts. In her article, Higgins showed how
serious the problems with the veterans after war by showing the report by the Department of
Veteran Affairs that 22 US veterans killed themselves everyday, while in the UK more
soldiers and veterans killed themselves in 2012 than died in combat in Afghanistan.
Surprisingly suicide is now as threatening to soldiers as bombs and guns. There is a wife of
the veteran said that her husband has come back as a different person. How about
Odysseus? What are the changes he experience when he returned home? Homer states in the
Odyssey But now brilliant Odysseus awake from sleep in his own father land, and he did not
know it, having been long away (chapter 23, line 26). Odysseus even wondering what are
the people whose land he has come to this time. He was wondering who he is and he has seen
changes while he was gone. He kept the war for himself. The war of confussion within
himself. On the other way, he lost his memories about his hometown after being away for so
long. Its "back from war, but not really home" because Odysseus doesnt really have
memories about Ithaca, after 20 years being far from home.

All the problems faced by Odysseus and veterans today have changed their lives.
Many veterans come home changed Mentally and physically. When they come home, they
are not the same person anymore. Odysseus made a successful homecoming after all and
reunited with his family. Odysseus is smart and wise. Thats also help him to get through the
process of homecoming itself. But not all veterans are Odysseus. Every person has the ability
to control himself and make sure he does not bring the war home with him. Higgins stated
that "unless you play things right, you'll be destroyed at home-even though you won the war"
(page 3, line 10-11). Someone said to Odysseus, Glorious Odysseus, what you are after is
sweet homecoming, but the God will make it hard for you. I think you will not escape Shaker

of the Earth, who holds a grudge against you in his heart, and because you blinded his dear
son, hates you. But even so and still you might come back, after much suffering, if you can
contain your own desire, and contain your companions (chapter 11, line 100-105). Each
person has the tendency to control and decides their future. From the homecoming, Odysseus
learnt about life after death is an empty existance lacking any satisfaction or fulfillment.
Odysses grown up after his long experience.

Struggle pursued by the hero on the battlefield is enormous. Not only they isk their
lives in the name of the country on the battlefield, but they also have to face problems after
the war. Many of them come home with all kinds of problems . Another war taking place
within them. Changing them unconsciously into a different figure. After the many things they
have been through, we have to appreciate the heroes higher. What have they sacrificed for
the country? Their lives.

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