Book 12 of Homer’s Odyssey

In Book 12 of Homer’s Odyssey, Circe warns that any man who hears the bewitching Sirens’ voices as he passes them on a ship will never reach his homeland. While Odysseus prevents his men from hearing the Sirens’ voices by plugging their ears with wax, he does not plug his own and instead ties himself to the mast of the ship in order to hear them. What does his decision to accept himself in order to hear the Sirens suggest about Odysseus’ relationship with his shipmates and, consequently, his values and priorities? Are there events in the other Books assigned for this course that support your assessment of his relationship with his crew and, thus, his priorities? Use examples (quotations) from these books in your explanation. Answer: In Homer’s Odyssey, Circe gave a warning that whoever listens to the luring song of Sirens would die. The Greeks believed that the sounds of the sirens compel sailors to wreck their ships, but the...