Part 2

There's so many arguments when Odysseus is first introduced. There's the first one between Athena and Zeus, in which Zeus is confused by Athena's sudden desire to see Odysseus's suffering end since she was the source of it. I guess it demonstrates Athena's affection towards him. Then there's the arugment between Hermes and Circe. There's so much information in that argument. There's the topic of male security and insecurities, the fear of women power, and the question of whether or not the gods are superior or if it's just their super natural powers that make them so. They're personalities she argues are not superior, which means that mentally they're equivalent to if not at times inferior to men. There's many times in the poem where men are challenged by women for a number of reasons but this was definitely one of the more complicated arguments. Then there's the discussion between Circe and Odysseus where he's confused about his freedom. I wonder about what kind of woman would want a man who cries about another woman all day. Odysseus's choice to stay mortal touches on what Circe and Hermes were discussing. In that moment he asserts that mortality is better than immortality. And all of his suffering begins. It begs the question of if he would be as famous if he were a god and not traveled all that way or if he is more famous as a mortal. Maybe it would be the same.