Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey,” is required reading in many American high schools, and the name was just so recognizable Olympia Media Group decided to name this website after it. But what would Odysseus think of this, the fictitious hero from which the word “Odyssey” comes from?
Well, the obvious answer would be very confused. In the context of his own story, Odysseus was a man from another time. The Odyssey is an online-only publication, and he would dismiss the very computer he would need to access it as some strange magic. He might be fascinated by our reliance on the written word, seeing as The Odyssey was originally a tale derived from the oral tradition, and was meant to be sung.
If he could indeed adapt to modern language and develop the literacy he would need to experience this site fully, he might also pick up on our deep, ingrained corporate influences, as he lived in a culture devoid of those. We are preconditioned from childhood to be assaulted by thousands of ads, tv shows, articles, etc. that all have some sort of agenda they want to push on the reader. Sometimes these messages are subliminal, and other times they are in your face. No piece of writing is completely devoid of this, though corporatism would primarily assault Odysseus by way of ads on this website.
Of course, that’s assuming that he doesn’t dismiss everything he sees as blasphemy or some strange workings of the Gods, speaking of which, this website would make him re-evaluate what he thought he thinks he knows about the cosmos. He might wonder why nobody was fearful of the Gods, and be perplexed by the monotheistic religions that developed after his story was made. He might not even grasp the concept of religion, as in his story, the Gods were a reality people lived in fear of everyday, not a product of human storytelling and belief.
Still, if he is able to come to terms
with that, which would be a lot to process, he might wonder what the point of
our writing is. With no true battle in the modern age, he might spend his time
thinking, trying to decipher our modern world, and if he comes across The
Odyssey (this website), he might be humbled. He might wonder why Olympia Media Group used
his name for this platform, what they were hoping to accomplish. He would read
a few pieces from this web site, some of which he might respect for their
ideas, some of which he would not, but he would wonder why these pieces of
writing were being done in his name.
Of course, warrior that he is, there is a possibility that, in the modern age,
he would pick up the ways of the gun, and reject our modern notions of
learning, especially if he’s confined to a traditional modern education. A
warrior like Odysseus learns by doing, and he was clever enough for his time,
but his education was nowhere near even a middle school level. In this
scenario, he would never log onto a computer or come across The Odyssey
website, he’d be off fighting some war, or partaking in a sport, or enjoying
all the wonders of modern exercise.
How would Odysseus think of The Odyssey website? Only Homer could know for sure.
