#4

4. Find a connection between The Odyssey and some other piece of literature. This could be a similarity between characters or events. Be sure to write this as if your reader has no knowledge of either story.

In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the protagonist, Odysseus, is quite similar to the protagonist Santiago, from the novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Odysseus is trying to sail back home after the 10 year long Trojan War, and Santiago tries to catch a huge fish far out in the sea. So obviously, they are both sea-faring men. They are both captains of their own ships. They both are also very determined. Santiago puts his life at great risk by going too far out at sea and trying to catch a giant fish. But, he stays out there, days on end, trying to catch the fish, and trying to survive. The line that he tries to catch the fish with cuts up his hands to the point where they look like hamburger meat. But he still holds on. He also had to fight off many sharks on his way back home. Odysseus is also very determined. He is trying to get himself and his crew back home, to the island of Ithaca. He faces many challenges along the way, like being imprisoned by a cyclops, named Polyphemus. Also, his crew opened a bag of wind which sent them far back to sea when they were in sight of Ithaca. He and his crew had to pass the notorious island of Sirens and then had to pass between a monster and whirlpool, too. But Odysseus and Santiago keep going, and they both eventually make it home. So overall, I would say the two are quite similar.