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  • Essay / A Motif of Crossing Boundaries in Ancient Literature

    Crossing of boundaries and boundaries can occur in many different and unique ways. Whether crossing literal divisions, like mountains, rivers, and walls, or social divisions, like gender and cultural discrimination or the boundary between gods and humans, there are obstacles and challenges that one must overcome to achieve their goal of crossing the world. border they want. When a person sets out on a journey to cross certain boundaries, whether literal or figurative, they do so with a certain motive in mind, and they neither think nor care about the challenges or negative reactions they will face on their journey. path. However, as one crosses a “border”, their outlook on life changes. They somehow lose the sense of home, self, and country, and are disoriented and confused when they return home. Their journey can somehow change a person's beliefs and cause a person to lose their sense of who they are, where they belong, and feel at home. That being said, the feeling of pride and self-recognition one feels after achieving their goal outweighs the feeling of being lost and disoriented. In this unit we see this happening in almost every story and poem we have read. From Odysseus to Sinbad or from Ezekiel to Isaiah, each of them crosses boundaries on their journey and ultimately feels proud and accomplished for what they have done. Crossing borders is an arduous and exhausting task that can often change and disrupt a person's life for better or worse, but each person has a different reason why they do what they do, and ultimately matters, she feels it. was for the best and I have a great feeling of personal accomplishment. When a person begins to cross a border, he or she does so with certain motives, benefits, and opportunities in mind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIn the story of the Odyssey, Odysseus is on a mission to return home and reunite with his family. Odysseus has been separated from his family for twenty years and is on a mission to return home, and he realizes that he will have to cross many borders to do so. The story is about who Odysseus “met, the pain he endured in storms at sea, and how he worked to save his life and bring his men home.” As Odysseus attempts to return home, he arrives at the island of Calypso, who is a god, and there he crosses the boundary between mortals and gods as he interacts with the goddess Calypso. However, while Odysseus is there, Calypso does not let him go, so the Greek god Zeus sends Hermes, his son, to speak to Calypso because “Odysseus's eyes were still full of tears; he mourned the sweet life, wanting to return home, since it no longer pleased him. He had no choice. He spent his nights with her in her hollow cave, not wanting her even though she still wanted him. By day he sat on the rocky beach, in tears and sorrow, looking with sorrow at the barren sea.” This quote is so powerful that it shows that Odysseus sincerely wanted to return home and that was his motivation for taking this journey and crossing the borders. In Tales from the Arabian Nights of 1001 Nights, Sinbad the Sailor makes similar journeys to Odysseus, but his motivations are very different because he first wants to become rich, then finally, once rich, he goes on a journey because 'he isrestless and wants to be entertained. For example, after Sinbad the Sailor returned home to Baghdad from his second voyage, he did so with "a great number of diamonds, as well as cash and a splendid display of all kinds of merchandise ”, which in some way allowed him to cross the line between being poor and rich. Later in the story, Sinbad states that after returning from his second journey, he was happy and satisfied with the money he had earned, but then he "began to feel the need to travel again and see the world, as well as making profit by doing business", this is the reason why he undertook his third journey. Although Sinbad made similar journeys to Odysseus, we can see that his motivations were clearly different, and this is the case for many people when they cross borders. In the story of the prophet Ezekiel, the reason he crosses borders is to spread the word of God. Ezekiel crosses the line between humans and gods when he receives and is told that the word of God is spreading to the people of Israel. For example, when Ezekiel has a conversation with God about the people of Israel, God says, “Do not be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed concerning them, although they are a rebellious race; but tell them my words, whether they listen or not, they are rebellious” (Ezekiel). God then gives Ezekiel a scroll to eat and Ezekiel says, “He gave me this scroll to eat, as he said to me, ‘Mortal, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I give you. “I ate it and it seemed as sweet as honey.” It is unique and interesting that when Ezekiel eats the scroll, which is a piece of paper, he states that it tastes like honey to him, because eating the scroll represents receiving the word of God to spread, hence the fact that it tastes like honey. like honey to Ezekiel means he is motivated and excited to get the message out. Likewise, the prophet Isaiah's motive and reason for crossing the boundary between humans and gods is so that he can propagate the word of God. However, in this story, God's message is very different. The “wrath of God arose against his people” because he felt there was a lack of faith and hypocrisy in Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah there to spread his message that a major catastrophe would strike the city until “all nations recognized the danger.” one true God.” Whether for personal gain, to spread the word of others, or to return to a place where one once lived, everyone has a different motive and reason for crossing borders. When we undertake a journey to cross a border, we run into great dangers. Whether it's the power of a god or a non-human being, the effects of nature, the negative reactions of people they meet on their journey, or people with opposing views, there is a variety dangers that may be encountered. they “cross borders”. “In The Odyssey, we see a multitude of dangers that Odysseus faces as he attempts to return home. Particularly notable is the interaction between Odysseus and the cyclops known as Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. Odysseus arrives on Polyphemus' island and enters his cave without him being there, but when Polyphemus returns, Polyphemus begins to eat Odysseus' men and declares that he will save Odysseus for last. However, Odysseus manages to blind Polyphemus and escape by stabbing him in the eye with a wooden stake. Although this allows Odysseus to escape, he then encounters further danger when Polyphemus speaks to his father and says: "ListenEarth Shaker, blue-haired Lord Poseidon: recognize me as your son and be my father. Grant that Odysseus, the city wrecker, never returns home. Or if he is scheduled to see his family again, and arrives there late and without honor, in pain and without ships, and after having caused the death of all his men, and finds even more trouble in his own house. .After hearing this, Poseidon destroys Odysseus' ship, leaving Odysseus stranded in the ocean until he reaches an island. These examples show that when one tries to cross a border, one may encounter danger not from a supernatural or unnatural being, but rather from people in the real world who don't like them and want to see them fail on their journey. In the story of Tales from the Arabian Nights, Sinbad, like Odysseus, encounters foreign creatures who want to destroy him. For example, on his third journey, Sinbad states that he encountered a large black creature that was "examining" each of his men, in their own way, "the butcher examines a sheep to slaughter it", until he came across the strongest man he killed and then ate. Although today in the real world it is neither practical nor possible to encounter such creatures. when traveling to cross a border, they figuratively represent the challenges one will face when meeting people with opposing views. In the poems of the Exeter Books there are many examples of the dangers one can face when crossing a border. For example, in The Seafarer, The Wanderer, and The Wife's Lament, the three main characters are sent into exile and "cross the line" between a life of promise and prosperity and a life in exile full of danger. and the horrors of loneliness, worry and sorrow. In The Wife's Lament, the narrator recounts how she was sent into exile and forced "to live in a forest grove, under an oak tree in an earth cave", and now she must live with the dangers of being alone and the problem to have a lot of sorrow. The dangers one faces when crossing a border do not necessarily have to be physical dangers. This example shows that crossing a boundary can have a negative emotional and social effect on a person's well-being. This is also highlighted in The Wanderer, as the narrator states that from the time he was sent into exile, he was "troubled in his mind" and longed for mercy. Throughout the journey of crossing a border, many challenges and dangers arise along the way, but each person acts and reacts differently, which in some way can change and disrupt the feeling of a person of who she is and her place. The long and arduous journey one undertakes to cross a border, whether physical or social, can take its toll on a person and ultimately disrupt one's conception of home, self and country. In The Odyssey, as Odysseus finally returns home, he does so as a different person. From the moment Odysseus began his journey to return to Ithaca, he did so with the thought in mind that he was the king of Ithaca and wanted his power and fame back. This causes Odysseus to brag and boast about who he is throughout his journey. For example, after Odysseus blinds Polyphemus and begins to leave his island, he shouts "Cyclops!" If a mortal asks you how your eye was mutilated and made blind, say that Odysseus, the city-scavenger, son of Laertes, who dwells in Ithaca, destroyed your sight” (The Odyssey). This kind of boasting that Odysseus makes on his return journey is not like him, for in his house in Ithaca he was.