Tim Henshaw

Mrs. Mulvey/Parrott
English 1P/Period 2
June 5, 2017

Collection 6 Summative Essay

Change is a good thing, but change is something that could ether make or break a person.
In the story The Odyssey we follow our hero through many ruthless challenges on his way
home to ithaca after fighting in the battle of troy. Through this journey our hero Odysseus
changes and learns many new things about the world. In the story The Cruelest Journey we
follow Kira Salak as she makes her way through the niger river from Malian town of old Segou
to Timbuktu. By the end of her journey she has learned a new outlook on life. I believe that
Characters can change in many ways throughout a story for example the character odysseus in
the odyssey changes by going from someone who didn't care much for the god and only really
cared for Athena to someone who has gained more respect for the god and goddesses. Also Kira
in The Cruelest Journey changes by doing the impossible and learns new things through the
niger river.

The character odysseus in the odyssey goes from someone that was hubris and has little
respect for the gods and goddesses. In the Odyssey odysseus travels to the land of troy to finish
the trojan war, but on his way back home odysseus faces many challenges causing his journey to
take longer than expected and by the time he gets back home his son is 20 years old. When
odysseus reaches a land of cyclops and later escapes he shows a weakness and gets over
confident and says Tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye(homer 417-418) this
quote shows that odysseus got over confident and was hubris giving away his true identity to
poseidon's son. This shows his lack of respect for the gods and then is punished for those
actions.latter it is shown that the gods see odysseus's change and help him take back his house.
At last athenas presence becomes known to all, as the shape of her shield becomes visible
above the hall (Homer 135-136).this show that the gods are seeing his change and decide to
help. This shows that internally odysseus has change his view on the gods and they acknowledge
that and protect him. Another character that change is Kira Salak from The Cruelest Journey

In the Cruelest Journey Kira changes her view of what journey truly are after crossing
the niger river. At first Kira sees a journey as something you do because it's something you want
to do. In the beginning of the story she says let's do it, (Salak 17) She says this knowing that
no one has made this trip be for, showing that that she determined on what she wants to do. This
shows that she sees a journey as something that you just do. But later she sees it as it's to gain a
new part of you It is as if the Niger still keeps a part of me(Salak 269-270). This shows that
she now thinks that she is now part of the river. This show that after the journey she now sees it
as something more than just something to do and instead thinks of it as part of her.

Overall both characters change their outlooks on their everyday life odysseus changed his
outlook on the gods and Kira changed her outlook on what a journey is. This can be related to
my life in how my freshman year has changed me. I have also changed my outlook on life and
now see that school is something i should look forward to and enjoy. Finally I believe that
journey can change people in many ways but for the most part change in some one is good.