GREEK CODE OF CONDUCT
By Jessica Bujak and Alex Burkhardt
RULE #1: Citizens MUST obey the laws of the Gods
DO NOT: Ignore the Gods. On p.737 "Disobedience angers the sun God, ... Zeus sends down a thunderbolt to sink Odysseus' ship."
RULE #2: Citizens MUST be physically and intellectually fit
DO NOT: Let someone outsmart you. When Odysseus met Polyphemus, he was seen as a barbarian and was very gullible. Due to this, Odysseus had an easier time outsmarting him.
RULE #3: Citizens MUST always stay loyal to their people and men
DO NOT: Abandon or put your men in danger. On p.911 Odysseys says to the Cyclops "If ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus raider of cities, took your eye." By saying this, Odysseus only made the Cyclops' anger grow, putting his crew into grave danger.
RULE #4: ALWAYS welcome those who come peacefully to your land
DO NOT: Be rude and unwelcoming to visitors. Polyphemus is the anti-example of a good host and does not welcome Odysseus to his home.
RULE #5: Citizens must ALWAYS defend the good against evil
DO NOT: Choose to fight for evil. In book 12, "That nightmare cannot die, being eternal evil itself--horror, and pain, and chaos; there is no fighting her, no power can fight her..." In this conversation, Circe represents good and fighting against Scylla is bad.
RULE #6: Citizens must ALWAYS protect and defend their home land
DO NOT: Let people take over your home or home land. In book 1, "[Telemachus] was sitting with the suitors, his heart troubled, picturing in his mind how his noble father might get back, scatter the suitors from his home, win honor for himself, and regain control of his own household."