Odysseus is a character in the play “Odysseus and the Sirens” who is a captain on a ship and endures Sirens on his way home. Lani is a girl in the story “Temptation Blues” who gets lost in the woods after following some deer. In my opinion, Odysseus had the biggest challenge because he had been through a lot of issues, the Sirens were tempting, but passing the Sirens’ island was the only way home, and he was responsible for all the sailors on the ship.
First, Odysseus had been through many problems, like facing a cyclops and being imprisoned by Circe on an island with his crewmates turned into pigs. According to “Odysseus and the Sirens,” “We’ve heard about the weird fruit that the Lotus-eaters gave your crew that made your men forget about home.” This tells us that Odysseus has had so many issues in the past, and the crew were finally allowed to go home from the island after one whole year. They had survived so much and could go home with tales of the century, meeting their families for the first time in forever. In “Temptation Blues,” Lani only got lost in the woods, and she hadn’t experienced any turmoil before.
Next, the Sirens were tempting, but passing their island was the only way to get home. Based on “Odysseus and the Sirens,” “Anyone who has ever heard the song of the Sirens has perished on the rocks.” This means that anyone who had heard the Sirens’ song has crashed into the rocks, never to be seen again. So, Odysseus and his crewmates had to prepare and make sure that they didn’t hear the enticing, evil mermaids’ song. He wasn’t just risking his own life—one tiny mistake could be the end of his whole crew. Meanwhile, in “Temptation Blues,” Lani only had to resist berries.
Last, Odysseus was responsible for all the sailors, which means he had to think of a plan that protected not only him but the sailors too. As mentioned in “Odysseus and the Sirens,” “Three to six sailors, members of Odysseus’s crew.” This shows that Odysseus had many sailors to take care of, and he needed to make sure that all of them were safe. In “Temptation Blues,” Lani only had to care for herself, while Odysseus had to safeguard all of his crewmates. It was a do-or-die situation for Odysseus, for the Sirens were a problem no one could prepare for. On the contrary, Lani’s parents had “drilled her on what to do in different emergencies.” This made it difficult because it put pressure on Odysseus, since all of the crew’s lives were at stake, and they had to get home.
Some may say that Lani had the biggest challenge because she was young, was all alone, and was tempted by berries when she was hungry, but I disagree. They also might say that Odysseus had backup, which were his sailors, but his “backup” were people he had to protect and take care of. Lani’s berries didn’t call to her, but the Sirens Odysseus faced didn’t just look strikingly appealing; they sang deliciously entrancing songs too!
In conclusion, Odysseus had the biggest challenge because he had been through many issues beforehand, the Sirens were tempting, but that was the only way home, and he was responsible for his crewmates. Odysseus’s situation, pressure, and deadly consequences are a far bigger challenge than Lani’s solitary test of determination and resourcefulness while lost in the woods. Both characters had to resist temptation, but only Odysseus had to carry the weight of his crewmates, and that makes his challenge a true matter of life and death.
