Why Read the Classics? What The Odyssey Can Teach Us

With the release of Christopher Nolan’s new film adaptation of The Odyssey, this ancient tale has once again become a topic of conversation in households and communities. At a time when popular culture can often seem dominated by football and increasingly shallow humor, it is refreshing to see one of the great works of Western literature brought into the mainstream. The debate and controversy surrounding the film make the conversation all the more interesting.

For years, there has been a growing effort in some educational circles to remove ancient classics such as The Odyssey from high school (and even college) reading lists. Some critics seem to evaluate the worth of an old book primarily by how closely its ideas align with the prevailing opinions of our own age. Ironically, this is one of the very reasons we should continue reading old books.

Great books challenge us. They introduce us to people, cultures, ideas, and ways of thinking that are different from our own. They force us to examine our assumptions and biases and, in so doing, expand our understanding of the world, human nature, and morality.

If we approach an ancient text only to determine whether it agrees with what we already believe, we have missed the point. Reading a book should not simply confirm our existing opinions. It should give us something to wrestle with. It should make us ask questions, reconsider assumptions, and perhaps even recognize truths we had not previously seen.

This is one reason classical education continues to place ancient works in front of students. Students benefit from encountering great literature from different times and places, not simply because these works are old, but because they have endured. Generation after generation has found something worthwhile in them. The greatest works of literature often endure because they speak to profound and lasting truths about the human condition. The Odyssey is a wonderful example.

Written thousands of years ago, the story explores experiences that remain remarkably familiar. Odysseus longs for home and struggles to remain faithful to it. His journey demonstrates the human tendency to be distracted by pleasure and comfort yet remain unfulfilled. The story also explores courage, perseverance, leadership, hospitality, family, and the consequences of our choices.

And it raises questions that are just as important for us today as they were for the ancient Greeks:

What makes a good leader?

How should we treat strangers?

How much do our choices shape the course of our lives?

What makes for a good and fitting marriage?

What does it mean to truly know another person?

These are not merely literary questions. They are questions about how we ought to live. Questions like these are at the heart of a good education. A student who wrestles seriously with them is doing more than developing reading comprehension or learning about an ancient civilization. He or she is learning to think carefully about human nature, virtue, relationships, and the kind of life worth living.

This is the purpose of a classical education: not simply to fill students' minds with information, but to form both their minds and their hearts. Great books give students the opportunity to encounter ideas worth considering, virtues worth pursuing, and failures from which they can learn.

So, if you find yourself watching Christopher Nolan’s new film adaptation of The Odyssey, or better yet reading the original Homer, let the story do more than entertain you. Set aside, as much as possible, the temptation to judge an ancient work solely by the standards and assumptions of our own moment. Instead, approach it with curiosity. Ask what Homer might have to teach us about ourselves.

You may find that a story written thousands of years ago still has something important to say. After all, the enduring value of the classics is not that they tell us what to think. It is that they invite us to wrestle with what is true, good, and beautiful.

Hillsdale College offers a free online course on The Odyssey, if you want to learn more as you read.

Continue Exploring The Odyssey https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/odyssey