The nature of a civilized, rather than uncivilized, society or person depends on perspective. Customs dear to one culture can potentially offend others. Wise travelers remain aware of location before flashing a thumbs-up or blowing their nose in public: While common in America, these are crude and uncivilized gestures for many other cultures. Indeed, civilization is determined by its source, and no author captures the essence of civilization better than Homer in his epic poem, The Odyssey. Homer describes ancient Greek values ​​as the pinnacle of civilization. He contrasts Odysseus with the Cyclopes, the Laestrygonians, and the Lotus Eaters, who appear barbaric or uncouth because they reject Greek thought and traditional Greek principles. However, this inability to approach new cultures and places with sensitivity to differences says more about Ulysses' ethnocentric values ​​than about the cultures he encounters. Ulysses refuses to see beyond his own values, demonstrating that he himself cares little about observing civilization towards other cultures and only considers his own vision of the world as ideal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Oddly enough, Polyphemus the Cyclops shows a different level of civilization: he knows all his sheep and takes care of his animals regularly. However, due to Polyphemus' other practices, which were considered uncivilized by the Greeks, Odysseus neglects his civilized actions and considers him barbaric. As he approaches the Cyclops' cave, he is already prejudiced, expecting "a man of great strength, but savage, who knows neither justice nor law," essentially a creature who acts more on instinct than intellect (Rouse 110). Many of Odysseus' impressions, however, are misleading. He believes that “no one cares about his neighbors” in Cyclopean culture, but when he stabs Polyphemus, friends come to find out what is wrong (Rouse 108). Their culture, in fact, shows many "civilized" practices shared with the Greeks. For example, they have an advanced language, often used especially by Polyphemus, whose name comes from the Latin roots for "much" and "to speak", so it literally translates to "he speaks much". Instead of grasping the scope of Cyclopean cultural development, Odysseus only notes how they differ from the Greeks and, consuming their hosts, fail to observe xenia. Leaving the island, Odysseus proclaims his own ideals while mocking Polyphemus' lifestyle and his now useless eye by saying, "You had no scruples in devouring your guests in your house, so vengeance has fallen upon you from Zeus and the sky gods." !" (Rouse 117). Apparently, two cultures can only see eye to eye when one of them is blind. Odysseus sees the Laestrygonians as immoral, inhospitable, and unintelligent, mainly because they are man-eaters who want to throw boulders at the crew of Odysseus, and are therefore devoid of the characteristics by which the Greeks define civilization; however, despite the perceived differences between the two cultures, Odysseus slaughters suitors for his wife in much the same way that the king of the Laestrygonians slaughters his visitors unwanted after hearing that they had arrived at his home and “found his wife… and hated her on sight” (Rouse 122). This suggests a certain degree of similarity at the heart of both of these cultures, and yet, still one time, Odysseus hypocritically looks down on them because of their separate customs. The many parallels between his actions and what he considers uncivilized are lost on him because of his arrogance. The Lotus Eaters exemplify complacency, and the their detachment from civilized practices horrifies me.