Ulysses

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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Ulysses

            Growing old is part of life and no human being can defy this form of nature. In my experience, as a person grows up, they become wiser and learn more each day. Aging should be viewed as a sign of mental maturity, and not just physical. People pursue their dreams under all means, and when they are achieved, happiness fills them and many choose to rest and have time to reflect on the events of life. Dying in old age around your loved ones is one of the things men wish to achieve. Failing to accept age is just a sign that one has not achieved all their dreams in life, and would wish to have more time to pursue their dreams further. However, age should not act to restrict one from pursuing their passion in life if they still want to.

Aging is part of life to be accepted, but it does not mean one should stop pursuing something they love. Ulysses pursued his dream of traveling the whole world until an old age, but could not come to terms with accepting old age as something to stop him from continuing to travel the world. According to Ulysses, old age should not be accepted to stop a person from continuing with a course they have so much loved. He does not agree to rest at home and wait for death. Rather, he chooses to continue living the life he has lived despite being sure old age might take him down while still on his quest to explore the world. In my experience, only those who have not achieved what they seek in life never accept old age as something to be happy about. Ulysses may have achieved a lot else considering that he has won many battles and has experienced a lot at his youthful days. He should take care of the maters that he did not during his younger days, rather than choosing to continue with what he has done since he was a youth.

When people grow old, they choose to stay at home especially if they have not been around for a long time due to work. For Ulysses, he chooses to ignore some matters he needs to take care of, and expects his son to do it for him. He has not lived to fulfill his duties and responsibility as a father to his son, and a husband to his wife as well as a king to his kingdom. He has always been away, and has not taught his son any skills of leadership. This is the time to teach his son how to be a leader, even though he claims he is already one, it is not justifiable considering he has not had his father as a role model. The thought that Ulysses cannot come to terms with his advancing age is that he cannot accept his failures as a leader, and chooses to continue with his usual course of sailing while he should be around his people. His people have not enjoyed having their leader around.

In my experience of growing older, I have learnt that there is time for working and time for resting after a long pursuit. A man should work when he is supposed to, and rest when it is rest time. In life, there is time when one should work to achieve his dreams and there is time to hand over the course to others. When one grows old, it is time to rest and enjoy the fruits of his labor from his youthful days. Ulysses fails to accept old age in order to continue his usual course of sailing, which he has made his work when he says, “He works his work, I mine,”( Wilkie and  Hurt 978). His idea is that age should not yield a person’s will, which is quite true when he says, “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,” (Wilkie and  Hurt 978). People should not wield their will and inside power despite age yielding their body. However, people should accept old age and realize there is time for everything, including time to rest. The idea that one should seek new courses to live for when they are old instead of resting according to my experience is not welcome . However, for Ulysses, a man who has lived his life in battles, dying in a battle would probably be an honor for him.

Note

This is a response to topic number five.

Works Cited

Wilkie, Brian and Hurt, James. Literature of the Western World, Volume II: Neoclassicism Through the Modern Period, 5/E. Chicago, IL: Longman 2001. Print