He is clearly an incompetent ruler which is proved by his preference for personal heroism rather than what’s best for his people. He describes mother as aged, is he not the same age as her, he may even be mentality older after all his travels and adventures. All that’s kept her together these long years was the faint hope of him coming home ands now to just leave without reason has torn her apart like a rip in her heart.
Why does he call the kingdom dull and why does he believe I will relish the opportunity to be given the sceptre and the isle which he clearly believed to be insufficient to meet his needs. I believe it to be one clear call to me to face the task ahead. He sees himself as a gallant hero whereas others have come to see him as a coward and a failure. He may be surprised at this but it is not when I consider his real views of the people of Ithaca, rugged, these people who remained loyal to him. However maybe he has good reasons to leave, only which he voiced in the absence of others.
He seems to describe me in mundane explanations, he assumes of my willingness to labour on. I would have liked him to take my thoughts much more into considerations when he made these plans rather than concentrating purely on himself. He seems to call me blameless. In a way I take this well, because it is the only sign of him taking other peoples emotions and feelings into account. However I am angered by the fact that although I am blameless, I have all the responsibility given to the person who should take the blame! He leaves me the reign of a fully fledged kingdom although he never spendt any time with me as a child because of his constant travels; it therefore angers me that he refers to me so personally in the poem, he really doesn’t know me at all.
Although I may enjoy the opportunity to rule over my very own illustrious kingdom, I don’t feel like I am ready for this. This makes me worry if he was ever in any fit state to do anything. He refers to it mainly as a sequence of common duties. Whereas I have a feeling deep down that it will be alot more than that and I am sure that he knows it to.
I also question whether, at his age, he should be attacking such a journey head on. He should, in my opinion, live out the rest of his life quietly ruling over the kingdom instead of facing imminent death for him and the poor men he has dragged into it. He may believe it to be honourable but he is going on a dangerous trip for no good reason a sign of honour or is it just selfish and unwise? He seems quite happy to abandon me and mother again. I can’t really understand what he is dragging his poor mariners into. Does he know? The full consequence of what he’s doing, not only for himself but for them aswell. I know little of travelling, adventure or ruling over a kingdom, but I do know what is right and wrong. I believe this decision to be morally incorrect.
Word count - 799
