“ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;”
The “ports” are referring to new places that an individual should visit and see for the first time. Mother of pearl and the other precious stones and items are imageries of the important joyful moments in life and achievements; whether they are large moments like achieving a goal or just a small moment where something happens along your way to accomplishing your goals, they are all equally important and precious.
The author states in the poem that Individuals should not let anything get in the way of achieving their goals and should never give up. “The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops, angry Poseidon” are allusions to three types of beings who are powerful and seeked to delay or destroy Odysseus on his return journey from Troy to Ithaca. . If an individual wanted to swim the channel but could not swim that would be their Cyclops or if a person wanted to be a singer but had a lisp that would be their angry Poseidon. Throughout Odysseus’ journey he encountered many challenges but he was determined to return to Ithaca and to his wife so he managed to overcome the challenges due to the fact that he was aware of what he wanted and did not let anything get in his way. This lesson transcends into everyday life as well, therefore the author is expressing that if an individual is aware of their goals in life they should be determined to achieve them. They should, like Odysseus, not let challenges and problems in life interfere with their ultimate aim to achieve their goals. An individual should not just give up as soon as a difficulty arises, “Do not fear them”, otherwise the individual will never get anywhere in life and later on will most likely feel some form of regret towards not attempting to get past the problem that arouse. The author clearly explains that if an attempt is made to overcome the problem, then it should not interfere with the goals due to the fact that this will lead to the individual ceasing to see them as a problem and see them more as another goal to complete, throughout the journey of life. “you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul, unless your soul raise them up before you”, shows that as long as a person is thinking positively and is determined that anything can be achieved.
One of the most important messages expressed in the poem is that the Journey is the important part, therefore it does not matter if the goal is achieved but it matters that something is learnt on the journey to achieve it. One of the joys mentioned in the poem is “to visit many Egyptian cities, to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.” In the ancient world, Egypt was a center of learning, especially its capital city, Alexandria, which was one of the largest cities in the world and contained the largest library. This is a form of imagery that is used to show that when new places are visited, or new experiences are completed a person’s knowledge will always increase. “Have Ithaca always in your mind. Your arrival there is what you are destined for.” Any traveler of the journey of life, must always keep Ithaca in mind, because it is his or her final destination, their ultimate aim. Without it there would be a lack motivation, which would lead to a minimum amount of goals being completed which means when Ithaca is reached a person will look back at their journey and be regretful. The journey to Ithaca should not be hurried, and it is better that it last many years, so that the traveler is old by the time he reaches the final destination and has gained many things from their journey. This is due to the fact that throughout that extra time an Individual can achieve more goals have more adventures and gain more knowledge. However an Individual should not be expecting “Ithaca to give you wealth. Ithaca gave you a splendid journey. Without her you would not have set out. She hasn't anything else to give you.” This is because throughout the journey to reach Ithaca an individual should have achieved everything that they wanted to so that by the time they reach the end of their journey, or life, there will be nothing left for them to regret and they will be perfectly contend with their lives and what they have achieved. “And if you find her poor, Ithaca hasn't deceived you.”, because Ithaca has already gifted you, by being your goal, with so many thing and experiences that there will be nothing that Ithaca can give you due to the fact you will already have all you wanted.
The Author believes that for a person to have a truly accomplished life and have no regret they most have goals and aims, with their final aim being Ithaca. Individuals should aim to experience the most out of their lives, and should realize that small things compared to big things in life can be just important. Throughout the journey of life there will be challenges and problems that will get in the way of an individual achieving their goals, but they should not let them get in their way of their final aim but count them as another step to accomplish it. Even if all goals are not completed as planned it does not matter for the journey to Ithaca is the important part, due to the fact that once the individual reaches Ithaca they will have gained knowledge and experience They should also have no regret. This is the gift Ithaca gives you.“So wise you have become, of such experience, that already you'll have understood what these Ithaca’s mean”
