Question

How did the Cyclops character contradict everything the ancient Greeks thought was important?

Answer 1

Ancient Greece thought that hard work was to be rewarded, and government was to be organized and respected. The way Odysseus describes the Cyclops shows that they, as a race, just kind of let things happen. Their crops grow unattended, without being cultivated or cared for, and they have no form of organization or government. They deal with their own problems family to family and don't get involved in each others discipline.