Question

Should Odysseus feel survivors guilt? Think back to the essay by Nancy Sherman "The Moral Logic of Survival Guilt" To what extent is Odysseus responsible for the death of his crew members? Provide concrete examples to support your claim

Answer 1

According to Nancy Sherman inculpation is on the one hand , illogical and on the other hand it is reasonable. One blames oneself when something, which  one´s responsibility to do well, goes wrong. Odysseus went to war and had to face innumerable difficulties which were out of his hands to handle.He must have asked himself whether it was a good idea to take one way or the other when he was navigating, although the choice would have always brought some impediments and difficulties.For example, the mermaids made men jump into the sea and the temptation was too hard to resist even when the men were tied to the ship´s masts.Storms are natural and Odysseus was not accountable for their happening while they were sailing.He could never have predicted the approaching of  Cyclopes when he decided to stop in that island for food and water. Finally, Odysseus is not to blame for his crew´s fate.He did the best he could but was unble to prevent the misfortunes that caused the dead of most of his crew.