The Odyssey is a literary classic. Most people know how the story goes, but only a handful of those people have read and discussed it in depth. The truth is that most people (mostly due to inexperience) believe that the story of Odysseus and his journey is not relevant to 21st century high school students. They believe that there is nothing to be learned from reading the book that will help students in the long run. But just because many people think that The Odyssey cannot benefit high school students doesn't mean that it is. The Odyssey contains many life and moral lessons, but the most important thing one should learn from the Odyssey is "never give up". The Odyssey contains the life lesson of never giving up and therefore should continue to be included in the GBN curriculum. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Think back to all the times you never gave up. I bet at least thirty percent of those moments were in high school, the most important part of a student's life. High school students face many problems every day and learning to never give up is a very important thing for students. Many of the characters in the Odyssey never give up, take for example the main character Odysseus. When he and his ship are bombarded by a huge wave, his ship crashes and he falls into the water. With his crew dead in the crash, he is all alone. “Fighting against the breakers that headed towards the coast, out of danger [Odysseus] continued to swim, scanning the land, trying to find a sea beach that rested against the waves, a sheltered bay, and with strong caresses he reached the height of the mouth of a river.” (166 lines: 483-486) ​​​​After three days floating on a piece of his wrecked ship, Odysseus does not give up on reaching the shore. High school students can relate to this because they face many difficult challenges. Finals, reports, collage preparation, are some of the many examples of obstacles that high school students face, and learning to never give up can help them overcome their obstacles. High school is a very important part of a student's life, but as students get older they will face many other challenges throughout their lives. Graduating from college, starting a family, and buying a home are all challenges students will face. If any of these challenges become an obstacle, students need to know to never give up. As they read the Odyssey they will be able to see all the places where "never give up" appears and will begin to compare Odysseus' problems (reuniting his family, caring for unwanted visitors and overcoming arrogance) with what they will have to face as they they grow. Another example of Odysseus never giving up is when he and his crew get trapped in the Cyclops' cave. They devise a plan to blind the Cyclops “Now I finally stuck our steak in a bed of embers to make it red hot [...] just as the olive steak was about to catch fire, I dragged it from the flames, my men who they clustered around as a god breathed courage into us all. Lifting that olive steak high with its piercing tip, they forcefully drove it directly into the monster's eye. (223 Lines: 420-428) This quote shows that Odysseus did not have to give up when he and his crew found themselves in danger they still came up with a plan to escape the hands of the Cyclopes who had trapped them. Remember: this.