Whether a society or person is civilized, rather than uncivilized, depends on perspective. The morals dear to one culture can potentially offend others. Savvy travelers remain aware of location before giving a thumbs up or blowing their nose in public – while commonplace in America, these are rude and uncivil gestures to many other cultures. In reality, civility is determined by its source, and no author captures the essence of civility better than Homer in his epic poem The Odyssey. Homer describes ancient Greek values ​​as the pinnacle of civility. He pits Odysseus against the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, and the Lotus Eaters, who seem barbaric or crude because they reject Greek thought and traditional Greek principles. This inability to approach new cultures and places with sensitivity to differences says more about Odysseus's ethnocentric values ​​than about the cultures he encounters. Odysseus refuses to see beyond his own values, showing that he himself cares little about observing courtesy toward other cultures and considers only his own worldview as the ideal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Oddly, Polyphemus the Cyclops displays a different degree of courtesy: he knows all his sheep and regularly takes care of his animals. Yet, because of Polyphemus' other practices, considered uncivilized by the Greeks, Odysseus neglects his civilized actions and considers him barbaric. As he approaches the Cyclops' cave, he is already prejudiced, expecting "a man of great strength, but savage, knowing neither justice nor law", essentially a creature who acts by instinct rather than intellect (Rouse 110). However, many of Odysseus' impressions are misleading. He believes that “no one cares for their neighbors” in Cyclopian culture, but when he stabs Polyphemus, friends come to find out what is wrong (Rouse 108). Their culture actually features many “civilized” practices shared with the Greeks. For example, they have an advanced language, used especially often by Polyphemus, whose name derives from the Latin roots of "many" and "talk", which literally translates to "speaks a lot". Instead of grasping the extent of the Cyclops' cultural development, Odysseus only notices how they differ from the Greeks and, in consuming their guests, fails to observe the Xenia. As he leaves the island, Odysseus proclaims his own ideals while mocking Polyphemus' lifestyle and his now useless eye, saying, "You had no qualms about devouring your guests in your own house, so Vengeance has fallen upon you from Zeus and the gods of heaven. !" (Rouse 117). Apparently, two cultures can only agree when one of them is blind. Odysseus views the Laestrygonians as immoral, inhospitable, and unintelligent – ​​mainly because they are man-eaters who want to throw rocks at Odysseus's crew – and are therefore lacking the characteristics by which the Greeks define civilization However, despite the perceived differences between the two cultures, Odysseus massacres his own wife's suitors in the same way; that the king of the Laestrygonians massacres his unwanted visitors after learning that they had arrived at his house and "found his wife...and they hated her on sight" (Rouse 122). these two cultures, but, once again, Odysseus hypocritically despises them because of their distinct morals..