Fardin Khan Nasir 1

The Comparison of C.P. Cavafys Ithaca and Nikos Kazantzakis The Sea Call

In the poems, Ithaca and the Sea Call, C.P. Cavafy and Nikos Kazantzakis establish their
views on Odysseus hearth in The Odyssey, Ithaca. Both poems reference to Odysseus perilous
voyage to his homeland Ithaca, where he is rightfully deemed as the King of Ithaca. However,
even though C.P. Cavafys Ithaca and Nikos Kazantzakis The Sea Call possess strong
similarities, differences in tone and mood through the use of emotive connotative words such as
joy and despair make it so that Ithaca and The Sea Call are contrasting at the very least.
In his poem, Ithaca, C.P. Cavafy creates a jovial and optimistic mood through the use of
connotative words such as joy and gratitude. Cavafy emphasizes on the idea that the journey to
Ithaca is one that all men and women should endure, as it is the most joyous and rewarding.
When you set out for Ithaca, pray that your roads a long one, for instance, is one way Cavafy
asserts this idea. Cavafy further goes on to use connotative words such as joy and gratitude in
order to assert his idea to his audience. The words joy and gratitude emote feelings of glee and
elation, as they are commonly associated with events of festivity. Cavafy also uses connotative
words such as these in order to conjure an optimistic and positive image in the minds of his
readers, and thus persuade them to believe that Ithaca will give them a marvelous journey at
hand. Thus, through the use of connotative words such as joy and gratitude, an optimistic and
jovial tone is established throughout the poem Ithaca.
On the other hand, Nikos Kazantzakis establishes a tone full of trepadition and
melancholy through the use of melancholic connotative words in his poem The Sea Call.
Contradicting Cavafys views on hearth in the Odyssey, in his poem The Sea Call, Kazantzakis

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establishes the idea that Ithaca has dilapidated and transpired into a fraction of what it was under
the rule of Odysseus himself. Kazantzakis does this so by emphasizing on the negative ambiance
which surrounds Ithaca, by stating that Ithaca is a sweet mask of death. In order to assert his
idea to his readers, Kazantzakis uses connotative words such as despair and bitter, words potent
enough to conjure negative images in the minds of his readers. Words such as despair emote
negative feelings as they are associated with events of great sorrow and trepadition, such as the
demise of a loved one. On the other hand, the word bitter is associated with negativity, as one
uses the word bitter, in this context, when he has endured the wrath of numerous ghastly and
threatening beings. Thus, Kazantzakis uses connotative words such as despair and bitter
throughout his poem in order to establish an ambiance of great trepadition and melancholy in his
poem The Sea Call.
The Sea Call and Ithaca both talk about Odysseus herculean voyage to his hearth, Ithaca.
However, differences in tone and mood through the use of emotive connotative words make it
apparent that the two poems establish opposing views on Ithaca. For instance, Kazantzakis uses
connotative words such as despair and bitter in his poem The Sea Call, while Cavafy uses
connotative words such as joy and gratitude. Hence, both poets use connotative words which lie
on opposite ends of a spectrum. Also, the use of such contradicting connotative words make it so
that the two poems establish opposing tones and views on the hearth in The Odyssey. For
example, the use of phrases such as May there be a summer morning full of gratitude, full of
joy, for instance, establishes a tone of jovialness and optimism in Ithaca as well as the view that
a journey to Ithaca is one that is more rewarding than the destination itself. On the other hand,
the use of phrases such as Penelopes wan cries broke in despair like water flowing down a
wall, for instance, establishes a tone of great sorrow and trepadition in The Sea Wall as well as

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the view that Ithaca has dilapidated greatly, unrecognizable when compared to the majestic and
luxurious Ithaca of the past. Thus, the use of contradicting connotative words make it so that
opposing tones and views on the hearth in The Odyssey are established in the poems Ithaca and
The Sea Call.
Therefore, even though both the Sea Call and Ithaca establish views on Odysseus
voyage to his hearth Ithaca, the use of opposing connotative words make it so that The Sea Call
and Ithaca contrast greatly. This is apparent as Cavafy uses connotative words such as joy in
Ithaca, while Kazantzakis uses connotative words such as despair in The Sea Call. Therefore,
the two poets establish contradicting tones and views on the heart in the Odyssey. Hence, even
though the Sea Call and Ithaca talk about Odysseus herculean voyage to his hearth Ithaca, the
use of opposing connotative words and tones make it apparent that the Sea Call and Ithaca are
contrasting at the very least.