"I am a part of all that I have met."
-Alfred Tennyson, "Ulysses"
The poem "Ulysses" by Tennyson is an account of Odysseus' (or Ulysses') life, told by the hero himself. I've known this poem for a while, and ever since I first read it, one line in particular has stayed with me. "I am a part of all that I have met", Odysseus claims.
Starting to read "The Odyssey" and being familiar with the story, I know that Odysseus' life was characterized by adventures, voyages, and tribulations. The extent of his "odyssey" isn't echoed in most peoples' lives, but this statement is true for all people. We don't need to be heroes or adventurers like Odysseus to be shaped by external forces. The events we live through and the places we go affect us all, imprinting themselves in our being and molding us into what we ultimately become. Odyssus himself is everyman in this sense, shaped by his circumstances, a part of all that he has met.
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