Using specific examples, defend the position that Odysseus is an unreliable narrator in Book 9 of Homer's The Odyssey.

In Homer's The Odyssey, Book Nine, it is
possible to see Odysseus as an unreliable narrator for two reasons. (This is for the sake of
argument.)

When Odysseus and his men land on the Island of the
Cyclopses, they meet Polyphemus, a Cyclops who cares for sheep. Polyphemus, in a very
inhospitable way (something Homer and his peers would have found reprehensible), imprisons his
guests, and then starts eating them. It is only after blinding Polyphemus that Odysseus and the
remainder of his men are able to escape. (He also tricks the beastly creature into making a fool
of himself when he goes to his neighbors for help.) However, looking carefully over the story,
the reader may note that Odysseus and his men go into the cave and take from the giant before he
attacks them. Perhaps had they been invited, Polyphemus might have reacted
differently.

Because of how the Cyclops reacts to Odysseus, the hero
becomes extremely angry and wants revenge. We get only Odysseus' side of the story, and a sense
that the creature captures and kills members of the crew for no other reason than his naturally
violent demeanor.

The part of the story that might make Odysseus
seem an especially unreliable narrator is when he becomes full of himself and acts in a
disgraceful way (considering he is a hero). Odysseus makes fun of Polyphemus when he attacks
Odysseus and his ship—he taunts the giant. This is unbecoming behavior, and it gives the audience
a sense that he is emotionally compromised and may not be as objective as one would hope him to
be, thereby not delivering a completely reliable account of what transpired on the
island.