The story begins with the invocation to the Muse. What is the purpose of this section in The Odyssey?thank you

If you are in 9th grade, I am assuming you are reading a
retelling of The Odyssey in your literature
book.

In that first section, Homer calls on the Muse of
epic poetry to help him tell the story of Odysseus. A muse is like an inspiring spirit
that can get into a person and help motivate them to do what it is they desire to do.
For Homer, it's tell a story in the form of poetry.

Here,
Homer reveals to us the purpose for telling his story, so that we can all know of the
great character Odysseus' traits and how he used them. He tried to get his men back to
their homeland, but the men did not always listen to their leader and this was their
downfall. Already, in the invocation, we are learning about what the storyline will look
like, what will ultimately happen to the men, and we learn a lesson - obeying authority
might be a handy tool in life.