Why does The Odyssey start with the invocation of the muse? What does this tell about Homer and the book?

Asenaa,

First, what is a
Muse?

A Muse is a spirit of inspiration. The Ancient Greeks
of the Bronze Age believed that one of nine Muses inspired different forms of prose,
poetry, drama, rhetoric, or general writing. Thus, the invocation was a homage and
supplication to these deities in hopes of best capturing the topic of the Epic poem,
expressing the purpose of the narrative, but also incorporating mores and traditions
familiar to that specific audience. Moreover, this invocation elicits one of the major
themes of Homer's Epic poem: man and his relationship to a higher
power.

Second, who is this
Homer?

Homer was a blind story teller who traveled from
town to town reciting the great deeds of legendary heroes of the time. Remember, roughly
700BC did not have the common contrivances that we are privy to today: no television,
psp, ipod, iPhone, blackberries, tweets, etc. Homer was the entertainment of the time as
he regaled citizens of great warriors like Achilles in "The Illiad" and model Greek men
like Odysseus in "The Odyssey."In both Epic poems, Homer reveals the need to respect
higher powers.

Finally, why does he need that
invocation?

It seems ridiculous that a blind story teller
is able to recite a story so complicated and so lengthy. In short, Homer and "The
Odyssey" maintain the oral tradition. Through repetitive recitation, someone could hear
and hopefully retain the story enough to recite it to another audience. This invocation
contains a series of rhetorical techniques- writing techniques that strategically convey
the author's purpose and captures the audience's attention in various
ways.

Now, audiences are very impatient. Amongst many
literary techniques and rhetorical devices, Homer incorporates plot devices to try to
structure and organize these anachronistic events. Remember he most likely learned this
poem from listening and reciting, not writing it down. The invocation is similar to the
Prologue in Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." Both act as the coming
attractions for the audience. This invocation involves one of three important plot
devices: foreshadowing, which hints at important later events; it keeps listeners and
readers engaged. If audiences are not aware of what is to come and what to expect, they
lose focus. By the end of the invocation, audiences know the end of Odysseus's journey,
but they have no idea how it happened.