Why does apiece of wood float on water while a pin sink in water

Its all relative to the state of the wood

Explanation:

Wood is a material that can be corroded and hollowed out either directly by human cause or by that of weather. Eventually this corrosion will make the density of the wood equal or lighter to that of the body of water, allowing it to float.

In the first passage, the best word to describe Odysseus is "cuirass". A cuirass is a type of defensive armor. Odysseus here has to be psychologically and emotionally armored for what is about to happen: the gruesome death of some of his sailor friends at the hands of Scylla, the mythical monster dwelling on the Strait of Messina. In the second passage the best word to describe Odysseus is "longing". The word is not only repeated several times, it is also the main theme of the passage, the pain of longing for a home that Odysseus has not seen in a long time.