In the myth of Argos and Odysseus, the author and artist both bring the myth to life by using the emotion of the scene to give the viewer a graphic perspective. In the poem, the author describes the dog as neglected and treated with dishonor, but shows its loyalty to its owner. In the painting, the artist illustrates the owner to be loving toward the dog. Alexander Pope’s “Argus”and Theodoor Van Thulden’s Argos Recognizes Odysseus both expel a mournful tone to display the characters feelings towards each other. The painting shows that people have to choose between their desires and their responsibilities, while the poem shows how consistent loyalty earns the greatest respect, especially when being neglected by the rest of society.
In Alexander Pope’s “Argus,” the tone of the poem is described as mournful and sympathetic, which demonstrates the idea that the people of the town treated the dog so poorly and Ulysses felt much sorrow for the dog. The poem says “Unfed, unhous'd, neglected, on the clay... Touch'd with resentment of ungrateful man” which literally means the people of the town treated the dog poorly, like the dog was an inanimate object. Even though this dog was excluded in his town by mistreatment
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The main character, Ulysses, is loving to the dog, while the other characters do not show affection towards the dog and want to continue with their day. In the painting, the dog is looking up to Ulysses wanting his presence and Ulysses appears to be loving to the dog, showing his care for him. Coincidentally, even though in the scene dog appears abandoned and has a droopy physic, the dog has a very masculine look. The painting has no colors to it using only black and white shades, giving it a depressed look to the