ipl-logo

How Did Homer's Odyssey Influence Margaret Atwood?

649 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does the odyssey relevant to today

Influences
(Explain the influence of Homer’s Odyssey on Margaret Attwood)
Margaret Atwood derived ideas from all different works of myth pieces. Such as The Greek Myths, which inspired Penelope’s life growing up, also Homeric Hymns that had been orally passed down. Most notably, Atwood was inspired to write the Penelopiad after reading Homer’s Odyssey because she believed Penelope was a key character and Homer did not develop this. Atwood wanted to put Penelope into a modern day context of the 21st century to show how Penelope’s ideas and opinions on the treatment of women in the Mycenaean and Homeric society are still relevant today. Ideas such as the role of women, how women are still being raped and treated inferior (as if made to serve …show more content…

This reference helps set the scene by showing the audience where The Odyssey was finished and where she is going to pick up. “…with nooses round their necks, to bring them to the most pitiable end” By referring to the death of the Maids the audience gets the idea that Atwood is not so happy with this and again shows how she was inspired to explore this part of the maids story; which she does by using a …show more content…

Which the Dark ages or Dorian age (C.1100-700BCE) then follows, this was the downfall of literacy in Greece, which during this period for some reason societies lost the ability to record information. Therefore there was/is limited information about this period. The Homeric period (C.750BCE) is when Homer was believed to be alive and oral epic poems were the main way that information was communicated. The epic poems ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ were then recorded. Due to the changes in these periods, the society presented in Homer’s epic poems is an amalgamation of Mycenaean and Homeric

Show More
Related
251 Words | 2 Pages

Comparison Essay The Odyssey by Homer was a great book though the movie ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ had a great story line, I have to say that the book was better. Not only was the book more detailed and easily understood, it held my attention. Unlike the movie, it picked up sometimes but I was utterly bored and lost focus for most of it.

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

Sirens are half bird and half woman that seduce men into ending their lives by luring men up close to the rocks because they seem to distaste men. Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song” both discuss how men and the sirens are portrayed throughout a portion of Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca. In The Odyssey, the sirens are portrayed as sneaky villains by seducing men and the men are portrayed as brave and strong. In “Siren Song”, the Sirens are portrayed as sneaky but also innocent, and helpless while men are portrayed as easily tricked.

Read More
927 Words | 4 Pages

Over the course of human history people have always believed in a supreme, divine being, or a god. Today’s society is no exception, there are countless of religions from Christianity to Hinduism. The archetypal theme of “respect for the gods” in both Homer’s Odyssey and the Coen brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou? shows similarities and differences between society's belief in a god in the present and during the time of the Ancient Greeks.

Read More
166 Words | 1 Pages

The Sirens are portrayed differently in Homer’s The Odyssey and Atwood’s “Siren Song.” Their use of diction is eloquently written with different tones and point of view. With this, they deliver two stories of the Sirens.

Read More
399 Words | 2 Pages

Thesis: In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, translated by Robert Fagles, sirens have been portrayed as manipulative and deceiving creatures, who trick men by using their bewitching song as a form of flattery in order to draw men to their island and eventually to their death. However Margaret Atwood’s interpretation of sirens offers a different perspective, in “Siren Song,” sirens are portrayed similarly to Fagles interpretation, but instead of bewitching men through flattery, men are drawn to the island by sirens mocking damsels in distress to tempt the men's inner hero. Body 1: Topic sentence 1 (flattery): “‘Come closer, famous Odysseus-Achaea's pride and glory- moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song!’”(19-20).

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

Greece was in a steady period of decline before Homer wrote his poems; the number of literate people was waning, and shortly after the creation of his Epics, Greece was flourishing yet again. This was because influenced education. This is partially because he helped create/spread certain ideas about Greece's past, and introduced the peer review system to boost Greece education at the time. Also, according to Plato himself, without Homer Greek education would be almost non-existent. Overall, Homer changed Greece's education, but he also changed how Greek citizens live their lives.

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

The first eight books of The Odyssey by Homer, tell the story of Odysseus long journey home. According to the epic, Odysseus is the only Greek survivor of the Trojan War who has not returned home. However, along with his soldiers, he is trying to get back to his home in Ithaca. In his journey home, Odysseus faced Calypso, sea monsters, lotus-eaters as well as a giant. Moreover, Odysseus intelligence and the assistance of Athena made him survive these adventures.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

Mythical creatures known as Sirens have a feared reputation among sailors who are lured by their seductive songs to their deaths on the rocks surrounding their island. These Sirens are known for their appearance in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey where they attempted to lead Odysseus and his crew to their demise with their mysterious song. These Sirens also have a role in the poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood. Homer portrays the sirens as seductive, irresistible, and powerful while Atwood portrays the Sirens as deceptive, cynical, and pathetic. The contrast between Atwood’s melancholy Sirens and Homer’s malicious Sirens is shown through literary devices such as diction, imagery, point of view, and tone.

Read More
1288 Words | 6 Pages

Margret Atwood’s The Penelopaid is a response to the issues unaddressed within The Odyssey. Complications regarding class and gender divisions is explored through techniques such as irony. Odysseus’ glorification within The Odyssey is challenged as Atwood provides dialogue to female characters such as the maids. The traditional use of comedia and tragedy is utilized to overshadow the seriousness of the court case. The effectiveness of Deus ex Machina is challenged due to Atwood’s utilization of the technique.

Read More
780 Words | 4 Pages

In many societies today, individuals are led to believe that the concept of women possessing their own strength or independence is abnormal. As a result, women experience the world in a constrained way in comparison to men, even if they are in higher classes of society. However, these extensive aspects of females are contradicted in some ancient Greek literature. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer portrays women as a vital and powerful force through the characters Penelope and Circe, who counter the normality of misogyny in Homer’s time. Penelope’s character displays how some women are able to exceed society’s standards and show strength and cleverness when it is necessary.

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, there are many female characters who play the role of a villain. Calypso, Scylla, Charybdis, and the sirens are among the women with the largest, negative impacts on Odysseus’ journey home. Though some women, such as Athena, Eurycleia, and Penelope, are loyal to Odysseus throughout the poem. With such a wide range of female characters, they all contribute different things throughout the book, whether the impact of their actions is negative or positive. Regardless of the outcomes, Homer has quite a modern view of female representation in his poem.

Read More
1074 Words | 5 Pages

Antigone and Penelope are both known as significant women during the ancient Greek time period. Antigone is considered to be a strong-willed woman who is deemed a noble heroine in the book titled Antigone, one of The Three Theban Plays written by Sophocles. Similarly, Penelope, in the Odyssey written by Homer, is considered to be a strong, independent woman who is a loyal mother and wife. Penelope sets an ideal womanly example during ancient Greek time period. While both of these women are known for they individual strengths and fearlessness, they are both motivated to proceed in different manners.

Read More
405 Words | 2 Pages

I love that Margaret Atwood chose to tell Penelope’s side of the story through Penelope’s point of view. It definitely makes the narrative of Odysseus and his journey much more interesting. However, the change in point of view causes the reader to question who is telling the true story – Homer or Penelope? Personally, I am having a hard time choosing what to believe and what not to believe; more specifically, I am conflicted over the character of Odysseus. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero whose only flaw is his pride.

Read More
1007 Words | 5 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer contains multiple moments where female characters are oppressed or fit into a patriarchy, but there are several moments where these character show signs of rebellion against this oppression. Applying a critical lense of feminism to these characters and relationships create complexities and conflicts within the novel that shine meaning on the world. The character Penelope offers many of these moments. Analyzing the actions, situation, and comparisons with other characters using a the feminist critical lense will show a more enriched version of Penelope and offer a deeper insight of the patriarchy, and how is affects the world.

Read More
394 Words | 2 Pages

“Of all that breathes and crawls across the earth, our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man. So long as the gods grant him power, spring in his knees, he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years. But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times, bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart. Our lives, our mood and mind as we pass across the earth, turn as the days turn . . .” The Odyssey, although it was composed near the end of the 8th century BCE, is a perfect example of good literature.

Read More

More about How Did Homer's Odyssey Influence Margaret Atwood?

Related Topics

Open Document