Odysseus Use Of Imagery In The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, an epic written by Homer specifically in this section Book twenty-two lines one through twenty-five resides with the meaning of special in a text. Odysseus is starting a long battle with the suitors. In this section, he rips off his rags and grabs his bow to initiate war. He aims and strikes Antinous in his throat as he drinks wine from his golden goblet. In these twenty-five lines of The Odyssey, Homer shows tons of imagery and symbolism. It shows the importance of the text because Odysseus is finally getting revenge, starting off with killing Antinous. In this section of The Odyssey, Homer shows intense imagery. The imagery seen is describing the death of Antinous and the aftermath. “A double pipe of blood gushed from his nostrils. His foot

“The bread and roasted meat were soiled with blood” (22.21). This is another great example of Homer’s use of imagery. When Homer is describing the state of the food on the ground, he really makes the reader envision the bread and roasted meat being drenched in blood. In these same twenty-five lines there is another poetic technique that Homer is using, which is symbolism. The symbolism is shown in this section because of how Antinous has treated Odysseus and how Odysseus ultimately kills Antinous. “The young man sat there, just about to lift his golden goblet, swirling wine around ready to drink” (22.9-11). This is the first example of symbolism found in this section of The Odyssey. It states that the golden goblet is Antinous’ when it is probably Odysseus’ meaning Antinous would have broken the xenia he was given by using Odysseus’ cup. It really shows symbolism as Odysseus is shooting Antinous just as he was about to drink from that golden goblet. “Odysseus aimed at his throat then shot./The point pierced all the way through his soft neck” (22.15-16). This is another example of symbolism found in these twenty-five