Homer’s The Odyssey is one of the oldest works of Western literature, second only to Homer’s Iliad. It’s influence on Western culture ranges from the characters and story, to his innovative writing style, characterized by his use of literary devices. Though Homer uses many literary devices in his telling of The Odyssey, epic similes are one of the most vital part of the storytelling. They allow the reader to envision the scene in a different way, comparing it to descriptions that can be vividly imagined in the head.
This scene relies on a fast tempo and vivid imagery to create a strong sense of suspense and action. Odysseus and his crew have to sail through a strait that is guarded by the Sirens who no man has ever heard and resisted. Homer shows Odysseus’ clever response through action, preventing his men from hearing by plugging their ears with beeswax and having himself tied down. The reader get create a mental picture of Odysseus fastened to the center mast on a small galley with men all around him rowing hard into the choppy surf. The choice of “lashed” instead of tied or “churned the whitecaps” instead of pushed through the waves creates a more vivid idea of the actio, drawing on the reader’s own experiences with viscerally lashing a rope and the
In this passage from The Odyssey, Homer uses an epic simile comparing Odysseus’ crew to calves and Odysseus to a cow and a second simile comparing Odysseus to Ithaca in order to portray the sense of reliance and loyalty the men have for their leader. In the book, Odysseus has just returned from Circe’s palace where some of the crew had disappeared. Since the men chosen to venture into Circe’s home did not return, the rest of the crew thought Odysseus would also not make it back to the ship. When Homer writes that the men are, “bucking out of their pens, lowing nonstop, jostling, rushing round their mothers (455-456),” he conveys the men’s desparation to get to Odysseus. The phrase, “bucking out of their pens (455),” refers to the fact that Odysseus’ crew is trapped and helpless without him.
The Odyssey would be less memorable without Homer’s masterful use of figurative language. This poem can only stand the test of time when the figurative language is used to help readers relate to the text no matter what time period they come from. Figurative language in the text has made the story as a whole more interesting and has made countless readers engaged by this tale of, in Homer’s own words, “that man skilled in all ways of contending.” (p. 813,
We can depict this conclusion through the quote found in Chapter 9 ”Now, by the gods, as I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up: no quitting now.” Odysseus and his men were very adamant about escaping and strategically injuring the cyclops, instead of crying aloud and yelling to the gods, courage rained down on them. The encouraging words that Homer uses instantly lifts the mood to triumphant environs. In retrospect, Homer uses diction and imagery to display distinct shifts in tone stimulating the reader's senses and evoking strong emotion in the reader. In this excerpt from “The Odyssey,” Homer’s brilliant diction shows the reader a valuable lesson, that things do not always go as you planned them to, making unintellegent assumptions will often hurt you in situations, but you can always turn a negative situation around by stabbing a cyclops in the eye
Universal human experiences: occurrences that happen to all people. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus struggles with engendering, and searches for, connections to other people. The universal human experience portrayed in the Odyssey of connecting with other people is shown through Odysseus's struggle with honest, loyalty, and From some of the events that happen in the Odyssey, it is clear that Odysseus struggles with honesty. This is especially shown in some of the interactions with his crew. After receiving the wind bag from Boreas (Homer ), Odysseus is given explicit instructions to not open the bag.
Odysseus, a True Hero In the Odyssey, Homer beautifully illustrates Odysseus’ qualities that make him a hero. While reading the Odyssey, a reader learns of the hardships Odysseus and his crew face on their treacherous journey home from the Trojan War. They experience dangerous traveling conditions and terrifying monsters, and only Odysseus makes it out alive. This was a journey full of unfortunate events and learning opportunities. Odysseus proves he is a true hero by showing throughout his endeavors that he is clever in his actions, devoted to the people around him, and good hearted in all aspects of his life.
Through the test of time, The Odyssey, written by Greek philosopher Homer in 725 BCE, has proven to be a timeless piece of literature, with its lessons and values still relevant and applicable in today's current age. The modern reader can see how the society in The Odyssey has ideas that are not relevant in today's age. Apart from the ideas that are irrelevant to today, harsh actions involving brutality and extreme violence are performed in the epic. Homer conveys his values and ideas through his character's actions, giving this book depth and layers. The actions on a surface level are irrelevant to the current age lived in, but the lessons and morals behind each challenge Odysseus faces are timeless.
The pathos and ethos of cultures is often discernable in literary narratives as expressions of the sentiment of approval or disapproval. Thus, the impact of literary narratives on cultures cannot be understated; the arts do impact and influence culture in both positive and negative ways. This is not a new phenomenon and can be observed in cultures as early as 6 Century B.C. and can be traced throughout human history. An example of this can be seen in Homer’s Odyssey, in which there are certain characters within the narrative that portray what is known as “arete.” Arete is viewed as a desirable character trait which some define as the display of perseverance, quick-wittedness, prowess, valor, etc.
In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus has to face many obstacles on his journey. In many ways, Odysseus’ journey is similar to life. Odysseus’ goal that he wanted to achieve was to make it back to his homeland after fighting in the Trojan war. My goal is to become a photographer. I will have struggles like Odysseus did, and I will learn to overcome them.
Natural phenomenons is a science, but centuries ago the Greeks believed a deity was responsible for the natural causes that were created. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus was separated from his wife and son to fight in the Trojan war for 10 years. In addition, spends 11 more years struggling to get back to his family due to these supernaturals caused by the gods. The Greeks portray the gods to be powerful and merciful. They played a huge role in Odysseus’s heroic journey as a savior and tormentor.
While many would argue that the human species officially embarked on the journey to “conquer” nature at the inception of the Industrial Revolution, with men bending nature to suit their purposes on an unprecedented scale, the seeds of such sentiments to surpass nature with created culture had been planted hundreds of thousands of years ago. With a casual overview of human history, one can see that the idea of bending elements of nature to human will rose as early as hundreds of thousands of years ago, perhaps when homo erectus first started cooking food with fire. The idea of the cultural death, the burning of one’s body to prevent one from being consumed by the elements of nature that occupies a most illustrious position in the Homeric world, can be dated back to roughly 20,000 years ago (Lake Mungo remains), the currently earliest recorded act of cremating the dead. Homer frequently juxtaposes aspects of nature and culture in his work. In the Odyssey, Homer juxtaposes the society of Cyclops with the civilized human society, demonstrating the stark differences between a naturalistic and a cultural society.
Our marvelous play writer and poet, William Shakespeare, was born on April 26, 1564, in Stratford upon Avon. He was one of eight children. His family was in the middle class, they had many financial struggles. Shakespeare attended King Edward VI school in Stratford, it was a grammar school, which explains why he because so good with words. Shakespeare had the vocabulary range of 17,000 to 29,000 words.
The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways.
Iliad, the epic poem is written by a great epic poet Homer. This poem is a classic in real terms and recounts some historic facts about the last ten years of Trojan war and the Greek siege city of Troy. Tracing back its history, Iliad is thought to be written back in 8th century B.C. and it is considered one of the earliest works in western literary tradition. It captures the scene of blood, abductions, murders, wrath of Achilles, revenge, anger and intervention of gods. The scene of warfare and blood are presented in the poem through oral tradition initially.
