Homer College Essays Samples For Students

Essay on Auerbach and Everything is Illuminated

Auerbach’s book Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature discusses the manner in which Homeric story telling is leisurely and digressive. To Auerbach, the Homeric technique illuminates through relating detailed past events and easy discussions. As such, there is no rush to create suspense. This aspect is typified by the long digression in the center of a significant moment from which the essay draws its title. That is moments before the nurse is on the point of recognizing Odysseus. What matters at this point is the outer description rather than the psychological aspect, narrative suspense, or historical development. ...

The society develops, progresses in all spheres of activity, however, at the same time, produces certain behaviors and related stereotypes, corresponding to a popular worldview. Gender relations during each cultural epoch formed an appropriate worldview, producing and perpetuating gender stereotypes, using feminine and masculine personality characteristics. So, antiquity formed a patriarchal worldview, which is still relevant to the present day, however, the democratic tendencies in the modern society have led to the emergence of gender studies, which help the society to overcome certain gender conventions and stereotypes that prevalent in the minds of the society for centuries. Therefore antiquity is an ...

The Ancient World was always an important literature field depicting mythological heroes and events. It was the ancient literature that became an important heritage of Europe. A deep implication is often hidden in every work. Gods, demi-gods, strong warriors were the main characters highlighted in the ancient literature. For example, Homer's Iliad and Euripides' Medea possess some bright and memorable heroes that should be singled out. Thus, let us take a look at the major characters of the above mentioned works.
Being a protagonist of Homer's Iliad, harsh and unforgiving warrior Achilles is one of the most complex characters ...

Iliad is a Greek epic poem that has been attributed to Homer. The development of this epic poem dates back to the period of Classical antiquity. There are debates on the exact time when Homer composed the Greek epic poem Iliad. However, this 15,693 lines epic poem had a profound influence on the poets and writers of the successive generation.
The backdrop of Iliad is the Trojan War. The story depicts that the war continues for ten years and ends with the siege of the city of Troy by the Greek army Achaean. Chrysies and Briseis, the two daughters ...

William Faulkner, the author of the edition ‘A Rose for Emily’ has written a story covering the life of Emily Grierson. Emily was initially a vibrant girl in her early ages but changed as she grew older. She is a spinster who resided in the south. William Faulkner has used flashback in this story to show the past activities that happened in the life of Emily (William 1). These activities took place in a place called Jefferson. This place is situated in a county called Yoknapatawpha.

The relationship between the people in the town and Emily starts even before the death of Emily’ ...

Initially, Utopia is an ideal place that is characterized by its social, moral and political aspects. Ideally, when one comes from Utopia, he or she is deemed to be rich in morals. Therefore, it may be surprising that one’s experience in a different environment might identify the new culture to be challenging or accommodative. Accordingly, some of the ideologies that are used to describe the society are deemed to be impractical and non realistic with respect to other cultures (Homer, 65). Ideally, the term was coined to establish a community that has exceedingly desirable due to the available qualities in ...

A Rose for Emily is a story by William Faulkner. Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on 25 September 1897. He was the first of four sons to Murry Cuthbert and Maud Faulkner, and was named after his great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner. He never completed high school, but was able to enroll in University for a special catering program, to serve the war veterans. He stands out to be the most unsurpassed American writers of the twentieth century. Faulkner has written novels, poems, screenplays and short stories. Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldier’s Play, in 1925. In addition, his ...

Homer’s epic Greek poem “The Odyssey” centers on the heroic quest of a man, however, a remarkably larger role is played by women in the poem. When discussing roles of women in Homer's “The Odyssey,” the women of Ithaca are perhaps most similar to the women in the Greek society, especially because Homer has described the society in his poem with such vivid detail. In comparison to Homer’s Iliad, where the women are not seen frequently and there is not much emphasis on them, but on the other hand, women are everywhere in “The Odyssey” and they have diverse ...

Summary of a Scholarly Article

Introduction
This paper by Helen Nebeker criticizes the short story by William Faulkner, ‘A Rose for Emily’. It mentions how the story fails to associate with the main problem of the narration and the focus of the story. Additionally, the failure in fully exploring the importance of the narration obscures the essential points in the story, above all is the importance of the underlying horror in the real theme of Faulkner. He has managed to keep the theme successfully hidden over the years with his deliberate ambiguity of the anonymous narrator. The truth behind the episode of Miss ...

Since ancient times, heroic motives have been often depicted and represented in poems. It is a never-ending topic that brings up eternal questions of loyalty, dedication and moral. It is interesting how we find the reflection of love in most of the heroic poems. It may be the love to the land or country, maybe the love to the woman, as well.
In both, “The Knight’s Tale” and The Iliad we find heroic ideas that certainly have something in common. Speaking of the first story it is important to say, that Theseus is the first hero shown, demonstrating ...

Introduction

The literature and art of a given era often portray the beliefs and views of the societies. Homer’s poems, the Odyssey and Iliad, as well as an epic poem from Mesopotamia, the Epic of Gilgamesh, give the historians and scholars a notion how the ancient Greeks lived their day-to-day lives. By the reader reading the three poems, he/she will be in a position to experience Homer’s three thousand years old society. Admired through the ages by many as the ultimate epic, Homer’s Odyssey, along with its companion piece of work, the Iliad, was accepted by the ancient Greeks themselves ...

Homer, the stalwart figure in the history of literature of the world, made his mark in his seminal work, The Odyssey, which has passed the test of time and has got engraved in the verses of immortality all over the globe for its literary excellence and quintessence. The cinematic adaptation of the epic was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and it released in the year 1997. Odysseus is a man of paramount strength, but relies on his brains than his brawns. The perseverance of the human soul and loyalty are all the various facets of human emotions which the epic as ...

William Faulkner is acknowledged as one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. What has appealed most to his readers is his mastery in depicting the identity and legacy lying in the North. North is seen on behalf of Faulkner as a geographical and cultural independent field which has always affected Americans greatly. North has always been regarded a place of mythical power, carrying its unique character of its people, their mentality and their difficulty in coming in terms with their true selves and / or the progress of the worldwide community, which finds itself under constant changes and progress. These ...

There is no doubt that Hector is the mightiest and undisputed warrior in the Trojan army. Despite being slain by Achilles, he lays waste to the Achaean army while Achilles is absent. However, even though he appears to be a competent leader, there tend to be perceptible flaws in his leadership, especially toward the end of Homer’s Iliad, when the Achaean army receives new strength when Patroclus and later Achilles himself joins them. It seems that Hector exhibits the trait of cowardice when he “turns coward and runs” ( Erwin Cook Ivi) from the Great Ajax twice in Book 17 ...

The article The Shield of Achilles within Iliad by Oliver Taplin, presents a curious topic that would often be overlooked or just breezed through by literary readers themselves who would often look out for the plot, development of the story, or “thrill of the ride”. Tedious details of Achilles’ shield do not contribute to such popular entertainment. And to wonder at the irony of its beautiful and celebratory designs against the backdrop of war and inhumanity is reserved for scholars, historians, and literary enthusiasts – fanatics of Homer’s works – for whom this article must have been written. (for whom was ...

Gallery 155 at the Metropolitan museum of Art showcases Athenian Art, mostly vases with black figures that depict scenes from Mythology and actual life in Athens. Also in display are helmets, vests and knives from 7th century BC. While the vases are descriptive with exquisite painting of scenes from mythology, the bronze artifacts are rather telling of the war they were used for. The helmets, the body vests and the knives, although old and rusty are in good shape and can tell the viewer about the size of the person who used it. The fact that they survived this ...

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Revenge is the most important part of the battle. Let us take an example from the granddaddy of all epics, Iliad of Homer. Iliad goes back to 1194-1184 BC. If you see initial words of Iliad, it says Wrath, Rage, Fury and that is the principal theme of Iliad. Revenge of Patroclus becomes the reason for Achilles to return to battle. Priam comes for the body of Hector and Achilles had waged war against Agamemnon because of an insult.First lines of Iliad quote

“Sing, goddess, of Achilles' ruinous anger

Which brought ten thousand pains to the Achaeans,
And cast the souls of ...

Greek mythology as it exists today was a culmination of oral tradition that was part of the early Greek civilization. Different regions of the Greek empire had different heroes with their own traditions and thus Greek mythology was firmly tied to it geographical location. Geography and physical places/ space helped shape Greek mythology to a large extent. Homer’s Odyssey, Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony are examples of Greek mythology where the myth is tied with the geographical space. With the mention of places these poets also driven by a certain ‘Panhellenic’ impulse-a desire to appeal to as many city states as ...

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Essay on the short story “A Rose for Emily”

William Faulkner wrote this little piece of gem in 1930.Based in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi, the story chronicles the life of Emily Grierson, a lady who lived a tragic life unbeknownst to others living in the same town. The author stated that he would give her a rose just to provide his sympathy, and that is where the title of the story originated. The story encompasses the whole life of a spinster, her issues, her ego, her yearning for love, her vanity, her limitations in difficult times, and most importantly her conditions to live life on her own terms, no ...

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Ancient Hero Motifs
Mythology predominantly deals with the basic idea of battle, or the combat between good and evil. In this fundamental battle between good versus evil, many individuals are categorized based on their actions of either being the cause of evil or displaying bravery and bringing in good fortune to the common public. Greek mythology defines heroes as humans of either gender who hailed from the isolated past and are conferred with mystic capabilities and are also regarded to have descended from the eternal gods. Apart from this, the Greek mythology ...

In Ancient Greece, human existence was strongly tied of the legends of heroes and gods. With legendary figures guiding their lives, Ancient Greeks worshiped heroism, which was always linked with the code of honor. Honor represented a human value and in the same time a condition for living up to the ideal of living among the gods. The code of honor in Ancient Greek tradition represented a supreme ideal and a challenge that determined humans who exerted it to overpass their condition. Reflecting the Ancient Greek society of Homer’s time, “The Iliad” depicts the meaning of the code of honor by surprising ...

Introduction

One of the significant stylistic elements of epic poetry is evidently the simile. Apparently, it is of great importance to note that similes are frequently used in the diverse and varied genres of both prose and poetry. In the ancient literature, the simile is sturdily associated with epic. Predominantly, similes in ancient literature are extended in their formations and essentially contain extensive details and differing comparison details. Homeric similes in particular have in most instances been used at the dramatic points of a given narrative with the main intent of comparing things to create a clear mental picture of the situation ...

The worlds of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are often harsh, with mankind being essentially at the will of the gods and prone to failure. To that end, even the best among men in these works have their own flaws – Achilles and Odysseus respectively provide that sense of romantic antiheroism inherent to Homeric works. Whereas modern heroism values moral and ethical virtue as part of being a hero, the Homeric ideal of heroism is actually quite anti-heroic. Greek heroes do not have to be the most ethical or civilized; they just have to possess supreme bravery, strength, military ...

In Euthyphro, the pious is defined in many ways and it has many definitions. Among them, ‘the pious is being dear to gods’ and the pious should be ready to sacrifice to please gods. When comparing this with the definitions in Iliad, we can find similarities as well as variations. In Iliad, Homer defines piety as the person who is dear to gods by showing that gods are helping the pious whom they are considering as their dearest ones. Apollo showered his blessing over the old man who left in anger by satisfying his prayer. Apollo punishes Argives as ...

Homer wrote the selection, “Homer’s Ideal of Excellence,” in the 8th century BC. Andromache was crying as she held her husband’s, Hector, hands. She was getting worried of his bravery and felt that Hector was not keen on the family. She was unhappy that Hector, just like her brothers, would be killed by “the Great Achilles.” Hector was her only relative left having lost her parents. Hector was also worried about this. He loved his family, but he had to fight for the kingdom. Being a good soldier required him to leave a legacy that would make his father ...

Emily Grierson

Emily Grierson is a typicalthe classic outsider who limits, controlling and controlslimiting the accessibilitytown’s access to her true identity. by remaining hidden. The main house that shields herEmily from the world suggests the mindsetmind of the woman inhabitingwho inhabits it: shuttered, dusty, dark and shuttereddark. The entityobject of the town’s intense scrutiny done by the town, Emily Grierson is a muted and mysterious and muted figure. At a specificOn one level, she exhibits traitsthe qualities of an eccentricthe stereotypical southern: exposed to bizarre “eccentric”: unbalanced, excessively tragic, and unbalancedsubject to bizarre behavior. Emily Grierson enforces her personalown sense of ...

Zijiao (2291) says that A Rose for Emily is among William Faulkner’s famous short stories. The story illustrates the happening in Jefferson, Mississippi where there is a woman involved in a tragedy. Faulkner evokes dark images of murder, gloom, and terror in the story of Emily (William and Commins 1). The story has old process in deterioration, a murder victim, corpse, and necrophilia. Emily is a loner who kills Homer and embraces the victim without the knowledge of the community. The community has admiration towards Emily without the realization that the woman has housed a rotting corpse for many years. Emily manages to ...

"Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself. I have been as sincere a worshipper of Aurora as the Greeks. I got up early and bathed in the pond; that was a religious exercise, and one of the best things which I did. They say that characters were engraven on the bathing tub of King Tching-thang to this effect: "Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again." I can understand that. Morning brings back the heroic ages. I was as much affected by the ...

The world is filled with sports such as baseball, basketball, football, tennis, volley ball, golf and so on. Though all sports are played differently and have different rules, they all have one thing in common, fans. However it is important to note from the outset that there are different types of sports fans. The differences kind of sports fans emerge due variances in attitudes on the basis of their level of dedication to a given sports team coupled with how well they understand a particular sport. As such, there exist various categories of fans and their behaviors vary depending on how ...

The current discourse aims to compare the literary elements in the short stories entitled “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Sweat” by Zola Neale Hurston; such as the characters, symbols, and settings. Both stories evidently evolved in a rural town; where Emily allegedly lived in Mississippi County, Yoknapatawpha; while Delia lived in Florida; both settings were historically known to be backdrops for racial discrimination.
In terms of characters, the short stories evolved around the main characters, Emily Grierson and Delia Jones, both emanating distinct traits of strength and resilience in battling challenges in their lives. Emily could ...

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story about Emily Grierson, the main character whose life was a manifestation of an intriguing evolution from solitary destitute to latent madness. The story actually begun with Emily’s demise and told from an unknown narrator’s perspective; possibly a local member of the community or town where Emily resided. From the initial description, the image of Emily that was relayed included her living a reclusive life where no one, except her servant, was accorded the opportunity to be included. The story actually reveals that a woman descents into madness or hidden embodiment of ...

Introduction

As a hoplite, we were the Greek citizen soldiers who were basically the strongest, bravest and able-bodied adults who were middle aged. Our obligation was to do anything to protect our geographic coverage. The general types of weapons we use are spears, shields and arrows. During the Battle of Marathon which took place in 490 BC, we the Athens and Persians met under the intensive culmination of the first and only attempts from the Persians to subjugate the our land under their king who was named king Darius l (Hanson 69). Despite our minority in numbers, we decisively defeated the ...

Introduction

For almost three thousand years, Homer’s Odyssey is among the oldest surviving piece of ancient literary work that was able to transcend through time and still able to capture the imagination of the contemporary readers. Among the most prominent characters in the story is the warrior named Odysseus, which would be the focus of this discussion. Odysseus is a depiction of a renowned warrior known for his cunning, bravery, and shrewdness, which encompass the ideal characteristics of a hero. However, different cultures have a variety of description of a hero, but the common denomination in all of them is the hero’s act ...

Since the creation of the character of Homer Simpson in 1987 and of “The Simpsons” show in 1989 and up till now the topic of influence of the cartoon and its protagonist on the values, attitudes and behavior in the modern society has been fueling numerous discussions among fans, scholars, politicians, and, in general, among anyone interested. Homer Simpson’s character has been exposed to an in-depth analysis not only by those who study the art of storytelling, but also by students of political science, sociology, psychology and even economics. It is self-evident that Mr. Simpson had and still ...

Heroes are a much vaunted source of pride among the cultures and history of mankind. In each society, the tales of heroic exploits have been used to teach both the lessons of truth and valor and the pitfalls of overconfidence and poor planning. This essay will explore the similarities and differences that that two of history’s greatest adventurers have alongside implications of these comparisons. In the end this essay will have explored both the Odyssey and the tale of Beowulf to develop a better understanding of the full depth of the story on every level.
A vital component for ...

Troy (2004): Movie Review

Troy: The Myth Behind the Movie
Introduction
Wolfgang Petersen brought an important historical epic event to the silver screens through the movie entitled Troy in 2004. The movie stars a list of Hollywood’s finest actors to play the role of Greek history’s prominent figures such as Achilles (Brad Pitt), Prince Hector (Eric Bana), Prince Paris (Orlando Bloom), Helen of Troy (Diane Kruger) and a whole lot more. However, the underlying question here is whether or not the events depicted in the movies is really what history told. The movie will be analyzed ...

Both stories the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Ancient Greece, The Iliad and Odyssey (Homer) bring out that there is a possible interaction between man and gods. These gods and men can cooperate in various ways to pursue a given cause. This relationship between gods and man presented in these stories create a different understand of life and death in these two texts. This paper seeks to explain the relationship that exists between men and gods as presented in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Ancient Greece, The Iliad and Odyssey (Homer). In addition, this paper explains how the relationship between gods and ...

Over the years, there has been a controversy about whether ancient sources give an accurate record of events as they happened during the Greek Bronze Age. To put matters to rest, several archaeologists have excavated some areas around ancient Greece and their discoveries suggest that the ancient records on the Bronze Age are not farfetched. From time immemorial, people have used stories, poems and other pieces of writing to preserve their most precious heritages. This has enabled generations after generations not only to gain an insight into the ancient Greece, but also other civilizations in the world as well. A ...

Written in October 1816, John Keats infamous poem is one of romance in terms of how it breaks down the simple act of reading. On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer was the climax in John Keats’ first collection of poems. The rhythms of the Chapman sonnet convey a wide-sweeping sense of movement – of planets circling the heavens, and ships circumnavigating the earth (Rumens).
A gift for a beloved friend, Charles Cowden Clarke, the poem is a fantastically constant symbol of study as the sonnet defines an event in the creative journey, vital in significance to the progress of reading. The ...

The Past

The Iliad 3, Helen and Priam have a view of the battlefield of the Trojan war from the walls of the city of troy. In this text, a representation of the past, present and future of troy is represented in the conversations and descriptions that are made.
The past of Troy is indicated by the reference to the past heroes of the war, and the passage indicates on how they made sacrifices in the war. There is mention panthoos, Thymoites, Lampos, Klytios and hiketaon who is said to be a descendant (scion) of Ares. These individuals are said to be men ...

Did emily kill homer?

In “A Rose for Emily,” lonely spinster Emily Grierson kills her discreet and distant lover Homer Barron, a murder that is revealed only long after the fact to the town in which she lives, shocking its residents. The reasons are never explicitly mentioned in the story, but the isolated environment of the town, the townsfolk's poor and judgmental treatment of Emily, and Homer's own ambivalence toward his relationship with Emily all drive her to kill. Death is a persistent symbol throughout the story - tracing the steps back throughout the town to determine just what led to ...

Homer in his books 9 to 12 of “The Odyssey” (210-301) describes various characters differently. One of the main characters, King Oedipus is a person with strengths and weaknesses both as a subject and a leader. There is a mixture of intelligence and inner strength for King Oedipus. Besides, the king also has specific flaws. Amazingly, Oedipus as a king met his tragedy on the basis of his strengths and weaknesses. Throughout his life as a subject and as a king, Oedipus had strengths and weaknesses, which is significantly believed to have contributed to his tragic downfall within the community. Consequently, one question that continues to ...

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” the town serves not only as the narrator but also as a character in its own right, indeed the only other major character besides Miss Emily. Sometimes it is referred to as ‘they’, ‘we’ or the ‘people’, but is not linked to any particular time or generation. At no time does Emily speak for herself but only through the eyes of this community-narrator, except for one scene which was never included in the published version of the story. Therefore Emily is seen only through the thoughts, feelings, memories and reflections of the ...

William Faulkner’s famed short story “A Rose for Emily” gives a vivid portrayal of a character who makes more than one bad choice in life, but fervently continues on, in a desperate attempt to give her actions and thus, her life meaning. She is a remnant of an old, by-gone era, a recluse by her own choice and a tragically misunderstood woman in love, the characteristics which make her one of the most infamous heroines in the Southern Gothic genre.
Emily Grierson is a Southern belle, a remnant of an old world which is being run over by the emergence of the new one. Exactly ...

Throughout the course of the work, Homer’s Iliad objectifies such attributes of humanity as death, and the intrinsic aspiration for greatness, often portraying them as both malleable and multifaceted. Homer deliberately personifies force, perpetuating an acute opposition from humanity, while emphasizing the extent to which humanity is capable of invoking, controlling, and being controlled by force. Furthermore, it is force that affords the epic a standardizing, overly-subordinate feel, as neither god nor man demonstrates the ability to overpower every force mentioned throughout the course of the work.
Weil’s The Iliad is well decorated with few very powerful ...

Tormenting mankind is no difficult feat; given sufficient power, any person or entity that has power over another can abuse it to inflict substantial harm and torment on other people. Dictators do this; tyrants do this as well. In terms of Greek mythology, the closest analogue to these terrible people are the gods – capricious, spiteful entities who often treat mankind like their own, personal playthings. All too often in Greek myth, mankind will fall victim to the whims of the gods, who perform terrible acts of spite or capriciousness on them for their own selfish reasons. The Greek gods ...

The odyssey is a luminous piece of literary work by Homer which gives mesmerizing experience to the readers. It is easy for a reader to find a number of themes in this great epic and pride seems to be the most importantly portrayed all the way through the adventurers of Odysseus’s in the odyssey. Pride does not only seem to affect Odysseus substantially but also it created a number of difficulties for him throughout the story. It was the pride that cost almost ten years to his life. After grabbing victory at the Trojan War, Odysseus became prideful in a manner which made ...

Pride is a very powerful theme in The Iliad - the first few lines mention the idea of pride, with the many injustices the gods inflict on men and each other due to petty quarrels. For example, Atreus' people are stricken with a plague because his son had insulted a priest of the son of Jove and Leto. In The Iliad, many of the characters suffer greatly as a result of their hubris, or pride. Many of the warriors and characters of the Iliad are very sure of themselves, and believe that their way is the best way. However, as the story progresses, ...

When one discusses the Greek Heroic Period, one remembers the famous work of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two poems depict a more detailed retelling of the Trojan War and what has happened afterward. These poems also depicted the life and hardships of heroes However, this depiction of Homer influenced religion as the two poems shown his view on how heroes and gods are like, and why they are to be respected and worshipped. Homer’s heroes were seen to be shrewd, but they were still good. In one example, Odysseus was seen to be a deceitful hero and ...

In ‘A Rose for Emily’ the central character is arguably the narrator. William Faulkner uses ‘we’ – the first person plural - to tell the story, and this anonymous narrator is the town itself almost telling us the dramatic events of Emily Grierson’s life. There is only a single very important moment when Faulkner changes for deliberate effect from ‘we’ to ‘they.’ Overall, when we come to the conclusion of the story, we understand that Faulkner uses this highly unusual and little-used narrative device to mock the townsfolk and to condemn the attitudes of the citizens.
Emily Grierson lives ...

Miss Emily is the victim of a terrible town, their behavior left her no choice but to live in her own time and place. She was not a welcome part of society so she chose to create her own reality. She would never be alone again with Homer Baron in her bed each night. This poor woman who had been abandoned by so many would never be abandoned by Homer. Unfortunately she is driven to insanity and probably ends up killing Homer although Faulkner does leave this issue quite open ended.
In The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman we ...

Introduction:

David Malouf’s book interestingly revisits ‘The Iliad’ by Homer and although there are certain liberties taken with the text and although these may depart from the original, they still make interesting reading in their own right. Homer’s Iliad is a magnificent text and the story does have moments of supreme glory in it as well as parts when it does appear to reach heroic heights. The main height of the book is when Achilles agrees to give Hector’s body to Priam which is treated a bit differently by Malouf when compared to Homer.

In The Iliad, Homer recounts that:

“Achilles then went back into ...

Gilgamesh

As the world’s earliest known “hero tale,” the Epic of Gilgamesh established the literary tradition of the hero that today pervades our cultural perspective and self-image. This socio-cultural construct is present in folklore, books, movies and even in high-tech media, such as video games and computer programs. In recent years, the 9/11 attacks and the conflicts that followed in its wake have produced a modern hero image that we have come to idealize, a crusader who ignores grave danger to protect the vulnerable and innocent. Gilgamesh is the epitome of this brave protector who, through courage, persistence and physical strength ...

In Kenneth Branagh’s superhero film Thor, Chris Hemsworth plays the titular immortal god of thunder, who is exiled to Earth and must find a way back to his home of Asgard. This is not unlike the quest of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. In this paper, we will compare and contrast the two works (particularly Thor and Odysseus as characters), and examine the similarities in their journeys. In both works, the main characters are headstrong soldiers who learn patience and temperance during their time away from home, fighting giants in order to get back to their loved ones, particularly ...

English Literature

14 May 2011

The immediate thought of what a journey represents is the progress of a story or even of the metaphorical progress of a character’s development. In Homer’s Odyssey, we are told the story of Odysseus’ journey home from the fall of Troy; it is a long, dangerous journey which is plagued by various mythical creatures. In Canto 26 of Dante’s Inferno, the reader bears witness to the journey of Dante who is travelling from the seventh to the eighth circles of hell. In Canto 26, the reader is presented with Ulysses who along with Diomedes, convinced the Greeks ...

Alone, the word ‘epic’ denotes a number of central ideas pertaining to size, volume and length; these ideas are also central to an epic poem. Traditionally, epic poems are long in length and usually deal with an extremely involved plot: heroes, wars, battles between gods, and journeys are usually integral plot devices. They also have a number of key characteristics which help to define them as such. The purpose of this essay is to explore what defines a poem as being an epic with reference to two key examples of such poems: The Odyssey by Homer (and translated by Robert Fitzgerald) and ...

Introduction

Death is the cessation of life or the termination of biological functions sustaining a living organism. Causes of death include: malnutrition, accidents and predation. Death has for a very long period of time been a central concern of the world’s traditions both religious and philosophical. Belief in some kind of afterlife or rebirth has a central aspect of religious belief.

Themes of Death and How They Compare to a Modern Epic of Gilgamesh, the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest books which are still in use today. The influences of this book are still being seen in many modern works today. ...

Ancient Greeks live by the fate of their lives. This was dictated by the presences of a super natural being who was fearful and no one could attempt to question his unforeseen powers. The gods were believed to be part of people’s lives and nobody could imagine doing something without first consulting with the immortal world. The gods were omnipresent and Homer described them as ‘anthropomorphic’ that is they are like human in characteristics and all activities carried out during those days were literally controlled by the gods, this depicts their interaction with the mortals. Although, the presences ...