Essays on The Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of the oldest Greek poems associated with Homer. The poem starts by introducing the main character; Odysseus who embarks on his journey back home after the fall of Troy. After the Trojan War ends, Odysseus takes another period of ten years before arriving back home in Ithaca. During this period, his wife Penelope and his son Prince Telemachus languishes in pain and suffering, bearing in mind that Odysseus had died in the war tone area. One of the major challenges that threatened disintegration in Odysseus family is a bunch of suitors who seduced Penelope to Continue reading...

“Roasting Brits lost their cool in a wide brown land” by Troy Lennon

Analysis of the Article
This article talks about the Australian weather that has been cited by Brits as extreme ever since the first Brit set foot on Australia in 1788. Troy talks of how the Australian weather was much more different from the weather in other European countries especially Britain. During the time of arrival of the British, the average temperatures in Australia were 20 degrees Celsius which were quite higher than the temperatures back home. The Brits found life difficult in Australia and had to adapt. First off they had to abandon their heavy clothing that was meant Continue reading...

Introduction

War is an unavoidable part of human life. Warfare is portrayed as an important component of the human lives. War plays an important role in the lives of human beings making it inevitable in the world. War is an important aspect in human life because it brings honor and integrity to the individuals who participate in the struggles and battles while failure to participate in the war is presented as an act of cowardice and laziness and a sign of misaligned priorities in life.
The degree of participation in the war is presented as a brave and courageous people Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

Since Telemachus was the only prince that was left in the palace after his father left for the Trojan War, he had to take responsibility as a man of the palace. When his father Odyssey did not return to Ithaca after the war, many people, including the queen herself assumed that he was dead. Many suitors flooded the palace to try and win the queen, this angered him but he had nothing he could do since he was a young and helpless boy. However, Telemachus matures from a young and inexperienced boy to a man who can take up Continue reading...

Leopold Bloom is displayed as a thirty eight year old character married to one lady whom she loves so much. Leaving in Ireland in the early 1900, he was facing nepotism issues as he was from another nationality. His father was Hungarian hence making him to be seen as a Hungarian. In most of the times, it is noted that he is excluded from most of the time from socializing with his friends due to his nationality. He is seen to suffer and undergo insularity of the Irish throughout the poem, but he does not seem to be minded Continue reading...

A gift is anything presented to another without expectation of payment or anything else in return. However, the individual giving the gift may sometimes expect reciprocation of the same. Generally, a gift is meant to be free, and no action is taken to those who do not reciprocate. Gifts have been known to foster good social relations and contribute to social cohesion. A gift by extension can mean anything that makes the other party less sad especially as a favor to them. Such gifts may be in the form of kindness or forgiveness. Gifts are occasional and presented every Continue reading...

There are numerous subjects of memory and overlooking or forgetting in the realm of "The Odyssey". Both have massive impact on the storyline and events. To say which is more imperative is easy to contradict. Some contentions indicate how in a few cases one is superior to the next, yet despite the fact that there may be occasions where disregarding may have been more gainful, memory is more significant as it relates to the primary characters Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus.
At the time of the Odyssey, Greek men went into fight as they needed to be celebrated for their Continue reading...

Zeno Paradoxes

Zeno of Elea is a mathematician and a Greek philosopher who is famous for his paradoxes that deals with or explains the continuity of motion. He was born during 490 BCE and was a strong devotee of Parmenides who also introduced the Eleactic school of thought in the current southern Italy. He survives in Parmenides, Plato's dialog and from it the origin of paradoxes becomes clear. One of the most familiar paradoxes put across by Zeno states that I cannot walk over you as I need to get there halfway, and in the event that I succeed I must Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

Achilles’ battles with Hector in the Iliad

In this particular ancient narration, Hector’s battle is more personal and based on experience by his parents. Hector battles something that is greater than him. The narration is set in a location accessible for both of his parents. They both beg him to stop the fight and seek for help for he is weaker from his opponent. However, Hector stands his ground and fights. Hector is badly hurt as his mother and father console him and leak his wounds. In this particular narration, Hector is displayed as the hero as he battles to save his life and that Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

Ares is a god of war in the Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus (the king of the gods) and Hera (the goddess of marriage). Ares was the most powerful but detested god on Olympus. His birth was after the Great War and developed into a vicious and fearsome man. Ares had a brother Hephaestus (god of artisanship) and three sisters Hebe, Eileithyia, and Athena. However, Ares did not relate well with his siblings especially his sister Athena. As such, Athena and Ares fought many battles against each other. He did not care for anything else but Continue reading...

The two protagonists of Homer’s Iliad and Shakespeare’s Coriolanus present similar sentiments. All three of them were great leaders of men and valiant fighters. It is unfortunate that these men were dragged into situations from where there could be no escape as they were, and had to live up to their heroic statures. There was a huge burden placed on them by their respective followers during war that they paid no heed to the consequence they would face when they faced off with their enemy. Therefore, there is no doubt that all the three of them; Hector, Continue reading...

Ramayana of Valmiki

The Ramayana reminded me of Odysseus at first just because of the bow. All of the princes who wanted to marry Sita had to try to lift it, but only Rama was able to do that. This was like when Odysseus was wandering. Everyone thought he was dead but his wife. So, to avoid having to remarry she told the men who wanted to marry her that they needed to draw and shoot Odysseus’s bow. No one could do it until he came home and used it to kill the men who had been bothering his wife.
In Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

Abstract

Three types of examples from the genres of world literature are integral to the strength of investigating the works of different periods and cultures. Different eras represented sweeping views of war, the sacred, the secular, and expressions of stories that culminated in philosophical lessons or important pieces in historical sagas. This essay develops a critique based upon the prompt which looks at the literary works of: (a) Homer’s “The Iliad”, (b) Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy – Inferno”, and (c) Elphinstone Dayrell’s “Nigerian Folk Stories”. The richly contrasting nuances of the literary comparisons provide a marvelous rubric Continue reading...

Images constantly surround us in our everyday lives. Our eyes and brains are so saturated with visual information that we sometimes do not notice the power/influence images hold over us. Images/objects/monuments did not materialize out of thin air! They were created within particular cultures/societies and mirrored these societies’ concerns. Thus, almost all changes and/or developments in style and iconography reflect changes within a society political, social, religious. In looking at all the arts, in the world from the ancient times to the modern world it is clear that they have all portrayed something of importance at that time. Some Continue reading...

Gods and goddesses play a huge part in The Odyssey, which retells the story of a ten-year journey of Ulysses from Troy to Ithaca. The story of Ulysses’ voyage has a lot of intercession from the gods and goddesses, which either aided or hindered the men of Ulysses in going back to their home. There is a great deal of interaction between the gods and the mortals in this well-known epic. It also showed some human characteristics that may have been reflected by the gods.
Gods are there to assist or to deter the mission of the people in Continue reading...

One of the most memorable scenes in the entire Iliad takes place near the very end of the conflict. Hector, the son of Priam (the king of Troy) and Achilles have taken part in the climactic hand-to-hand combat that will take place in the whole tale. For a decade, the men from Greece have been trying to conquer the city of Troy, all because Hector’s brother, Paris, ran off with Helen, the wife of Menelaus, one of the Greek kings. In response to this flight, Menelaus and the other Greek kings brought their armies across the sea. Initially, Continue reading...

Just like anyone else, all characters in a story have their own historical background and information regarding their pasts. This information is usually very important in understanding their traits and their current lives. Therefore such information assist readers understand a specific story. This is what is referred to as exposition. Generally it can be defined as the historical background touching on the characters and setting in a given story usually at the beginning of the story. The major information is usually occurrences that took place before the story was initiated. Therefore it is usually the initial part of the Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

The Greek mythology as known today is a culmination of the traditions in different parts of the Greek civilization with each region having its own heroes. For examples, the Homer’s Iliad is a regional mythology that strived to appeal to as many cities as possible bringing together a common identity of the Greeks. During the time of Hesiod and Homer, Greece comprised of many cities and islands separated by natural boundaries made by the gods (Works and Days, 167-171). The Iliad mentions almost all the apart of Greece that took part in the Trojan War. The mythology often Continue reading...

A story is written when a prediction is made. A character’s journey is laid out as they’re being guided towards their fate by the invisible hands of the Gods. Fate is as important today as it was thousands of years ago and this was the reason the Greeks incorporated the concept of fate in their stories and plays. While fate can decide a person’s well-being or destruction, the Greeks almost always depicted fate in a tragic sense. By depicting their heroes as prone to tragedy and fate, the ancient Greeks who conceived these fables might have Continue reading...

Adultery remains the charged topic today that it was back in ancient times. Even though the twentieth century brought it more liberal means for gaining a divorce, and even though cohabitation is catching up with marriage as the relationship structure of choice for many couples, particularly in Europe, the idea that a spouse is cheating on his or her betrothed is still the sort of alluring gossip that draws interest. If this were not true, such spurious stories as Michelle Obama’s plans to divorce the president and Angelina Jolie’s latest decision to leave Brad Pitt would not Continue reading...

In ancient Greek culture, the notions of masculinity were diverse. Possession of these ideals meant that a person acquired a heroic stature. In the conflicts pitting Achilles and Agamemnon, the basic ideals of masculinity emerge. In the Iliad, Hector profoundly lays bare the inherent Greek obsession with emasculating each other in competitions. In both situations, superiority in athleticism, sexual virility, and performance in speech, possession of materials and wealth, and physical attractiveness are aptly used to express masculinity. Moreover, winning battles and fighting off enemies symbolized a warrior-like characteristic which was also a definition of masculinity. The analysis of Continue reading...

Character Analysis of Troy Maxon in “Fences” by August Wilson

August Wilson wrote the drama Fences in 1983, in which he explores the life of the Maxon’s family. Troy Maxon is the protagonist through which Wilson portrays the struggles of the black American people who yearn for justice and fair treatment during the 1950’s. Troy also is representative of the black males in that era, who are reluctant to recognize and accept social change. All the characters in the play are African Americans who must live through the trials and tribulations that exist during the time before the civil rights movement. The main character Troy Maxon is Continue reading...

There have been different mythical beliefs concerning afterlife. After life refers to life after death and as such, different societies have different beliefs of where the dead go once they pass away. In our case here, we are going to do a comparison of the beliefs that exist in the people of ancient Mesopotamia and the Odysseus’ nekyia.
The people of Mesopotamia had the notion that the dead lived on in a dusty, bleak underworld referred to as the Dark Earth. They had the belief that any cave, pit, or pond could be an entrance to that place. They Continue reading...

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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 many Continue reading...

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 Continue reading...

In The Iliad, the author sets warfare as the most important aspects of the society. It is necessary to note that the current  war in the poem is not at the action and plot in the text, but war is one of the detectable social forces in the poem. Men in the poem who fail to respect the warrior character of the society or fail to take part in the ongoing wars are ostracized and criticized. Declining to engage in battles or war or being labeled a coward are the worst ways that a man can be defined, since Continue reading...

Introduction

Discussion
Atwood’s Main message
As a visionary writer, Atwood has authored many books. What is common in Atwood’s books is that she attempts to put across one message over and over again. This is the message on the woman’s voice in the society. Atwood effectively passes this message in a unique manner by reconstructing her version out of ancient myth stories. Old pieces of literature were synonymous with stories of feminist exploitation. The society of the time was characterized with giving a woman no chance whatsoever. They had no say in most society matters even by Continue reading...

Nearly 3,000 years since their horrific stories were told in “The Iliad,” the Greek hero Achilles and Hector are still getting incredible literary makeovers. They demarcate a war that has never been experienced in Greek since memorial. In their character, they represent two powerful houses of Troy and Greece. Scholars on literature analysis, for several years, have worked around the clock to discover the origin, participants and the truth about these stories. With their documentary records, they have provided an elaborate synopsis showing the real story with its various characters.

Synopsis

The character traits of the two players can Continue reading...

There are but few authors in the plethora of Western literature that can rival Homer in his lasting impact on the craft of epic narrative. Both of his Odyssey and the Illiad are often attributed as the oldest surviving works of literature in the Western Greek alphabetic tradition (Powell xv). Along with Hesiod’s poems, they are also considered to be the oldest substantial pieces of writing in any kind. Almost nothing survives between these poems – which appear at the dawn of Greek alphabetic literacy – and the rich literary production of fifth-century Athens. Everything else is lost. Of course, Continue reading...

Culture can be defined as norms, values and customs practiced by the community members. Cultures differ from one community to another, and it earns respect from most of the people practicing it. In some instances, conflicts arise when some people opt to sideline their culture, therefore, forcing condemnation from their fellow tribes’ men. Other communities may term the culture of their neighbors to be barbaric and backward, and it fuels enmity and hatred between the parties involved (Mitchell, Adrian, and Homer 69). From the past, people have been taught to respect the culture of their fore fathers and they Continue reading...

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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 also Continue reading...

Early Modern Fashion

The decorative art of France of the eighteenth century seems to command a lot of attention. The one big reason for this could be the objects that were there then, reward close scrutiny. Their studies by scholars have not only led to the formal appreciation of their former complexity, but also to how they shaped sporadic and social experiences. In her observation, Hellman juxtaposes the decorated interior of eighteenth-century France to the body and motion of a pretty woman. “The vignettes of Dangerous Liaisons suggest that the design of clothes and interiors worked in unison to create an elegant Continue reading...

Name_________________________________________________________ Date:___________

- What is the main point that you want someone to read this paper to understand?
I want to point out the brilliant capacity of decision making of Telemachus. His maturity is reflected through his decision making and his adaptability. That is what I want to highlight from Telemachus's character.
- Where did you focus particular efforts in this paper?
I focused on the deep study of each and every action and decision of Telemachus. I just want to focus on the immense maturity level of Telemachus while dealing each and every situation.
- What aspects of your last Continue reading...