...Homer, throughout The Iliad, illustrates that although it can be difficult to reach, the rough road to compassion is noble and ultimately superior to the easier paths of anger and rage. In Book 22, Achilles demonstrates mindless rage as he desecrates the body of the Trojan warrior and son of King Priam, Hector. This violates Greek funeral rites, which say that a warrior of Hector’s status, like Patrokles before him, should receive a proper burial. Achilles’ rage over the death of Patrokles, however, prevents him from having compassion for a fellow warrior, namely Hector. Priam attempts to ransom his son’s body and, in turn, reawaken a sense of compassion in Achilles, who had become vengeful after his quarrel with Agamemnon and Hector’s slaying of Patrokles. He accomplishes this by supplicating himself and by reminding Achilles of the common tragedies that both men have suffered throughout the Trojan War. Priam helps Achilles regain his compassion and quell his anger that began after his quarrel with Agamemnon, festered throughout the poem and reached its pinnacle after the death of Patrokles. Thus, through the transformation of his main character and epic hero, Achilles, Homer is stressing the futility of rage and the importance of compassion in Greek society. In Homeric Society, warfare and destruction dominate the lives of many citizens. During the Trojan War, many warriors, Trojan and Greek alike, die on the field of battle. These warriors are lauded for their strength...
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...Biography of Homer (?-? BC) Beyond a few fragments of information, historians and classicists can only speculate about the life of the man who composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. The details are few. We do not even know the century in which he lived, and it is difficult to say with absolute certainty that the same poet composed both works. The Greeks attributed both of the epics to the same man, and we have little hard evidence that would make us doubt the ancient authorities, but uncertainty is a constant feature of scholarly work dealing with Homer's era of Greek history. The Greeks hailed him as their greatest poet, as well as their first. Although the Greeks recognized other poets who composed in Greek before Homer, no texts from these earlier poets survived. Perhaps they were lost, or perhaps they were never written down‹Homer himself was probably on the cusp between the tradition of oral poetry and the new invention of written language. Texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey existed from at least the sixth century BC, and probably for a considerable span of time before that. These two great epic poems also had a life in performance: through the centuries, professional artists made their living by reciting Homer, performing the great epics for audiences that often know great parts of the poem by heart. It is impossible to pin down with any certainty when Homer lived. Eratosthenes gives the traditional date of 1184 BC for the end of the Trojan War, the semi-mythical...
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...Week 3 Iliad paper The Iliad’s use of similarities between characters and animals is found throughout the books. My focus will be on book twenty two “The Death of Hector.” No more words-he dashed toward the city, heart racing for some great exploit, rushing on like a champion stallion drawing a chariot full tilt, sweeping across the plain in easy, tearing strides-so Achilles hurtled on, driving legs and knees. (Page 542 line 26) Here we see Achilles on his way to Troy in order to take on his arch nemesis Hector. His strides that he is taking are very similar to the gliding of a thorough bread horse. His power is shown in the way in which he races without tiring. Hector is seen awaiting Achilles with his fate already determined. The next passage from the book in my eyes is a very powerful message in that it positions Achilles and Hector into categories. There are no binding oaths between men and lions-wolves and lambs can enjoy no meeting of the minds. (Page 550 line 309) Here with this statement, Achilles is affirming that Hector is a mere mortal while Achilles should be considered a god because of his abilities. In the same passage he is considering his abilities to that of the wolf and Hector being the prey that is the lamb. He is showing that these two particular species will never co-exist without fighting to the death. And on that resolve he drew the whetted sword that hung at his side, tempered, massive, and gathering all his force he swooped like...
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...universality of their themes, and for their extraordinary stories. They take their place alongside the Bible, Sophocles’ Oedipus the Rex, Dante’s The Divine Comedy, Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Tolstoy’s War and Peace as among the most popular and most highly praised literary works in history. Remarkably, Homer had no authors to imitate, no prototypical literature to guide him, for literature—indeed, civilization itself—was still in its infancy when he composed his works. He was the world's first great writer, a model for others to imitate. .......Scholars conjecture from scraps of evidence that Homer was a blind poet who may have been born on the island of Chios (also spelled in English as Khios) in the Aegean Sea; in Smyrna, a seaport in western Turkey; in Colophon, near Ephesus, Turkey; on Rhodes, an Aegean island; in Salamis, Cyprus; or in Athens or Argos on the Greek mainland. Because of the dearth of information about him, it is not possible to determine specific details about his life: where he lived, whether he was married, when he died. In fact, it is not even possible to determine whether he was one person or several. .......Homer probably composed his works between 700 and 800...
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...Homer, Virgil and Milton Homer, Virgil and Milton’s use of allusion in their literature is apparent and most likely educational. They all have clear and recurring parallels between their works. Particularly complex are the allusions to Achilles, which appear in the portrayals of both Aeneas and Turnus. W. S. Anderson, in his influential article1 on Vergil's use of the Iliad, has argued that although Achilles is initially invoked as a model for both Aeneas and Turnus in Aeneid, as the poem progresses Vergil establishes Aeneas as the true heir to Achilles, while Turnus becomes a new Hector or Paris. Book 9 opens with Iris urging Turnus to take advantage of Aeneas' absence by attacking the Trojan camp, a clear reference to Iliad where Iris rouses Achilles to drive the Trojans from the Greek camp. Anderson has argues that “Vergil uses this allusion to support Turnus' own false notion that he is a new Achilles,” a delusion which is gradually dispelled in Book 10 after the reappearance of the real successor to Achilles, Aeneas. The resemblance of the attack of the Latins on the Trojan camp to the attack of Hector and his companions on the Greek camp in Iliad Book 8 and 12 seems to support such a view, placing Turnus in the role of Hector and not Achilles. Later, however, the issue is complicated further as in his slow retreat before the Trojans Turnus is reminiscent of Ajax in Iliad. Finally, just at the end of his retreat, Turnus turns and just jumps into the river, like Achilles'...
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...Imagine being a hero that everyone hates because he/she is a terrible hero. Odysseus is a hero that thinks he is a good hero when he is not. In The Odyssey by Homer, the character Odysseus is seen as a hero and everyone thinks he is. When actually he is taking ten years to get home because he is sleeping with other women and letting his men get killed, all on his way home. He spends many years or a few days at each island trying to get out of something he got him and his men into or is staying with some goddess or other woman. Odysseus is boastful, obnoxious, and dishonest,Odysseus proves that he is a terrible hero in so many ways. Odysseus is gratefully boastful and shows that in many ways throughout the story. Boastful is to show pride or...
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...As demonstrated in both readings of “The Odyssey” by Homer and Edith Hamilton, each sections of the poems present various forms of archetypes as well as the twelve stages of a hero. From the beginning, Odysseus has followed every step of the ordinary world all throughout his return to it; however, in the special world Odysseus manages to be “the knight in shining armor”. Undoubtedly, he has the image of a courageous, influential, and honorable protagonist who doesn’t withdraw from any danger to come. Therefore, to Ithaca from Troy, Odysseus will certainly face The Creatures of Nightmare as he ventures sufficient years oversea. Nonetheless, in movie and poem, Odysseus is portrayed as the hero in the “The Odyssey” for his guile, persistence,...
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...Homer vs. The Old Testament: The Telephone Game In the beginning there were three great stories, the stories of Homer and the stories of then what would become the Old Testament. Homer is famous for his epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad is about a man named Achilles and his feud with Agamemnon. This epic poem recounts what events took place in this feud. Homer’s next great piece of work is The Odyssey, a story about Odysseus and a war against the Trojans, and his twenty-year excursion to return home. The Old Testament much like Homer’s tales is an epic poem. The Old Testament is a story about the beginning of creation, and how one figure created the world, a story about right and wrong, and the trials and tribulations of the people of faith. By comparing the characters and the themes of Homer’s epics and the works of The Old Testament one can see the similarities between the two and how word of mouth from one story could have possibly flowed into the...
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...When facing the cyclops, Odysseus displayed a larger-than-life personality and controlled his emotions. He came up with a strategic solution that set him apart from other characters by giving him a different and extraordinary personality. He controlled his anger by not killing the cyclops, even though he wanted to. This showed that he had control over his emotions. In the events that take place in the Land of the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus helped lesser humans and expressed larger-than-life characteristics. He could have chosen to leave his three crew members behind but instead helped them by dragging them onto the boat and tying them down so they couldn't go back to the Lotus Eaters. He showed his powerful personality by resisting the Lotus Eaters...
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...To begin, Homer employs thematic details to achieve the product of the Trojan War narrative in the Iliad by implementing impersonal characters and interchangeable details. Homer does not exclaim any date or year in any point of the text to link the Trojan War to reality. Nor does Homer acknowledge the connection to what is happening in Greece while the war is in progress. The lack of significant details relays that this story is in the realm of fiction rather than fact. Furthermore, Homer continues detaching the world of the Iliad from reality by using the names of characters and places interchangeably. As the author, Andrew Dalby points out throughout the Iliad, the name Paris and Alexandros interchangeably replace one another. These follies...
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...The third installment of Homer Hickman’s memoir entitles Sky of Stone, dictates the struggles of a small town boy returning home after experiencing the vastly different environment of higher education. Sonny’s summer of 1961 has a vastly different plan than the one he had imaged, lazing around the hot North Carolina beaches, strolling for girls and having the summer of his life. Instead he finds himself back in Coalwood, West Virginia, doing what he vowed he would never do. As mining coal proves to be more than he bargained for, with long and tolling days, he finds himself changing physically and mentally, caring more and more about the people around him and his hometown. Sonny is dedicated to earning his way, making it back to college in the fall,...
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...Ashley Holmes The Odyssey of Homer The Odyssey of Homer is a poem of many themes that changes the outcome of Odysseus long journey back home. Many times within the story, the actions of Odysseus are done with much thought but he doesn’t realize what the outcome may be. Yes the suitors often stayed in Odysseus place but they seemed a bit welcomed and wanted. The death they all faced was very tragic and uncalled for on many occasions. In the Homer society of shame and honor, I think Odysseus brought the most shame upon himself. The suitors often believed that Penelope would take their hand in marriage in many scenarios. She would tell them to flourish her with many gifts and she would then pick the one who gave the best gifts. With those sly actions she did get the gifts she wanted but she also got them to stay longer. She entertained their actions and thought what she was doing was indeed right. She at times made them feel special and enjoyed how they were always in a competition to win her over. The suitors had more hope than Penelope, she believed her husband was dead and long gone, so she told them that and they become more expectant. “And yet you have no cause to blame the Achaian suitors, but it’s your own mother, and she is greatly resourceful. And now it is the 3rd year, and will be the fourth year presently, since she has been denying the desire of the Achains. For she hold out hope to all, and makes promises to each man, sending us messages, but her mind...
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...The Greek poet Homer (who, if he was one person, was born between 850 and 1100 BCE) was, to use a modern term, the source code for Greek literature and poetry, and therefore for Western literature, heavily influencing practically everyone who followed him, including, of course, the great Florentine poet Dante Alighieri ( 1265-1321 A.D.). Both poets’ visions of Hell, as depicted in The Odyssey and Inferno, are noteworthy because they open important windows into the philosophical and theological underpinnings of the worlds into which these authors were born. Why is this important? Because their elaborately drawn visions of Hell represent the two great divides in how humans for 3,000 years have been seeing themselves and the universe they perceive surrounding them. In the Homeric vision, life is tragic and arbitrary. We as humans are mere playthings of the Fates and the gods. Sometimes justice occurs, but usually only by accident, and even then it comes wrapped up in irony. Good is punished and evil triumphs. The hero, instead of enjoying the fruits of his victory, is brought low by some tragic flaw. Homer’s portrayal of the gods and of hell in the Odyssey…[big long quote] For Dante, in sharp contrast, the universe is ordered and just. The wicked are, eventually, punished and the righteous are rewarded, if not in this life, then in the next. Existence, while often painful and scary, is not arbitrary, but proceeds according to a mysterious divine plan devised long ago by...
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...different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus. Orestes’ revenge is the first important example of the gods’ revenge in the poem. In Book 1, Hermes told Aegisthus, “’Don’t murder the man,’ he said, ‘don’t court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes…” (Homer 260). King Nestor delivers the story of Orestes’ revenge to Odysseus’ son Telemachus, while Telemachus is visiting Nestor to discover answers about his fathers’... The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon as I saw her true colors. I understand that her emotions were all over the place. First, she was angry, then cold and conniving. The lower she sinks the more terrible revenge she wants to reap on Jason. Medea's plan...
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...Guide for HOMER Version 2.1 April 2005 National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle HOMER Getting Started Guide 2/30 About this Getting Started Guide This Getting Started guide introduces you to HOMER by walking you through eleven steps. You will start by providing HOMER with information, or inputs, about power system designs that you want to consider. HOMER will simulate system configurations, create a list of feasible system designs, and sort the list by cost-effectiveness. In the final step, you will use HOMER to perform a sensitivity analysis. By going through each step in the guide, you should become familiar with the software, and develop enough experience to start using the model on your own. It should take about an hour to complete this exercise. The online version of this guide You can open an online version of this guide by choosing Getting Started on HOMER's Help menu. Checking your work as you go Throughout the guide are illustrations that show how HOMER should look as you use the software. Be sure to compare what appears on your computer screen to the illustrations to make sure that you have correctly completed each step. About Tips and Notes: Throughout this guide, tips and notes provide additional information to help you better understand how HOMER works...
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