...Besides showing the queer aspects of The Odyssey, the some of the male characters do not conform to their traditional gender norms. For example, in spite of being the ideal male warrior that “Odysseus the great soldier” is, he, like many of the female characters, weaves his way through conversations to solve his problems. For instance, in book five, Kalypso the nymph, who is keeping Odysseus captive, says: “’though you wanted her forever, that bride for whom you pine each day… can I be less desirable than she? Less interested? Can mortals compare with goddesses in grace and form’ To this the strategist Odysseus answered: ‘My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope… would seem a shade before your majesty.’” (Bk. 5 ln 218-226)...
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...Philosophies (Women)- Women play either a motherly role or that of a seductress. They are weakened along with being lost without a guide and a support. An example would be Penelope, wife of Odysseus since she is a mother, but while Odysseus is gone, and when suitors come along, in a way she tempts them in terms of power (of the role of king) and as a woman, but she actually never gives in to any of the men. The purpose of women was mainly to lament the losses for their men and also persuading for their safety. Criticism- Homer had written the Odyssey with a bit of over-the-top reiteration, along with the missing component of a sense of unity. However, even when Odysseus wasn’t on a scene, the lines of the story still indicate that he is...
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...The overall tone of the episode in Odyssey X provides a very probable motive for Cleanthes’ strange etymology since the use of ‘cunning intelligence’ would be very fitting for Odysseus who already used his μῆτις in a similar situation in the cave of Polyphemus (Odyssey IX). At the same time, we need to stress that Cleanthes does not examine the episode from the perspective of lack of knowledge and its compensation but in the light of the Stoic opposition of passions and reason: he connects μῶλυ to the verb μωλύεσθαι (“to subside”) since this etymology presents Odysseus as a person whose ability to suppress his emotions allows him to act in accordance with reason. This line of interpretation, based on further Homeric examples (such as Iliad XXIV, 549 ff. and Odyssey XX, 17 f.), was continued by Chrysippus. Despite Galen’s criticism against Chrysippus’ method of using Homer and Hesiod in support of his philosophical arguments, this long tradition of philosophical exegesis of epic poems (including their epistemological reading) was continued by later...
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...The Odyssey has been a major part of English Literature. Therefore, there have been several adaptations made to it, including multiple movies. There are two major movies that represent the Odyssey luminously. Ulysses (1954) and The Odyssey (1997) are two of the most major adaptation to the remarkable Odyssey by Homer. Ulysses (1954) was directed by Mario Camerini, and the Odyssey (1997) was directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy. INCLUDE THESIS The Odyssey )1997) starts off with Odysseus running to the birth of Telemachus, while Agamemnon and Menelaus visit him. They visit him to tell him about the kidnapping of Helen, which leads to the Trojan War. When Odysseus is leaving there are two major things that happen first, of all his mother makes him...
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...EXAMINATION OF DUTY AND SELF CONTROL IN THE ODYSSEY Aashna Jamal INTRODUCTION Under the rule of Zeus, events did not occur in isolation but in interdependence causing there to be a flux in the totality of events and the whole drama being played on a cosmic plane. The central theme of Zeus’s rule is the preservation of his “ oikos” or household management where the prevalence of order over Chaos is of utmost importance. In this paper, using the Odyssey as a case study, I will examine the thematic importance of the decisions taken by a hero in accordance to or defiance of self control and pietas and the consequences they lead to. These expectations are clearly marked out for the reader who waits in anticipation to garner the fate of the hero. I will analyse the themes of self control and pietas or duty in the Odyssey and discuss their special significance in this epic. I will then briefly talk about the Hindu concept of duty or Dharma with reference to the Ramayana. I however do not intend to use the concept of monomyth coined by Joseph Campbell also referred to as the hero's journey(which is a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world.) in comparing these epics. The example of the Ramayana will only serve my purpose of highlighting the theme of duty in mythologies across the world. Lastly, I will conclude with the importance of inspecting these themes because of their significance to the plotline. Georg Wissowa notes that pietas was...
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...Athena's father was the god Zeus, the leader of the Olympians, and her mother was a Titan named Metis. Although Zeus was married to Metis, he feared her power. One day he heard a prophecy that one of his children would take his throne. He promptly swallowed Metis and considered the problem solved. However, Zeus never knew that Metis was pregnant with Athena. She birthed Athena inside of Zeus and made her a helmet, shield, and spear. Soon, Zeus was afflicted with deadly headaches and he ran to Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes, and begged him to open his head. Hephaestus did as he was told, and out came Athena, dressed in her armor and prepared to fight a battle. Like all the Olympians, Athena was an immortal goddess and could not die. She was the most intelligent, resourceful, and wise of all the Greek gods. She was also...
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...A hero is defined as many things. One who is selfless, one who shows compassion, one who not only leads others into battle but fights alongside them. In the greek parables, The Odyssey, by Homer and in Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles a hero is described as someone who perseveres on even when burdened by the weight of the unknown. The hero of The Odyssey is named Odysseus, a young man who overcame many trials to get back to his home in Ithaca, and the hero of Oedipus Rex is King Oedipus, a ruler who has his people's best interest at heart. The protagonists in these tales are both reputed to have heroic qualities and yet how they dealt with being receptive to new ideas, their humility, and their relationship with a higher power was what led each to...
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...GREEK MYTHOLOGY Background to Homer’s Odyssey As you read each story, ask yourself: What is most enjoyable, predictable, or bizarre about this story? How would I have responded in this situation? What mysteries or features of the world might this story try to explain? What bit of moral or religious instructions (i.e. don’t disobey the gods) might be contained in this story? How does this story compare with Christian beliefs, or with the values of our culture today? Are there any other stories or fables I’ve heard that follow the same pattern as this story? The Creation Myths Part 1 Before there was anything, there was Chaos, a formless void. This void, this pure nothingness, gave birth to Gaea (the Earth itself), Tartarus (the underworld), Eros (love), Erebus (underground darkness) and Nyx (the darkness of night). The two kinds of darkness joined together and gave birth two kinds of light: the Light of the heavens and the Light of day. Nyx (night) also gave birth to the three Fates, who control the course of the universe and determine the length of each person’s life on their wheel of fortune. Of the fates, Clotho spins the threads of each person’s life, Lachesis measures the length of the thread, and Atropos cuts the thread. The Fates – Francisco Goya (one of the best painters ever!) 1823 – Note the scissors in the hand of Atropos and Lachesis measuring with a magnifying glass. Who’s...
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...From the wise words of Woodrow Wilson, “Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice”. An important aspect in building relationships with others is loyalty. In the book, The Odyssey by Homer, loyalty plays a huge role. A Greek hero named Odysseus took twenty years to return home from the Trojan War. During Odysseus’ way back to Ithaca, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus try to ward off the suitors who want to marry Penelope until Odysseus’ homecoming. On his journey home, the amount of crew members quickly declined and truly showed the loyalty Odysseus held for his crew. Notwithstanding that Odysseus shows a little bit of loyalty to his crew, he constantly puts them in danger, he doesn’t have a close bond with a majority of his crew, and he puts no...
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...planning a wedding ceremony for two popular with large crowd, they are expecting 400 guest at the wedding, featuring a romantic theme. Couples want champagne, candlelight and a beautiful aura of ambience that celebrates a romantic wedding theme. It will include soft subtle colors to fine music and elegant decorations, fairytale weddings speak to the heart. The event will take place in four months, to be precise May 17th, 2014 at 3 pm prompt. Site Location I have suggested a location to the couple, which is the Tinley Park convention center, located at 223 Harlem roads, Tinley park, IL, 60477. We will visit the location to do a site inspection to determine if it suits the event and the couple. We have selected this site based on the purpose, role, goals, and objectives of the event, as well as the capabilities, desirability, and safety of the venue or location. We have also blended the needs and...
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...demonstrated that as videogame technology grew more sophisticated, gamers found themselves in more personal, immersive, emotionally titillating, morally challenging, and free-ended worlds. The increase in processing power and available memory led to photorealistic visuals, longer storylines, broader gameplay, and socially interactive games that have become second nature to most teenagers today. This second life will only become more influential in our physical and mental states as the scope of modern gaming increases, and new technologies provide for a longer, more poignant, and more immersive gaming experience. Technology, the “practical application of knowledge,” dates back millennia. Even pre-historic man used rock, wood, fur, and fire to better his existence. Then, as Neanderthals gave way to Homo sapiens and the first civilizations appeared, technology blossomed. The Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Romans, Aztecs, and others created the abacus, alphabets, bridges, mills, hydroponics, aqueducts, and more. With these new technologies, humans’ lives changed dramatically. The pulley and counterweight, for...
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...Everyone likes to throw the word “hero around”, but I dont think everyone actually realizes what a hero is, everyone has a different perception of what makes someone a hero. To some, a hero can range from someone with supernatural abilities that dedicate their whole lives to keeping the world safe from any threat to just someone with no special super power, it’s just people to admire or look up to. With the word having such a wide spectrum, it seems fairly easy to fall into the hero category. That range leaves no doubt why Odysseus and Dante are epic heroes; with what they went through, traveling through sea and passing straight through hell, they have also earned the title of being respectable heroes. According to The Odyssey, it is shown that a hero has a quality of being a risk taker; a trait Odysseus demonstrates throughout his journey. When Odysseus stabbed the Cyclopes in the eye, it is considered a huge, bold risk “Straight forward they sprinted, lifting it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye” (book IX. 380-381). Odysseus knew if he didn’t act quick, him and his men would live out their last days waiting to be lunch for the Cyclops. However, Odysseus is considered a god among men because of his quick thinking, he knew he had to succeed in order to avoid that fate. Not only were they inspired by the fact that they had to act on the situation to save their lives, but it also seems like they had some external motivation. As Odysseus’ men stood around him, “some god...
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...Robert Sanders English 2342 (MW 11:302:00pm) Professor C. Robinson Research Essay “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority” (Ken 1). A management technique used by Ken Blanchard that is very much relevant in more aspects of management. By definition, management is the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. Meaning influence, the power to have an effect on something or someone, could be considered a management strategy. In the black community, leadership is often based off who's influencing the community rather than the authorities. This can be seen in large movements like The Black Power Movement, where those who were influencing and leading the black community, were fighting against the authority. This movement was widely supported during its time. However, how can one be sure if this method can be effective in terms of delivering a message, and promoting the movement? Since these movements are put in place to create change, it is reasonable to base the success of a movement off its impact on today's society. The methods used in the fight for social equality for those lacking political power and cultural institutions, popularized by The Black Power Movement, has been adopted and implemented by today’s hiphop artist like Sean Combs, stage name Diddy; allowing the battle to be fought in a time where unity has become dwarfed by individuality. With black being the absence of hue and brightness, and bright being defined as ...
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...The Voyage of Argo was written in the middle of the third century BC by Apollonius of Rhodes who was the pupil of Callimachus, another great poet. There are many reasons why an epic is written, as a history like Homer’s Iliad tells of the Trojan War or as a way a poet can demonstrate his intricate literary abilities. The reason why Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the Argonautica is not clearly known but many scholars say it was closely associated with Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad. As a librarian Apollonius may have come across works by other epic poets and picked up some elements of epic which he used as a guide for his poem. Such elements include the use of similes, digression, epithets and exceptional characters. The importance of these characters is reflected in the roles and traits that are assigned to them. This is because the plot is developed by the distinctive character traits displayed. In the poem Jason and Medea turn out to be the main characters whose roles are very crucial to the development of the plot. This write-up would therefore try to bring out the distinctive similarities and differences in character traits of Jason and Medea both in deeds and words of Apollonius Voyage of Argo. Typical of all mythical heroes, both Jason and Medea are of royal blood. Jason is a prince whose father, Aeson is the rightful king of Iolcus until the usurpation of his power by Pelias, Aeson’s half-brother a very power-hungry man who wishes to gain dominion over all of Thessaly. Jason is...
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...Demeter Mother goddess; goddess of marriage, sacred law and the harvest Consort Iasion, Zeus, Oceanus, Karmanor and Triptolemus Parents Cronus and Rhea Children Persephone, Despoina, Arion, Plutus, Philomelus, Eubuleus, Chrysothemis and Amphitheus I Roman equivalent Ceres Festivals Thesmophoria In ancient Greek religion and myth, Demeter (/diˈmiːtər/; Attic Δημήτηρ Dēmētēr. Doric Δαμάτηρ Dāmātēr) is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. Her cult titles include Sito (σίτος: wheat) as the giver of food or corn/grain[1] and Thesmophoros (θεσμός, thesmos: divine order, unwritten law) as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society.[2] Though Demeter is often described simply as the goddess of the harvest, she presided also over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries that predated the Olympian pantheon. In the Linear B Mycenean Greek tablets of circa 1400–1200 BC found at Pylos, the "two mistresses and the king" may be related with Demeter, Persephone and Poseidon.[3][4] Her Roman equivalent is Ceres.[5] Etymology Didrachme from Paros island, struck at the Cyclades and representing Demeter Demeter's character as mother-goddess is identified in the second element of her name meter (μήτηρ) derived from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (mother).[6] In antiquity, different explanations were already...
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