Figurative Language In The Odyssey

Brains over brawn, who will win this battle?Homer's tale of Odysseus' adventures in “The Odyssey” show that being intelligent and cunning can be far better than having physical strength. Being physically strong certainly has its advantages, but not in all circumstances. Strength in intelligence shows new meaning of strength. Odysseus is amused with himself when he defeats Polyphemus. His great skills with a bow outweigh the others abilities. Knowledge of the placement of his bed win his beloveds heart.

The sirens in both texts have different views on the song and how it allures people. They describe what it does to people who come in close proximity of the song.

No hero is perfect. The same goes withgreater evil now Odysseus. Odysseus is the protagonist in the story “The Odyssey” by Homer. Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, his homeland. Odysseus goes through a 20 year journey to reach home, his wife penelope, and his son telemachus.

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and traveled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time”- Homer. Why do people go on journeys? What is the benefit, if anything? The Odyssey, written by Homer, describes the life of a man, Odysseus, who undertakes a journey to reach a destination. Leaving his home town of Ithaca, he arrives at Troy for the Trojan War.

Homeric or epic similes can be found all throughout The Odyssey written by Homer. A simile is the comparison of two unlike objects using like or as. Homer’s similes are considered to be “epic” because of how elaborate they are to help the audience “feel” and picture a scene. One of the most glorified scenes in The Odyssey, full of epic similes, is when Odysseus stabs the eye of Cyclops Polyphemus. As soon as Polyphemus fell asleep from the over-consumption of wine, Odysseus put his plan into motion to escape the Cyclops’ cave. Courage took over Odysseus and Homer writes:

In Book IX of the Odyssey, Homer uses imagery and foreshadow to illustrate how the cyclopes’ loneliness can significantly reveal how Odysseus and his men gets involved in a conflict with the cyclopes later on in the book. Homer uses foreshadow to develop the plot and build suspense. For example, Homer uses imagery to show what it was like when Odysseus encounters the land of the Cyclopes. Using imagery, readers can interpret the Cyclopes’ living conditions as well as their personality. The phrases “screened with laurel”, “cavern yawning”, “A prodigious man slept in this cave alone”, and “he seemed rather a shaggy mountain reared in solitude” shows that the Cyclopes are living in an isolated society and are very lonely on their island. Also,

If a group of strangers came to your home or territory, how would you treat your guests? In the opening passage of The Odyssey (Book IX) by Homer, the setting is when Odysseus and his crew on their Journey and encountered sea monsters “Cyclops.” The clever Greek leader, Odysseus, and his men become trapped by a vicious one-eyed monster, who eats the men one by one. Notwithstanding, Odysseus devises a plan, blinds the monster, and escapes with his men. The unique language techniques used by Homer such as tone, diction, and dialogue reveal their characterization and moreover, it portrays a culture also corroborated that the Cyclops treat their guests in the whole different way.

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain largely an allusion to Homer’s The Odyssey through the character's traits and hero’s journey. Although the characters have similar elements, the ending of each story is different.

Each word read in a story can show a meaningful attitude toward a certain subject. In the Odyssey, Homer uses diction such as the words mustered and appease to express a reflective and suspenseful tone.

In The Odyssey, with a sudden surge of awareness, Telemakhos approaches the Ithakans with a modest speech explaining his concern with the suitors being in his home. Not only does his concern have to do with his own discontent; it also concerns his recognition of his mother’s discontent. Telemakhos knows that in order to get through to his audience, he is going to have to have the proper approach. Knowing that the Ithakans can be strong minded and not willing to compromise, Telemakhos uses rhetoric techniques to make his point. Though he knows this may be a daunting task, he superbly uses logos, pathos, and ethos to go about his mission.

In The Odyssey, Homer emphasizes revenge throughout the text, as it progresses an endless cycle of characters harming each other because of the wrong inflicted to others. He employs figurative language, word choice, and dialogue to describe the vengeance between characters. To start, vivid figurative language elements are used to depict the violence aspect of revenge as Odysseus kills the suitors one-by-one. Dramatic similes and imagery are used to when the passage describes, “Backward and down he went, letting the winecup fall from his shocked hand. Like pipes his nostrils jetted crimson runnels, a river of mortal red,” (22.17-20).

In The Odyssey, Homer, the author, uses diction throughout the story to convey various tones while also enhancing the inner meaning of the story. The Odyssey is about Odysseus, a persevering warrior, who must endure ten years of hardship and struggle in order to return back home to Ithaca after battling in the Trojan War. Homer utilizes diction in order to add insight and express his thoughts and emotions regarding the stories of The Odyssey. In the stories, Homer uses very detailed and specific diction to reveal deeper meaning in timely events, as he also demonstrates numerous connections with readers through his word choice. Homer, in his writing of The Odyssey, develops a threatening and sorrowful tone through his use of diction throughout

In the epic The Odyssey, Homer uses literary conventions and rhetorical strategies to develop the malevolent lure lurking under the tranquil beauty of the nymph, Calypso. The imagery of her flourishing island illustrates an astounding portrayal of the unpredictable attribute of this “lustrous goddess” who is also the “bewitching nymph”. Calypso’s usage of ethos, pathos and logos in her argument with Hermes shows how Homer practices rhetorical strategies in his boundless stream of inspiration. The scene is set with a serene fire inside the secluded cave.

Half woman half bird, the sirens perch themselves along mountain tops in the sea, singing an enchanting song to innocent voyagers that pass by, captivating them to jump of their boats and descend to their death. These sirens however are portrayed in many different ways. In Fagles’ The Odyssey, Fagles portrays the sirens as merciless killing machines. However in Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song,” the sirens are portrayed as the victims and that they are the ones that need help from their never ending torture.

If I were to pick 5-10 of my favorite lines out of the story The Odyssey then I would choose lines 247-252 from “Death in the Great Hall”. What is happening in these lines are Odysseus shot an arrow at Antinous’ neck. I chose this small section because of the descriptive words the author uses; crimson, mortal red, runnels, jetted. Some literary devices the author uses are imagery, alliteration, and euphemism. An example of imagery in the text would be “jetted crimson runnels” (line 250).