Homeric Poem Style Draft Analysis

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Smith Clint wrote a poem called “Something You should Know.” The poem is about an early job he had in a Petsmart. The poet allows the readers into his personal life, but before he had trouble opening up to people and his work. Moreover, Clint wrote an insight in the poem about relying in anything to feel safe and he says it is the most terrifying thing any person can do.

While reading both stories, they both seemed to share the same theme. The theme that both stories shared is the dedication to do work even if it isn’t necessary. In, “Clearing Paths to the Past” The person states they have an obligation to clear their sidewalk so others can use the sidewalk to get somewhere. In, “To be of use” the person telling the poem explains how they love to be dedicated to doing work even when they do not need to do the work with any effort.

The point of The Iliad is personal honor. Honor was prevalent throughout the poem. The honor of every person in Homeric culture was important. Homer demonstrated some lack of honor in some of the main characters. Therefore, Homer wants to infuse pride, emotions, and values into the main characters who are viewed as heroes that the society looks up to. With these three solutions it would help out the honor culture.

The Odyssey is a folk epic poem that picks up at the end of another folk epic poem titled The Iliad. Homer, who is said to be a blind poet, has been credited with writing both of these works, however it is believed that the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey were told verbally for many centuries and Homer happened to be the one who took the opportunity to write them down. Due to it being written centuries ago, The Odyssey uses classical diction that seems odd in modern-day language. The diction used in The Odyssey presents a laudatory tone throughout the poem.

In the Odyssey the author Homer uses different literary devices to engage the reader and to make the story more detailed. The purpose of imagery in the Odyssey is to help the reader imagine what is going on in the story by using their senses. The purpose of homeric similes in the Odyssey is to compare something unknown to the reader using a simile to better understand what is going on in the story. The purpose of dramatic irony in the Odyssey is to create suspense by having the reader know something that the characters do not know. Homer uses imagery in the Odyssey to help the audience imagine what is going on in the story in a descriptive way that has reader use their senses.

The Odyssey of Homer presents a large variety of themes, and also reinforces them through several different techniques. One of the primary ways Homer strengthens the themes outlined in The Odyssey is through the use of literary devices, specifically similes. One of the central themes in The Odyssey which is strengthened through the use of simile is Odysseus’ ability to use deception rather than sheer strength to escape perilous situations. Another central theme emphasized by similes is the longing of Odysseus and his men to complete their nostos, or homecoming.

Homeric similes can be used throughout an epic to compare two unlike things in a way that will redirect the reader’s attention or intensify heroic stature of a subject. In three main places in The Odyssey, Homer uses this type of elaborate simile to engage the reader on a deeper level. These three points of the epic in which the Homeric similes create depth are the reunion of Odysseus and his son, the stringing of a bow, and the battle against the suitors. The reunion of Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, is a poignant moment in the epic.

Many people have been in a situation where they are given a book to read for a class or an assignment. Often those books can be challenging or difficult to understand. Thankfully, in The Odyssey, Homer includes many writing techniques that make Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War easier to follow. Although the book may be difficult to comprehend because the format and language is different from what is common, the poetic devices that are used throughout make it much easier to understand.

Homer’s The Odyssey, arguably the best and most well known epic poem there is, is full of literary elements that bring the story it’s fame. With its events being told by Odysseus after he already experienced them, Homer has the opportunity to write with a level of dramatics that isn’t often seen in other literary works. He uses this to his advantage, developing tone and theme and other literary elements in the best possible way. Homer uses diction in The Odyssey to create a tone of anticipation.

Poetry can be divided up into different forms, more easily expressing an author’s emotions and intent with their poetry. For analyzing purposes I chose the poems Self-Help by Michael Ryan, Ghazal by Agha Shahid Ali, Psalm 150 by Jericho Brown, and Emergency by Michael Dylan Welch.

Themes such as revenge, hubris, motifs, and reader-to-text connections are examples of universal qualities included in the poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” declared by an influential leader Martin Luther King Jr. As a soldier againsts unfairness, King strongly states that people should fight for freedom. Driven by human nature, humans are always chasing freedom. In “A Century Later,” the Pakistan-born British poet Imtiaz Dharker uses the poetic devices of symbolism, diction, and allusion to explore how perseverance drives freedom.

Some of the poems and essays I have read during this class were relatable to me. Being away from college, I have struggled with not being at home. I have become a different person when I am at school, but when I am home, I feel like I am my normal self again. Some of these authors of the poems and essays that I have read throughout this class has struggled with being somewhere where they don’t belong and that they are someone else when they are not home. Unlike the other poems and essays we have read throughout the course. I enjoyed reading the ones about “home” because I actually understood what they are going through and that I can relate. Some of these poems and essays include “Going Home” by Maurice Kenny, Postcard from Kashmir”, by Agha Shahid Ali, “Returning” by Elias Miguel Munoz and “Hometown” by Luis Cabalquinto. All of these poems deal with duality.