Essay on Magic in The Descent of Innana and Sappho

The first examples of the power of language is when Tom Weylin catches Dana reading after telling her not too. Tom Weylin says, on page 106, “Didn’t I tell you I didn't want you reading!”. Tom Weylin doesn't want Dana to read because he is worried she could teach the other slaves and help them escape. This shows the power of language because language help’s Tom Weylin control the slaves and keep them from escaping to a free-state. Another example of how language can be used is on page 102 , Tom Weylin says “You want her to read to you? [...] Then you got something to say to me.”. Tom says this because he wants Rufus to apologize to him and to acknowledge Tom Weylin’s has authority over

He maintains his focus on Greek myths not only because of the sheer number of myths around the world, making it impossible to interpret and clarify them all, but also because European men, who would have been familiar with the myths from Greece, write most of the classics we analyze. He explains that these myths are not only a part of them but also “so much a part of the fabric of our consciousness, of our unconscious really, that we scarcely notice” (Foster, 51). Which suggests that, we can recognize Greek myths even if we do not realize it. With this simple fact presented to us, we no longer wonder why allusions to Greek myths have been used since they emerged and are still employed today. Myths are often exercised as “overt subject matter for poems and paintings and operas and novels” but more often “writers have…borrowed from and emulated” these myths (Foster, 52, 53). Instead of explaining every detail about every character, place or moment authors rely on other stories, such as myths, to expand and develop their tale. The writer will subtly hint at myths and hope you recognize their allusions to these old legends. Since we established that, we know these myths, whether consciously or not, we can take these allusions and decipher any hidden meanings the author has for us, giving each story a new level.

Aphrodite represents erotic love as a fascinating form of divine influence. The nude Aphrodite has powerful meaning and

It is often—in books, poems, paintings, and sculptures—that one hears of and sees the goddess of love. But when is it that one hears of the god? In Greek mythology, Eros is the god of love, and a god who is many times overlooked. In Robert Bridges’ “EPÙÓ” and Anne Stevenson’s “Eros”, the idea that Eros is overlooked is portrayed, but in two separate ways. Techniques such as diction, imagery, and tone are used to help convey the idea.

Mary Wroth alludes to mythology in her sonnet “In This Strange Labyrinth” to describe a woman’s confused struggle with love. The speaker of the poem is a woman stuck in a labyrinth, alluding to the original myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The suggestion that love is not perfect and in fact painful was a revolutionary thing for a woman to write about in the Renaissance. Wroth uses the poem’s title and its relation to the myth, symbolism and poem structure to communicate her message about the tortures of love.

I personally love this poem for the idea of love and beauty that is in the eyes of the beholder. The fact that Sappho ties the culture and their stories of history along with her idea of beauty into one piece allows me to also think about what I might consider beautiful. And that beauty isn’t just beauty but it is love and respect. While I would never find beauty in anything war related I’m sure I’d have a different view if I lived during that time period but I can actually find a relation in myself to the people of Sappho’s time because of her work. I can imagine standing in awe of the army marching away to war as well as being in awe of a beautiful queen. While I find beauty in the ocean I’m sure I’d find beauty in the Greek

In “I” the ever present theme of love is very evident. Sappho lists things that people believe to be the most beautiful things on earth, “array of horsemen / and others of marching men / and others of ships” (line 2-3). However, she does not hold these things to have more beauty over the others. She believes that beauty has a different meaning to everyone. She uses Helen, daughter of Zeus, for an example. Helen left her husband to follow her heart. Anactoria is Sappho’s beauty. “For I would rather watch her… than all the force of Lydian chariots,” (19 & 22).

This book report is an analysis of the Egyptian Love Poem [ My god, my Lotus…], from the book, The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume A. Egyptian Love Poems date back to 1300-1100 B.C.E., they were written on papyri, potsherd, and flakes of limestone. Papyri are a sheet-like material that was made out of pithy stems from a water plant. Which was used to write or paint on in the ancient Mediterranean world, potsherd is pieces of broken ceramic material. The lovers in Egyptian Love Poems are young and tend to be under parental supervision, half the poem is spoken by the girl and the other half by the boy. [ My god, my Lotus…] uses imagery to describe the desires of love and how different types of love function within modern societies. This poem displays different perspectives of love and the reality of how love is viewed in most civilizations. Readers will learn that love is not exclusive to men and women, and how different forms of love can lead them to overcoming life obstacles.

Firstly, in the outset of the play, Aphrodite’s speech is necessary for both plot development and characterisation. Her contempt towards Hippolytus and her dark intentions are at first revealed to

This implies that love and desire are essentially interchangeable, however, Sappho does not treat them as such. This distinction becomes solidified by analyzing Sappho’s use of the gods in her poetry in which she correlates love with the goodness Aphrodite and lust with the god Eros. By observing Sappho’s stylistic formations within fragments 1, 16 and 31, the

“I adore delicacy” (Simpson, 1998, http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/sappho2.html), says Sappho in one of the fragments found by historians. Sappho used highly opinionated, intimate and sensual literature to earn her significance as a respected historical figure whilst facing the public and parading her homosexuality through lyrical poetry. Sappho was a Greek lyric poet who was born on the Island of Lesbos. Her birth was sometime between 630BCE and 612BCE. It is said that she died around 570BC, but very little information is known about Sappho’s life. The bulk of her poetry, which was well-known and greatly admired for its antiquity and it’s originality of the time. Sappho’s status of being an

It is in this story that Aphrodite is introduced as a mysterious and beautiful seductress. In 5.4 Aphrodite and Anchises: The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Zeus casts a spell over Aphrodite making her fall in love with a mortal man. Finally, in 5.8 “Hymn to Venus” From Lucretius De Rerum Natura, the poet Sappho calls to Venus (the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite) to help her during a terrible heartache. There are some myths that

There is a magic that exists in this world. We use it every day, but we tend to overlook it. This magic that I’m talking about is the use of words. Words are very powerful. They can build up nations or tear empires down. The power of words is prevalent in Isabel Allende’s short story, “Two Words.” She is able to convey her message that words have a magical power to them through literary devices. I believe that the strongest of these literary devices is Allende’s use of imagery, specifically imagery that conveys the character’s personalities, the feelings between Belisa Crepusculario and the Colonel, and the sense of mystery behind words.

A Similarity of both Apollo and Aphrodite manipulation is the revelations of the motives are revealed before their actions take place. In the first Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, the story describes the beautiful, virgin goddess who falls in love with the mortal, Anchises. Aphrodite eludes the most powerful Greek god Zeus and in retaliation, Zeus forces Aphrodite to fall in love with a mortal which eventually leads to her falling in love with Anchises and have sex with him. Aphrodite intentions are made clear before any actions take place and is described, “And when she saw him, Aphrodite, lover of laughter, she loved him, and a terrifying desire seized her heart” (Aphrodite 87-88). Comparing this hymn to the second Homeric Hymn to apollo, the story has similarities to the story of Aphrodite. For example, Apollo also reveals his

For example, in “Hymn to Aphrodite”, you can sense that Sappho is trying to talk about real human experiences. She also provided fragments of survival in this poem, which allows the reader to escape from reality. “Hymn to Aphrodite”, begins when Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus is called. In this poem, Aphrodite uses her skills to lure her lover.