The Ionic Poet : Homer And The Greek Poet

 A sketchy figure by the name of Homer is given credit for the two great epic poems of ancient Greece. The Odyssey and The Iliad influenced Greek culture, education, and morality. Little is known about Homer and many scholars question whether he existed at all. (Encarta) Some say two different unknown authors wrote the two poems. (Britannica) Others say that many oral poets were responsible for the finished products. (Britannica) In this report I will discuss the theories that support the existence of an author named Homer. I will present the theories concerning his place of origin and those concerning the century he was likely to have lived in. I will also discus the artifacts

“As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity. The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning. So one generation of men will grow while another dies” (6.146-50)

he Odyssey, as written by Homer, intricately and excitingly weaves Colin Renfrew’s Subsystem Theories throughout the entire play. Many of the five subsystem theories can be seen and support understanding of the novel. Of the five systems, trade/communication, social/ political hierarchy and symbolic subsystems will be the focus of analysis in this paper. All of these subsystems come together in The Odyssey to explain the characters and their lives, and also how they fit into the society which they live in. To understand the growth and development of the characters, we must understand the systems theories, “many human actions have a meaning at several different levels, with undertones and overtones… it is the complex interconnectedness of the subsystems which gives human culture its unique potential for growth.” As this paper will demonstrate within The Odyssey, trade and communication, social and political hierarchy and lastly symbolic subsystems create adventure in Odysseus’s harrowing, yet exciting journey back to his kingdom and family. These specific subsystems add depth and excitement because we see how each specific one impacts Odysseus’s journey back home. They help us understand who Odysseus is a man and sympathize with all that he goes through. The communication subsystem helps explain how communication between people (and gods) in different lands aid to the success of his return home. We are able to see from the social subsystem how Odysseus and other men

Homer referenced other Greek myths. Odyssseus went to converse with the spirits in the Underworld and many of them were from other Greek myths. I have always enjoyed mythology, Greecian in particular, and reading references to characters like Hercules, Oedipus, Epicaste, Minos, Theseus and Cassandra made the book easier to connect to. Since I recognized quite a few of the characters from that scene it also was easier to follow.

The Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of conflict, batle, agony, and horific mutilation. Honor and glory are atained through warfare. The great shield of Achiles stands out in this context because it depicts the glories of an orderly, functioning, productive civilization. This depiction of life stands in stark contrast to the scenes of death that constitute a large portion of the narative. An examination of the shield of Achiles in Homer’s Iliad reveals many ideas in conflict: love and honor, the pleasures of life versus a heroic death, free wil and destiny. By viewing the shield as an element of contradistinction—that is to define it on the basis of contrast—one can se that the shield symbolicaly unifies the

The Iliad: Book VI is about the continued war for Troy but Homer focuses a lot of the book on Hector, Prince of Troy. The Achaeans were overwhelming the Trojans so they were forced back into their city. The Trojans were weakened so the Achaeans took full advantage and slaughtered as many as they could. However, the Trojans anticipated this weakness and Hector asked his mother to pray to Athena for the army. Meanwhile Paris, Hector’s brother, had withdrawn from battle because of the grief he caused. But his soon to be wife Helen and Hector convince him to return to battle. Just before they head into battle Hector pays a visit to his wife and child to say goodbye for maybe the last time. His wife is convinced that he is near his death and mourns. Hector then meets Paris on the way to the city gate and they prepare to fight.

In The Odyssey, it takes Odysseus twenty years to make it home from the Trojan War. On his journey home, he runs into many obstacles and creatures that he must overcome. He encounters the sirens, the Cyclops, and others. Each event in this epic poem has a symbolic meaning behind it. Homer writes about the history, symbolism, and the characters in The Odyssey.

Most believe that Homer was a man, however other think that he was a group of individuals, and an even smaller group believe that Homer was a woman. His birthdate is also debated frequently. His birth date ranges from 750 BCE to 1200 BCE. Greek historian Herodotus, commonly referred to as “the father of history”, places Homer’s birth date at 850 BCE. The location of Homer’s birth is also disputed. Possible contenders are Ionia, Smyrna, the coast of Asia Minor, or the island of Chois. Most of Homer’s aspects are derived from his works. For example, Homer is thought to be blind based on a blind poet named Demodokos which was interpreted as Homer referencing his own life, leaving many to believe Homer was blind as well. These references are the only outlook into Homer’s

Homer was a greek poet that was born sometime between the 12th and 18th century. There has been much speculation of when Homer was born, scholars would guess that his birth was somewhere around 1200 BC to 750 BC. One of homers works The lliad, have made scholars widely believe he was born around the Trojan war event. Homer was also believed to live before The olympic games, where the Greeks actually started their calendar, meaning that Homer was born before there was an actual calendar. This makes it even harder for scholars to pinpoint his birth date. Like his birth date, where Homer was born was also a mystery. It is believed that Homer was born in places like Ionia, Smyrna, Asia Minor or the island of Chois. Homer is best known for his two epic poems: The lliad and The Odyssey. The lliad

In the book Ancient Greece, Thomas Martin uses Homer’s poetry as evidence of trade, and also of founders in colonies. The first assertion that Martin made in his book was that the Greeks made trading posts and had contact with other places when it came to trading. He used The Odyssey as evidence of this claim. He mentions that in the poem, there’s a quote that involves Athena masking her identity as a metal trader, looking for copper by going to foreign lands, showing evidence of trade. The poems seem to provide pretty solid evidence, that there was trade around that time period, or at the very least, the idea of trade. The second statement that Martin made was that in Greek colonies, if they had a founder, the expectation was that he would

The Odyssey of Homer, a Homeric epic translated by Richmond Latimore, has an abundance of women, all of whom fulfill various roles within the narrative. In The Odyssey, women are portrayed as obstacles, or, more specifically, temptations that men need to surmount in order to obtain what they truly desire. As a result, women are associated with negativity in the reader’s mind; however, it is this depiction as negative temptations that grants them power within the epic. Women, such as Penelope, Circe, and Kalypso, act as catalysts who drive the Homeric tale forward.

Odysseus can be classified as one of the most well-known epic heroes, and a clear example of Greek priorities and ideals. Written many years after, the Aeneid likewise depicts an epic hero, Aeneas, that also completes a long journey and has closely related aspects to the story of the Odyssey. Virgil’s Aeneid imitates various crucial aspects of Homer’s Odyssey, including: the main protagonist passing through comparable sexual temptations, a similar relationship with the gods, and an analogous end to their enemies by their own hand. However, while the epic stories contain many similarities, Virgil starkly contrasts Aeneas’ intents and actions from those of Odysseus, illustrating Roman priorities and characteristics above those of the Greek. Both the plot parallels and the differences of actions between the protagonists help Virgil use the Odyssey to a superior, Roman epic hero.

Homers epic poem, The Odyssey, tells the tale of the Greek hero, Odysseus’s 10-year struggle to reach home after the Trojan war. While this book mentions many mythological themes, Homer includes factual information about ancient Greeks and their way of life. He details their culture though the characters and plot of the story. He uses his skill as a poet and philosopher to inform readers about the achievements, values and culture of the Greeks. Religion, xenia and loyalty all play a large part in the poem and happen to be very important to real Greeks during that time.

      The Iliad is a story of rages of Achilles and the War of Troy. Thanks to the techniques of the author, Homer, The Iliad is very colorful, romantic, and it makes the readers imagine the ancient Greeks and their times of war. Homer is believed to be the author of epics other than the Iliad, although their authorship remains uncertain. Historian believes that Homer probably lived in the eighth century, B.C.1 (Discovering World History). However, there are very few things that we know about him. Some historians think Homer's birthplace may have been on an island on the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea, or perhaps in a city on the nearby coast, but they don't have evidence to

In Homer’s the Iliad there are two types of culture which are shame and honor. The Greeks rank great significance on personal honor. Why is that? The reason being is that to them honor means the ability to fight and be triumphant on the battle field. There are many ways honor is obtained to the Greeks, another way to prove your honor is to reveal athletic abilities. Meanwhile, the shame culture has a different concept to the Greeks. Shame meant to have good morals towards others and it is a more logical way of living. In the ancient Greek era a majority of people were associated with the honor culture compare to the shame culture. The honor culture was more praised back then and the reason being is that everyone wanted to feel in control and powerful in a certain way. Homer believes that one culture is better than the other and the reason being is that Homer thinks that honor drives anger, anger drives war, which will revitalize the cycle back to greater honor. The meaning of shame and honor to the ancient Greeks is completely different in today’s society. I will be discussing the difference between shame and honor and the Greeks warriors that belong in those categories.