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Characteristics of compare and contrast essay
Characteristics of compare and contrast essay
Characteristics of compare and contrast essay
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The two stories start very much alike in that they begin with the journey of two heres Odysseus ( of the Odyssey by Homer) and Aeneas (of the Aeneid by Virgil), Both these heroes begin their stories in an effort to return home, along the way facing peril after peril. The Odyssey, pits the hero Odysseus against the god of the sea, Poseidon, who has begrudged Odysseus and would sooner see him dead than reach his home. However, Odysseus is also being aided by the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The Aeneid pits Aeneas against Juno wife the Jupiter these are roman Gods, Juno means to stop Aeneas from destroying the city of Carthage which we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to raze the city of Carthage that she so …show more content…
Another similitude is the gathering of the gods on Mount-Olympus. As found in the Odyssey, Odysseus ' character is astute and savvy one. He is a learner and eventually develops more self control. His 'never surrender ' demeanor demonstrates that he can experience any circumstance to get what he needs. Likewise, his character is loaded with wanders aimlessly. While in the Aeneid, Aeneas is depicted as a confounded individual who depends upon the choice of others. Case in point, in the wake of getting away troy, he takes proposals from his dad about where to go next. Be that as it may, later in the Aeneid, we see Aeneas changing into even more a pioneer as he is bound to establish the city in Italy. Both Odysseus and Aeneas are survivors furthermore brave in the meantime. We see that Aeneas loses his wife Creussa while getting away from the obliteration of troy though Odysseus loses his friends different times while getting away beasts of the ocean. In a few genuine and vital circumstances, Odysseus is more shrewd and insightfulness than …show more content…
Odysseus meets the Goddess Circe, he is bewitched by her beauty and power. In a similar vain Aeneas meet not a goddess but the mortal Dido upon arriving in Carthage, she is striking and exotic to him. Odysseus is warned by the god Hermes to not go to Circe, but Odysseus is seduced by the goddess and taken of course for a year as he stayed with her on her isle. Eventually he is reminded by his mates that his heart was bound for Ithaca his true home. However Odysseus is still destined to be bound by another Goddess on another isle, Calypso. His ship is wrecked on Calypso’s isle and there he stays seven years beloved of the goddess. Calypso offers him immortality to stay with her, but Odysseus has not the love for her he even had for Circe and he
In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail, sobbing, gaining on the current,/ we rowed into the strait---Skylla to port/ and on our starboard beam Kharybdis, dire/ gorge of the salt sea tide." (Homer, 12. 301-305). In O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett also showed his perseverance. While trying to get back to his wife, he also faces many obstacles that he must get through. There were many people and things keeping him from where he was going, but he pushed through and got there anyway. His greatest obstacle to get through was when he came upon the sirens. He went down to the river and the sirens got the men drunk enough to fall asleep. While asleep, Pete was turned in by the sirens, but the other men hadn't been turned in yet. They woke up and were forced to get out of there as fast as they could with a frog they thought was Pete. Delmar wanted to stay and try to change Pete back but Everett told him they needed to persevere and keep going, and they did. Another trait that both of these men show in their stories is their cleverness. Odysseus show...
Throughout history the themes of literature has stayed relatively the same; the situations have been updated to appeal to a modern audience. One common trait in great movies and literature is the presence of a heroic figure. Odysseus can be classified as a hero, because he departed from his home Ithaca the day his son Telemachus was born and leaving his wife Penelope to fight in the Trogon war. Odysseus starts out his journey with six hundred crewmen and twelve ships.
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
One archetype the two stories have in common is the hero. The heroes, Odysseus and Everett, try to reach their family, no matter the risks. Both have the same goal and will do anything to keep their loved ones again. Also, both of the heroes are extremely loyal to their companions. Like whenever Odysseus tried to save his crew, or when Everett went to rescue Pete from jail. However, they can also differ in ways like character. In the face of an obstacle, Odysseus faces the problem head on and uses strategy at the same time, while Everett uses excuses to try to avoid the problem. On the other hand, Everett has his friends throughout his quest, while Odysseus’ companions all die except him. These examples show how the heroes of the Odyssey and O Brother! are different.
This ethnocentrism can be traced back all through history — even back to the times of Homer and Virgil. Odysseus and Aeneas were both “hometown heroes,” and both were also despised by their opposing countries. Odysseus and Aeneas, both epic heroes, were very similar but there are some differences. The differences between Odysseus and Aeneas are representative of their Greek and Roman cultures respectively.
Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.
The trials of Aeneas and Gilgamesh were very similar. Both led tragic lives and suffered from the wrath of the gods. Aeneas witnessed his family die, his home city burned to the ground, and was victim to the goddess Juno’s plots throughout his fated journey to Italy. Gilgamesh had seen his best friend die from the gods’ vengeance and was emotionally crushed by it.
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid represent their cultures very well, but they express different ideas on what one should strive for in life. There are also different forces that pushed both epics to be written. The Aeneid expresses the Roman idea of pietas which means to show extreme respect for one’s ancestors. We see this in Aeneas when he is pictured caring his father away from burning Troy. He has pietas because he cared so much for his father that in fleeing from Troy he took up his father over his shoulder to save his from certain death. This is not the only major idea in the Aeneid. There is also a very political focus. The Roman were very interested in politics which comes through in the Aeneid. The Odyssey has the Greek idea of arete trapped somewhere among the many themes. Arete is a strive for perfection in both mind and body. It is a much more personal and individual idea than the Roman pietas. In the most basic seance the Aeneid and the Romans have a much more political focus and duty to the state ( republic ) than the Greeks who honor tradition , family , and arete.
Although both epics justify a status quo, codify a national mythology, preserve cultural memories, and establish literary tropes, they are united by sensibility and are traditionally poetic. They both almost have the same exact core values such as in the end, but project influence into a number to areas of cultural identity. Once more, after analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, and The Odyssey is the greater epic. Knowing that this is the proper proposition made, this affects the readers of both well-known stories.
Considering only the plot of The Odyssey, there is reason to believe the two would have similar viewpoints: in both pieces, travel is used as a means for the protagonist to achieve their goals. However, due to several factors including his attitude, travel becomes much more difficult for Odysseus. To Odysseus, the journey back to Ithaca is a nearly insurmountable hurdle that he hopes to surmount as soon as possible. Whether it is using Aeolus’s wind or choosing a route that will pass by treacherous monsters, Odysseus does anything in his power to reduce the amount of time his journey will take. While it is understandable, considering the sheer number of deadly monsters roaming the waters, these shortcuts are often what bring about problems and end with the death of his men. Moreover, it is worth mentioning a major factor in lengthening the time of Odysseus’s journey is his excessive pride. For a man in a such rush to return home, it is unfortunate that the nature of “Odysseus,/ raider of cities” (Homer 9.561) is to boast and consequently earn the wrath of Poseidon. Because Odysseus lacks the humility to accept his victory quietly, he not only inevitably causes the death of many crewmen but irrevocably extends the length of his homeward journey, as
Again Odysseus shows a lack of self discipline while with the witch Circe. Odysseus chooses to stay with Circe instead of trying to make it back to his wife, Penelope, and his kingdom of Ithaca. In the Odyssey it says "he enjoyed the many pleasures of Circe." (Page 913). This proves that Odysseus, once again has no control over himself when he is tempted. He choose the beautiful witch over his very own wife who has been waiting for years for him to return.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
Odysseus and Aeneas are very alike in some ways and very different. They are both epic heroes except that one is Greek and the other is a Trojan. Odysseus is from the Greek tale The Oddessy, which was written by the famous Greek poet Homer. His quest is to find his way back home after a long journey. Aeneas is from the roman tale The Aenied, written by Virgil a famous Roman poet. Aeneas’s mission is to find a new home for him and his family. Both these characters had many similarities and differences in their ways of fighting.
In Virgil’s The Aeneid, there are many parallels found in Homer’s The Odyssey. In each epic, the heroes, Aeneas and Odysseus, are on a journey “home.” Aeneas is on the search of a new home for he and his companions to settle since Troy has been destroyed, Odysseus on the other hand is attempting to return to his home he left years earlier to fight the Trojan War. They both have Gods against them and helping them, both Aeneas and Odysseus are both held back by women, both voluntary and involuntarily, and they both have experiences visiting the Underworld. Despite these similarities, there are differences between the two characters and it reflects their values and the society they live in. Aeneas relies on his strength as a warrior, where as Odysseus uses his deception to survive which reflects how Aeneas is truly Roman is versus Greek.
Can two things ever truly be exactly the same? When it comes to epic heroes, I’m not sure. In both the Iliad and the Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, the journey of two epic heroes are depicted for us. Achilles, hero of the book The Iliad, is fighting in the Trojan War. Odysseus, hero of the book The Odyssey, is simply fighting to get home. Although both the epic heroes are put through some of the same very tough and difficult situations, it doesn’t mean they are quite the same person. An analysis of The Iliad and The Odyssey will show three similarities and three differences between Achilles and Odysseus.