The Odyssey, Phaedra and Things Fall Apart are works of art that have a common and important theme. These works have a single hero who is characterized by a personal strength, respect and highest moral obligations and ethics. As such, the theme of a hero is still attributable to the modern times because people value morality, ethics and individual strength. Another major theme is the burden that these heroes have to carry and in some cases, they have to take it without complaining to others of fate which has made them who they are. Those with strong principles in life will always stay heroes, even if they do not survive, their memory and legacy will be their mark to remember.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows immovable character and will. He has the ability to change many things the way he personally wants, but he chooses a path of greatest morality. Since the beginning of time, personal principles based on highest morality and ethics played an important role in the lives of people. Morality is a building unit of a hero who becomes a leader of society and any civilization. In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero of the ancient times is described in great detail and can be seen as one of the major points or ideas in the story. Throughout the poem it is obvious that there is great value and honor in the quality of such a person and more importantly the relationship between a strong person, their family and society since it is emphasized as something sacred and divine. There are traces of this in Odyssey which can be connected to modern morality and respect for others, which is specifically and purposefully illustrated in detail.
The story of Odysseus describes the ventures of a brave warrior who has many hardships reaching...
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...teristics of a proper citizen and a human being. People are meant to learn that life’s perturbations are sometimes very cruel and unfair, but it is the responsibility of every person to make sense of what is taking place, learn from the lesson and do anything possible to carry the message to others.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1995. Print.
Henry, Brian. “The Odyssey revisited.” The Virginia Quarterly Review 74(3) (1998): 57-69. Print.
Homer. Trans. Bryant William. The Odyssey of Homer. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1872. Print.
Racine, Jean. Phaedra. Alexandria: Library of Alexandria, 1979. Print.
Okpewho, Isidore. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.
Sayer, John. Jean Racine: Life and Legend. Bern: Peter Lang, 2006. Print.
In The Odyssey by Homer, there are three archetypes from Greek culture that modern readers can still relate to today: Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus revealed himself to his son, and the Sirens. Homer wrote archetypes that still apply to modern teenagers today. Homer wrote great literature with several interesting archetypes, that even today's culture can understand and relate to almost three thousand years later. Homer (approx 850-750 B.C) is credited with writing The Iliad and the Odyssey. For almost three thousand years,these epic poems have captured readers imaginations and inspired countless works of art and literature. An “epic” is a long narrative poem. Modern readers gain insights about ancient Greek
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, has many characters, but the main character is Odysseus, king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War. Odysseus is a strong character and is protected by the Greek goddess, Athena. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus, great journey home from the Trojan Was, but he makes many decisions that many people today consider unjust or unethical.(Encyclopedia Britannica) He makes these decisions all in the effort to get home, and in self defense. That is why Odysseus’ actions make him a primarily moral and ethical driven character, rather than a political and power driven character.
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.
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. First Anchor Books Edition. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1959. Print.
In conclusion, the “Odyssey” is one of the greatest literary works ever known and this literary analysis should help the reader to understand the important components of the novel such as theme, characters, relationships, symbols, motifs, literary devices, and tone.
Nnoromele, Patrick C.. “The Plight of a Hero in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.” Chinua Achebe's
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
The sacking of the Kikonians reveals that Odysseus is still very much immersed within the mentality of war. Before being introduce...
Achebe writes Things Fall Apart to revise the history that has been misplaced. He writes to the European and Western culture. This fact is evident because the book is written in English and it shows us the side of the African culture we wouldn’t normally see. Achebe is constantly ...
Many diverse cultures are found in every corner of the world. Every culture is defined by its traditions and values. The film “The Odyssey,” depicts the culture of the ancient Greeks where it illustrates the life of a man, Odysseus, who has gone on a journey just to get back to his kingdom. Many values and traditions could be identified through the path of the journey. Some elements that are found important to the Greeks are the music, the religion, and the duty to the kingdom.
Okhamafe, Imafedia. "Geneological Determinism in Achebe's Things Fall Apart." Modern Critical Interpretation: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002. 125-44. Print.
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.
Throughout history, there have been many instances of people struggling to identify and cope with change and tradition, and this is no different in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1994.