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Influence of history on literature
Can literature help us understand history
Literature influenced by history
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Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and second, it serves as a mode of explanation for those evils in the world which plague mankind.
Caught between the “Birth of the Olympians” and the story of Pandora, lines 509-572 of Theogony, serve as an intermediary to enhance its preceding and subsequent stories. The “Birth of the Olympians” is the first introduction of Zeus into Hesiod’s world, beginning as “Rheia… was about to give birth to Zeus our father…” (Hesiod 472-73). The lines following Zeus’s birth mention the “wiles and power” (Hesiod 499) of Zeus, and the manner in which he frees all of his brothers and sisters, but does little to elaborate on the character of Zeus, simply stating that he “rules mortals and Immortals.” (Hesiod 508). Hesiod places the story of Prometheus immediately after this line, because this story exposes Zeus’s character traits. It is only logical for Hesiod to elaborate on Zeus after he has been introduced, and the most effective manner in which this can be accomplished is logically in the story of Prometh...
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...on of Iapetos provides fire to man, Hesiod’s tale of Prometheus provides a deeper comprehension of the attitudes of Zeus, king of the gods, and an acceptable cause for the evils that plague mankind. Prometheus has no value in himself; even his rescue by Herakles was achieved for the “glory of Theban-born Herakles.” (Hesiod 532). Prometheus’s identity is entirely dependent on Zeus’s wrath and the punishment delivered to mankind as a result and in turn, the explanation of these two things is entirely dependent on Prometheus.
Works Cited
Hesiod, Theogony. Trans. Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.
Murray, Oswyn. Early Greece. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001.
Vernant, Jean-Pierre. “Feminine Figures of Death in Greece.” Mortals and Immortals. Ed.
Froma I. Zeitlin. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991. 95-110.
In Hesiod’s Theogony, the tensions within a family seem to be an intensified version of issues that are relatable to people. The results of these tensions are also dramatic and have a tendency to have a fulfillment of the fears that were causing the tensions as a result. This implies that there is a natural cycle of destruction between father and son. Tension seems to arise with the implication of the woman’s creative nature juxtaposed to the destructive nature of her husband.
While reading Theogony, it becomes apparent that Hesiod shows a bias for the eventual “fathers-sons” outcome, as the male sky-god Zeus is the literary equivalent of a “godmodding” character, or when character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. As the story progresses, it becomes a pattern that last-born sons are trouble for their fathers. This pattern is consistent until Zeus takes over, when a potential first-born son becomes the problem. There is also something to be said about how often that the last-born sons are trouble for their fathers. The pattern is consistent until Zeus takes over, when a first-born son becomes the
Based on the readings, I conclude that Hesiod has intended his audience to regard elpis as a curse rather than a blessing. First of all, when Zeus is over taken by his anger with Prometheus after Prometheus makes an ill hearted attempt to fool Zeus at Mykone in regards to which food to choose. After Zeus discovered this trickery, he and the other gods put ingredients together to create a woman called Pandora. Pandora is a ‘gift’ to Epimetheus. The poem writes “Prometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men,” (Hesiod, Works and Days, 85-90).
A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Each civilization has its myths about the creation of the world and its human race. Most speak of “gods” who perform feats far beyond that of humankind. Most are legends passed down through oral tradition, and embellished along the way. The book of Genesis is one of the most significant books in the Bible and is sacred scripture for Jews, Samaritans, and Christians. The Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish, is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview. Hesiod’s Theogony is a poem describing the origins and genealogies of
The. Penelope's Renown. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991. Hesiod. Theogony.
can help us bring him down and burry him. “said Obierika.” You drove him to kill
Several themes are readily apparent throughout Works and Days. One important theme that Hesiod comes back to time and again is the importance of work. Perses has squandered his inheritance and c...
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound portrays a greek god detained by a superior for disobedience against the latter’s rule. On the other hand in Euripides’ Hippolytus portrays lust and vengeance of the gods and the extent that they can go to to avenge it.
The role of women in Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days is outstandingly subordinate. There are a number of times in Hesiod's text that despises women, being mortal, immortal, or flesh-eating monsters. The overall impression of women from Theogony and Works and Days, leads one to believe that Hesiod is a misogynist.
In Stuart Hall’s “Ethnicity: Identity and Difference,” he claims that identity is a volatile social process through which one comes to see the self. Hall argues that identity is not a thing rather a process “…that happens over time, that is never absolutely stable, that is subject to the play of history, and the play of difference.” These factors are constantly entering the individual in a never-ending cycle, re-establishing and affirming who one is.
In Hesiod’s Theogony, the Muses, which are the nine singing goddesses who he came across one day while taking care of his lambs, serve as a guide to the poet’s genealogy and organization of the origins of the gods by inspiring him to write down the lineage as they sing it. Using their angelic voices, the Muses presented Hesiod with the history of the cosmos in order. Thus, inspiring him to become a poet; he made this major change in his life and that resulted in Theogony, a chronological poem that consists of short life lessons, punishments, and roots of many Greek gods and goddesses. In this poem, Hesiod described these accounts as songs, when in fact, they were long verbal stories of how the gods of Olympus came to be. The sole purpose of
According to Mae Ngai, Author of “Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of America,” The United States as a nation is currently in the process of perpetuating one of the worst examples of institutionalized racism under the guise of anti-immigration policies that seek to deny individuals of specific races the chance to thrive in the United States. The victims of this according to the author are individuals who are of South American and Asian descent. In her discourse presented through the book, the line between race and a person’s status as an illegal immigrant is non-existent. Her publication demonstrates the different ways in which race and illegal immigrant status are closely related. The thing with racism is that it is manifested through a scenario of some races being more superior to others whether this is mentioned expressly or not. American society today is without a doubt defined by the immigration laws it has put in place (Ngai, 72).
This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god.
First, going to college makes someone more hirable. A little more than fifty percent of the United States population makes up the middle class. Many future employees think that out of high school, they can acquire a middle class job, “[y]et look at the qualifications for just about any middle-class job: They start with a bachelor’s degree” (Skinner 1). Having a college degree will only help in the very competitive job market today. Not only does a college degree show experience, but it also shows resilience. In addition, a job that requires a college degree will earn more money in the future. A college degree can be extremely valuable when it comes to salary. According to John Cassidy’s article, when it comes to salary, “There’s no doubt that college graduates earn more money, on average, than people who don’t have a degree” (Cassidy 2). Its no conspiracy that one with a college degree earns more compared to someone that doesn 't have one. This can be backed up with facts: “in 2005, the average earnings of college graduates had risen to more than seventy thousand dollars, while high-school graduates had seen their earnings fall slightly from forty-five thousand dollars” (Cassidy 2). Finally, a college degree not only benefits the individul but the economy and surrounding environment as well. The main goal is to leave college with skills that can transfer into the real
Many individuals may ask “is college worth the cost,” the first step to determining the question at hand is to decide whether college is a necessity or a luxury. In today’s society, going to college is slowly becoming something that is no longer necessary in order to receive a job position. There are many individuals who are able to use the skills that they are blessed with such as: singing and writing skills, or their athletic and acting ability to withhold a successful and prestigious career. We have to ask ourselves if the amount of years and money that we invest into furthering our education is really worth the piece of paper that we receive; also known as a “degree.” Society and our economy has shown us that having