According to Herodotus, Croesus was the first non greek to come into contact with the Greeks:
“He was the first foreigner, so far as we know to come in direct contact with the Greeks, both in the way of conquest and alliance”
Although this statement is unlikely to be true, the significance of Croesus not being Greek is obviously very high.
Herodotus tells moral stories using historical figures, Croesus being one of them. For example, the story of him and Solon, which is almost certainly untrue when we see Croesus ignoring a wise person’s thoughts and advice. As his Histories were written for a Greek audience, it wouldn’t have been wise to show a Greek to be so foolish and a barbarian like Croesus would have been a good person to choose.
Herodotus, at the time of writing, would have been telling the histories to entertain Athenian people. For entertainment’s sake, Croesus being a foreigner would have been very important, as his life would be a new and untold story that his audience wouldn’t have heard before, whereas had he been a Greek, people knowing about him would have been highly likely.
Croesus, we see, while being extremely generous towards the Delphic Oracle, questions and tests it and later makes mistakes in interpreting the prophecies. Any message Herodotus was trying to convey here, again is better done so through a non-Greek, being somewhat foolish, rather than a Greek like his audience.
The point of Herodotus’ Histories was to tell the story of the Persian Wars with background from both sides so to find a cause for it. He says in his opening paragraph:
The majority of those who read The Odyssey consider the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, a hero. On many occasions, however, Odysseus makes decisions beneficial to himself alone. For example, when Odysseus and his men find themselves on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus's actions are self-centered and at the expense of his men. This can be said for most of Odysseus's actions in the story, as his main objective is to reach his home. Having his men by his side when he returns seems a trivial thing to him. Odysseus could be considered a hero, but many of his actions say otherwise. Due to the many unfaithful and self-centered decisions he makes in the story, Odysseus is not a hero.
Male supremacy was a hallmark of western society during the late nineteenth and twentieth century. For much of the Victorian Era, intellectual progress was dedicated towards the justification of the white man’s supremacy. Evolution, imperialism, and social hierarchy were all examined under the lens of already existing societal norms. While revolutionary in its concept, Charles Darwin’s explanation of evolution and the dichotomy of the sexes fit within the overarching notions on man in British Empire. With his scientific justifications in Descent of Man, Charles Darwin seeks to reinforce the dogma of male superiority. With the dawn of the twentieth century, boundaries weakened and women began to gain influence among intellectual circles. This
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
However, Heroditus’ Histories briefly detail the major events of the war, and relays them as if they were historical fact. Heroditus’ account of the war differs slightly from Homer’s version, and he is well aware of this. After relating the tale of Alexander (Paris) carrying off Helen, Heroditus writes:... ... middle of paper ... ...
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.
The Big Five Personality Test provided an interesting account of my personality. Although the majority of the results were accurate, I was surprised by two of the outcomes. According to this test, I am a closed-minded, unmethodical, social butterfly that is well-mannered towards others and composed under pressure (John, 2009). First, the results were completely accurate as I am extremely extroverted. I never meet a stranger, and I carry on conversations with anyone. From the custodian, to the cashier, to a random person on the street, it gives me a great sense of fulfillment to engage in dialogue with others from all walks of life. Second, I agree that I am polite and supportive, especially with family and friends. Overall, I try to always
As Clive Emsly explained in The Old Bailey Proceedings, in the eighteenth century, men were viewed as the stronger sex. They were expected to be tougher, both physically and emotionally, to have determination and will. Men were to be logical thinkers and erudite, they had to dominate their households and provide for their families. By the nineteenth century, historians argue that even though women began to experience more freedom in the workforce, they were still confined socially. Men were still expected to lead their households and be “breadwinners.” For many years, men dominated almost every aspect of society. However, in the past few decades, a movement known as feminism emerged. The feminist movement fought for women’s rights to an education and equality. Women longed for an opportunity to gain knowledge and freedom to seek adventure. In recent years, more so than ever, the feminist movement has made great advances. It has instigated a shift in gender roles and constructs forever altering how society views women and men.
Archibald, Zofia. Discovering the World of the Ancient Greeks. New York: Facts On File, 1991. Print.
The word “hero” has several definitions. In Greek mythology, a hero was originally a demigod. A hero can be the principle character in a play, movie, novel, or poem. A hero can even simply mean someone who is discerned by outstanding courage, dignity, or power. Even though there a many different types of heroes, they have all been through a journey with many obstacles that they had to overcome. The journey of a hero is one huge cycle, starting at the home of the hero and ending at the same place, the home. There are two very important stages of journey cycle—the road of trials and crisis/salvation. The road of trials stage is basically the obstacles the potential hero had to overcome. The crisis/salvation stage is the disaster that occurred and how the hero was saved from it. Odysseus faced many obstacles, and there were many crises that he underwent. The journey of Odysseus was mythological. He left his homeland of Ithaca to go fight in the Tro...
What would you do if someone told you you would end up killing your father and marrying your mother when you grow up? You would do anything to keep that from happening, wouldn’t you? Oedipus did in Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Unfortunately, Oedipus fails in avoiding his fate. Faced with a choice between pursuing the truth which everyone tells him would lead to his destruction or accepting a life without knowing any better, Oedipus chooses self-knowledge over self-deception. This makes Oedipus a perfect example of a tragic hero. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is a protagonist of a noble birth who possesses a tragic flaw that leads to his down fall but shows the courage to accept responsibility for his own actions.
Throughout literary history, tragic heroes have been defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. However, philosophers such as Aristotle tried to find connections between tragic heroes in Greek plays. This in-depth analysis of tragic heroes lead Aristotle to create six criteria for a true tragic hero: He or she has to be a Noble figure of royalty and noble in character, has to be imperfect by design, has a flaw or error that is a choice, is punished excessively for this choice flaw, has to undergo a downfall that leads to a realization, and the story of this tragic hero has to make the audience reach a moment of catharsis or purging of emotions. A prime example of a tragic hero that fits all of these criteria is Creon from the play Antigone, written by Sophocles in 441 BC. The story of Antigone is a tragedy that describes a stubborn and proud king named Creon who refuses to allow a burial for the brother of Antigone. Creon’s excessive pride leads to a series of unfortunate events resulting in the death of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife Eurydice. Throughout the course of the play, Creon undergoes each standard that is required by Aristotle’s terms to be a tragic hero.
How can it be that one could lose weight if he/she binge eats all of the calories back with three whoppers from McDonalds? The quantity as well as quality of the food must absolutely be taken into consideration. Abbott mentions the importance of overall food intake when it comes to weight loss, and along with another diet book, discretely advises against overindulging in the periods between fasting, but does not specifically account for this significant detail in her description of the weight loss method, making it rather unconvincing (James, S.
Herodotus. “Greece Saved from Persian Conquest.” Readings in Ancient History. Eds. Nels M. Bailkey and Richard Lim. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
Creon was seen in a different context in Oedipus compared to his character in Antigone.
This logic struck Cyrus so much that he acted on the advice of Croesus and reclaimed the booty. Here Cyrus is portrayed as a rational, just ruler, who treats conquered subjects with restraint. This is in contrast to the loser in the struggle, Croesus, who, although Herodotus represents as wise and strong, is much too hasty. When he received the prophecy from the Oracle at Delphi of “If you attack, you will destroy a great empire,” in response to his question of whether he should bring the fight to the Achaemenids, he rushed across the river to attack Cyrus’s position, eager to destroy a great empire. Of course, the ambiguity of the oracle was his undoing, as it was his own Lydian empire that he destroyed. In this episode, Herodotus is not afraid to admit the faults of his Ionian Greek brethren, or to ascribe positive attributes to the Greek’s enemy.