Kelly Mahowski
CLT 3103
Prof. Amy Oh
5 October 2014
Homer’s Use of Similes and the Impact on an Unsuspecting Audience
Epic similes are perhaps the greatest tool that Homer utilizes in the Iliad. It seems as if it would be possible to find a simile within just a few pages of the book if opened to a random chapter. There is a noticeable pattern Homer employs which involves using everyday Greek activities in these similes in order to make them more relatable to his audience. When the Greeks hear an epic simile that uses something familiar it invokes feelings associated with that thing. The Iliad is an incredibly epic tale, so it would be fruitful for Homer to use similes that could connect the fantastical reality of the tale
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He says that they were sitting around “like cicadas that chirrup delicately from the boughs of some high tree in a wood.” (Homer 3.181) Cicadas usually arouse feelings of relaxation as they are usually present in the shade and in “tree[s] in a wood” and their song is steady and calming, therefore this simile would probably make the Greek people feel animosity towards the Trojan elders. This is also an example of how Homer’s similes take something people are very familiar with and compares it to something that is fairly foreign. Later on in Book 4, Homer lends a favorable ear to the Trojans once again. Ptolemaeus mocks the Trojans in the first battle heat, calling them “frightened fawns who, when they can no longer scud over the plain, huddle together.” (Homer 4.285) A fist reaction to a sight of frightened fawns might be one of happiness that meat is so easy for the taking, but any further analysis might stir up feelings of pity and regret. It is hard to not think of how they are ripe for the slaughter, and gives the Trojan army a bit of humanity showing that they are creatures’ too- not just a pile of bodies making up a metaphorical …show more content…
The laughing at the end is something that only Trojans do in this story. Greeks never laugh in the Iliad- a symbol that maybe Homer found the Trojan people more romantic. When Homer is using similes to describe Agamemnon’s armor he uses a similar simile tactic: “There were serpents of lapis lazuli that reared themselves up towards the neck, three upon either side, like the rainbows which the son of Kronos has set in heaven as a sign to mortal men.” (Homer 11.22-24) This armor seems wondrous and splendid, but it also does not seem battle worthy. Homer uses similes for both Agamemnon and Paris to demonstrate their lack of importance on the battlefield. Neither is prized for his fighting
The cyclical nature of Homer’s The Iliad not only implies repetition in plot developments, but thematic resonance as well. Throughout the play, it appears as though the various battles are very similar in causation and motivation. Although the Achaeans and the Trojans are rivals in the war, their reasons for fighting are almost identical. Despite the incredible losses on both sides, the armies still stay in battle for the same incentives; it seems they believe that fighting for honour, love, and beauty is worth the lives they have lost and will continue to lose. The war is constantly on the verge of becoming meaningless but they stay for these reasons. The poem establishes meaning through reoccurring scenarios. The Iliad serves to suggest that there are some causes that justify dying, and that we may be
Homeric similes give us a much better understanding of the psyche of the Odyssey’s characters than what we would have through dialogue and narration alone. All of these similes show Homer’s way of connecting the characters in such an interpersonal level, that their emotions transcend
In this paper, I will argue that although the surface meaning of this passage is that the sound of the cyclops sizzling eye is the same as the sound of a blacksmith plunging a great ax blade into cold water to make the steel of it strong, the deeper meaning of the passage is that Odysseus has a blind need for glory
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
It is important to note that the Iliad is originally a poem told by many bards and storytellers; by using similes, Homer compliments the spoken word of the Iliad with a visual component. In certain scenes, Homer utilizes similes in the Greeks’ favor, elevating their battle prowess in comparison to the Trojans. Presented to a primarily Greek audience, Homer’s particularity in bolstering the Greek army plays to the bias of the audience––augmenting the atmosphere of the crowd. The implementation of similes throughout the epic is vital to the poem as it provides the Greek audience with a brief respite from the practically nonstop gore of
After he says this, the Trojans give him their full trust and decide to take the horse into Troy. This quote also displays the deception of the Greeks, because what happens turns out to be the total opposite of what Sinon says. When Laocoon objects about allowing the giant wooden horse into the city, a serpent devours him; consequently, this causes the Trojans to believe that the Gods want the horse to be accepted into Troy. After all of the Trojans fall asleep, the Greek army exits the hollow stomach of the horse and destroy the city of Troy.The Aeneid depiction of the Greeks shows them as untrustworthy people who use trickery and lies to win a battle rather than using sheer intelligence. The Trojans are seen in a much better lighting than the Greeks in the Aeneid. While Sinon uses his lies to deceive the Trojans, the Trojans listen and believe what he
Change, in The Iliad, appears in many forms, but most originate from the actions of others. It is human nature for men to follow their will almost without any regard for those around them. This unwavering willpower brings change upon the weaker wills of other men. Faced with change, the weaker man’s path is altered either slightly or drastically. From this alteration, man is given choices or must make it himself. Through these experiences, they become more aware or more confused with what goes on around them. Regardless of whether they deal with it or not, they accept that change is inevitable and will continue forward. Knowing their lives are comparatively ephemeral to the immortals, they have the tendency of seizing the day. It almost sounds humbling when they say, “no man can turn aside nor escape…let us go on and win glory
The Iliad, which is an epic poem written about the Trojan War, was the first thing written in the European tradition. Astonishingly, its quality and appeal have yet to be surpassed. This is a result of Homer's use of idealistic themes, many of which show up in many modern novels. One of the most dominant themes present in The Iliad is the pursuit of honor and glory. Even though the Achaeans and Trojans are in a violent battle with one another, both display a similar attitude: the acquisition of glory is more important than life itself.
The Trojan War veterans of The Odyssey succeeded in defeating their enemies on the battlefield. The end of combat did not mean relief from burdens for them. War is cruel, but in it these men see a glory they cannot find outside. Achilleus’ death in war is treated with ceremony and respect. Agamemnon, having survived that same war, dies a pitiful death and Klytaimestra “was so hard that her hands would not/ press shut [his] eyes and mouth though [he] was going to Hades” (XI, 425-426). Dying at home meant being denied even simple acts of dignity. Reflecting back on it Hades, Agamemnon characterizes the veteran’s struggles when he asks, “What pleasure was there for me when I had wound up the fighting?” (XXIV, 95).
Simone Weil’s essay “The Iliad: or Poem of Force” places importance on human interaction, the grounding, empathic, human relations which are rare, fleeting, and necessary. She claims Force to be a governing factor in all human interaction, and the ‘thingness’, which force prescribes to humans, as a dangerous, uncontrollable factor of human existence. In order to overcome force, one must direct all their attention towards recognizing others suffering. In her other essay, “Attention and Will,” Weil discusses religious attention as the most important. She claims that one must practice a passive attention to God in order to reach a divinity beyond reality itself which holds truth.
In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.
“Then the screaming and shouts of triumph rose up together, of men killing and men killed, and the ground ran blood.” From first examination the Iliad seems to be an epic founded on an idealized form of glory, the kind that young boys think about when they want to join the army. A place full of heroism and manliness where glory can be achieved with a few strokes of a sword and then you go home and everything is just lovely. Many people view the Iliad this way, based on it’s many vivid battle descriptions and apparent lack of remorse for the deaths that occur. This, however, is not how war is presented in the Iliad. Homer presents a very practical outlook on war countering the attainment of the glory with the reality of its price and the destruction it causes. He successfully does this by showing the value of the lives of each person that dies and, in a sense, mourning their passing, describing the terror and ugliness of war, and, through the characters of Achilleus and Hector, displaying the high price of glory.
In The Iliad, Homer uses vivid similes developed over several lines to enhance the atmosphere of the scene. Both to help the reader understand the vastness of the situation and enhance imagery, these epic similes as they are known help immerse the reader in the image as well as give it a deeper meaning. In Achilles’ pursuit of Hector, Homer does exactly this using two similes rather than one. Both similes hold different imagery of the same situation helping to describe the occurrence from different perspectives as well as give a diverse view on the actions of the characters.
The greek good encourage the war and general conflicts between the humans. They use dreams and sometimes take human forms to manipulate and at times physically move people. They weant conflict as it gives them something amusing to do and watch. They care about their favorite players.
The Iliad and the Odyssey are two classic stories told by Homer. Within these two stories the roles of the gods are very important to the story line and how they affect the characters throughout. In the Iliad, more gods are involved with the characters whereas in the Odyssey there are only two major gods that affect two major characters. The roles of the gods in the Iliad are through two different stances of immortal versus immortal and mortal versus immortal. The roles of the gods in the Odyssey are through two major gods and they affect the plot as Poseidon versus Odysseus and Athena versus Telemachus.