Symbolism In The Odyssey

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We as a people have forgotten how to read. All of us learned to read at a certain point in time by looking at the letters, the sounds they make, and how to string them together to create words. We then realize that by putting certain words next to each other, we can create a sentence. By putting sentences together, we can create a story. At first, we may think that this is all that there is to reading, but there is so much more than just what meets the eye. In today's culture, we read literally. We look at those words and sentences and just read what is right in front of us. For example, many literary scholars today think that Homer, the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, adores war and even glorifies it. When, in all reality, he despises it. …show more content…
When this happens, we call it an allusion. The book alludes to another story, and we can learn more about both or even multiple stories because of it. The final key point of learning how to read metaphorically is finding and reading the similes and metaphors hidden throughout the story. There is so much symbolism in these that it is essential to understanding the meaning of the story. A fantastic example of this is when Helen was weaving at her loom during the war in the Iliad. Weaving is a metaphor for world creation. Homer made her weave at this time in this place to symbolize that she created the war. If she had not gone to Paris, this war would not have started. This also makes us think of how Penelope, odysseuss wife, was weaving to trick the suitors. She was creating a story to wait for the odysseus, and to keep the suitors away. Only when her tapestry was finished would she marry, but she unwound it every night so she wouldn't have to marry someone who was not odysseus. This also happens to be a great example of books talking to one another, and to themselves, in the great

Symbolism In The Odyssey

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Nadia Mendoza Ms. Kittelson English 9 March 14, 2011 The Odyssey In the epic poem “The Odyssey” by Homer, the journey of a Greek king is traced. Though sailing can sound extremely easy like driving, in this epic poem things are slightly different. Odysseus the protagonist of this epic poem and his sailing crew face frequent temptations that not only determine their loyalty and strength to resist these temptations, but also how long-lasting their sail back home can be. The enlightened message…

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Poseidon Research Paper

the most notable being Polyphemus, he is very important because he played a key part in why Poseidon was affecting Odysseus’ journey in The Odyssey. Poseidon trapped Odysseus on the island of the Cyclops because Odysseus blinded Polyphemus. I will go into more detail on this story later in this essay. Poseidon was worshiped and had a lot of cultural symbolism and influence throughout all of Greek…

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Comparing Mother To Son And Frederick Douglass

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The Odyssey, by Homer, there is a story of the protagonist Odysseus and a challenge to marry Penelope. Penelope offers her hand in marriage to whoever can string the bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axeheads. Homer utilizes the bow to symbolize kingship and power. Many suitors attempt the string the bow but are unable to do so. Then a disguised Odysseus is allowed to try. Odysseus strings the bow and takes back his thrown. This symbolizes the authority of the house as Odysseus reclaims his house…

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Accepting Death In Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven

is when Poe stated “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore! (83)” The word ‘nepenthe’ is an ancient Greek word. It refers to a medicine for sorrow, or the so called drug of forgetfulness. It was first motioned in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Compared to the other allusion this is more direct. The narrator is practically begging the raven for “nepenthe” in other words this drug of forgetfulness. Once aging this allusion is expressing the eternal sorrow someone has after losing a love…

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EALC 275 Lecture 20 Monkey 4 Essay

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Dream Interpretations In Ancient Greek Medicine

“Odyssey 19.535-50: On the Interpretation of Dreams and Signs in Homer.” Classical Philology, vol. 89, no. 2, 1994, pp. 147–152. www.jstor.org/stable/270660 This book will be extremely helpful to me since particularly talks about dreams in Homer’s narrations…

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Raven Analysis Essay

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The Lion King: a Hero's Journey Essay

and the darkness washes away. In conclusion, there are many references and patterns similar to Campbell's hero's journey. Not only have I found the three main parts of this story's own hero's journey, I have also analyzed and found different symbolisms that represent important events in the story. A few examples are how the wind changing represents how Simba changed, and how the water from the rain washes away the darkness. When Simba departs on his adventure, he meets his supernatural aid, Rafiki…

Words 931 - Pages 4