The Odyssey Of A Blind Minstrel - 978 Words

Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid, a quote from Homer, ancient Greece s first and greatest poets. In this paper there are, highly believed assumptions about his life before writing and brief summaries explaining two of his greatest poems, The Iliad and Odyssey. Greeks have used writing ever since 1400 BC, but it was wasn’t until 8th century BC that their work was written down. Written work of the Greeks began with the magnificent epics of Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer was born in the Ionian region of Asia Minor, at Smyrna, also called the Island of Chios around 12th and 8th centuries BC. Legend has it that his original given name is Melesigenes and also that Homer was blind and told his stories verbally. This evidence is based on the description in the Odyssey of a blind minstrel who sings a poem about the fall of Troy. His mother and father were Epikaste and Telemachus. Before he started writing he made his living as a wandering minstrel that traveled around the town of Chalkis, Greece to singing and telling stories at funeral games. One of his greatest achievements is the Iliad. Written during the mid-8th century B.C.E, it is considered one of the earliest works of western literature. The story begins with the ten year blockade of the city Troy by a union of Greek states. The cause of the whole fiasco begins with the prince of Troy, Paris. Who is asked to decide who among the three goddesses is the most divine. Of course he chooses Aphrodite, theShow MoreRelatedComparing The Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe â€Å"Odyssey†, one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, and â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou†, a 2000 a film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. At first thought you would not think the movie â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou† and â€Å"The Odyssey† have anything in common. It is however, the modern film depiction of the troubles of a man during the depression and is molded by the ancient struggles of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. â€Å"The Odyssey† is about a Greek warrior and isRead MoreThe Act of Storytelling in The Odyssey Essay examples1469 Words   |  6 PagesThe Act of Storytelling in The Odyssey In The Odyssey, the act of storytelling plays a significant role in revealing the story of Odysseus. Each storyteller reveals a part of the past of Odysseus and his heroic deeds. Each of their stories gives insight into what a hero should be, according to the standards of the Greek society, and they each reflect a different aspect of a hero. When pieced together, each story becomes part of a whole, however, each has a different function within the epicRead MoreEssay about Homers The Odyssey1646 Words   |  7 PagesHomers The Odyssey The Odyssey is a companion to The Iliad, a story of the Trojan War. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are epic poems written by Homer. In The Odyssey, Homer relates the misadventures of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, that occur during the decade following the defeat of Troy. In doing so, the fates of his fellow warriors are also made known. The Odyssey begins on Mount Olympus, in the palace of Zeus, king of the gods, where a discussion takes place regarding the woes of humans andRead MoreEssay about The Odyssey, by Homer1283 Words   |  6 Pages The monsters of Homer’s The Odyssey as written by Robert Fitzgerald all share traits in common, but there is always the small differences which make each close encounter more gripping than the last. When the not-so-glorious Odysseus, son of Laertes just manages to elude the cannibalistic clutches of the blinded Kyklops (IX) and takes to the high seas, he becomes arrogant and taunts his nemesis. He does not realize this, but the very words he uttered then sets the holy executioner upon the necksRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1490 Words   |  6 Pages In Homer s The Odyssey, a growing adolescent, Telà ©makhos, resolves to search for his war-lost father after realizing that his home is teeming with rude, power-hungry suitors that wish to marry his mother, Penelope. With inspiration from Athena, Telà ©makhos travels to former comrades of his father, Odysseus, in a journey that is eerily similar to that of his father. Telà ©makhos and Odysseus s journeys to bring t he latter home are distinguishable in very few ways, most notably in how they are guidedRead MoreHistorical And Cultural Context Of The Movie The Odyssey 2026 Words   |  9 Pagesthe first â€Å"western-style† action story was written by an eighth-century B.C. poet named Homer. It was titled the Iliad and it told of many great stories involving Greek gods and horrid monsters. The second of these epic poems was named The Odyssey. The Odyssey had to have been an intensely popular story to have survived for centuries and recognized as a milestone in western literature. The reasons for its popularity and longevity are the same reasons action style movies are popular today. HistoricalRead MoreThe Odyssey Major Work Data Sheet4410 Words   |  18 Pagesprobably lived in the late eighth and early seventh centuries. He was blind and he also composed Iliad. | Historical information on the period of publication: The time was very influential to the story. During this time, all stories were passed on by word of mouth. People who were gifted with a silver tongue were held in high regard at that time. Songs were told almost as though they were singing them. Some people of high power would blind people that had a knack for telling so that the story teller wouldRead MoreComparison Between Odysseus And Odysseus2641 Words   |  11 PagesWisdom), Hermes (Messenger God), Calypso (Immortal Nymph), Poseidon (Sea God), Ino (Goddess of sailors) Mortals: Odysseus (Main protagonist), Nausicaa (Phaeacian princess), Arete (Queen of the Phaeacians), Alcinous (King of the Phaeacians), Demodocus (blind bard), Broadsea (athlede) Plot: Book 5 The gods send Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseus. Calypso gives a speech on the double standards that the gods have. A man can take up a lover, but a woman cannot. She tries to convince Odysseus to stayRead MoreEssay on The Odyssey21353 Words   |  86 PagesThe Odyssey Set in ancient Greece, The Odyssey is about the hero Odysseus long-awaited return from the Trojan War to his homeland, Ithaca, after ten years of wandering. The current action of The Odyssey occupies the last six weeks of the ten years, and the narrative includes many places - Olympus, Ithaca, Pylos, Pherae, Sparta, Ogygia, and Scheria. In Books 9-12, Odysseus narrates the story of his travels in the years after the fall of Troy, and this narrative includes other far-flung