Diomedes In The Odyssey

    Most people think of a hero as a strong, superior, good-looking person that could never make a mistake. However, in a story called The Odyssey, a connection to real life reveals imperfections to be common in heroes. Each person has their low points and highlights, regardless of their “rank”. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. The time period took place in Ancient Greece, allowing Greek culture to relate to the poem. Different aspects of such culture and history may have influenced the works and creativity of Homer as well. A major point includes The Trojan War because it focuses in on Odysseus’ journey to bring Helen back home by devising a plan to destroy warriors in the city. Acknowledge this factor when reading The Odyssey, for not only evidence of heroism, but also other major points of archetypes, in which the device reflects the insights of readers in modern time and what is seen from Ancient Greek culture.

Homeric or epic similes can be found all throughout The Odyssey written by Homer. A simile is the comparison of two unlike objects using like or as. Homer’s similes are considered to be “epic” because of how elaborate they are to help the audience “feel” and picture a scene. One of the most glorified scenes in The Odyssey, full of epic similes, is when Odysseus stabs the eye of Cyclops Polyphemus. As soon as Polyphemus fell asleep from the over-consumption of wine, Odysseus put his plan into motion to escape the Cyclops’ cave. Courage took over Odysseus and Homer writes:

When I was doing Haley the assessment I realize one of the things she needed helps was with diagraphs. I notice this when she was trying to read her word list and as well when she was reading her passage. It was one of things that she needed to work on. Haley needed to learn about diagraphs, otherwise she was going to sound out each letter even if she saw a word with “sh or th.” I am not sure if it was taught to her before or if it was the first time. Haley was struggling at first. I tried to break it down step by step including teaching her phonics even though she is in 4th grade, still need to work on her phonics more.

Veterans from war fight long and hard to protect and serve our country. When they return home, some soldiers have a difficult time adjusting back to a civilian life. In The Odyssey by Homer, a young man named Odysseus and his men leave for the Trojan war and face many obstacles on their journey back to Ithaca. The journey lasts twenty years and results in the deaths of many of Odysseus’ men. However, when they return home from their journey, Odysseus struggles to return to the life he had twenty years ago.

The Odyssey is one of the oldest well known stories to date, and it is believed to be written around 2000 years ago. Its age is not the most fascinating fact though, the epic poem is comprised of 12,000 lines of death-defying, adventurous tales that are separated into different episodes. The Character traits of the might Odysseus, the structure of The Odyssey, the diction within the epic poem will be explained in this essay.

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.” (Homer, The Odyssey). Throughout our lives, we withstand many struggles and distractions. This results in straying off the correct paths to reach our goals. However, even though we may hit some bumps in the road, most of the time we'll end up alright. We’ll learn new things and can make better decisions for future references. In the book The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus undergoes several episodes and adventures. One can learn valuable lessons from these scenes. On his expedition back to Ithaca, Odysseus overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve his goal of returning and restoring order back to his kingdom. Considering this, The Odyssey is

Odysseus’ character , as seen in the Iliad, is much like that of a Homeric hero. A hero in Homer’s world entails many attributes other than physical

The Trojan War was more than a series of battles between opposing forces, it was the climax of an age of heroes. The retrieval of Helen brought together many of the mythological characters of that time onto a single stage. Of the thousands of brave men who fought at Ilion, two men stood above the masses, sharing the title of hero. They were born in the line of those on Mt. Olympus, favored by the gods. Excelling in courage and skill, adored by those who followed them into battle, the actions of Achilles and Odysseus achieved a high place in Greek mythology. Through analysis we see that Odysseus and Achilles were close variations upon the same theme.

In book 4 of Homer’s Iliad, a major battle in the war is described in detail.

Diomedes with Athena’s assistance brutally rips the great archer, Pandarus’ tongue out, because of his overwhelming hubris, which displays to him the seriousness of war. Pandarus shoots an arrow at Diomedes believing it kills him, because of his pridefulness. Aeneas persuades Pandarus to finish him off, and he listens, “Aeneas the Trojan captain checked him sharply:/ “ no talk of turning for home!.../ come, up with you now, climb aboard my chariot!”(V.242-243, 246) When they approach Diomedes with Athena’s help, he brutally rips Pandarus’ tongue out, disabling his arrogance:“The tough

The Homeric simile is a trademark of the epic poem. It describes an extended simile, which continues for lines on end, and the extended simile’s vehicle often describes multiple characteristics of its tenor (Cite Sharon Hamilton!). Homer uses the Homeric simile throughout The Iliad to describe the Trojan or Achaean people and/or army as a group. Yet, the Homeric simile also applies to an individual many times throughout the text, specifically, The Iliad’s protagonist: Achilles. Achilles is a complex and dynamic character. Despite his almost superhuman strength defining his identity, he rejects the heroic code, and his fated downfall in The Iliad’s Book 24 ultimately defines him. The Homeric simile symbolizes Achilles’ strength in battle,

As Athena guides him to the palace, she warns him about what he must avoid in order to be safe in that neighborhood. She also slips in some advice that he may use in his future endeavors to get home, asserting that "a cheerful man does best in every enterprise-even a stranger." The reader is again reminded of the incredible relationship between Athena and Odysseus in book VIII when Odysseus is speaking with Demodokos about the battle of Troy and Odysseus asks him to "shift [his] theme, and sing that wooden horse Epeios built, inspired by Athena." As the minstrel recalls "how Odysseus came like Ares to the door of Deiphobos, with Menolaos, and bred the desperate fight there- conquering once more by Athena's power" the victory at Troy is again attributed to Athena's role in facilitating Odysseus in the victory.

Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.

In the Iliad is a very interesting epic with features two main central characters that are similar in some ways but totally different in other ways. In this epic you will be introduced to Hector and Achilles. Two men from each side in the great Trojan-Greek war. They were both heroes to their people despite their clearly different contrast in their personalities. In this paper I will highlight the life of both of these two leaders of the Greek and Trojans in this epic the Iliad. Also a little will be shed of how Homer portrays the characters deeper then an average thought. I will attempt to show the complexity of his thought process in forming the climax of these two characters coming to battle.

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.