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How Does Homer Use Archetypes In Fahrenheit 451

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Although Bradbury and Homer execute their use of archetypes in radically different ways, both authors use the archetypes of death and rebirth and haven versus wilderness to create meaning in their story. In the Odyssey this meaning is the importance of hearth and family. In Fahrenheit 451 the meaning is that redemption comes to those that fight for it and actively seek to right their wrongs.

The Odyssey was a story deeply entrenched in archetypes full of meaning and relevance to the theme of the story. This is so true because the work established archetypes which remain in literature and other forms of media today. One archetype that contributes to the themes of the Odyssey is Haven vs. Wilderness. On Odysseus’s long journey home he encounters …show more content…

The reader finds him out at sea on a small raft, sailing towards the land of the Phoenicians:"Poseidon god of the earthquake launched a colossal wave, terrible, murderous, arching over him, pounding down on him, hard as a windstorm blasting piles of dry parched chaff, scattering flying husks—so the long planks of his boat were scattered far and wide.”(Homer 88). For a seafaring hero like Odysseus, the struggle to reunite himself with his loved ones takes as place just as much on the sea as on the land, and the wilderness of the greek islands is unmatched against the brutality of the Mediterranean. Another trend in greek mythology is false havens, whether it be the lotus eaters or the sirens, Greek heroes are frequently tested by things that remind them of the feeling of home. A prominent example inside Odysseus’s story is that of Circe the goddess where the reader sees the following,“she enticed and won our battle-hardened spirits over.And there we sat at ease, day in, day out, till a year had run its course,feasting on sides of meat and drafts of heady wine …”(Homer 175 One of the main themes in the Odyssey is the everlasting bond of family and the hearth, here the reader sees the protagonist of …show more content…

In his novel “Fahrenheit 451”, Bradbury bent the archetypes of death and rebirth and haven vs. wilderness to create meaning. Death and rebirth is a crucial archetype to the story of Fahrenheit 451 because Montag’s story is one of renewal, as the meaning of the story heavily focuses on redeeming oneself from an ugly past, and finding new light. Bradbury twists the archetype, presenting Montag as dead inside, as the character frequently says throughout the novel. This is demonstrated early in the novel when he has a revelation in which he finally recognizes the triviality of his life. “Darkness. He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself.”(Bradbury 30). In the quote Montag comes to terms with the state of being he has been ignoring for months, maybe years. By burying these emotions inside himself so deep he only kills himself further. Later in the story Montag begins to question his faith in the society he exists in. With thoughts of his fateful meeting with Faber a year ago finally coming back to him he gains the confidence to visit Faber, where Bradbury places the most obvious early piece of evidence showing Montag’s rebirth into light. “That’s the good part of dying;when you’ve nothing to lose you run any risk you want.”(Bradbury 81). Faber immediately points out that Montag has just said something interesting without reading it from a book. This

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