The thought of returning home after a difficult and life changing journey full of hardships is inspiring and gives hope, one might think, but in some cases the return home is just as difficult as what forced their voyage in the first place. In The Odyssey, “An Ancient Gesture, and “Back From War, but Not Really Home” the authors convey a universal theme of how hardships in life can lead to a sense of dislocation and sadness upon return. The idea of dislocation is considered a universal theme because it can relate to everyone in someway, no matter who they are or where they live. Additionally, the use of crying to portray emotion, is considered a modern theme because it can be used by anyone and is not just specifically focused towards certain people. The ideas of a sense of dislocation and the use of crying are centralized themes throughout these three pieces of text and they are all well explained by each one.
In The Odyssey, it is mentioned throughout the epic, many times, that when Odysseus has returned to his homeland he does not recognize anything, and feels no joy to be home, only sadness for …show more content…
Vincent. Millay, shows how upset Penelope was at the loss of her husband, and how she procrastinated choosing a new husband, until her breaking point, when she “burst into tears” (Line 8). The author explains that Penelope used this technique of weaving and unweaving her web to stall her inevitable choice of a new husband, but eventually it caused her so much stress that she ended up not knowing what to do and could only cry. Crying is considered an ancient gesture because it was used by many to show that they “were too moved to speak” (Line 15). In some cases, such as Penelope’s, crying was used because she had no idea of what else to do, but in other cases, such as Odysseus’, it was used as a way to gain sympathy from others, proving once again, that it could be used by anyone, just in some ways different than
In The Odyssey, it is mentioned throughout the epic, many times, that when Odysseus has returned to his homeland he does not recognize anything, and feels no joy to be home, only sadness for …show more content…
Vincent. Millay, shows how upset Penelope was at the loss of her husband, and how she procrastinated choosing a new husband, until her breaking point, when she “burst into tears” (Line 8). The author explains that Penelope used this technique of weaving and unweaving her web to stall her inevitable choice of a new husband, but eventually it caused her so much stress that she ended up not knowing what to do and could only cry. Crying is considered an ancient gesture because it was used by many to show that they “were too moved to speak” (Line 15). In some cases, such as Penelope’s, crying was used because she had no idea of what else to do, but in other cases, such as Odysseus’, it was used as a way to gain sympathy from others, proving once again, that it could be used by anyone, just in some ways different than