Thomas Homer-Dixon

The epic Iliad was made by the blind poet Homer in 700 B.C. the story is the oldest in ancient Greek times. It’s known throughout Western literature culture. Also, an epic is concerned with the fate of a nation and a people. But, in the epic The Iliad the hero Achilles has changed throughout the story. Achilles was first fighting for glory the honor of Menelaus, Agamemnon brother, and husband of Helen. Helen was stolen by Paris the Trojan prince, son of Priam. All Greeks made a pact that if one…

Additionally, this careful consideration has helped me determine how this affects what Thucydides says about human nature. The same careful consideration has helped me understand what Homer says in the Iliad about Achilles’…

The Comparison To The Underworld Many pieces of literature contain many similar characteristics to Greek and Roman mythology as these references illustrate a certain idea or image for the reader. Many authors in the past would draw these comparisons to invoke a deeper meaning to their writing. The Underworld of Roman mythology is the kingdom of Pluto and is where Romans believed the dead went to in afterlife. For one, the house of Trimalchio as well as the contents in it, are directly related to…

In the 2017 documentary, The Crest, directed by Mark Covino, the story of two cousins on opposite sides of the United States who are both surfers and both unaware of the other’s existence, and they discover that they are both descendants of An Ri, the last King of the Blasket Islands, a collection of rocky islands off the western-most point of Ireland. The cousins meet for the first time in Ireland on a quest to explore their shared heritage, learn what has been passed down to them from those…

In the movie Chariots of the Gods, based on the novel by Erich von Däniken, it brings up multiple pseudoarchaeological claims. A pseudoarchaeology claim “-involves the misinterpretation and misrepresentation of archaeological data to concoct a past that some feel is more satisfying” (Fader). One of the most interesting claims I heard about was the idea that the Egyptians could not have built the pyramids in Giza by themselves with the technology available at the time. Von Däniken creates this…

The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer later adapted into a play by Simon Armitage, is a narrative depicting the journey of the greek hero Odysseus back to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. His voyage spans twenty years, and throughout the course of his trip back home, Odysseus and his men encounter various obstacles that they need to overcome. Since Odysseus is essentially the leader of his crew, it is most often his responsibility to defeat the enemy and solve the problem at hand. At times,…

Empiricism. Depriving of the Greek word, Empeiria, meaning experience. Like many English words honored with deprivation from the language of our ancestors, the greek it was harvested from hints at its meaning. Empiricism is a philosophical theory, the theory of experience. It is the view that all knowledge comes from experience, furthermore sensory experience. The premise being that sensory experience is the most reliable source of knowledge. We can’t imagine the world without the sensory…

affect thousands of lives. In Book II The Iliad states “45 kings and princes from 29 areas who lead the crews of a total of 1,186 ships”. Not only are all of these soldiers fighting for Helen affected, but also all the families left behind, which Homer portrays when Hector’s wife “bemoans the fate of a widow and the orphan, unprotected in a world of violence”. By kidnapping Helen, Paris unintentionally kills thousands of men and leaves even more in grief. Another theme remains apparent halfway…

Life is meaningless, humans often search for clarity. Sisyphus was shown as an absurd hero, he was the wisest and most prudent of the mortals. Although he was labeled as such a noble person, Sisyphus often questioned the meaning of his life and existence. “There is only one real philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life's worth living to answer the most fundamental questions of philosophy.” It was found that our existence has no true meaning. We look for things…

Between both epic poems by Homer; The Iliad and The Odyssey, the reader is able distinguish a variety of themes that set both stories apart. But there are also multiple instances where the themes of the poems overlap and actually build off of each other. This is where Homer is able to help the reader fully understand both stories by implementing themes through both poems and a multitude of characters and situations to help his message get across. One of the biggest similarities between both…