Winslow Homer

During my initial research on Greek legends, I was most interested in the tale of Achilles and Patroclus, which lead me to the myth of Ianthe and Iphis. Theirs a tale is a familiar one now, after the advent of studies in Queer Theory in the last couple of decades. But before that it remained a tale of how a woman is turned into a man so that they could marry the woman they loved. The myth follows a couple Ligdus and Telethusa, who were expecting a child. Ligdus was a farmer and wanted a son…

“gullible”, and “ignorant”. These words relate to the epic tale called the Aeneid; which, is written by Virgil. The Aeneid’s “enemy” is a story called the Iliad and Odyssey. The Iliad and Odyssey are written by Homer. Homer’s take on the Trojan War is biased towards Troy. Homer explains the Trojan War in a way that makes people think the Trojans are foolish…

The Iliad; “the first great book about the suffering and loss of war”, stated by Rachel Bespaloff in On the Iliad. “Its subject is war; its characters are men in battle and women whose fate depends on the outcome.” One may ask why does Homer writes about this and why it is so gruesome like. It’s to catch the human eye, with in-depth descriptions and brutality which is nearly a copy of what everyday life on this planet is today. There’s always murder, battles, and war occurring for food,…

The epic poem, The Odyssey, is written by Homer in 800 B.C.E., and is full of adventure, including ships lost at sea, terrible monsters and gods who take out their revenge on mortals, and even a hero named Odysseus who after twenty long years eventually makes it back home to Ithaca. But really, Odysseus’ homecoming is what The Odyssey is all about. Time and time again, Odysseus desires to return to Ithaca, the land of his heritage, and he longs to return to his wife, Penelope, and his son,…

The definition of a hero is often one that is subjective to the individual. The portrait of hero can be painted and viewed differently based upon those observing his or her actions. In the epic, The Iliad by Homer, Hector, known as the guardian of Troy, is seen as a heroic by the Trojan people. Hector, a prince of Troy, is the best fighter of all the Trojans, and known for his astounding character. In the article “The Man in the Water” written by Roger Rosenblatt, the man in the water can also…

Cole-Symes: How did the epics of Homer transmit the values of the Bronze Age to the aristocracy of the new Greek polis? What were these values? 1. A polis was not a unified city-state or its people. a) Greeks saw poleis as the collective houses of various city-states that made them up, and the collective values and beliefs they had, but did not see themselves as a unified people. 2. Myths are written to reflect the values of the culture at the current time. a) Homer and other writers wrote…

A critical reason why ancient Greek mythology has remained recognizable in today’s culture lies in battlefield of the Trojan War. Although many scholars question whether or not the Trojan War actually happened as Homer described it in his infamous epic poem the Illiad, archeological excavations of the city of Troy in Turkey have uncovered that the city was indeed destroyed by a war in 1180 B.C. (Korfmann). Evidence that a war did in fact take place around the city of Troy, which was an affluent…

There have been many philosophers in our world’s history, perhaps the most famous of them would be Aristotle. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who contributed to many different sciences including, logic, metaphysics, mathematics, biology, and countless others. Although Aristotle is famous now, he wasn’t very famous in his own time. Aristotle’s beliefs contradicted many of the modern beliefs in his time. Ben Waggoner, a professor at the University of California Museum of Paleontology, states,…

Sappho and Katherine Philips are two of the most influential writers and poets in literature. While both existed in two very different time periods, there are many parallels between the two poets and their writing style and lifestyle. Their poetry was about affectionate and emotional connections with women they cared for, which eventually led them to becoming a symbol for female homosexuality. Many scholars and historians would agree that both Sappho and Katherine Philips’ history are ambiguous…

my dreams." (Homer XXI/XXII 2). Lines like this appear in the text to make the reader worried, about the time Odysseus is taking to confront the suitors; the delay helps prolong the tension. Another time while in disguise Odysseus is insulted by Melanthios a goat herd. He insults Eumaos as well as Odysseus. “No other beggar or stranger has been allowed to hear what we say among ourselves; the wine must have been doing you a mischief, as it does with all those drink immoderately” (Homer XXI/XXII…