One, Two, Three, Si-Mile
Homer also captures the common images that reveal the plot and themes through a stylized simile, which can be easily understood by viewers. In Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, the epic simile is one of the most commonly used tools. The Iliad is about the anger of Akhilleus, which influences the Trojan War. As one realizes by the end of the book, Akhilleus' anger causes his downfall as well as the suffering of his loved ones. Homer also writes about Odysseus' struggles along the trip back home with his men in The Odyssey. There are many ways to write a simile, and "[t]o say 'he came like an eagle' or 'he raged like a bull' is common to many poetic traditions: peculiar to Homer is the elaborate comparison, which may run to eight or ten lines" (Griffin 36). In addition to being common, epic similes are also more abundant in The Iliad (especially in the battle scenes) than in The Odyssey. However, using common images of natural forces and of wildlife, epic similes are detailed comparisons that vary in style and aid in the reader's understanding. One important function of the epic simile is to emphasize the current situation of the story. A key element and style that Homer utilizes in his epics is the skil
"Penelope at that hour in her high chamber / lay silent, tasting neither food nor drink / [. This method, as described by Martin Mueller presents a pause in time to emphasize a certain detail or aspect. It has a definite pattern on the entire figure when it is completed as many can understand for it is also a common image. "A phenomenon of nature is highlighted to parallel a human act, and the sense of such an analogy foreshortens the natural setting, giving it focus and precluding rambling description" (Vivante 43). Like wolves,carnivorous and fierce and tireless,who rend a great stag on a mountainsideand feed on him, their jaws reddened with blood,loping in a park to drink springwater,lapping the dark rim up with slender tongues,their chops a-drip with fresh blood, their heartsunshaken ever, and their bellies gutted:such were the Myrmidons and their officers,running to form up round Akhilleus' brave companion-in-arms. His narrative is always direct and simple, and his similes are drawn from nature and life in forms familiar to the country folk and therefore capable of stirring those listening to a recital of his poems. This passage describes a farmer's longing for his return home after an exhausting day of work. More is demanded of the reader" (Beye 109).
Common topics in this essay:
Andre Michalopoulos,
Diomedes Glaukos,
Id XVI,
Murderous Akhilleus,
Trojan War,
Book IV,
Akhilleus Myrmidons,
Book XXII,
Phoibos Apollo,
,
,
,
epic similes,
common images,
/ ,
common image,
epic simile,
sea /,
homeric similes suggestion,
common tongue,
/ lay,
aid reader's understanding,
homer's common,
/ ,
aspect homeric similes,
|
Acceptance Essays
