iliad simile analysis
In the Iliad, Homer finds a great tool in the simile. Just by opening the book in a random place the reader is undoubtedly faced with one, or within a few pages. Homer seems to use everyday activities, at least for the audience, his fellow Greeks, in these similes nearly exclusively. When one is confronted with a situation that is familiar, one is more likely to put aside contemplating the topic and simply inject those known feelings. This would definitely be an effective tactic when used upon the people of Homer's day. From the heroic efforts in the Iliad itself it is clear that the populace of his time were highly emotional creatures, and higher brain activity seems to be in short, and in Odysseus' case, valuable, order. It is also wise to remember that the winners write history. In the Iliad, there seems to be relatively little storyline from the Trojan's side. We are amused with story upon story of the Greeks, their heroes, and their exploits, while the Trojan's are conspicuously quiet, sans Hector of course. It could almost be assumed that throughout time most of the knowledge of the battle from the Trojan side had been lost. Considering the ability to affect feelings with similes, and the one-s
In Book twelve we have Polypoetes and Leonteus, defending the gate of the wall to the Greek ships from the invasion of the Trojans. " The cranes bring to mind large, pure, graceful characteristics, qualities befitting an efficient army troop. " This simile lends to the characters of the two, Polypoetes and Leonteus, along with the resolve of the Greeks at that time. What better way than to appeal to ones already experienced emotions? To make a person feel like their everyday actions somehow partook in a greater story is what is accomplished by using the similes that Homer used. The goal of Homer's trade, as a poet, was to stir people, and the easier the better. One is reminded of Apollo and his kinship with his chariot, often referred to as racing across the heavens. Going back, Book Three starts with: "the Trojans advanced as a flight of wild fowl or cranes that scream overhead when rain and winter drive them over the flowing waters of Ocean. First, I examined the way the similes were used and the effect they achieved, and at the same time, and the same space, attempted to prove that Homer tried to bring the Trojans a sense of honor they didn't receive in battle. Agamemnon shall announce he is giving up on taking Troy, at which point the individual army captains will then "prevent their doing so. The choice of simile here is important. Not once is a Greek found laughing, more evidence that Homer has glamorized the Trojan lifestyle. The Greek ranks are painted as a throng of weak-kneed wimps with their constitution sapped, obviously not the case as they go on to win the war, but it suffices to cast the Lycians in a negative light. Paris takes off "as a horse, stabled and fed, breaks loose and gallops gloriously over the plain to the place where he is wont to bathe in the fair-flowing river- he holds his head high, and his mane streams upon his shoulders as he exults in his strength and flies like the wind to the haunts and feeding ground of the mares- even so went forth Paris from high Pergamus, gleaming like sunlight in his armor, and he laughed aloud as he sped swiftly on his way. " Undoubtedly, the men of Homer's time hunted to survive, and relished the sight of the frightened fawns grouped together. The idea of a king possessing the gall to flaunt this frivolous armor in a situation that calls for something more practical goes to show the incompetence of the king of the Achaeans.
Common topics in this essay:
King Agamemnon,
Iliad Homer,
Polypoetes Leonteus,
Trojan Greek,
Shortly Agamemnon,
Simoeisius Ajax,
Five Diomedes,
Argives Followed,
Ten Nestor,
Six Paris,
tree wood,
bunched knots,
using similes,
polypoetes leonteus,
greek army,
consistently portrayed,
hollow cave,
animals book,
evidence homer,
frightened fawns,
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