Importance of the Telemachy in Developing Major Themes of Odyssey Essay

The Importance of the Telemachy in Developing Major Themes of Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚   As we begin to read the Odyssey, one of the surprising facts is that we do not meet the famed hero until we are well into Book V, on Calypso's island of Ogygia. However, during these introductory four books, we learn of the situation in Ithaca, Odysseus' plight, some of the most important themes of the story and of course Odysseus' son Telemachus. Homer keeps us in suspense, building the reputation of Odysseus by the stories of Menelaus, Helen, Nestor and all Odysseus' friends in Ithaca. Also, by building up the character and heroism of Telemachus, we are impressed by him, and as Athene says "your father's manly vigour has descended upon you". We would expect Odysseus to actually be better than Telemachus, due to his kleos ('undying fame on the lips of men') and experience ("Few sons, indeed, are like their fathers. Generally they are worse" Athene). So we learn of our main hero through words and inference, but this section of the book is key for our understanding as to the rules and practices of the Greek world in this story, and how the rest of the Odyssey will be carried out. Homer does this by bringing in all the themes that we will encounter time and again as we read on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even in the first part of Book I, in Homer's appeal to the Muse and also the introductory meeting of the Olympian Gods, one of the most important themes is brought in. This is the theme that transgressions, especially non-pious ones, lead to punishment. Examples given here are Odysseus' men eating the Sun God's (Hyperion's) cattle, resulting in the destruction of their ship. Homer even comments on it - "their own transgression that brought them to their doom". As... ...seashore", indicating his mood of despair. The link here is between the seashore and despair. When a hero feels an emotion it can be expressed in the book by their location. Thus when we meet Odysseus for the first time he is crying on the beach of Ogygia. When the crew leave the land of the Cicones, they come ashore for a short while away from there to weep on the beach or shore for their lost comrades. They do the same thing when they arrive at the island of Circe.    Now we can leave the Telemachy with these ideas, narrative tools and themes in our mind of how the story will continue and according to what rules. We also have a good idea as to what our hero will be like when we meet him, as we do in Book V. Work Cited: Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles. Preface by Bernard Knox). 1996. The Odyssey. New York: Viking Penguin, div. of Penguin Books, Ltd. Importance of the Telemachy in Developing Major Themes of Odyssey Essay The Importance of the Telemachy in Developing Major Themes of Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚   As we begin to read the Odyssey, one of the surprising facts is that we do not meet the famed hero until we are well into Book V, on Calypso's island of Ogygia. However, during these introductory four books, we learn of the situation in Ithaca, Odysseus' plight, some of the most important themes of the story and of course Odysseus' son Telemachus. Homer keeps us in suspense, building the reputation of Odysseus by the stories of Menelaus, Helen, Nestor and all Odysseus' friends in Ithaca. Also, by building up the character and heroism of Telemachus, we are impressed by him, and as Athene says "your father's manly vigour has descended upon you". We would expect Odysseus to actually be better than Telemachus, due to his kleos ('undying fame on the lips of men') and experience ("Few sons, indeed, are like their fathers. Generally they are worse" Athene). So we learn of our main hero through words and inference, but this section of the book is key for our understanding as to the rules and practices of the Greek world in this story, and how the rest of the Odyssey will be carried out. Homer does this by bringing in all the themes that we will encounter time and again as we read on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even in the first part of Book I, in Homer's appeal to the Muse and also the introductory meeting of the Olympian Gods, one of the most important themes is brought in. This is the theme that transgressions, especially non-pious ones, lead to punishment. Examples given here are Odysseus' men eating the Sun God's (Hyperion's) cattle, resulting in the destruction of their ship. Homer even comments on it - "their own transgression that brought them to their doom". As... ...seashore", indicating his mood of despair. The link here is between the seashore and despair. When a hero feels an emotion it can be expressed in the book by their location. Thus when we meet Odysseus for the first time he is crying on the beach of Ogygia. When the crew leave the land of the Cicones, they come ashore for a short while away from there to weep on the beach or shore for their lost comrades. They do the same thing when they arrive at the island of Circe.    Now we can leave the Telemachy with these ideas, narrative tools and themes in our mind of how the story will continue and according to what rules. We also have a good idea as to what our hero will be like when we meet him, as we do in Book V. Work Cited: Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles. Preface by Bernard Knox). 1996. The Odyssey. New York: Viking Penguin, div. of Penguin Books, Ltd.

Sister Flowers

I believe that the use of grammar is an important part of this passage. It is one of the points that Angelou's character, Marguerite, uses to define the social split in her life. Marguerite uses many different examples to separate what makes Sister Flowers so different and special compared to herself and her own life. Marguerite has respect for Sister Flowers for a number of reasons: the way Sister Flowers speaks and uses her grammar, the way she dresses, the way she carries herself, her body shape and even the richness of her skin.Marguerite is pretty embarrassed for her and her grandmother's sake and in my opinion it shows how much Marguerite would like her grandmother to be more like Sister Flowers. She even goes as far as to say that she â€Å"hated her [grandmother] for showing her ignorance. † This helped me to understand how highly Marguerite regarded Sister Flowers and how much Marguerite would like to be like Sister Flowers. Mrs. Flowers has a little talk with Marguer ite and tells her, basically, that lack of education does not mean a person isn’t intelligent. She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy.That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That is those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations. Education separates people, but something more important unites them – self-respect and respect for one another. Just because Marguerites grandmother intelligence is passed from one generation to another, it shouldn’t go on unnoticed because she can also learn something from it.

The Culture Of The Mayas, And The Aztecs - 1693 Words

Throughout the humanities course, I have been intrigued by a vast amount of information on different cultures. However, there was a particular section that truly caught my attention, and has piqued an interest in me that has caused me to do my own research aside from this paper. The culture of the Mayas, and the Aztecs has been extremely fundamental in understanding my ancestry, being that I am Mexican American. I took an interest in their beautiful architecture, their ritualistic and sacrificial religious practices, as well as their history and how they began. Throughout this paper I will outline the similarities and differences of these two cultures, as well as articulate an understanding of the humanity disciplines outlined above. The†¦show more content†¦At the top of these temples is where the most important ceremonies and sacrifices took place. In Fiero’s text they were described as being like the Mesopotamian ziggurat. â€Å"The Maya temple was a terraced pyramid with a staircase ascending to a platform capped by a multiroomed superstructure. A shrine and sanctuary, it also served as a burial place for priests or rulers.† ( Fiero 461) Many of their temples were built with astronomy in mind, and certain ones were aligned to the movements of Venus, the sun and the moon. Aside from the great temples and pyramids the Mayas also had city states spread throughout. Unlike the Aztecs in Mexico, the Maya were never a unified empire ruled by a single ruler from a single place. The Maya’s were a series of smaller city states who ruled their immediate vicinity. Each city was different in its own unique way. Although they had their differences they tended to share certain characteristics a s well, such as their general layout. The Maya’s laid out their cities similarly to the Aztecs and built around a central plaza. In the center of the cities were the important public buildings such as temples, palaces and a ball court. Residential areas radiated out from the city center, growing sparser the further they got from the center. Raised stone walkways linked the residential areas with each other and the center as well. Something important to note is that these plazas were rarely neat and orderly, and this is because the Maya’sShow MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast Maya, Aztec, and Inca Culture Essay677 Words   |  3 PagesCompare and contrast Maya, Aztec, and Inca culture In history we the people have found to realize that the Maya, Aztec, and Inca culture was one of the most incredible findings of their accomplishments. The Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations were really smart in topics of engineering, writing, agriculture and astronomy. Also all three had their beliefs, and good with agriculture. All three cultures used great technologies in their agriculture like slash and burn, terrace farming. 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