Homer: The Most Famous Greek Poet

766 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the Odyssey by Homer

Whether Homer was real or not, a group of people, a boy or a girl; one thing we are sure of is that “Homer” wrote two of the best epic poems. The Iliad, which was based on the tenth year of the Trojan War and the Odyssey, which was about a guy named Odysseus who goes on many adventures as he tried to get home to his son and his wife. From what we know Homer was the most famous of all Greek poets because of his written works, his legendary history, and his influential work.
“Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, utters another.” This inspiring quote came from one of Homers epic poems, The Iliad. What this quote means is that Homer did not like two-faced people. Homer did not like a person who felt something inside but said something different from which he/she did not feel. Homer was best known for his two epic poems; The Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad was inspired by his grandfather who fought in the Trojan War. According to www.hubpages.com (2010) , “The Iliad had four parts. It was based on the Trojan War and it described the tenth year of the war” (p.1-2). According to Www.hubpages.com (2010) , “The Odyssey was about a guy named Odysseus who went on many adventures as he tried to get home to his wife and son” (p.2) Not only did Homer write The Iliad and the Odyssey, but he also wrote the Homeric Hymns. According to www.ancienthistory.about.com (2014), “The Homeric Hymns consist of 34 poems to the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, which include legends involving the gods, and are written, in epic hexameter. According to www.library.thinkquest.org (n.d), “Modern archaeologists’ research has uncovered artifacts similar to those described in the poems providing evidence th...

... middle of paper ...

...ey have revolved around the process by which the Homeric poems came into existence and were transmitted over to us (p.3). According to Www.thefamouspeople.com (n.d), “Homer possessed this great quality of rapidity and the fact that he did not fall into the corresponding faults, that is, without becoming either fluctuant or monotonous, showed his unequalled poetic skill (p.3).
Although we may not know whether Homer was real or not, a group of people, a boy or a girl; one thing we are sure of is that “Homer” wrote two of the best epic poems. The Iliad, which was based on the tenth year of the Trojan War and the Odyssey, which was about a guy named Odysseus who goes on many adventures as he tries to get home to his wife and son. In conclusion Homer was the most famous of all Greek poets because of his written works, his legendary history, and his influential work.

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Diction In The Odyssey

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey is one of two ancient Greek poems written by the famous Greek author, Homer. The story details the adventures of Odysseus and his men during their ten-year sail after the Trojan War. They must return home before their civilization falls to ruins. The men face a Cyclops, a group of Sirens, a giant whirlpool and rock monster, and many other creatures and challenges. The Odyssey was written sometime during the eighth century, so it features complex dialect and hidden meanings. Homer uses diction in The Odyssey in order to express a tone of darkness and bravery.

    Read More

  • Life's Findings in Homer's Odyssey

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer's The Odyssey can be truly considered as one of the best epic poems of all time. Odysseus' journey in returning home becomes a test to prove himself. Only on the testing grounds of life can one discover inegrity, loyalty and perseverance. Homer's craft is so profound that theme's found in the poem still pertains to man today. The Odyssey is truly remarable in that Odyseus' character, his morals, and his views are stil admired by people today.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ancient Greeks have brought upon numerous ideas, inventions, and stories to the world. Greek mythology influences modern day literature and life. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus does not achieve his goal of reaching home so easily; monsters and gods come in his way and hinder him. The Odyssey expresses Greek values of hospitality from the customs of Ithaca, humility from Odysseus’s reform, and loyalty from Odysseus’s family.

    Read More

  • Exploring Homer's Iliad as a Source of Information about the Ancient City of Troy

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer was the ancient Greek poet said to have lived between around the 8th and 9th century B.C. Some believe that he was born on the island of Chios and others say he was in Ionia. He was said to be a court singer and a storyteller. He is famous for the writings of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey.

    Read More

  • Homer's Epic, The Odyssey

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homer’s epic, the Odyssey, is a heroic narrative that follows the adventures of Odysseus, the powerful King of Ithaca. The main story involves Odysseus’s return journey to his homeland after the Trojan War. However, Homer skips around in the action periodically to give the reader a better understanding and interest in what is going on in the epic. Homer takes his audience from the present action involving Telemakhos’ search for news of his father’s return, to the past where Odysseus tells the Phaiakians of his tragic journey home after the war. The events in Homer’s epic are not in order but still prove more effective at guiding the reader through the narrative. Although the events in the Odyssey are not in chronological order, the story line is enriched by Homer’s use of the in media res method because it introduces characters that were not involved in Odysseus’ adventure, because it shows the urgency of Odysseus’ return to his kingdom, and because it allows the reader to become more interested in the opening chapters without having to wait for a climax in the action.

    Read More

  • Achilles Vs Odysseus

    3801 Words  | 8 Pages

    Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995.

    Read More

  • Homer's The Odyssey

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of human civilization, women have often occupied inferior roles in society while the dominant role has been played by men. In Homer’s The Odyssey gender roles in Greek society are emphasized showing how men controlled society while women were undervalued and constantly disrespected. Although it may be argued that Homer poses some rather feminist views, it is evident by several elements that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text. First, women in the Odyssey were continually oppressed by men never having true free will. In addition, Women were depicted as symbols of lust, seduction, and evil who bring destruction to men, undermining the true values of women. Furthermore, Women were expected to remain loyal to men while men have no expectation for themselves which promoted gender inequality. Exemplified by these three elements, it is evident that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text depicting a society where women occupy subservient and inferior positions.

    Read More

  • Xenia

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer is a well-known author who is recognized for shaping Greek culture. While Homer wrote, he would call upon the muse which would help him spread knowledge throughout his works. These muses were known for their source of inspiration which would guide writers such as, Homer into writing great works. Two of his famous pieces are poems called The Iliad and The Odyssey that in respect are referred to as some of the greatest ancient Greek epics ever written. These literary works have influenced Greek culture greatly and have presented themes that people can relate to today.

    Read More

  • Homer’s The Odyssey

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.

    Read More

  • Mythic and Pre-Socratic Worldviews

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer was a very influential and significant part of the Greek civilization. The Greeks had been passing down stories, by word, of the Golden Age and of the great battles of the Greeks for many years. Homer ...

    Read More

  • Homer's The Odyssey

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hu•bris /ˈ(h)yo͞obris/ noun: excessive pride or self-confidence. Hubris is believed to be the most serious of all seven deadly sins. Some say it was the original sin that led to all others. A word with such loathsome synonyms like arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, pomposity, and egotism was seen as one of the worst possible sins in Greek culture. They believed that no matter your social status those who exhibited it were destined to fall down into damnation. Yet some Grecian heroes seemed to ooze hubris in the form of confidence or cockiness. There was a fine line between the two that they should never cross. One hero in particular showed this sin on more than one account. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus, shows the sinful trait of hubris, in the form of cockiness when he talks to Polythemus, his crewmen, his wife, and his son.

    Read More

  • The Classical Mythology

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Odysseus And Aeneid

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer and Virgil were two poets that came from differing societies. Homer, a Greek poet, is most famous for his epic poem The Odyssey. It tells the story of the hero Odysseus’ journey back to back to his homeland of Ithaca after 10 years abroad. He is in a race against time to oust the suitors of his wife Penelope from his court. The Aeneid tells the tale of Aeneas, who is a hero of the Trojan war that is traveling to Italy after the conflict has ended in order to establish a new empire. Aeneas and Odysseus were actually on opposite sides of each other during the Trojan war. Both Aeneas and Odysseus would have been considered heroes to their respective kingdoms, but that is not where their similarities end. There are many facets of the two protagonists that could be considered synonymous. However, there are differences between the two that can be seen as well.

    Read More

  • Homer His Life And His Works

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    We know that he wrote two poems about the Greeks and their gods. The Iliad was Homer’s first epic poem, which tells the story of the Trojan War. His second epic is the Odyssey, which tells the story of a great hero Odysseus, and the adventures he embarks on. Tradition has it that he lived in the 12th century BC, around the time of the Trojan War, in an Ionic settlement, either Chios or Smyrna, where he made his living as a court singer and storyteller.

    Read More

  • The Iliad of Homer

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 'Iliad'; by Homer is a book that deals with many emotional issues. I am going to talk about a few emotional parts of the Iliad and compare them to the emotional life of today. I have chosen a section of the book and will talk about the emotions that come up there. The section that I have chosen to talk about is in book 18 when Achilles is very angry and very sad about Patroclus death. After that he wants revenge by killing hector.

    Read More

More about Homer: The Most Famous Greek Poet

Open Document