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Ancient Roman culture and Greek influence
Ancient Roman culture and Greek influence
Greek influence on Roman culture
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Aeneid vs. Odyssey
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid share some similarities as epics; both
describe the trials of a heroic figure who is the ideal representative of a
particular culture. There are even individual scenes in the Aeneid are
borrowed from the Odyssey. Yet, why are Odysseus and Aeneas so unlike one
another? The answer is that the authors lived in two different worlds, whose
values and perceptions varied greatly of a fundamental level.
To illustrate, two common ideas woven into the Odyssey are custom and
recklessness. Customs were handed down by the gods, and were meant to keep
men safe by giving them civilization. When men were reckless (when they
flaunted custom and the gods), they invited retribution and chaos by placing
themselves outside the ordained scope of humanity. Moreover, if the customs
are followed and proper respect given the gods, it is possible for man to live
in harmony indefinitely.
In contrast, the Aeneid propounds upon furor and civitas. Furor is the
discord that lies at the heart of each person which engenders violence, and
this furor must be restrained in order for civilization to work. This gives
rise to the idea of civitas, the overwhelming devotion to the state above
selfish personal desire; this is the only way man can chain furor on a large
scale. Moreover, it is always possible for furor to surface; even after years
of sacrifice and constant vigilance, peace is never guaranteed.
These differences in ethos are most easily seen when Virgil borrows a
scene and transforms it to his own ends. For example, Virgil adopts the
episode where Odysseus washes up on the shore of Skheria and meets the
Phaiakians and uses it to form the core of Aeneid ...
... middle of paper ...
...face. Thus, it is not surprising that the Greek and Roman epics
were so different, since what the they perceived were really two different
worlds.
Bibliography:
1Odyssey V, line 34
2Odyssey IX, lines 571-73
3Aeneid I, page 20
4Aeneid I, page 13 of the 1952 C. Day Lewis translation; all further page
references are from this.
5Aeneid I, page 21
6Both quotes are from Aeneid I, page 14
7Odyssey VII, line 124
8Odyssey VII, line 106
9Odyssey VII, lines 138-140
10Odyssey VII, lines 77-78
11Odyssey VI, lines 210-11
12Odyssey VI, lines 215-16
13Odyssey VIII lines 617-18
14Last four quotes from Aeneid I, page 25
15Aeneid I, pages 25-26
16Last four quotes from Aeneid I, page 26
17Odyssey V, lines 229-233
18Odyssey V, lines 337-38
19Odyssey IX, line 204
20Odyssey X, line 9
21Odyssey X, lines 473-74
22Last two quotes from Aeneid II, page 36
Tens of thousands of stories fit into the hero’s journey archetype created by Christopher Volger. Out of these, a large number of them are stories with remakes that share notable resemblances in their heroes’ journeys. However, none of these quite match those very strong similarities found between Homer’s The Odyssey and Joel Coens’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? These stories share crucial components of the hero’s journey whether it be “crossing the first threshold,” where the main characters of both stories begin their long adventure that transforms them into heroes; “the supreme ordeal,” where the main characters are both deprived of the opportunity to get home sooner; or “return with elixir,” where Odysseus and Ulysses both return to their homes alive the comfort of their wives. In their major plot points, the novel The Odyssey and the motion picture O Brother convey obvious similarities in key elements of their heroes’ journeys such as “crossing the first threshold,” “the supreme ordeal,” and “return with elixir.”
Virgil lived in a time that went through many changes. He was born in 70 BCE to a peasant family in Northern Italy. After the civil war, Augustus became Emperor of the Roman Emperor and wanted to preserve Roman values and tradition. Virgil also wanted to see Rome rebuild after the civil war and to be a thriving city again. Virgil had always wanted to write a great epic like The Odyssey or The Iliad. He wanted to write a national epic similar to what The Odyssey had become for the Greeks. Since Virgil was a client of Caesar Augustus, he had sworn loyalty to him, both in day to day life and in all political aspects. In return,Caesar Augustus would give “kindness” to Virgil, such as enough financial stability for him to continue his poetry and
There is no society without religion. James has also states that religion is “personal destiny”, which means that it existence is infinite in human life. Human lifestyle has been influence by the religion, so religion is a principal factor in universe. Religion is based on different believes and practices of humans which is totally understandable, despite of difference in religion people have same shared belief of putting their God above the others and shows the love and affection toward it. God has created this universe, the specious around us is the sign of his existence.
The dominant factor in an epic is the heroic main character. This character often is the son of a god or goddess and is favored by the gods. Heroic characters are also always hounded by constant tragedy which drives them to fulfill their fates. Most heroic characters are high in social status and share close contacts with the gods. All of these qualities of heroic characters show up in the characters of Aeneas from The Aeneid and Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Without humanity, there is no one to worship the gods and likewise without the gods the "brute beasts" would "ravage and despoil" the earth. The physical world, then, is dependant on the supernatural world.
won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by
In Virgil’s The Aeneid, there are many parallels found in Homer’s The Odyssey. In each epic, the heroes, Aeneas and Odysseus, are on a journey “home.” Aeneas is on the search of a new home for he and his companions to settle since Troy has been destroyed, Odysseus on the other hand is attempting to return to his home he left years earlier to fight the Trojan War. They both have Gods against them and helping them, both Aeneas and Odysseus are both held back by women, both voluntary and involuntarily, and they both have experiences visiting the Underworld. Despite these similarities, there are differences between the two characters and it reflects their values and the society they live in. Aeneas relies on his strength as a warrior, where as Odysseus uses his deception to survive which reflects how Aeneas is truly Roman is versus Greek.
A Comparison of Aneas of Aeneid and Turnus of Iliad The subtlety in the differences between Aneas and Turnus, reflect the subtlety in the differences between the Aeneid and the Iliad. Although both characters are devout and noble, Aneas does not possess the ardent passion of Turnus. Unlike Turnus, Aneas is able to place his beliefs in the fated establishment of Latium before his personal interests. Although Turnus is not a bad person, the gods favor Aneas in their schemes.
Homer’s poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. Odysseus punished Penelope’s suitors without thinking of consequences that he would have to endure. He did not acknowledge the consequences because that would prevent him from doing what he wants to do. Odysseus wanted to kill the suitors; they ate away at his fortune. Finding consequences for murdering the suitors would force Odysseus to realize what he is about to do is not a good idea. Odysseus chose to ignore the consequences and killed the suitors anyway. Odysseus had absolutely no reason to kill the suitors; they had the right to stay in his home because Penelope made them feel welcome, Penelope and Telemachus both told them that Odysseus was dead, and although Telemachus told them to leave, he did not have the right to do so.
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid represent their cultures very well, but they express different ideas on what one should strive for in life. There are also different forces that pushed both epics to be written. The Aeneid expresses the Roman idea of pietas which means to show extreme respect for one’s ancestors. We see this in Aeneas when he is pictured caring his father away from burning Troy. He has pietas because he cared so much for his father that in fleeing from Troy he took up his father over his shoulder to save his from certain death. This is not the only major idea in the Aeneid. There is also a very political focus. The Roman were very interested in politics which comes through in the Aeneid. The Odyssey has the Greek idea of arete trapped somewhere among the many themes. Arete is a strive for perfection in both mind and body. It is a much more personal and individual idea than the Roman pietas. In the most basic seance the Aeneid and the Romans have a much more political focus and duty to the state ( republic ) than the Greeks who honor tradition , family , and arete.
There has been much debate on who is the greatest hero of the ancient world. There has also been much dispute on which is the greatest epic poem of the ancient world. However, comparing The Aeneid to The Odyssey is entirely a difficult task itself. Odysseus' journeys, both physical and emotional, are essential in the overall work because it defines The Odyssey as an epic poem. Aeneas also shares a similar experience as Odysseus as well. Both stories are similar in countless ways because they both undergo comparable experiences on their travels and their life journeys. With that being said, they both demonstrated leadership in their own way. However, it is difficult to determine who the best leader actually is. Both men exhibit great leadership skills; therefore, causing a challenge for some in determining which the greater epic is. After analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, but The Odyssey is the greater epic.
japanese-American During WWII By: Japanese immigrants and the following generations had to endure discrimination, racism, and prejudice from white Americans. They were first viewed as economic competition. The Japanese Americans were then forced into internment camps simply because of the whites fear and paranoia. The Japanese first began to immigrate to the United States in 1868. At first they came in small numbers. US Census records show only 55 in 1870 and 2,039 in 1890. After that, they came in much greater numbers, reaching 24,000 in 1900, 72,000 in 1910, and 111,000 in 1920.(Parrillo,287) Most settled in the western states.(Klimova,1) Many families in Japan followed the practice of primogeniture, which is when the eldest son inherits the entire estate. This was a “push” factor. Because of primogeniture, “second and third sons came to the United States to seek their fortunes.”(Parrillo,287) The promise of economic prosperity and the hope for a better life for their children were two “pull” factors. These foreign-born Japanese were known as Issei (first generation). They filled a variety of unskilled jobs in railroads, farming, fishing, and domestic services. (Klimova,1) The Japanese encountered hostility and discrimination from the start. In California, a conflict with organized labor was due to their growing numbers in small areas and racial visibility.(Parrillo,287) White workers perceived Japanese as economic competition. Their willingness to work for lower wages and under poor conditions brought on hostility from union members. The immigrants became victims of ethnoviolence. In 1890, Japanese cobblers were attacked by members of the shoe maker’s union, and Japanese restaurateurs were attacked by members of the union for cooks and waiters in 1892. It was very difficult to find steady employment; therefore, most of them entered agricultural work. They first worked as laborers, accumulated sufficient capitol, then as tenant farmers or small landholders. Some became contract gardeners for whites.(Parrillo,287) The Japanese farmers were very knowledgeable of cultivation, which made them strong competitors against white farmers. More discrimination by the dominant group soon followed. “In 1913, the California legislator passed the first alien landholding law, prohibiting any person who was ineligible for citizenship from owning land in the state, and per...
Homer’s epic Greek poem, The Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his men must fight their way home to Ithaca after battling in the ten-year Trojan War, can easily be compared to a journey of life. Odysseus and his men begin their journey with their departure from Troy, aiming for Ithaca to be their final destination. Along the way, the men are forced to overcome unsurmountable obstacles, are faced with grueling decisions and are postponed by many strenuous stops throughout their voyage. Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, is like a journey of life because in it Odysseus must undertake an exciting, perilous journey over a long period of time to reach his goal of getting home and is also faced with many stops, obstacles, and decision along the way.
In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.
The Iliad and the Odyssey are two classic stories told by Homer. Within these two stories the roles of the gods are very important to the story line and how they affect the characters throughout. In the Iliad, more gods are involved with the characters whereas in the Odyssey there are only two major gods that affect two major characters. The roles of the gods in the Iliad are through two different stances of immortal versus immortal and mortal versus immortal. The roles of the gods in the Odyssey are through two major gods and they affect the plot as Poseidon versus Odysseus and Athena versus Telemachus.