The Hymns written by Romanus the Melode in the sixth century provide vivid descriptions of Christians and insight to particular beliefs, customs and traditions of the time period. The hymns were poetic and referred to as kontakia which is a poetic way to articulate the teachings of Christ. The structure of the hymns employs imagery similar to poems using strophes (now called stanzas) with several verses and a refrain which was sung by the congregation instead of a sermon. The purpose of the hymns strophes was to provide imagery using figurative language to create emotion through pathos, logos and ethos to amplify the message. Romanus of Melode delivered the hymns in euphonious phrases which are pleasing to the ear through lyrical sounds. …show more content…
The hymn Romanus sung during the Wednesday mass on the third week during Easter season was Healing of the Leper.
Romanus describes the effects of the disease on lepers and demoralizing effects of leprosy, highlighting how those inflicted with the disease were cured by Christ and why. Romanus uses literary devices such as figurative language, metaphors, hyperboles, imagery, and alliteration to further impact on what is happening. What makes the Hymn of Romanus important is throughout the hymn of Romanus uses figurative language which plays a role in describing the disease. One example Romanus’ uses the metaphor incorporating alliteration in the phrase “feeds on flesh as though it were fodder” thus comparing the disease which is feeding on the flesh to fodder. The exaggeration is a hyperbole emphasizing the debilitating demise of human flesh to the
disease. Consequently, The Walking Corpse highlights the hymn Romanus utilizing imagery to distinguish the illness of leprosy and Elephants disease. The imagery in the hymn provides a vivid description of leprosy thus aligning it with elephant’s disease. At first, the term lepra was originally used to describe the flaking skin and a rash symptom but the vivid description described victims with rotting flesh and crippling of victim’s limbs proliferated by Romanus. Gregory of Nazianzos used the term lepra during a funeral oration instead of elephant’s disease. Thus the Greek word lepra was used interchangeably from the definition of a flaking skin and rash to redefining it as the Greek word lepra. The aligning of the two terms continued to proceed as research continued with Hansen, determined there were two strains of the disease, one strain created flaking skin and the other strain created rotting flesh.
The disease was viewed as a black man’s disease due to its vast spread in the black race community. In this chapter, it is clear that the medical fraternity had formed opinion of the disease even before the start of the experiment. The theme of racial prejudice is brought out clearly in this chapter. The blacks are discriminated from the whites even after learning that syphilis can affect both races alike. The slaves received treatment like their masters just because of economic concerns and not because they were human like their masters. In chapter 3 “Disease Germs Are the Most Democratic Creatures in the World”, the writer points out that the germ theory changed the way syphilis is viewed in the society. It was clear that other emphasis such as sanitation, education and preventative medicine was necessary to combat the disease. The areas inhabited by the blacks were behind in healthcare facilities and service. In this chapter, the theme of unequal distribution of resources is seen. Whereas areas inhabited by the whites had better hospitals and qualified professionals to deal with the
What is figurative language? Figurative language is saying something other than what is meant for effect. For example a metaphor, simile, symbol, hyperbole or personification. In the sermon called Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God and the Iroquois Constitution there is a lot of figurative language.
The bee simile is a prominent figure in Virgil’s Aeneid, appearing first in Book I, and then later in Book VI. The careful arrangement and placement of the similes in the text implies that Virgil considered them to be highly significant to the understanding of his work. Each allusion to bee imagery in the Aeneid provides insight into what Virgil views as the perfect society - a diligent, patriotic, well-organized, dutiful community of likeminded individuals working towards a singular, noble end. Through his use of the bee similes, Virgil emphasizes the importance of the collective over the individual, the theme of rebirth, and the eventual rise of Rome.
While the Aeneid does outline the future of Rome, it also highlights the pains of war, and also exposes his audience to a culture of violence, which they may be unfamiliar with. The act of balancing one’s duty towards others and his or her personal desires was a conflict that many people struggled with. By presenting the struggle between balancing inner desires and and personal responsibilities, Virgil offers his audience a framework that enhances their overall understanding of the poem.
Similes are, in the broadest sense of the word, a way for writers to express a certain idea by comparing and connecting two elements in order to give the reader a better understanding of the situation. One can argue that no author uses this literary device better and with such artistry than the Greek poet Homer. The epic similes found in Homer’s Odyssey are so complex, that they introduce a level of sophistication to his poetry that still has us studying his work centuries later. More specifically, there are two pairs of similes that, when examined, have a close relationship with one another. These pairs can be found on pages 240 and 246, and on pages 122 and 360. Both of these pairs of similes can be bridged together by the messages they
Throughout history people had always enjoyed and appreciated works of Literature in which they can relate to their everyday life. The Genesis book from the Bible is an example of Literature in which people know its stories and appreciated them. Even people who do not have faith on the Bible know the stories from the Genesis. The reason behind that is because the book is famously known as a collection of stories that tell us about the beginning of everything and how early civilizations interacted with God. The people that read the book of Genesis because of their religion beliefs, they would see it as an obligation to read rather than appreciate it and understand it as a work of literature. However, Darwin’s science strongly contradicts most
The lyric poems in the ancient times are presented in the first person point of view. Since lyric poetry expresses the personal and emotional feelings of a speaker, Sappho’s poems, Abu Nawar’s verses, Egyptian poems, and Neo-Christian Aztec poems explore the emotions of the speakers as they describe their culture, lifestyle, and tradition. These verses depict the passion, love, and perspectives of the ancient civilizations
Satire in the common sense comes from people like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert who mock the government, and the idiotic way they try to get stuff done, by using comedy and sarcasm. This form of rhetoric is by no means a modern invention. Satire dates to the Greeks and possible even before them. Maybe the first sentence from human was satirical. The first Roman to discuss satire critically was Quintilian, who invented the term to describe the writings of Lucilius. The satire that we use today can trace its origins back to poets and writers like Juvenal, Horace, and Apuleius. Satire in their work is much wider than in the modern sense of the word, including fantastic and highly coloured humorous writing with little or no real mocking intent. Roman satire was a very important literary device that played an important part in their history which shaped writings for generation to come.
From the beginning of 14.30, the description of the battle at Mona, Tacitus emphasizes the “un-Romaness” of the Druids, particularly their tradition of human sacrifice and the behavior of their women: “in modum Furiarum veste ferali, crinibus deiectis.”2 However, even before this, he begins a subtle campaign of Vergilian allusions, belying his unattractive descriptions of the Druids. The opposing battle line is described as “densa armis virisque,” a phrase which cannot help but recall Vergil's “arma virumque cano,” the first line of the Aeneid.3 Later in 30, he employs the Vergilian expressions “preces...fundentes” and “adolere aras”, referring to the superstitious and barbarian religious practices of the enemy but recalling, respectively, supplicating Trojans and Aen...
The ship analogy presents three metaphors encircling the political system of old Athens. The captain is at the helm by virtue of his ownership of the ship rather than his seamanship. The crew desires his position because they desire the prestige and power associated with ownership and are confident in their own seamanship. However, they misinterpret the captain's position at the helm to represent naval ability. In reality, the navigator who reads the stars and interprets weather patterns to guide the ship is the real naval talent. Since the crew assumes that power equates ability they cannot understand the role the guide plays and thus fatally dismissing the navigator's role aboard the ship. If the crew disregards the navigator (which they inevitably will, thinking them useless) the ship will be unable to run smoothly and serve it's proper
Playwright, William Shakespeare, in the play Julius Caesar, utilizes many instances of rhetorical devices through the actions and speech of Caesar's right-hand man, Mark Antony. In the given excerpt, Antony demonstrates several of those rhetorical devices such as verbal irony, sarcasm, logos, ethos, and pathos which allows him to sway the plebeians. The central purpose of Mark Antony’s funeral speech is to persuade his audience into believing that Caesar had no ill intentions while manipulating the plebeians into starting a rebellion against their new enemies, Brutus and the conspirators.
In, “Julius Caesar,” by William Shakespeare, there is a funeral held for Caesar at which Brutus and Antony speak. Brutus is one of the conspirators who killed Caesar while Antony is a friend of Caesars. Brutus speaks first and is able to turn the crowd from being angry about Caesars death to wondering why he was not killed sooner. Antony wants to speak at Caesars funeral and he is granted his wish under the terms that he does not speak ill of the conspirators. Despite agreeing to these terms, Antony slowly begins to praise Caesar and the crowd reverts to loving Caesar. Both men use ethos, logos and pathos to persuade the crowd; however, Antony is more effective in convincing.
In the text Phaedrus, Socrates and Phaedrus consider the nature of the soul in order to assess Lysias' speech, rhetoric in general, and the requirements of good rhetoric for a speaker and an audience. A chariot allegory is given to provide a separation between the rational and impulsive sides of man and suggest the ultimate pursuit of philosophy. Socrates explains the relation of madness to rhetoric by bringing attention to the good gifts that come out of madness, such as the noble lover. There are three lovers discussed throughout Phaedrus that Weaver parallels with the differing ways language can affect us. Through the evaluation of the soul, madness, and lovers, Plato's Phaedrus and Weaver's analysis of Phaedrus, function to provide several
John Milton’s bee simile in Book Two of Paradise Lost, is rooted in the epic tradition. Homer, Vergil and Dante look to the nature of bees in order to understand the human condition and an ideal society. Bees are described by these poets as unified, loyal to their king and hive, hard workers, untainted by carnal desires, and righteous in their ability to love. Milton alludes to the characteristics given by the poets before him in a complex simile that explains the beginning of Satan’s Pandemonium.
The Chorus is very much an important part of Euripedes’ Medea, and indeed many other works written in the ancient Greek style. In this play, it follows the journey Medea makes, and not only narrates, but commentates on what is happening. Euripedes uses the Chorus as a literary device to raise certain issues, and to influence where the sympathies of the audience lie.