The oddyssey in popular culture

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Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver’s song “Calypso” parallels with a number of the themes in Homer’s the Odyssey. The Odyssey’s themes involving Odysseus’ journey back home and the aid of gods and goddesses directly influence “Calypso.”
The first stanza in Calypso is influenced by Odysseus’ journey to back to his homeland. The first couple of lines compare a dream to sailing on the ocean where at times it is crystal clear and calm while other times like riding on the “crest of a wild raging storm”. Denver uses the dream metaphor as a means to show that a dream can be like a nightmare or a fantasy. This metaphor is influenced by Odysseus’ good and bad times on the sea. There are many instances where Odysseus faces struggles on the ocean. Whether Odysseus has to fight a huge storm like the one that washes him up on Kalypso’s island or he has to elude dangerous monsters such as Skylla and the whirlpool Kharybdis on the sea, the ocean can be a very dangerous place. Odysseus also encounters times where the sea is very forgiving to him. The storm that washes him up to the land of Phaecia, a fairy-tale fantasyland, results in a safe and smooth passage home along with numerous treasures. The next couple of lines refer to working in the service of life and living trying to find the answers of the unknown. Odysseus ...

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