Homer Essay Examples - Free Research Paper Topics on StudyDriver.com

Beyond Blood: Family is an Evident Theme Throughout the Odyssey by Homer

Family is a common theme in the epic The Odyssey but what does family really mean, especially in the context of The Odyssey. In the The Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’ relationships to illustrate that true family goes beyond blood, and is based around loyalty and the sacrifices that come with it. Familial love is shown throughout The Odyssey, but it is exemplified in Odysseus’ relationships with Penelope and Telemachus. Each of them demonstrate great sacrifices and loyalty towards Odysseus which […]

Drawing Conclusions on how Religion and Divinity were Viewed, Using the Greek Epic, the Odyssey by Homer

In the ancient world, religion played a great role in the lives of people. The concept of divine intervention had changed. This is evident in ancient literature and culture. Using the Greek epic, The Odyssey by Homer, it is possible to draw conclusions on how religion and divinity were viewed during the Greek archaic period. Using other works of literature such as Histories by Herodotus and Inferno by Dante it is possible to make connections between religion and the Greek […]

The Odyssey Analytical Essay

Introduction People act in various ways to achieve their goals despite the fact that they may encounter different challenges along the way. As a result it may not be easy to achieve the goals if a person is not capable of identifying the forces or obstacles that hinder him or her from achieving and fulfilling the intended goals. For instance, the sole goal of Odysseus in The Odyssey is to get back home safely immediately after the Trojan War. However, […]

Effects of Education in Homer and DuBois

W.E.B. DuBois is one of the most prominent African American and civil rights activists in United States history. Author of The Souls of Black Folk (1903), he advocated for the advancement of post-emancipation African Americans through higher education, which he believed would help his people overcome the Veil of racism that continued to separate them from white American society both physically and psychologically. Part of his philosophy, that The final product of our training must be neither a psychologist nor […]

The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer: Tales from Ancient Greece

The Iliad and the Odyssey are tales from Ancient Greece. In The Iliad, Greece is struggling to rescue their queen, Helen, from the Trojans. Just before the fall of Troy, the Odyssey begins. The Odyssey follows the many struggles of a greek warrior, Odysseus. The Iliad begins ten years after the start of the Trojan war. It begins with the Greeks fighting over weather or not to return a trojan captive, Chryseis, back to her father, Chryses, a priest of […]

Loyalty in the Odyssey, a Poem by Homer

The Odyssey was written by a man with the name of Homer. The book was written near the end of the 8th century. It known to be one of the greatest stories of all times. It also a very long poem that seems unreal. The poem is mainly about a man with the name of Odyssey taking a very long trip of the world. It takes him nearly 20 years to get back home. According to a video explanation of […]

Cruelty and Monsters in Homer’s the Odyssey and other Books

In this book, I will be talking about how monsters are real in books and am going to be connecting to the readings that I have read from the class lectures. Monsters are not only big but dangerous. They can know what you’re thinking about and Feed on your fear. Children always think about them under their bed or in their nightmares. They can be in different forms like animals, human, or something different. One of the readings that I […]

The Crime, Punishment, and Justice Found Throughout Homer’s the Odyssey

Crime, punishment, and the justice system have changed a lot throughout the years. The crimes committed in ancient Greece and the punishments that went along with those crimes are different than they are in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. The legal systems back in ancient Greece are the laws of Athens. Three factors determined the ancient Greek legal system and this included the multiplicity of city-states, most of the city-state’s laws were in written statues and become a rule for justice, and the third factor […]

The Great Local and Modern Aspects and Outlooks of how Odysseus’ Travels were Played out

Odysseus was a true hero, he showed this through his great determination and brave courage. This epic is about Odysseus trying to get home back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He underwent an incredible travel also conquering lots of trials that he encountered on his way back home. At this time it is still disputable on whether or not he’s really a suitable hero. It is argued plenty to whether he is a hero or looked at as a […]

“The Iliad” (analysis)

The Iliad is a very early piece of ancient Greek story-telling literature described as an epic, and one of the first of its kind. As the prequal to The Odyssey, The Iliad takes place in the duration of the Trojan War, which itself is a mythological event and was never proven to have actually happened; though to the ancient Greeks it was a very real happening that their ancestors partook in worth telling about. Most if not all ancient Greek […]

“The Iliad” – a Discussion on Heroism

Whilst reading the Iliad you’re naturally inclined to follow the plight of the great Greek hero Achilles as he tears through Trojans and further advances his powerful reputation. Half god, he invites the favor of many powerful beings on his pursuit to win both the war and glory for himself. The reader is engaged by Achilles opposing desires for honor and for safety and many pages are devoted to his heroism. But as heroic as Achilles is made out to […]

“The Iliad”: the Heroic Code

Homer’s introduces several characters who were considered as great hero in the era of ancient Greek. As story flows in the poem, these great individuals took the role as heroes for either personal or social dimensions by upholding some heroic codes. These Greek heroes did not always act in accordance with what we consider today as moral values and patriotic action; rather, they have demonstrated their heroism by their success and courageous actions for the “heroic code,” a set of […]

“The Iliad”: and Ideology

The Iliad this was written by Homer and set what was known as the Trojan War. This is an epic represented in several dactylitis. The book narrates the series of the events and battles that had been executed during those days of misunderstandings and quarrels between the Achilles warriors and King Agamemnon. from the story, it can be argued that it covered some few of weeks to the final days of the ongoing war. The Iliad has alluded to very […]

“The Iliad”: the Qualities Valued

In the Iliad the Ancient Greeks valued a few different qualities in their time that Homer showed. The threes most valued qualities were Courage, Piety, and Love. The qualities valued today are similarly and differently viewed by the Ancient Greeks. One of the valued qualities was courage. One act of courage was shown by Priam when he kneeled down and got on one knee to kiss Achilles hand. This was a great act of courage because “He kissed the dread […]

The Role of Woman in Ancient Time

The role of woman in each of these works play a significant role in each yet they are all portrayed in different aspects. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a very old story yet still the role of women in the story is very much important. You can get the idea that it might actually not be so old since it shows that woman’s role as that of in today’s society. If you take it from the biological perspective, the females are […]

A Tragic Hero Odysseus

Greek mythology was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons.(Cartwright ). The myths were tied with Greek religion and the Greek worlds. It explained the lives and origin stories of many different gods. For example, it talked about where humans had come from and where humans go when the pass away. Lastly, some greek writings tell stories of tragic […]

External Forces Odysseus Faces

In the book, The Odyssey by Homer , there are many internal and external conflicts that affect Odysseus from getting back home to Ithaca. Odysseus struggles with several external conflicts more because most of the Gods have grudges against him. Some of the Gods are giving him great harm, mostly poseidon, to try and keep him from reaching home because they know that’s his one and only desire. For example, Polyphemus ( son of Poseidon ), traps Odysseus and some […]

Odysseus and the Gods

How long would have Odysseus survived without any help from the gods. Without them, The Odyssey would most likely be a very short story. The gods help Odysseus in many ways, but they also made his adventure tougher. Odysseus might not have survived as long without the gods by his side. The gods that affect him the most were Athena, and Hermes. All humans show so much respect to the gods because the gods are listening and will help if […]

A Complex Character of Odysseus

When comparing two separate bodies within a particular story, one has to look at the themes present within the story and critically discuss how they differ within each time period based off the environments and behaviours of people within those particular settings; in this case, the motives, actions and themes we are comparing are those presented in “the hero’s wandering” and their changes or effects in “the hero’s return home”. The most fascinating aspect of this story is the realistic […]

An Eye for an Eye Expression

The common expression an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. This refers to the Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou because in both the main characters make decisions that harm them or the people around them. Some of the more thought about topics of the Odyssey are hospitality, loyalty, and vengeance. All these themes tie into the stories. Both the story and the movie are about the journey to get back to their family and get […]

Conversation in the Odyssey by S.Richardson

Author Background: The name of the author of the article Conversation in the Odyssey is Scott Richardson. Scott Richardson is a professor of classics. He teaches at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in Minnesota. He has a B.A in Classics from Harvard University, an M.A from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, from Stanford University. Scott Richardson’s educational background is a bachelor from Harvard University in 1978, Master of arts from Stanford University in […]

Interpretation of Caste Systems in Odyssey

In The Odyssey Homer presents an ideal that is rather counterintuitive to that echoed by his surrounding society. Homer proposed a radical new interpretation of caste systems that suggests that morality lies with those who reside on the bottom of the system. Through the epic, Homer empowers small, negligible characters in the name of assisting Odysseus. In parallel, he strives to dehumanize the suitors, constantly portraying them as filthy, ravaging pigs. We also see a more direct approach deployed by […]

Patriarchy in Odyssey

The Odyssey is an epic poem created by Homer, an ancient Greek author whose work remains a staple in western literature. The poem surrounds the journey of Odysseus as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after being away at the Trojan War for ten years. The central idea present in The Odyssey is how most of the conflicts throughout the story are a result of the absence of Odysseus, who before being away at the Trojan War, was the […]

Female Characters in the Odyssey

The Odyssey, written by Homer at the end of the 8th century is one of the most influential pieces of literature in our society. Through this epic, Homer was able to compose a piece of literature that remains prominent in classrooms today. The Odyssey proves to to be influential, in that scholars today are still learning from Homer’s creation centuries later. Homer’s, The Odyssey was one of the only epics of its time to have such prominent female characters. Through […]

The Odyssey: Thesis Paper on Men’s Lust for Power

In Homer’s mythological epic: The Odessey the reader follows what is thought to be a story of a courageous soldier and his battle hardened crew fresh from their victory at the stronghold of Troy. Yet a dark shadow of greed and lust for power hangs over these heroic men. Odysseus is a supposed hero, an icon to all his men who are just as power hungry as he is thought to be heroic. Nevertheless at the time of Greek mythology […]

Homer Essays