What are some epic similes in the Odyssey?
- Her smile was bright and clear like white glass
- Her smile glowed like the moon, eerily beautiful
- I felt the warmth of her smile wash over me like the sun’s rays
- Her smile was eerie and haunting, like an image in a broken mirror
- She smiled like a cat playing with a mouse, and fear shot through my heart
What Homeric similies are there in the Odyssey?
THE ODYSSEY, Book 5, Homeric Similes. “A man surf-casting on a point of rock / for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod / to drop the singer and the beat far out, / will hook of fish and rip it from the surface / to dangle wriggling through the air: so these /were borne aloft in spasms toward the cliff.”.
What are examples of metaphors in the Odyssey?
Personification, Similes, and Metaphors in The Odyssey
- Personification
- Metaphor. A figure of speech where one idea is substituted with another that is not literally applicable in order to enhance understanding of the original idea.
- Homeric Simile
- Simile. "To hear a minstrel gifted as yours: a god he might be" (9.3-4) ... To give an inanimate object human qualities or characteristics.
What are some epithets used for Odysseus in the Odyssey?
Using epithets such as the "great Odysseus," "wise Odysseus" and "embattled Odysseus," Homer finds ways to embellish his Greek character. "The storm-tossed great Odysseus" is a very appropriate epithet since it describes Odysseus' long journey on the sea towards home.
What are some similes in the Odyssey?
The Odyssey Metaphors and Similes"great Odysseus melted into tears... as a woman weeps, her arms flung around her darling husband, a man who fell in battle... ... "They speared the crews like fish and whisked them home to make their grisly meal" (10.135-136) (Simile)More items...•
What are some examples of epic similes in the Odyssey?
Just as an angler poised on a jutting rock flings his treacherous bait in the offshore swell, whips his long rod—hook sheathed in an oxhorn lure— and whisks up little fish he flips on the beach-break, writhing, gasping out their lives. . . so now they writhed, gasping as Scylla swung them up her cliff and there at her ...
What is a simile that could be used to describe Odysseus?
like the thin glistening skin of a dried onion . . . In this simile, Odysseus (disguised as a stranger) compares the perfect fit of his tunic to the shiny skin of an onion, a description that pleases Penelope because she made the tunic.
What is a simile in the Odyssey Book 9?
Epic simile: "I drove my weight on it from above and bored it home as a shipwright bores his beam with a shipwrights drill that men below, whipping the strap back and forth, whirl and the drill keeps twisting faster, never stopping" (10.427-432).
Why does Homer use similes in the Odyssey?
Homer uses similes to create a better and exaggerated description of specific actions in The Odyssey, giving the audience the impact needed to understand. The comparisons from each simile are straightforward and allow the audience to discern the idea made by the author.
How does Homer use similes?
Scott argues that Homer primarily uses similes to introduce his characters, "sometimes to glorify them and sometimes merely to call attention to them." He uses Agamemnon as an example, noting that each time he reenters the battle he is described with a simile.
What is an epic simile in the Odyssey Book 21?
Homeric simile-Like a musician, like a harper, when with a quiet hand upon his instrument he draws his thumb and forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg:so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.
Where is an epic simile in the Odyssey?
Epic Simile. The following example of an epic simile comes from Homer's The Odyssey, as translated by Robert Fitzgerald. The simile is an extended comparison between the way the sea pulls Odysseus out of the rocks and the way a fisherman pulls an octopus out of its lair.
What is the epic simile in the Odyssey Book 23?
Epic simile- "It was like the moment when blissful land is seen by struggling sailors, whose fine ship Poseidon has battered with wind and wave and smashed on the high seas.
What is the epic simile in the Odyssey Book 11?
Epic Simile: “Weak as the doe that beds down her fawns in a mighty lion's den - her newborn sucklings - then trails off to the mountain spurs and grassy bends to graze her fill, but back the lion comes to his own lair and the master deals both fawns a ghastly, bloody death, just what Odysseus will deal that mob - ...
What is an epic simile in the Odyssey Book 10?
Epic Simile- In Book 10 of The Odyssey, Odysseus' land on Circe's island. On that island Odysseus men encounter wolves and mountain lions who behave like domestic dogs. This is one of the many epic similes of The Odyssey.
What is the epic simile in the Odyssey Book 8?
King Alcinous uses a simile to compare a friend to a suppliant saying, "a stranger and suppliant is as dear as a brother"(8.591). During the song, the lyre uses a simile singing about Odysseus leaving Troy singing, "but how Odysseus went, / like the War God himself"(8.559-560).
What is an epic simile in the Odyssey Book 21?
Homeric simile-Like a musician, like a harper, when with a quiet hand upon his instrument he draws his thumb and forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg:so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.
What is the epic simile in the Odyssey Book 23?
Epic simile- "It was like the moment when blissful land is seen by struggling sailors, whose fine ship Poseidon has battered with wind and wave and smashed on the high seas.
What is an epic simile in the Odyssey Book 6?
Homeric Simile "And out he stalked as a mountain lion exultant in his power stride through the wind and rain and and his eyes blaze as he charges sheep or oxen or chases wild deer but his hunger drives him on to go for flocks even to raid the best-defended homestead."
What is an epic simile in the Odyssey Book 10?
Epic Simile- In Book 10 of The Odyssey, Odysseus' land on Circe's island. On that island Odysseus men encounter wolves and mountain lions who behave like domestic dogs. This is one of the many epic similes of The Odyssey.
in what way do the suitors throw away a chance to redeem themselves in this section? why do they fail?
I suppose the suitors could have changed their attitude once Odysseus showed up. Their purpose was to put pressure on Odysseus' wife, Penelope, to...
the odyssey part 1
Loneliness and longing for home are themes in the Odyssey. The title of The Odyssey has given us a word to describe a journey of epic proportions...
How is Odysseus an uneffective leader?
Two instances that immediately come to mind would be Odysseus' refusal to leave the Cyclop's cave, something that led to the death of six of his me...
Figurative Language in The Odyssey
Figurative language in The Odyssey consists of metaphors, personification, and epic or Homeric similes. Epic similes are an elaborate comparison between two unlike objects using like or as. The Odyssey is an epic poem and epic similes in The Odyssey abound. Following are examples of epic similes in The Odyssey.
This post is part of the series: The Odyssey
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What is the grislier simile?
A grislier simile occurs when Odysseus plunges his stake into the single eye of Polyphemus, the Cyclops:
What is the best simile in The Odyssey?
In one of the best-known similes, the stake he plunges into the eye of Polyphemus is compared to a red-hot ax or adze, which a blacksmith plunges into water.
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Is Odysseus a warwidow?
Odysseus is compared to a war-widow, emphasizing his closeness to the comrades he lost in battle and the depth of his grief at losing them. Odysseus and other heroes weep several times in the Homeric poems, showing that, although the Homeric hero was supposed to be brave and noble, he was not expected to be stoical.
How does Homer convey the sense of violence?
Through his use of extended simile and nature imagery , Homer is able to convey a strong sense of violence and dominance associated with Odysseus as compared to the weakness and baseness of the suitors that invade his court. This is done first as he conveys the extreme base nature of the suitors in his comparison of them to the most helpless and weak creatures on earth – newly born fawns hidden within the den of a hungry lion – and includes the violence that would ensue when the lion returns home. He emphasizes the difference between Odysseus as lord and these base suitors as he conveys the high degree to which Odysseus is the protector of his home, as a fierce eagle compared to smaller birds that have no choice but to hide in the clouds. Finally, Homer conveys a strong sense of violence even as he illustrates the degree to which Odysseus is the provider for his home as the dead suitors are described in terms that make them sound as if they are part of a tremendous catch of fish that will feed his people. Better than any other catch, it is described as a noble catch even as the floors are described to be flowing in blood.
How did Homer make his stories memorable?
One of the primary ways that the poet Homer made his stories, such as the epic of The Odyssey, memorable was through the use of extended similes that reinforced these cultural beliefs. Through his use of extended similes, Homer reveals the fundamental connection between nature and man’s activities as seen in the violence associated with the suitors of Penelope.
What does Homer say about Odysseus?
So welcome now to Odysseus, the setting light of day" (13.34-39) (Similie) Here, Homer uses analogy to raw tiredness and hunger to express phenomenologically how deeply Odysseus yearns to be home once again once, after so many years away, his final passage is in sight.
Why does Odysseus use the simile?
Odysseus uses this simple simile to convey how mundane and commonplace the brutalizing and disregard of human life was for the ruthless Laestrygonians. "there slowly came a grand array of women, all sent before me now by august Persephone, and all were wives and daughters once of princes.
What does Odysseus mean by women in the underworld?
The description by Odysseus of women in the underworld as a "flock" frames them as less-than-human, suggesting that they have lost an essential aspect of themselves in death.
What is the metaphor for the Odyssey?
The Odyssey Metaphors and Similes. "great Odysseus melted into tears... as a woman weeps, her arms flung around her darling husband, a man who fell in battle... So from Odysseus' eyes ran tears of heartbreak now" (8.586-597) (Simile)
What does the phrase "they swarmed in a flock around the dark blood" mean?
They swarmed in a flock around the dark blood" (11.258-261) (Metaphor) The description by Odysseus of women in the underworld as a "flock" frames them as less-than-human, suggesting that they have lost an essential aspect of themselves in death.
What is the analogy of Odysseus's tears?
When Odysseus hears Alcinous' bard sing of the Trojan War, the agony of his tears is conveyed to the audience by analogy to a woman who, like Odysseus, has lost extremely close loved ones to war, and was powerless to save them.
What does Odysseus compare his tunic to?
like the thin glistening skin of a dried onion . . . In this simile, Odysseus (disguised as a stranger) compares the perfect fit of his tunic to the shiny skin of an onion, a description that pleases Penelope because she made the tunic.
What does Odysseus compare Alcinous' beauty to?
In this metaphor, Odysseus compares Alcinous’s beauty to that of a blooming flower.
What does the narrator compare the hissing sound of the Cyclops to?
As the men stab the Cyclops in the eye with a stake, the narrator compares the hissing sound to that of a red-hot ax head dipped in cold water by a blacksmith.
What does the narrator compare Odysseus' bow to?
In this metaphor, the narrator compares Odysseus stringing his bow to shoot an arrow to a skilled musician tuning a stringed instrument.
What does Nestor compare the Greeks' siege of Troy to?
and only after we slaved did Zeus award us victory. In this metaphor, Nestor compares the Greeks’ siege of Troy to a spider weaving its web, suggesting that it was a difficult, hard-won battle in which the Greeks had to continuously work for a long time in order to overcome the Trojans.
What does Poseidon compare Odysseus's entrapment on Calypso?
In this metaphor, Poseidon compares Odysseus’s entrapment on Calypso’s island to a rope tied around his neck.
What is the metaphor of the Fates?
In this metaphor, the Fates are compared to Spinners, or weavers, and Odysseus’s life to a thread that they finished spinning before he was even born; in other words, the events of his life have been predetermined.
Why is Odysseus likened to a shipwright?
This is purely deliberate. Because the Phaeacians, to whom he's telling his story, are sea-faring people who would immediately understand the comparison of Odysseus to a shipwright and to the sharpened stake he used to blind the Cyclops to a shipwright's drill. Odysseus the story-teller clearly understands his audience's needs.
What is a simile in the Odyssey?
There are numerous examples of simile in The Odyssey. They tend to be what's called epic similes, similes that are extended. For instance, we have Odysseus's description of himself as being like a shipwright in his blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus then describes likens the plunging of the hot, sharpened stake into Polyphemus's eye to a blacksmith plunging an ax into an ice-cold bath.
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What does a blacksmith do when a blacksmith plunges an ax?
Its crackling roots blazed and hissed—as a blacksmith plunges a glowing ax or adze in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam and its temper hardens.
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Why does Penelope use a simile?
Penelope uses a simile to compare her sadness to that of Aedon, daughter of Pandareus and mother of one child, Itylus. Aedon envied her sister-in-law Niobe who had many children. Aedon tried to kill Niobe's eldest son but instead accidentally killed her own son, Itylus. She was inconsolable afterward, and Zeus relieved her grief by changing her into a nightingale, whose sad calls Homer characterizes as Aedon's weeping for her dead child.
What is a simile based on a common domestic image?
A good example of a simile based on a common domestic image: everyone listening or reading the poem would be familiar with a dog trying to protect its puppies and would understand that Odysseus feels this way because he's protective of his family and willing to defend them at all costs.
Why does Homer create space between the Cyclops and the men?
Homer continually creates space between the Cyclops and the men to justify Odysseus’s actions. This simile further dehumanizes the Cyclops, as if the men are not killing a living creature, but simply dismantling an inanimate object.
Why do we use the simile of Odysseus?
The use of this simile helps give the reader a better understanding of the men's reaction to seeing Odysseus. After the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, and the enchantment of Circe, Odysseus' men certainly have reason to celebrate in such an unrestrained fashion.
How does Homer illustrate how much Nausicaa outshines the others?
Homer illustrates how much Nausicaa outshines the others by likening her to Artemis, the goddess of virginity, childbirth, and the hunt, in an extended simile.
Does Athena fly off into the air?
It's unclear whether Athena transfigures herself into a bird or merely makes use of her enchanted sandals to fly off into the air. If indeed it is the former, this fits into a larger theme of gods disguising themselves as animals. Perhaps the most famous example of this might be Zeus turning himself into a swan while pursuing Leda, one of his consorts.
Do spirits have bodies?
An interesting (and accurate) description of how most spirits live in the underworld: they have no body, no substance, and they spend their time wandering aimlessly about in a dream state or revery, seeking some association with the living so they can feel alive again.
