One of the reoccurring literary devices that Homer uses is epic machinery. In book 17 it appears once again when Telemachus is telling the story of his journey to Penelope his mother. Homer uses this literary device to make the reading more interesting especially when Oddyseus is retelling his stories in earlier books. Another literary device i found in book 17 is foreshadowing. "With that he entered the well-constructed palace, strode through the halls and joined the proud suitors. But the dark shadow of death closed down on Argo's eyes the instant he saw Odysseus, twenty years away" (357-360). Homer is forshadowing that there will be death that is coming up. The deaths that will be coming up are the deaths of the suitors that Odysseus is planning to kill with Telemachus. A topic that we learned about earlier in the book is the host guest relationship. While Odysseus was on his journey there were a few good hosts that would lavish him with gifts and give him and his men great feasts. There were also terrible hosts that didn't want Odysseus and his men on their islands. In book 17 Odyssues in his disguise as a beggar gets hosted well by Eumaeus. But when he goes to his palace and he begs for food there he gets bitter reactions and responses. The suitors go against the guest host relationship especially Melanthius and Antinous who hurt the guest.
GQ 1. How do the literary devices Homer uses make the book more interesting?
2. Why does Antinous go against the guest host relationship?
I think Homer uses these literary devises to keep the reader interested and connected to the text. For me at least, these literary devises are kind of my motivation to read this book lol. But no, they really make the book more exciting and interesting for the reader. Without these devises, the book would be pretty boring and I don't think the reader would really know what was going on because there would be no story telling, no foreshadowing. Just a bunch of words that go on for pages and pages non stop.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for Antinous going against the host-guest relationship... that was just because he had bad intentions. All he wanted was to marry Penelope and go on with his life. That's what all the suitors wanted. None of them cared for others and how their rudeness affected the people around them. So aAntinous going against this relationship just shows how selfish and careless these people really are.
The literary devices that Homer uses add suspense to the poem and allow the reader to hear stories twice, with possible changes. Foreshadowing adds interest and an element of prediction to the book. Predicting what will happen next based of the foreshadowing adds interest to the book.
ReplyDeleteAntinous goes against the guest-host relationship because he believes he is in charge at Odysseus' palace and he thinks he is much better than any beggar and he would rather take advantage of the beggar to entertain him than show him hospitality. Also because Antinous does not rightfully own Odysseus' palace he feels that there he is not responsible for upholding good manners in a palace that is not his. Yet he acts as if he owns the place.
Homer is considered to be the master of epic for a reason. All the literary devices he use add more vivid detail upon the feast, Odysseus, and the suitors. Such clear descriptions are given of the suitors' insults that Odysseus must pay back in blood. It builds up the suspense to revenge that Odysseus must deal back.
ReplyDeleteThe guest-host relationship is clearly disregarded within this chapter despite the heavy emphasis upon Zeus as the protector of guests. The suitors have definitely asked for the gods' wraths with their own actions and it goes along with the literary devices to foreshadow their impending doom.
I agree with what Stephen said. Homer's literary devices paint a picture in my head as I am reading the poem. Even though it was written so long ago, the literary devices create a platform of the story that I can relate to because I am able to picture what ever it is they are talking about in my mind. I also like how Homer constantly uses foreshadowing to describe what is going to happen. I feel like it keeps me focused on the story for longer because I am almost on a hunt to find more foreshadowing so I can predict exactly what is going to happen. Plus, the foreshadowing makes the story a lot more interesting. It almost suggests that no matter how often a person is warned, they will probably not change who they are, and eventually have to suffer the consequences.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Homer uses these literary devices to enhance the reader's image of the story. Homer is very good at putting an image in the reader's head of what is happening. As for epic machinery, I think that Homer uses this because it emphasizes things that were thought of more back in his time. These literary devices definitely make the story more interesting and keeps the story very clear in the reader's mind.
ReplyDeleteAntinous going against the host-guest rules just shows how brutal and unkind the suitors are. It just gives the reader more of an idea that they are clearly the bad characters in this story.
I think that literary devices make the story more interesting and detailed. Whenever Homer uses his epic similes or metaphors, they often give the character he’s describing more depth so it seems as if we’ve known about that trait all along. Also, when he uses people’s father’s names to address them, I believe that this gives the character more background and honor. This is what Odysseus use whenever he wants to show that he is proud or when he is boasting. He states his name and says son of Laeretes afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAntinous doesn’t have any respect over the guest host relationship anymore because I believe he thinks he owns the place.