Homer the Poet

About Homer● Homer has been predicted to of been born between 1200

BC- 750 BC.● His birth location also can’t be pinpointed but scholars

believe he was born in Ionia, Smyrna, on the coast of the Asia Minor, or on the island of Chios.

● People don’t know much about Homer but he is said to of been blind, he is said to of been a group of authors that shared the same publishing name, and the last theory is that Homer was a woman.

● Even though we don’t know much about Homer, western culture has been greatly impacted by his works The Iliad and The Odyssey.

How do we see the effects of Homer's works in western culture?

In western culture we see the effects of Homer’s works in art and sciences. His works have been used by many scholars. His works also have helped build the creative minds authors have when they write novels. Homer was very much admired and many of the Greeks aspired to be like him.

Why are there so many theories revolving around Homer? There are so many theories revolving around Homer because there is just a lack of information from that time period. The information we do have has been based of the text within the Iliad and the Odyssey. Also, lack of information on Homer is due to the fact that nothing was recorded, everything was based on speaking, so the only information we have on him is from his stories.

Homer’s Impact

Homer was such a respected and admired poet to the Greece people because he wrote of people they wanted to be. Homer’s stories included strong, witty, and brave characters, and the people of Greece idolized them. In addition, Homer’s work was included in many Greek schools, since he was sort of the kickstarter for poetry. In a way, Homer set the standard of education. So not only did Homer entertain the Greeks, he also taught them. Furthermore, Homer’s work was so respected that it was constantly quoted by the people, specifically in cases where an orator wanted to make a point, they would quote characters from the Iliad.

Homer’s Impact pt 2

As well as education, Homer’s writing affected the way the Greeks saw the world. For instance, Homer’s detail on setting and objects made the Greeks pay attention to detail, Homer is one of the reasons the Greek architecture was so well constructed. Homer also changed the way the Greeks saw each other and animals, they realized real human nature, good and bad.

The Odyssey

Homer is believed to have wrote the odyssey between seven and eight BC. The Odyssey is a tale of a Greek hero Odysseus and his journey back to Troy. Although he had a large impact with the story, it did not gain as much popularity as the Iliad did. The people liked reading about a man dying in battle,instead of a sailor outwitting monsters.

The Odyssey (Pictures)

IliadOr as some of the Greeks refer to, the “Bible of the Greeks,” tells of the prince of Troy, Paris, who decided to kidnap the Greek princess, Helen, because the goddess Aphrodite promised him a beautiful wife. Helen’s actual husband, Menelaus, freaked out, like any husband should, and recruited a bunch of other Greek kings and their ships to sail to Troy and get revenge on Paris. This accidently leads to a decade long war, filled with betrayal, vengeance, anger, and of course, death. The war finally ends with the Greeks building a giant wooden horse, idea brought up by Odysseus, hiding inside it, and launching a surprise attack on the Trojans within Trojan walls.

iliad (pictures)

Why was Homer’s writing style so influential?

Homer’s style of writing was unlike no other of his time. He wrote of everything, from happy times, to distressed times, to even gruesome times. Homer’s amount of detail also took hold of the reader, or listener,and took them on the journey. The characters in Homer’s writings were also influential because they were relatable to the Greeks, Homer wrote the the truth, or at least his own truth.

Homer’s Writing pt 2

Homer’s writing also has a mysterious style to it because many people speculate whether or not Homer was one person. The writings in The Iliad and The Odyssey were very different. The Iliad was much more classic, dramatic, and theatric, while The Odyssey was much more modern, full of descriptive, image making words. Either way, Homer’s writing had a lasting impact since it was so fascinating.

Theory One About Homer

One of the three theories on Homer is that he wasn’t really Homer, more Homers. In other words, Homer is believed to be more than just one person. It is speculated that “Homer” was just a phrase, or single signature that a group of writers may have chosen as to represent themselves as a whole. Working in groups of writers wasn’t uncommon during Homer’s time period, so if Homer was actually multiple people it would be understandable.

Theory Two About Homer

Another theory on Homer is that he was blind. In the Odyssey, Homer wrote about Odysseus coming across a blind harpist singing about the Trojan War, the melodic voice being so wonderful that Odysseus cries. People believe that this is Homer alluding to himself. In result, it is theorized that Homer was a mere blind beggar who sang for food, and also did poetry on the side.

Theory Three About Homer

The final theory on Homer was that he may have been a woman. Due to the incorrect information on ships that Homer provided, it makes people think that Homer was female. Homer didn’t have a good understanding on ships, like the women of Greece since they were more focussed on housework and raising kids. However, Homer continuously objectifies women, making them either prizes or evil monsters, which would be strange for a fellow woman to write about.

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"Homer Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/homer-9342775#where-he-was-born>.

"Homer the Poet." Mythology Teacher.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://www.mythologyteacher.com/GreekHomer.html>.

"Poet Homer." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/homer>.

Thomas, Molly. "When Was Homer's Odyssey Written? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, 21 Mar. 2007. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/when-was-odyssey-written-1699>.

By Simon Worrall, for National Geographic PUBLISHED Sat Jan 03 20:08:00 EST 2015."Author Says a Whole Culture-Not a Single 'Homer'-Wrote 'Iliad,' 'Odyssey'" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 3 Jan. 2015. Web.30 Aug. 2015.<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150104-homer-iliad-odyssey-greece-book-talk-travel-world/>.