Sunday, August 24, 2014
Human Nature
I think it's interesting that the gods are portrayed as behaving more like humans than gods. This is especially prominent in the way the gods interact with one another. It seems as if they would be able to work together cohesively to rule mankind, but they appear to be working against one another. Poseidon tries to kill Odysseus several times when he is sailing, but Athena works to keep him alive. This is unfortunate for men like Odysseus, because their fate is determined by the conflicts of the gods. They have to accept these experiences as everyday life.
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So according to the people of the story, what IS the difference between the gods and the mortals? Is it simply that they are immortal? If I remember correctly, some of the mortals are sons of gods...maybe in a way Homer is implying that human nature is godlike nature, not to make the gods like us, but to make us like the gods--if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThat totally makes sense! That's a lot of the driving force in epic poems: the almost deification, and in a lot Greek writing the literal deification, of a mortal man. It's something that I'm constantly contrasting with Scripture. The Odyssey, and other pieces of literature akin to it, glorify humanity, going so far as to deconstuct, I suppose, deity. Whereas Scripture is all about the glory of God and how it shines all the brighter through our faults.
ReplyDeleteIn order to make meaning of the chaos of life and the calamities that devastate man, Homer seems to try to justify this by the gods warring, yet even the most influential men are part-god. So is power in blood or is it possible for a true pure-blooded mortal to make a great impact?
ReplyDeleteIt's as if the humans have an ability that the gods themselves don't have. The gods have a desire to not only be involved with humans, but they are intimately involved. It seems that the gods are seeking in some way to be like humans and they try by being as closely involved with the humans as possible.
ReplyDeleteReally true. The inconsistency only adds to the chaos, particularly in Odysseus's journey home. I never thought about the mortal perspective, how they must accept this as everyday life. It changes things as I read. Makes me have much more sympathy for the characters.
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