Essay on Names in The Odyssey and The Bible -- comparison compare cont

Importance of Names in The Odyssey and The Bible ii of the most widely studied ancient works are stem runs Odyssey and the book of Genesis from the Bible. Each of these texts provides a unique standstill of an early civilization. In both of the texts, one and only(a) can learn non only stories about great heroes, but also about the government agency that these peoples lived and what they believed. Many interesting parallels can be drawn between the devil developing societies shown in the Odyssey and the book of Genesis. One parallel is the importance located on names by each culture. Although viewed as important in different ways, the value placed on a name shows a striking similarity between the evolving cultures of both the Greeks and the Hebrews. In the Odyssey, Homers characters frequently allude to the importance of names. For these ancient Greeks, a name symbolizes ones identity, ancestry, and honor. It is the one thing a man always owns, redden if he possesses zi pper else. This is clearly shown through the hero, Odysseus. While traveling home from the Trojan War, Odysseus, in effect, loses his title, land, and power for twenty years. He remains with nothing but his name to utter for his character and person. As he himself says at the beginning of Book IX when beginning to tell his story to the Phaiacians, first-class honours degree of all I will tell you my name, and then you may suppose me one of your friends if I live to reach my home, although that is far away. I am Odysseus Laertiades, a name well known in the world as one who is ready for any event. Although away from his home and all things that could speak well of him, Odysseus is still in possession of his name, which clearly shows his good character. This words of Odysseus also show... ... to be carefully guarded, for if everything else is lost, it remains forever. Thus, there is nothing more(prenominal) precious to a man than to have a name that carries inborn honor and mea ning throughout his whole life. A man is specify by who he is, and that is shown best through his name. As clearly shown in the texts, to have a good name and to be remembered by it ought to be the main goal for any and every man. Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold , Homers Odyssey Edited and with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea put up 1988Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homers Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York Vintage Books, 1989. Tracy, Stephen V. ,The narration of the Odyssey Princeton UP 1990 The Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids Zondervan, 1989.