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)
Iliad
Or 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.
Cited Sources
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<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/homeworkhelp/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-travelworld/>.