Homeric Similes: Epic Comparisons and Analysis
EPIC SIMILES &
EPITHETS
PERRY HIGH SCHOOL
LINDSEY TILLMAN
SIMILE
•
Comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’
EPIC SIMILE
•
Great length
•
Detail
•
Several lines
•
An elaborate, involved version of a regular
simile
•
Used for Emphasis
EPIC SIMILE STRUCTURE
•
“[As]
A man in a distant field, no hearthfires near,
will hide a fresh brand* in his bed of embers to
keep a spark alive for the next day
;
so
in the
leaves Odysseus hid himself while over him
Athena showered sleep that his distress should
end, and soon, soon
Often (not always
starts with “as”
Comparison with
VIVID detail
Connects the two
parts
Action of the plot
EPIC SIMILE STRUCTURE
•
A sponge absorbing water expands to
inconceivable volume, the pores taking on liquid
that makes a small, brittle wedge into a dripping,
stuffed cube, just so the students’ eyes widened
when they gazed upon their first homework
assignment, the paper ever to be inked.
WHAT IS THE SIMILE COMPARING IN
THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE?
Think of a catch that fishermen haul in to a
halfmoon bay in a fine meshed net from the
white caps of the sea :how all are poured
out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea,
twitching their cold lives away in Helios' fiery
air: so lay the suitors heaped on one
another."
EPIC SIMILE ANALYSIS
. . .like a musician, like a harp player, when
with a quiet hand upon his instrument
he draws between his thumb and forefinger
a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly
Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.
then slid his right hand down the cord and
plucked it.
So the taut gut vibrating hummed and sung
a swallow’s note (478).
Answer the
following:
1. What two
things are being
compared?
2. What does this
simile emphasize?
3. What’s the
purpose of the
comparison?
Why would
Homer write it
like this?
CREATE ONE HOMERIC SIMILE
Make sure they compare an ordinary,
every-day thing with something readers
may not have encountered.
•
a space launch
•
the surface of the moon
•
a professional dancer or athlete
•
something viewed under a microscope
EPITHETS
•
Brief descriptive phrases
•
characterizes a particular person or
thing
WHAT EPITHETS ARE IN THE
FOLLOWING PASSAGE?
“Son of Laertes and the gods of old,
Odysseus, master mariner and
soldier, you shall not stay here longer
against your will” (Homer 10.21-22).
EPITHET PRACTICE
Create an Epithet for yourself.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Epitaph
Epic
Simile
Delve into the world of epic similes and epithets with a focus on Homer's works. Discover the beauty of these literary devices through vivid comparisons like a sponge absorbing water and a musician strumming a harp. Unravel the hidden meanings behind passages comparing suitors to caught fish and Odysseus stringing his bow effortlessly. Engage in creating your very own Homeric simile that bridges the ordinary with the extraordinary.
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Presentation Transcript
EPIC SIMILES & EPITHETS P E R R Y H I G H S C H O O L L I N D S E Y T I L L M A N
SIMILE Comparison using like or as
EPIC SIMILE Great length Detail Several lines An elaborate, involved version of a regular simile Used for Emphasis
EPIC SIMILE STRUCTURE Often (not always starts with as Comparison with VIVID detail [As] A man in a distant field, no hearthfires near, will hide a fresh brand* in his bed of embers to keep a spark alive for the next day; so in the leaves Odysseus hid himself while over him Athena showered sleep that his distress should end, and soon, soon Connects the two parts Action of the plot
EPIC SIMILE STRUCTURE A sponge absorbing water expands to inconceivable volume, the pores taking on liquid that makes a small, brittle wedge into a dripping, stuffed cube, just so the students eyes widened when they gazed upon their first homework assignment, the paper ever to be inked.
WHAT IS THE SIMILE COMPARING IN THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE? Think of a catch that fishermen haul in to a halfmoon bay in a fine meshed net from the white caps of the sea :how all are poured out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea, twitching their cold lives away in Helios' fiery air: so lay the suitors heaped on one another."
EPIC SIMILE ANALYSIS Answer the following: 1. What two things are being compared? 2. What does this simile emphasize? 3. What s the purpose of the comparison? Why would Homer write it like this? . . .like a musician, like a harp player, when with a quiet hand upon his instrument he draws between his thumb and forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow. then slid his right hand down the cord and plucked it. So the taut gut vibrating hummed and sung a swallow s note (478).
CREATE ONE HOMERIC SIMILE Make sure they compare an ordinary, every-day thing with something readers may not have encountered. a space launch the surface of the moon a professional dancer or athlete something viewed under a microscope
EPITHETS Brief descriptive phrases characterizes a particular person or thing
WHAT EPITHETS ARE IN THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE? Son of Laertes and the gods of old, Odysseus, master mariner and soldier, you shall not stay here longer against your will (Homer 10.21-22).
EPITHET PRACTICE Create an Epithet for yourself.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST Epic Simile Epitaph
