Homeric Similes

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Homer’s writing style is his florid, colorful similes. He is famous for his vivid imagery, which does not take the form of such direct descriptions as “the sounds of the battle were violent and thunderous,” but instead take more eloquent and expressive pictures, such as this striking description:

“As when rivers in winter spate running down from the mountains
Throw together at the meeting of streams the weight of their water
Out of the great springs behind in the hollow stream-bed,
And far away in the mountains the shepherd hears their thunder,
Such, from the coming together of men, was the shock and the shouting.”
(4. 452 – 456)

This example shows perfectly how Homer can weave words together to make something powerful and poignant, how by likening a thing to something different, he helps us to envision that thing completely. What a potent picture that simile invokes, how clearly you can hear the thunder and roar, the deadly sound of fiercest battle.

Another example is this portrait, describing the Greeks’ as they advance to furious combat with the Trojans:

“As on the peaks of a mountain the south wind scatters the thick mist,
No friend to the shepherd, but better than night for the robber,
And a man can see before him only so far as a stone cast,
So beneath their feet the dust drove up in a stormcloud
Of men marching, who made their way through the plain in great speed.”
(3. 10-14)

What a vision this conjures up before your eyes; can you not see the whirling dust, enveloping the “storm cloud of men marching,” a they proceed toward battle, the ground thundering and rumbling beneath their marching, pounding footsteps? And here we see Homer’s vivid and highly developed simile. Like all of his similes, to describe something, here the cloud of dust raised by the feet of the marching soldiers, he describes instead what he is comparing it with, such as the thick mist on the peaks of a mountain. Homer, we see, when describing a thing, develops the thing to which it is likened, rather than the thing itself.

Homer not only likens the cloud of dust raised by the marching men to the thick mist on mountain peaks, but he describes that mist as “no friend of the shepherd, but better than night for the robber,” giving a visual of dimness and shadows. He adds that “a man can see before him only so far as a stone is cast,” illustrating how thick this mist truly is.

“As when along the thundering beach the surf of the sea strikes
Beat upon beat as the west wind drives it onward; far out
Cresting first on the open water, it drives thereafter
To smash roaring along the dry land, and against the rock jut
Bending breaks itself into crests spewing back the salt wash;
So thronged beat upon beat the Danaans’ close battalions.”
(4. 422-432)

We can easily see the construction of Homer’s similes here: “A is like B; B has such and such a history, progresses in such and such a manner; and (we repeat) it is like A” (Richard Lattimore). This description of the sound of the Danaans’ “close battalions,” is yet another perfect example of Homer’s powerfully characteristic simile. He likens the beat of the Danaan’s battalions to the “surf of the sea,” as it strikes “beat upon beat as the west wind drives it onward,” depicting for us the thundering sound the Danaans’ close battalions make, how explosive and deafening it would ring in our ears were we but there to hear it.

“Now when the men of both sides were set in order by their leaders,
The Trojans came on with clamour and shouting, like wildfowl,
As when the clamour of cranes goes high to the heavens,
When cranes escape the winter time and rains unceasing
And clamourously wing their way to the streaming Ocean,
Bringing to the Pygmaian men bloodshed and destruction;
At daybreak they bring on the baleful battle against them.”
(Book 3, lines 1-7)

This simile describes the clamour and shouting of the Trojans as they thunder towards the Achaians to do battle. Homer likens their din to that of wildfowl, “as when the clamour of cranes goes high to the heavens, describing the cranes as they “escape the winter time and rains unceasing and clamourously wing their way to the streaming Ocean.” Here Homer beautifully portrays the pandemonium of battle to the racket of flying birds winging their way from winter and rain, adding for flavor that the cranes are “bringing to the Pygmaian men bloodshed and destruction,” just as the Trojans are bringing the Greeks.

Homer’s similes are perhaps one of the most effective writing techniques in the history of literature. The sense of description he lays before us with this real and striking imagery brings the Iliad alive before our eyes, powerful and piquant as ever, able to move though time and space and still remain vivid and electric. Never has anyone been able to master with the same eloquence and imagination the art of vibrant similes as Homer did.

The Iliad and other Homeric Poems

For school I've been reading the Iliad this quarter. What a magnificent epic tale! Never did I imagine it to be so vivid and alive. I'd always heard how hard it was to get through, but never once have I wished to put it down myself.

Unluckily for me (and for you, as well!), I was asked to write a "10-15 line poem using at least two Homeric-type similes." Oh dear. I can tell you now, I've tried my hand at poetry before and never has it turned out well.

Here is what I have so far. I'm afraid I'm probably going to have to scrap this though, because it would definitely end up becoming at the very least a 30-50 line poem if I pursue it. Which may seem strange to you, as I just said I've never been good at writing poetry, but you see, the tale of Cyrus is long and filled with interesting details, and I'd want to fit it all in.

Sing, goddess, the valor of Cyrus the Greater,

Who in times long passed ruled magnificent among the Persians.

Even before his birth magnificent Cyrus’ doom was imminent,

As Asyages the lance-hurler, his grandfather

And last of the rulers of the mighty Median Empire,

Who by a dream learned of his own downfall,

Was plotting his pending doom.

For in the darkness of the night, as a thief

Steals into a chamber with evil in his mind,

A dream of prophecy slipped into the bedchamber of Asyages,

To stand by his bedside and whisper of his end.

As you can see, I have not mastered the dactylic hexameter yet. All those "feet" "ancepts" "spondees" and "- U | - U | - U | - U | - u u | - -" things make my head spin!

LATER

The finished project:

Stars sparkle up above, shimmering like diamonds

In the glistering pond down below.

The flowers gently close their petals. Wet with dew,

They glitter in the dusk like jewels.

Like the gentle murmur of a sleeping child

As he rests serene against his mother's bosom,

The warm wind whispers softly by,

Sways the branches of the ancient trees above.

Fluttering by on the wings of darkness,

She murmurs her secrets to the bending grasses.

High above, the moon, mild and wise as the magi,

Looks tenderly down on his children below,

Shining his lantern upon their lonesome paths.

Silence profound swathes the night in its myriad folds,

Like a cloak shrouds the lone figure of a sleepy traveler,

As he makes his way wearily home.

Definitely not very well written, neither is it written in dactylic hexameter. But I found out this afternoon that I did not, in fact, need to write in dactylic hexameter (apparently, this comes later! =/), but instead must simply use Homeric-type similes. I'm afraid my wimpy similes ("Silence profound swathes the night in its myriad folds, as a cloak shrouds the lone figure of a sleepy traveler, as he makes his way wearily home.") fall far short of Homer's magnificent, vivid descriptions (" ...the Trojans came with cries and the din of war like wildfowl when the long hoarse cries of cranes sweep on against the sky and the great formations flee from the winters grim ungodly storm...").

I thought perhaps of writing of a mighty storm:

The wind beats heavily against the mighty mountain,
As the thunderous beat of the booming drums of war.
And the mighty roar of the sea sounds as the lion’s angry yell
He the king of the lush green forests of Africa,
As it crashes upon the shore in almighty waves.
Up above, the clouds heavy with rain
Cast their shadow upon the dew glistened grasses
And the sand covered coast.

But in the end a more peaceful scene won over. What do you think? I believe it would have been less difficult to think of vivid similes if I were to write of a storm, but somehow "shimmering dewdrops" and "shrouds of silence" better suited my feelings.

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Inspiration of Sacred Scripture

..

Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

~2 Peter 1:20-21

There are two different sources from which the Church draws the truths revealed by God. “This supernatural revelation, according to the belief of the Church, is contained both in unwritten tradition, and in written books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because, ‘being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author and as such have been delivered to the Church.’”* The first, then, is Sacred Tradition: “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours (2 Thess 2:15).” The second is Holy Scripture.

Holy Scripture, it is said, was written under the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How can this be? Does “inspiration” mean that God simply dictated, stating word for word what He intended to gradually communicate to man, while a scribe diligently scribbled down all that He uttered? The idea, while intriguing, is preposterous. What do we mean, then, when we say that Sacred Scripture is an inspired book?

First, it is important to note that the books of Holy Scripture are, indeed, not the products of human intelligence, nor were they composed by mere human industry, for “God is the author of Sacred Scripture (CCC 105).” Nonetheless, it was “as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever God wanted written, and no more (CCC 106)”. The books of Holy Scripture were “transmitted by the sacred writers to the human race” from God, and “are His own oracles and words.” The Holy Spirit worked through the sacred writers; he “so influenced their minds” that they did both understand what God wanted written, and only what God wanted written, and then faithfully determined to write down these things. It was only through the Holy Spirit that the sacred writers were able to aptly and inerrantly express them.

Thus, through “this mysterious working of God and man together”, God reveals himself to mankind through the sacred writers. He “spoke first by the Prophets, then by His own mouth, and lastly by the apostles.” Thus, the books of Holy Scripture are truly the Word of God, and are therefore perfect: “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him (Proverbs 30:5).”

What Effect Does Pain Have on People?

“If you suffer, thank God! -- it is a sure sign that you are alive.”

~Elbert Hubbard.

If you are alive, you will suffer; it is one of the sad facts of life. Pain, physical or mental, can have many effects on a person’s life; it can limit your daily activities, it can confine you to your home or even your bed, it can cause you to be irritable or impatient with those around you.

Mental suffering is perhaps the worse of the two; while physical pain can be debilitating, mental turmoil is perhaps even more so. Mental pain, caused by continual snubs, loneliness, abuse, or mental illness, can make people seclude themselves from other people, even purposeful harm themselves. The vast majority of suicides are caused not by physical pain, but by mental. And just as physical pain can necessitate a person to remain in their bed, mental suffering can seclude a person who is not unable to leave their house just as entirely.

Physical pain is, usually, only temporary. While you suffer it, it seems unbearable; and yet somehow you always manage to bear it. And perhaps the bearing is easier than the expectation. When you go to the doctor’s to get a shot, you spend the entire time of sitting in the waiting room dreading the inevitable moment when the needle pierces your skin. But when it does, the pain lasts perhaps a few seconds. The puncture wound may be sore for a while afterwards, yet in eventuality, you are the better for the shot. It’s like that with all pain, is it not?

All pain is, in eventuality, good for us. It tests our character; teaches us patience, humility, fortitude. Just as metal must be tested in a fire, so we must be tested by pain to see how strong we truly are.

“Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4).

We are told “He who suffers much will know much”. Can suffering and pain help form us into wise and knowledgeable people? Says William Somerset Maugham, a novelist and playwright from the early 1900's,“It is not true that suffering ennobles the character; happiness does that sometimes, but suffering, for the most part, makes men petty and vindictive”. Certainly, pain can have such an effect on you. But only in so much as you allow it to. In Romans 8:16-17 we are also told that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” So if we wish to be glorified with Christ, must also we suffer?

How can the gold be found if we do not first rub away the grime that hides it, disguising it as any other encrusted stone or pebble? Through pain the filth that conceals our true strengths and holiness is rubbed away, revealing our true worth as the heirs of God.

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

—2 Corinthians 4:8-11”

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—2 Corinthians 12:10”

Introduction

I know I needn't introduce myself, and so I shan't, but I think I will explain why I am stealing yet another corner of cyberspace.

I like writing. I'm not especially good at it, but I think that "practice makes perfect." Which explains why I'm starting this blog! I shall try my hardest to keep it up, and perhaps post more than once a month or so . . . . . ;)


Enjoy! Any constructive criticism is warmly appreciated. :)

Yours,
Anna