• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 1
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
Concepts of the heroFlorine ClearyCLAS E-116February 22, 2007Please do a two or three (Maximum) page Close Reading of any METAPHOR of your own choice. Prefix your essay with a brief sentence, so indicating the term which Youintend to focus upon. This metaphor must be drawn from Iliad.…he (Nestor) grasped his redoubtable bronze shod spear, and as soon as he wasoutside saw the disastrous rout of the Achaeans who, now that their wall wasoverthrown, were fleeing pell-mell before the Trojans. As when there is a heavyswell upon the sea, but the waves are dumb – they keep their eyes on the watchfor quarter whence the fierce winds may spring upon them, but they stay wherethey are and set neither this way nor that, till some particular winds sweepsdown from heaven to determine (krino) them – even so did the old man ponder whether to make for the crowd of Danaans, or go in search of Agamemnon.Throughout the Iliad there is the theme of outside forces directly or indirectlyshaping and influencing the characters and through them the outcome of events. Thecharacters find their telos in the acts they are moved to perform, but this telos is unknownor they are unable to act effectually towards it “till some particular winds sweeps downfrom heaven to determine (krino) them”
1
.The metaphor of Nestor and the Achaeans being in tumult and each man like awave waiting for what will establish their direction and their end hinges upon the term“krino”. Here krino is used to mean “determine” but elsewhere in the Iliad it is used as“divide
2
”, “marshaled
3
”, “read
4
” and “selected
5
” but krino can also mean to prefer, to setapart, to evaluate, to decree, to resolve, to judge and to govern. It is from krino that weget such words critic, hypocrisy, criteria and crisis. The poetic use of krino in thismetaphor is made richer by understanding the other meanings it would invoke in
1
XIV, 15 (page 158)
2
360 (page 29)
3
445 (page 31)
4
145 (page 58) The use of “read” is as applies to Eurydamas interpreting dreams, I’m taking this to be likediscerning the meaning of them and discern from the Latin cerno taken from the Greek krino.
5
185 (page 74)
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
11 / 16 / 2010<span class="translation_missing">en_US, this_document_made_it_onto_the</span>Rising List!
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...