writing

The Aeneid was written by Virgil, The Iliad and The Odyssey were both written by Homer, and they are what comes to mind when one thinks of epic poems and great writers. The three epic poems are more alike than they are different, they each detail great heroes, mighty Gods, and the Trojan War; where these poems differ is in the writing styles of Homer and Virgil. The Iliad begins, “Rage: Sing Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks Incalculable pain, pitches countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark.” (Homer 189) The Odyssey begins, “Speak, Memory— Of the cunning hero, the wanderer, blown off course time and again after he plundered Troy’s sacred heights.” (Homer 291) Homer’s two poems start off alike, there is a command—Rage and Speak—the beginning is dark, and they foreshadow the main heroes of the tales; they also start from the point of a narrator. The Aeneid begins, “Wars and a man I sing—an exile driven on by Fate, he was the first to flee the coast of Troy.” (Virgil 981) Virgil’s epic poem gives one the impression that it fades into existence, it starts off softly before building up a vigorous tempo where Homer’s epic poems suddenly appear like a crack of lightning in a pitch-black sky. Virgil also starts his poem with insight into the hero from the narrator’s point of view, so one could conclude that he was influenced by the writings of Homer. The Aeneid is probably one of my favorite writings, Virgil had a unique writing style that almost seems as if he were singing his words on paper it also—for me—makes his work more challenging to read. “…to stop the rivers in midstream, reverse the stars in their courses, raise the souls of the dead at night.” (Virgil 1038) Homer’s writing style was bold, and to the point, each word had a purpos; they were like a boxing match with words each word a blow on the paper and a word with purpose yet there is beauty in the literary blows. “In the moonlight glow when the winds falls, And all the cliffs and hills and peaks, Stand out and the air shears down.” King 2 (Homer 215) Homer’s work also has a fast action to it; you get to the meat of the story quickly where Virgil is more like a five-course meal that you linger over with friends. With the two writers, you can tell that each was influenced by the world around them, the religious and political beliefs as well as their culture. The writings of Virgil and Homer also differ because of how the stories were presented; Homer wrote in the oral tradition, so his stories were meant to be told to an audience so that the nuances and writer’s inflections came across vocally which is why they had such quick action. Virgil wrote in a style that was meant to be read, lingered over and enjoyed so he could use more flowing speech and give greater detail since his work did not rely on vocal tones to make a point.

Works Cited

Puchner, Martin et al. "The Norton anthology western literature." Homer. The Iliad. Ninth edition. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2014. 189-290. Print Puchner, Martin et al. "The Norton anthology western literature.

Homer. The Odyssey. Ninth edition. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2014. 291-581. Print. Puchner, Martin et al.

"The Norton anthology western literature." Virgil. The Aeneid. Ninth edition. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2014. 981-1089. Pri