Posted on 03/14/2018 7:26:17 AM PDT by thecodont
BURLINGTON, Vt. — The trials of Odysseus are really not that different from the struggles of those learning to readjust after wars of today, modern veterans are finding.
A small group of military veterans has been meeting weekly in a classroom at the University of Vermont to discuss "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" for college credit — and to give meaning to their own experiences, equating the close-order discipline of men who fought with spears, swords and shields to that of men and women who do battle these days with laser-guided munitions.
Homer isn't just for student veterans. Discussion groups are also being offered at veterans centers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Maine Humanities Council has sponsored sessions for veterans incarcerated at Maine's Kennebec County jail, as well as for other veterans.
For many in the UVM class, Homer's 2,800-year-old verses seem all too familiar: the siege of Troy, the difficult quest of Odysseus to return home after 10 years at war, his anguish at watching friends die, and his problems readjusting to civilian life.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Well that didn’t take long.
I’ve been reading these works all my life, because I enjoy them. I am now working on Virgil’s AENEID again.
“A little Latin and less Greek,” as was said of Shakespeare’s education.
The Odyssey and the Iliad were phenomenal, but I really liked Monkey by Wu Ch’êng-ên, a novel written in the mid-1500s. It was a fascinating story of an epic journey from China to India by Prince Tripitaka, with the hero encountering seductresses, dragons, bandits, changelings, spirits, gods, demigods, demons, ogres, monsters, evil wizards, and various fairies. I actually enjoyed it more than the works of Homer.
Cherished memories of homeschool — the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Supposedly by the same poet, they are entirely different. Iliad: men at war, victory, glory, defeat, honor.
Then in the Odyssey, a man done with war, his heart’s desire to return to his wife and home.
There is a song by Rod Stewart, “Rhythm of My Heart,” that conveys the longing of Odysseus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVeZsG-9wVE
And since my teacher was wise, the studies included a little “sequel.” Tennyson’s Ulysses. It seems no man is ever quite content, even with his heart’s desire. His tribe “know not me.” His fellow mariners know. The call to heroism endures in his twilight years.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses
Man is a paradox.
Waley's translation, right? If you liked that, try Anthony Yu's translation, titled Journey to the West!
I read both, but I like the shorter on more.
As I read the Iliad, I notice a comparison in honor and glory comparable with the American Indian on the High plains. It is as if they both had the same ideals.
I fully agree with you — the classics are not dry and boring. They hold true for today as they held true for 800 BC. I would also suggest the Gathas, Puranas and also Livy and Lucius.
Thanks thecodont. Adding to the catalog, not pinging.
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