Importance of Names in The Odyssey and The Bible    Two of the most widely studied ancient works are Homer’s Odyssey and the book of Genesis from the Bible. Each of these texts provides a unique viewpoint of an early civilization. In both of the texts, one can learn not only stories about great heroes, but also about the way that these peoples lived and what they believed. Many interesting parallels can be drawn between the two developing societies shown in the Odyssey and the book of Genesis. One parallel is the importance placed on names by each culture. Although viewed as important in different ways, the value placed on a name shows a striking similarity between the evolving cultures of both the Greeks and the Hebrews.     In the Odyssey, Homer’s characters frequently allude to the importance of names. For these ancient Greeks, a name symbolizes one’s identity, ancestry, and honor. It is the one thing a man always owns, even if he possesses nothing else. This is clearly shown through the hero, Odysseus. While traveling home from the Trojan War, Odysseus, in effect, loses his title, land, and power for twenty years. He remains with nothing but his name to speak for his character and person. As he himself says at the beginning of Book IX when beginning to tell his story to the Phaiacians, “First of all I will tell you my name, and then you may count me one of your friends if I live to reach my home, although that is far away. I am Odysseus Laertiades, a name well known in the world as one who is ready for any event.â€Â Although away from his home and all things that could speak well of him, Odysseus is still in possession of his name, which clearly shows his good character. This speech of Odysseus also show... ... to be carefully guarded, for if everything else is lost, it remains forever. Thus, there is nothing more precious to a man than to have a name that carries intrinsic honor and meaning throughout his whole life. A man is defined by who he is, and that is shown best through his name. As clearly shown in the texts, to have a good name and to be remembered by it ought to be the main goal for any and every man.  Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold , Homer's Odyssey: Edited and with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea House 1988 Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Tracy, Stephen V. ,The Story of the Odyssey Princeton UP 1990 The Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.
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Dangerous Driving and the Consequences - Dissertation Example
The growing epidemic of dangerous driving tendencies, by a high percentage of motorists, has posed a number of legal concerns for the government of the UK. Evidence gathered shows that the legal punishments invoked on wreck less and negligent drivers is way to lenient, with sentencing sometimes being as short as a two year sentencing with a fine and possible barring from driving for a specific period of time. This is not solving the problem on the nation’s highways, rural, and city roads. Along with the other techniques mentioned, this author will also incorporate multiple cases associative with dangerous driving, as well as cases were the motorist had the sole intention of causing bodily harm to another person, in order to orchestrate the fact that there lies serious misjudgements by the law, in these such cases. The emphases will be on how cases such as manslaughter, assault, armed robbery, and other violent crimes have harsh penal punishments but a motorist, whose intentions are wreck less and similar to the same objective as a person committing a violent crime without a motor vehicle, are sentenced lightly with no lasting consequence and no proper way of deterring the behaviour of the driver. Dangerous Driving is a crime the same as any other and should be looked upon, by the courts as such. Empirical evidence will prove an existence to the motorist problems in the UK and what is being explored to reform the current legal statures surrounding the country. |