Most Influential Works Of The Iliad And The Odyssey

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The Iliad and the Odyssey are the most influential works I’ve read. I believe they’re the most influential works because of their impact on today’s society and the ancient society. The narratives have spread all over the world, inspiring artists, poets and writers everywhere. They’re still constantly imitated and translated despite the pattern of rapid change society normally goes through. These two epic poems are the most well-known works composed by Homer and are still referenced to by many and taught in schools. They were the basis for Western storytelling and are still considered to be fundamental texts in world literature courses. Their influence on Western civilization is apparent as the Trojan War has inspired many movies, television…show more content…
The Aeneid has the same themes of war and wandering as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Virgil studied Homer’s poetic style to develop his own while still using some of his literary patterns. He worked to be a poet considered as great as Homer. Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet from the Middle Ages, wrote the Divine Comedy with the same theme in mind as the Odyssey, going on a journey. Divine Comedy is considered to be one of the finest works in Italian literature. James Joyce’s Ulysses, one of the important writings in modern literature, was another work written through the influence of the Odyssey. Many more people have been influenced by Homer’s epics and we consider those works to be important in their own…show more content…
Studying ancient Greek and Roman writings yields many benefits. Besides being able to learn from past actions, we can learn about how we are still influenced by ancient literature today. The history and beliefs of the Greeks and Romans are essentially recorded through the stories told and works from ancient philosophers and politicians. We know how the ancient people comprehended the world through writings left behind. Lessons are taught through the myths and works of ancient Greek and Roman writers. The rest of the world has been influenced at one point by ancient thinkers and the effects are still significant till today. Learning about Greek and Roman literature also means indirectly learning about other subjects, like art, history and science, which can be used to understand today’s society. Plato, Aristotle and Socrates ideas are the basics of Western philosophy. Hippocrates wrote medical articles still used today. The Athenians created the first democracy, the very system of the country we live in today. We are constantly using ideas from long ago in our daily

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