The Underworld as the Key to Living the Greek Life Essay -- Odyssey

The Underworld as the Key to Living the Greek Life Beyond relaying a fantastic journey, featuring a glorified hero who embodies to perfection Greek ideals, Homer uses the epic books of The Odyssey to explore all the nuances of Greek culture. Each part of The Odyssey possesses a purpose beyond detailing popular mythology. Book Eleven’s Underworld becomes the culmination of all the values and ideals that Homer touches on in prior books. Homer uses the underworld as a catchall to reinforce societal protocol and religion among other things. Specifically, by focusing on the reason for Odysseus’ journey, the journey itself, the scenery of the Underworld and its occupants, Homer reveals and reinforces views on kleos, the role men and women play in society, the proper hero, religion – especially in conjunction with fate and the idea of death and rebirth. Homer’s carefully crafted views can be experienced relative to Odysseus’ journey, starting on Circe’s island. Homer sets a sumptuous scene, but Odysseus’ men are called by duty and the need to return to their homes. It is the men that spur on Odysseus. Like a responsible leader and hero, Odysseus responds immediately to his men’s pleas and, with the help of Hermes foresight, he makes plans to leave Circe’s island. This shows not only Odysseus’ responsible behavior, but also the gods’ anticipation of Odysseus’ actions. Bit by bit, in scenarios like this, the gods reveal their knowledge of fate, which their actions support. Odysseus requests that Circe â€Å"make good a promise† to which she favorably answers, adding that she will help him (10:532). Beyond the fact that a promise holds Circe to freeing Odysseus, her heritage as a goddess allows her to know that eventually he must... ...ot use The Odyssey as an editorial; rather, his oral epic artfully entwines the desolate landscape of the Underworld, the flitting shades, and Odysseus’ interactions with deeper visions of a well-structured society. As a bard, Homer keenly felt the importance of the host-guest relationship with his aristoi hosts. He achieves his purpose while spinning tales that would be entertaining to his audiences. What Homer leaves behind is a legacy that engages in discourse with the past and present and which future literature will emulate, comment on and celebrate. Works Cited Dimock, George. The Unity of The Odyssey. Amherst: U of Mass. Press, 1989. Foley, John Miles. Homer’s Traditional Art. PA: Penn State UP, 1999. Griffin, Jasper. Homer on Life and Death. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. Homer. The Odyssey. Ed. Robert Fagels. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.

Nature in Literature Essay

Nature plays a huge role in many pieces of literature, but especially Basho’s Narrow Road to the Deep North and Voltaire’s Candide. There is a major difference between the two forms of literature and how nature is incorporated into each. This Japanese form of literature has a much lighter tone than that of the European style of literature. You can see a calmer, more relaxed intention into the nature that is in Basho’s Narrow Road to the Deep North. On page 413 in Basho’s piece, it says â€Å"As the year gradually came to an  end and spring arrived, filling the sky with mist, I longed to cross the Shirakawa Barrier, the most revered of poetic places. † From this section, you can see that Basho gets his inspiration for his literature and poetry from the places that he travels, and this resulted in his linked-verse sequence. Even though Basho had a long, tough journey of travels; the nature takes his breath away. On page 416 of Narrow Road to the Deep North, it says â€Å"my body and spirit were tired from the pain of the long journey; my heart overwhelmed by the landscape. † This statement  shows that regardless of the struggles, he could find a poetic sense in everything he went through. In Narrow Road to the Deep North, Basho also found religion to accompany the bright nature in his literature of his travels. On page 418, Basho writes, â€Å"the green of pine is dark and dense, the branches and leaves bent by the salty breeze—as if they were deliberately twisted. A Stalker 2 soft, tranquil landscape, like a beautiful lady powdering her face. Did the god of the mountain create this long ago, in the age of the gods? Is this the work of the Creator? † The landscape was so beautiful to Basho, that he couldn’t figure out how it came about to be what it was. He questioned if the Gods had created it. From the passages, you can tell that Basho found much beauty in nature on his journey, even though it was a tough one. Voltaire had a much different take on nature compared to Basho. After reading both passages, you can tell that Voltaire’s Candide has a much darker feel to the literature. In the opening paragraph on page 454, Voltaire writes â€Å"Once upon a time in Westphalia, in the castle of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, there lived a young boy whom nature had endowed with the gentlest of dispositions. † This opening sentence makes you believe that it could have a similar feel to Basho’s story. When you reach page 460, there is a line that says â€Å"While he was presenting his argument, the air grew thick, the winds blew from the four corners of the earth, and the ship was assailed by the most terrible storm, within sight of the port of Lisbon. † his passage not only shows you that the nature of the story is a lot more dramatic, but it also shows you that Voltaire is  more focused on the weather instead of the landscape. There is a dramatic earthquake and a storm that destroys the ship that they are on. Page 461 says â€Å"Whirlwinds of flame and ash covered the streets and public squares: houses disintegrated, roofs were upended upon foundations, and foundations crumbled. † Voltaire writing this in his passage just shows the reader how awful and destructive the earthquake actually was. While you understand that they encountered a massive destructive earthquake, they do actually see some light at the end of all the horrible events. On page 467, it says â€Å"’All will be well,’ was Candide’s reply. ‘Already the sea in this new world is better than those we have in Europe. It’s calmer, and the winds are more constant. It is assuredly the new world which is the best of all possible worlds. ’† This statement Stalker 3 shows that the opening statement remains true, that Candide did see nature as gentle, rather than destructive. Overall, reading these two works of literature gives you a great sense of how different Japanese nature in literature is compared to European nature in literature. Japanese nature in literature has more of a Zen feel to it than European nature does. Japanese literature focuses more on trees and landscapes, while the European literature has a great focus on the weather. Regardless of the occurrences that happened in both stories, both ended with the character looking at the brighter side of things. Nature is a beautiful thing, and both Japanese and European literature acknowledge this as you read in Basho’s Narrow Road to the Deep North and Voltaire’s Candide.

What Are Contact Lenses Made Of

Millions of people wear contact lenses to correct their vision, enhance their appearance, and protect injured eyes. The success of contacts is related to their relatively low cost, comfort, effectiveness, and safety. While old contact lenses were made of glass, modern lenses are made of high-tech polymers. Take a look at the chemical composition of contacts and how its changed over time. Key Takeaways: Contact Lens Chemistry The first contact lenses were hard contact made of glass.Modern soft contact lenses are made of hydrogel and silicon hydrogel polymers.Hard contacts are made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or Plexiglas.Soft contacts are mass-produced, but hard contact lenses are made to fit the wearer. Composition of Soft Contact Lenses The first soft contacts were made in the 1960s of a hydrogel called polymacon or Softlens. This is a polymer made of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) cross-linked to ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The early  soft lenses were about 38% water, but modern hydrogel lenses may be up to 70% water. Since water is used to allow oxygen permeation, these lenses increase gas exchange by getting larger. Hydrogel lenses are highly flexible and easily wetted. Silicone hydrogels came on the market in 1998. These polymer gels allow  for higher oxygen permeability than can be obtained from water, so the water content of the contact isnt particularly important. This means smaller, less-bulky lenses can be made. The development of these lenses led to the first good extended wear lenses, which could be worn overnight safely. However, there are two disadvantages of silicone hydrogels. Silicone gels are stiffer than the Softlens contacts and are hydrophobic, a characteristic that makes it difficult to wet them and reduces their comfort. Three processes are used to make silicone hydrogel contacts more comfortable. A plasma coating can be applied to make the surface more hydrophilic or water-loving. A second technique incorporates rewetting agents in the polymer. Another method lengthens the polymer chains so they are not as tightly cross-linked and can absorb water better or else uses special side chains (e.g., fluorine-doped side chains, which also increase gas permeability). At present, both hydrogel and silicone hydrogel soft contacts are available. As the composition of lenses has been refined, so has the nature of contact lens solutions. Multipurpose solutions help wet lenses, disinfect them, and prevent protein deposit build-up. Hard Contact Lenses Hard contacts have been around for about 120 years.  Originally, hard contacts were made of glass. They were thick and uncomfortable and never gained widespread appeal. The first popular hard lenses were made of the polymer polymethyl methacrylate, which is also known as PMMA, Plexiglas, or Perspex. PMMA is hydrophobic, which helps these lenses repel proteins. These rigid lenses dont use water or silicone to allow for breathability. Instead, fluorine is added to the polymer, which forms microscopic pores in the material to make a rigid gas permeable lens. Another option is to add methyl methacrylate (MMA) with TRIS to increase the permeability to the lens. Although rigid lenses tend to be less comfortable than soft lenses, they can correct a wider range of vision problems and they are not as chemically reactive, so they can be worn in some environments where a soft lens would present a health risk. Hybrid Contact Lenses Hybrid contact lenses combine the specialized vision correction of a rigid lens with the comfort of a soft lens. A hybrid lens has a hard center surrounded by a ring of soft lens material. These newer lenses can be used to correct astigmatism and corneal irregularities, offering an option besides hard lenses. How Contact Lenses Are Made Hard contacts tend to be made to fit an individual, while soft lenses are mass-produced. There are three methods used to make contacts: Spin Casting - Liquid silicone is spun on a revolving mold, where it polymerizes.Molding - Liquid polymer is injected onto a rotating mold. Centripetal force shapes the lens as the plastic polymerizes. Molded contacts are moist from start to finish. Most soft contacts are made using this method.Diamond Turning (Lathe Cutting) - An industrial diamond cuts a disk of polymer to shape the lens, which is polished using an abrasive. Both soft and hard lenses can be shaped using this method. Soft lenses are hydrated after the cutting and polishing process. A Look to the Future Contact lens research focuses on ways to improve the lenses and solutions used with them to reduce the incidence of microbial contamination. While increased oxygenation offered by silicone hydrogels deters infection, the structure of the lenses actually makes it easier for bacteria to colonize the lenses. Whether a contact lens is being worn or being stored also affects how likely it is to be contaminated. Adding silver to lens case material is one way to reduce contamination. Research also looks at incorporating antimicrobial agents into the lenses. Bionic lenses, telescopic lenses, and contacts intended to administer drugs are all being researched. Initially, these contact lenses may be based on the same materials as current lenses, but its likely new polymers are on the horizon. Contact Lens Fun Facts Contact lens prescriptions are for particular brands of contacts because the lenses arent quite the same. Contacts from different brands arent the same thickness or water content. Some people do better wearing thicker, high water content lenses, while others prefer thinner, less hydrated contacts. The specific manufacturing process and materials also affect how quickly protein deposits form, which is more of a consideration for some patients than others.Leonardo da Vinci proposed the idea of contact lenses in 1508.Blown glass contacts made in the 1800s were shaped using cadaver eyes and rabbit eyes as molds.Although they had been designed some years earlier, the first plastic hard contacts were commercially available in 1979. Modern hard contacts are based on the same designs.