|
|
 |
In the first three frames, Buffy, the dumb
blonde necessary to all good comic strips is expressing her reaction to
reading the classic Ilead and Odyssey for the first time. As you
can see, she has some trouble with the moral contents of these great books.
Is Buffy as dumb as she looks. Yes or No. If the answer is
No, name one famous Greek philosopher and one famous greek book which share
Buffy's reservations about Homer. The answer is below, simply highlight
it with your mouse to read it. It is printed black on black.
| No, Plato expressed a similar dislike for the the moral qualities of Homer in The Republic |
| The sun is rising. In the
Odyssey and the Illiad, men start and stop most actions
with the rising and setting of the sun. Homer uses many phrases to describe dawn, one of the most common in the Iliad is "Dawn in robe of saffron", in the Odyssey "the child of morning, rosy fingered dawn". |
In the fourth frame, BruthaBlud the black
radical necessary to all politically oriented cartoons expresses his opinion.
His opinion is both true and false. Why is it false and why is it
true?
| It appears false because Homer, if he ever
existed lived and died centuries before
Cleopatra. It is true if you consider that gangstah rap is the music that expresses the lives and values of an innercity warrior class, as Homers work is the music that does that for the greeks. Homer is to the early greeks as Gangstah rap is to urban black gangbangers. The violent content and attitude is similar. Thus Homer invented Gangstah Rap for the Greeks. Cleopatra is a descendent of Ptolemy, the Greek General who inherited rule of Egypt at Alexanders death. As she was greek and Homer invented Gangstah Rap for the greeks, Homer invented it for her as well. Thus, Homer did invent Gangstah Rap for Cleopatra. |
In the next frame, Freak the obligatory
computer hacker and crazy expresses his opinion. Who is Hobbes,
and in what book did Hobbes say that life
in a state of nature is nasty, brutal and short? How does quoting
Hobbes work fit into the general issue of the moral worth of Homer?
| Hobbes was a political philosopher who lived
from 1588 to 1679. He wrote a book on the state called the Leviathan
which has influenced all subsequent political philosophers, including Locke and Rousseau. It had such an impact that without it, the US Constitution as we know it probably would not exist. It is relevant to cite him, because Plato's Republic was an effort similar in intent to Hobbes, attempting to describe what the state should be. The particular cite is relevant, because it points out that Homer is closer to a state of nature, and thus that morals and ethics of his characters are shaped by the harshness of nature unrefined by a powerful state or civilization. |
Freaks teeshirt has a word on it in greek
letters. What is the word? What does it mean? Give two
similar terms one from medieval Europe and one from medieval Japan.
Explain why this term is relevant to the discussion of the moral worth
of Homer.
| The word is Arete, derived from Aries the
Greek God of War. It is a word which describes
that body of manly virtues embodied in a warrior. Equivalent terms from medieval Europe and Japan are chivalry and bushido respectively. It is relative because it raises the question. Is teaching manly virtues no longer necessary? True, Homer is brutal and murderous, but the world is that way as well. Do men still need to be men? How should their manly values differ today from those of Homers day. One of Homers great values is that by reading it one can ask and discuss these questions. |
In the last frame mohawk@seXgen.com expresses
the opinion that Homer, and other kinds of violent media are not the cause
of social violence. Do you agree with Buffy or Mohawk? Explain
why. No answer is given here.
