The Fulfillment of Homecoming in the Odyssey: An Analysis of a Homeric Simile — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

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Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

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Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

The Fulfillment of Homecoming in the Odyssey: An Analysis of a Homeric Simile

Name: Ryan Boren
Major: Organ Performance, Finance
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This work confronts the significance of a double Homeric simile to portray the moment Odysseus reclaims his household in Book 22 of Homer's Odyssey. Effectively, this paper is a close-reading of an extended figure of speech to uncover deeper meanings in the text. I argue that the juxtaposition of two similes is intentional, and I display how the relationships between the two similes yields deeper understandings of the text. Also addressed in this work are symbolic elements in the similes and the spatial language used, especially in reference to heights and depths. The fulfillment of "homecoming," which is a significant theme of the Odyssey, is marked by a transition from physis to nomos.

Poster file