Was Homer a great writer? Why?

Question

chie

Answer 1

Chie-san,

Some historians think Homer was not real, that his name was just there to be used, to mean a poet of spoken rhymes. If homer existed, though, he was a great poet, and he practiced an oral tradition of poetry; speaking or singing historical and mythical poems from memory.

Homer was believed to have been blind. And, he was believed to live in the 8th century BCE, when Greek writing was just invented. So his works were translated from spoken words to written words about 2800 years ago.

Whether or not he was real, the works attributed to Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are among the greatest works of literature in the world, and are the seminal literary creations of the Greek culture. They have been heard, read, and admired for three millenia.

So, whoever wrote them was great. Whether Homer ever walked, his name represents one of the greatest writers in all of the world's history, and in that sense, he is very great.

Answer 2

Hi Chie, see if these links can give you an objective answer.

Here are some great websites if you need any information on the odyssey or Greek mythology.

http://schools.lwsd.org/RHJH/homehelp/Odyssey/links.htm

http://www.temple.edu/classics/odysseyho.html

http://www.ascboston.org/programs/ASCenter/spring05/wednesday-site/odyssey_links.html

Full Text & Resources.

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html

http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~joelja/odyssey.html

http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/~sprayberry/webplan/turnerpagedoc.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/odyssey.htm

Great interactive map:

http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/homer/odymap.php

http://www.uoregon.edu/~nateich/worldlit/map.gif

Good luck.

Kevin, Liverpool, England.

Answer 3

No, because he was never a writer to begin with. He was a bard and his epics were based on the myths of his own culture.

Answer 4

Because he had talent and an original mind.

Answer 5

He was pretty good. But Marge was better.

D'oh!