Genesis/Odyssey Essay, Research Paper

There are many different methods in story telling in both Genesis and the Odyssey. This is due in part to the time periods that these works were written in. The author(s) of Genesis seem to tell a story yet not become as detailed and involved as Homer had when writing his story. These authors write with many similarities and methods yet, still use unique individual characteristics.

At the time that the Odyssey was written, no formal language was officially written, it was mainly recited. Shorter and more realistic dialogue would not only have been difficult to recite, but it would be hard to understand in an oral presentation. This tends to explain why Homer had written in long formal speeches. Repetition was another typical feature of oral poetry. This tends to reduce difficulties of composition and made the poem much easier to memorize. This also helped refresh the memories of many frequent listeners. It was only natural of Homer to write in this style because it was already developed and accepted in his society. In Book II, line 55, he speaks of Ikarios. He describes him as the father across the sea. He is implying that he is not near. Then again in Book III, line 17 he talks again of coming

across a sea to find out where the great earth hides your father.” This is an example of his use of repetition in that he states something in one book, and then again in the next. The purpose, as mentioned earlier, was to refresh the listener s mind.

In Genesis, the story of Joseph, while they are more direct in their writing, they lean more towards Joseph s virtues. Multiple times, they mention that Joseph is able to interpret dreams; dreams that tell of his future, and his countries as well. While in prison, he had interpreted the dreams of fellow prisoners, and one of his own. That dream was of the famine. The Pharaoh heard of this and when all was said and done, his dream came true and Egypt was saved.

One explanation of why these two writings are so different could be society. These were two different types of societies. Even in modern times, society sees things differently. For example, people in the northern part of New York use different words or expressions than those of Long Island. These are two societies that are not that far apart, but there is a significant difference in vocabulary.

As you can see, these two writings are different in the fact that they use two totally different methods of telling a story. One use’s repetition, and the other focuses on the virtue s of a person.