The Odyssey By Homer, Annotated Bibliography Essay

he Odyssey, as written by Homer, intricately and excitingly weaves Colin Renfrew’s Subsystem Theories throughout the entire play. Many of the five subsystem theories can be seen and support understanding of the novel. Of the five systems, trade/communication, social/ political hierarchy and symbolic subsystems will be the focus of analysis in this paper. All of these subsystems come together in The Odyssey to explain the characters and their lives, and also how they fit into the society which they live in. To understand the growth and development of the characters, we must understand the systems theories, â€Å"many human actions have a meaning at several different levels, with undertones and overtones†¦ it is the complex interconnectedness of the subsystems which gives human culture its unique potential for growth.† As this paper will demonstrate within The Odyssey, trade and communication, social and political hierarchy and lastly symbolic subsystems create adve nture in Odysseus’s harrowing, yet exciting journey back to his kingdom and family. These specific subsystems add depth and excitement because we see how each specific one impacts Odysseus’s journey back home. They help us understand who Odysseus is a man and sympathize with all that he goes through. The communication subsystem helps explain how communication between people (and gods) in different lands aid to the success of his return home. We are able to see from the social subsystem how Odysseus and other menShow MoreRelated The Navigation of Christopher Columbus and the Age of Discovery4963 Words   |  20 Pagesnavigation--it was the Phoenicians who taught the Greeks the use of the pole star as a direction guide--it is the Greeks who generally come to mind first, largely as a result of myths such as Jason and the Argonauts, and Homers epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. For thousands of years, these works were considered to be nothing more than heroic fantasies ab out the distant past, but this was to change dramatically after the discovery of the legendary city of Troy, by Heinrich Schliemann, in 1870, revealedRead MoreChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pages[ancient Rome; 50 BCE to 500 CE] 31 The Middle Ages [500 to 1500 CE] 31 The European Renaissance [1500-1650 CE] 32 The 17th Century 34 The 18th and Early 19th Centuries 35 The Victorians: The Golden Age 36 Twentieth Century: Widening Worlds 38 9. Bibliography 38 1. Introduction In 1817 Robert Bloomfield, author of The History of Little Davy’s New Hat, wrote: ‘The longer I live †¦ the more I am convinced of the importance of children’s books.’ That similar statements are still being made two hundred