Reference no: EM133556194

Question

The similes that Homer uses are all drawn from nature: "he overwhelmed him like a lion bearing down on a boar," "his body lay stretched out like a worm," "he gasped like an ox being tethered by ropes." The Phaiakians pride themselves on their art; they boast in having ships that cross the ocean like thought, as if nature offered no resistance and they could ignore it: "neither are there any steering oars for them, such as other ships have, but the ships themselves understand men's thoughts and purposes...." (Ody. VIII, 555-563). When Poseidon turns the Phai-akian ship into a mountain-that is, returning it to nature-he is only doing what was natural and fitting, reasserting his authority over men when their hubris kept them from properly regarding nature. Homer's reference point is nature: it is the place of the gods and the source of natural law. To fight nature or in any way to claim mastery over it was impious; to acknowledge nature and work with it was a sign of virtue. What is Virgil's reference point, and what do we learn about Rome from his use of similes, metaphors, figures of speech?