Homer Assignment

Like what we talked about in class, Homer talks about the gods killing and fighting. But, the gods are good, and good things don’t fight, so it makes the gods image bad and teaches children about fighting. Also, Achilles, especially Achilles because he was the Geeks hero, he was the greatest fighter, but, as we read he refused to fight, he refused to fight for his honor. But, that could have been taken as selfishness, or being a coward, Homer was censored to not teach the children any of the bad qualities.

The reason why some parts of poetry should be banned is because the Guardians would become “god-fearing”. That would be bad, because the Guardians would grow up being afraid of the gods, the upper-beings that control everything. Also Plato (Socrates) says that Homer should stop making the after-life seem so gloomy, because then the Guardians would become afraid of death, instead valiantly charging into battle, not afraid of death, even hoping to die.

Poetry should teach not that gods are evil, but good. They should not “persuade our young men that the gods are the source of evil, and that heroes are no better than ordinary mortals.” That is what is taught in the poetry, that the gods are evil and the heroes are great, when the gods are good and the heroes are no different that normal people.

I would agree with that because, the gods are always portrayed as terrible beings that do bad things and act like humans. When really, they are greater and better than humans, the gods should have nothing to do with humans or doing anything that has to do with humans. I think, like Plato, the gods should not be explained as bad, or evil, or like humans, they should be described as perfect beings that are 100% good.