Write a comparative analysis of “homer invoking the muse” in the iliad and “a maiden’s lament.” your analysis should identify the similarity and differences in topic in just a sentence or two. your main task is to compare the structures of each poem and identify and explain how they are alike and different. your essay should be about one page long. it is a formal explanatory piece of writing, so should not include “i” or “you” because your topic is what the authors are doing.

First, what is a Muse?

A Muse is a spirit of inspiration. The Ancient Greeks of the Bronze Age believed that one of nine Muses inspired different forms of prose, poetry, drama, rhetoric, or general writing. Thus, the invocation was a homage and supplication to these deities in hopes of best capturing the topic of the Epic poem, expressing the purpose of the narrative, but also incorporating mores and traditions familiar to that specific audience. Moreover, this invocation elicits one of the major themes of Homer's Epic poem: man and his relationship to a higher power.

Second, who is this Homer?

Homer was a blind story teller who traveled from town to town reciting the great deeds of legendary heroes of the time. Remember, roughly 700BC did not have the common contrivances that we are privy to today: no television, psp, ipod, iPhone, blackberries, tweets, etc. Homer was the entertainment of the time as he regaled citizens of great warriors like Achilles in "The Illiad" and model Greek men like Odysseus in "The Odyssey."In both Epic poems, Homer reveals the need to respect higher powers.

Finally, why does he need that invocation?

It seems ridiculous that a blind story teller is able to recite a story so complicated and so lengthy. In short, Homer and "The Odyssey" maintain the oral tradition. Through repetitive recitation, someone could hear and hopefully retain the story enough to recite it to another audience. This invocation contains a series of rhetorical techniques- writing techniques that strategically convey the author's purpose and captures the audience's attention in various ways.

Now, audiences are very impatient. Amongst many literary techniques and rhetorical devices, Homer incorporates plot devices to try to structure and organize these anachronistic events. Remember he most likely learned this poem from listening and reciting, not writing it down. The invocation is similar to the Prologue in Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." Both act as the coming attractions for the audience. This invocation involves one of three important plot devices: foreshadowing, which hints at important later events; it keeps listeners and readers engaged. If audiences are not aware of what is to come and what to expect, they lose focus. By the end of the invocation, audiences know the end of Odysseus's journey, but they have no idea how it happened.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

c hydrophobia is the answer