I chose these three posts as my strongest writing of the semester in my blog…

1.       Faith and the creation myths http://jakeslitblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/faith-and-creation-myths.html)

In this post I explained that everyone has a belief system that influences the way they view the world around them.

2.       God’s Three Attributes (http://jakeslitblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/gods-three-attributes.html)

In this post I chose three attributes of the God of the flood story, and showed how these three characteristics were complementary and fit in with what was described in the flood story.

3.       Grace (http://jakeslitblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/grace.html)

In this post I explained what grace is, why it is important, and how it related to the biblical flood story.

·         I selected these three posts because I think they adequately convey the message I was trying to put forth in my blog this semester.  I was trying to look at the stories we read from a biblical perspective, and how they, or at least the lessons contained within them, relate to our relationship with God.  I think these three are the best because they take the concepts in the story and explain them, while connecting them to humanity today, and showing man’s need of a savior.

·         I think my perspective on literature may have changed somewhat during this semester.  I guess I have learned that there are a lot more to most of these stories than what is portrayed on the surface.  I have also learned to that there are so many beliefs that are present in the world today.  It also helped me look at what I believe with a critical eye, and not to just believe what someone says, but make sure that there is scripture to back up what I believe.  This course has really helped confirm many of the things that I have been taught all my life, and has shown me how people are “swept about with many winds of doctrine.”  It has reaffirmed my faith and what I believe in, and has given me a sincere appreciation that I have a firm belief to stand on, and that I am not wandering about seeking for answers as many people seem to be doing. 

·         As far as my performance this semester, I think I preformed about average, or maybe a little above average.  I am confident in my skills as a writer and thinker when given enough time to develop my thoughts.  My verbal skills in trying to explain literature may be a little lacking, although when forced to (like in the group discussion for instance) I think I can express my thoughts clearly and logically.  So I guess my actual weakness would be caring enough about the literature to be willing to express my opinions, because when I actually cared (like when I was being graded) I was able to thoroughly express my views on the topic.  So I think I excelled in my writing, but my classroom participation in the general classroom time may have been somewhat lacking, thus I think my performance probably leveled out at about average.

·         When I comes to my grade, I think I would give myself and A.  I think that although I may have not participated in the general class discussions, I met the needed requirements for an A.  I knew I would probably not be the greatest verbal classroom student, because that is just not my personality to be outspoken, so I tried to put forth my best efforts in my blog, my papers, and the in-class quizzes in order to make up for the lack to my classroom response.

Overall I really enjoyed the class and I think I learned a lot about literature and writing.

Imagery and Structure of Dante's Inferno

There are two main things that I really enjoy about Dante’s writing.  I enjoy his superb imagery and his excellent structure.

Imagery

There are so many examples of Dante’s imagery in the text.  He paints such vivid pictures with his words that the reader can imagine hell and all the horrors he describes very easily.  There are so many places in the story that Dante shows his skill with words, I thought I would give you a couple of examples that I thought were striking…

·         The beginning of the reading for this week paints the picture of the view from the edge of hell’s sixth circle.

“Up on the topmost rim of a deep-cut bank

Formed by a circle of massive, fissured rock

We stood above a pen more cruel.  The stink

Thrown up from the abyss had grown so thick

Its excess drove us to shelter in the space

Behind a great tomb’s lid.  It bore a plaque

Inscribed:  ‘I hold Pope Anastasius

Drawn by Photinus from the proper path.’”

·         When Dante and Virgil have descended into ring two of the seventh circle of hell, and they are approaching the wood of suicides.

“…we moved forward into woods unmarked

By any path.  The leaves not green, earth-hued;

The boughs not smooth, knotted, and crooked-forked;

No fruit, but poisoned thorns.  Of the wild beasts

Near Cecina and Corneto, that hate fields worked

By men with plough and harrow, none infests

Thickets that are as rough or dense as this

Here are the repellent Harpies make their nests,

Who drove the Trojans from Strophades

With dire announcements of the coming woe.

They have broad wings, and a human neck and face,

Clawed feet, and swollen, feathered bellies; they caw

Their lamentations in the eerie trees.”

Structure

The structure in the story makes it easier to follow the timeline of the story, and what is actually going on.  It is usually difficult for me to follow the progression of stories that are written such a long time ago, but in Dante’s Inferno the structure of the story lends to the easier reading of the story and the understandability.

Religion

I’d like to do a response to David’s last response to my blog about “What happens after death?”  In his response (http://thespacebetweenthespace.blogspot.com/2011/11/response-to-what-happens-after-death.html), David said “as long as everyone try’s their best to be good people it does not matter what religion you follow.” 

I agree with David’s point that “it does not matter what religion you follow.”  But I think I agree in a different way than he meant his statement.  I agree that the religion you follow does not matter, because whether you are Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Baptist, or any other religion, your religion alone is nothing.  You can be the best professing “Christian” you can be and still spend eternity in hell.  Going to church every Sunday, helping the poor, and being a good neighbor will do nothing for you in light of eternity. The Bible says “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)  Any good work we can do, or any religion we follow will not be good enough to gain God’s favor.  Man tries to earn his way to heaven through, when all we have to do is trust Christ.  Christ has already paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, and using religion or any other means to try to earn our way to heaven is an insult to God.  

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”       

Heaven

At the end of the first canto of Dante’s Inferno, Virgil speaks of a city and tells Dante why he unable to go there.  Virgil says…

     For the Emperor who governs from on high

     Wills I not enter His city, where none may appear

     Who lived like me in rebellion to His law.

     His empire is everything and everywhere,

    

     But that is His kingdom, His city, His seat of awe.

     Happy is the soul He chooses for that place!

This “city” that Virgil is speaking of is heaven.  Since we will be studying the darker part of the “afterlife” for the remainder of this class, I thought I would devote a blog to the alternative to hell...heaven.

Just as hell was created to punish evildoers and those that do not believe on Christ, heaven was made as a reward to those who believe on Christ and follow his commandments. 

Many have tried to express what heaven will be like, but I think William Biederwolf put it best.  He said, “Heaven would hardly be heaven if we could define it.”  I think this is very true.  The Bible says in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Even if this was all that heaven was, than it would be a wonderful place.  Just think about no more sickness, or dying, or pain.  And there will also be streets of gold, and reuniting with loved ones who have gone on before.  But the best thing about heaven will be being in the presence of God for all eternity, and praising Him forever!

Revelation 5:9-13  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Reincarnation and the Afterlife

In David’s blog, he talked about the afterlife (http://thespacebetweenthespace.blogspot.com/2011/11/afterlife.html).  I agree with his opening statements that death and the afterlife are things that “people have always struggled to come to terms with,” and that “there are just as many different afterlife stories’ as there are different cultures.”  It seems that everyone has their own views of death and the “afterlife.”  David also discussed the Buddhist reincarnation and the Egyptian afterlife.  I thought I would give the Biblical views on these two topics.

Buddhist reincarnation

The Bible disagrees with Buddhist’s belief of reincarnation.  The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.”  This verse clearly states that man dies once, and there is not the never ending cycle of death and rebirth that belief of reincarnation holds.

Egyptian afterlife

The Egyptian afterlife is an interesting, because it agrees somewhat with the Biblical view of death, but then it is also different in many ways.  David said in his blog that “…everyone could have an afterlife.  Their souls would have to be pure to achieve it though.”  These two beliefs line up almost exactly with the Biblical view of death.  The Bible says that everyone will go to one of two places, heaven or hell.  Thus everyone will have an “afterlife;” it is simply up to the individual whether they will live in eternal bliss, or be eternally damned.  This is determined by whether their souls are “pure” as David said.  And the only way that a person’s soul can be pure is by trusting Christ as their Savior, and believing that His blood is the only payment for sins, and the only thing that can make their soul “pure” in the eyes of God.  There is no good works that we can do to make ourselves “pure”, because the Bible says “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)  In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Bible says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  The only way to be viewed as “pure” by God is to trust his son, Jesus Christ, as the only path to heaven.  Then when God looks at you he sees his perfect, sinless son instead our sinful, vile beings.

Romans 3:24-25  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

What happens after death?

The question of what happens after death has been an object of many discussions, and the subject of many books and writings.  Every human has the burning desire to know what will happen to them when they die?  Will they simply cease to exist?  Or is there some kind of “after life,” where they will wonder about for eternity?  I’d like to answer this question of what happens after we die from a biblical perspective.

Hebrews 9:27 states, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”  This verse tells us that we are all “appointed” to die; thus no one will be able to escape death.  This verse also rules out the reincarnation as a possibility, because it says that men only die once.  People have only one chance at life; they don’t get multiple opportunities to “try again.”  This verse also points out a “judgment” after death.

There are actually two different judgments after death.  The judgment of the lost, and the judgment of the saved.  Those who die without trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior will go the judgment of the lost, and will be sentenced to serve eternity in the lake of fire.

The good news is, however, that if one does except Christ’s death on the cross as the payment for their sins, then they will go to the second judgment where they will be admitted into heaven to live forever with God.  These believers will also be awarded according to their deeds done on earth after they trusted Christ.

I believe this matter of life after death is a very important one, because eternity is a long time to spend in hell, wishing you had made sure that your fate was secure in Christ.  Jesus Christ paved the way to heaven with his death on the cross; all you must do is believe on him as the only way to heaven, and you can be sure of your eternal destiny.          

Another Beowulf response

In Matt’s Beowulf blog (http://lwithforce.blogspot.com/2011/10/beowulf.html) he made the point that Beowulf and Gilgamesh similar.  I like the points he made about how they both earned the title of king, and how they both “pursued” challenges.  I also agree that Beowulf maybe considered a “better” person than Gilgamesh.  I think this is the case because although both Gilgamesh and Beowulf seemed to be pursuing challenges, they seemed to be for different reasons.

Gilgamesh seemed to be pursuing his challenges on more of a self-fulfillment basis, while Beowulf’s pursuits seemed to benefit others more than himself.  Even though Beowulf did gain fame and fortune through these quests, I don’t believe he set out with those goals in mind.  In the cases of Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, he is simply rescuing the peoples of his country, or even neighboring countries, from these beasts that are plaguing their lands.  And that’s why I agree that Beowulf is a “better” person, character, hero, than Gilgamesh.    

Small Group Response

I definitely prepared a good bit more for this class.  I made sure I read the story in depth, and that I understood completely what I was reading.  Normally when I read the stories I make sure I get the main points, and get the overall idea of them, but this class really forced me to look at the details of the story.  It also made me try to think of different ways of looking at the passages.  Normally I would probably just take the story at face value, but this class made me look for other ways of interpreting the characters actions than just what was given on the surface.

Three things I learned from the class were…

1.  You are basically going to get out of the class what you put into it

Even though I heard and been told this a thousand times, this class just seemed to reinforce this idea.  If you really prepare for class and come with a good understanding of the material than you will probably get more return on your investment, than if you don’t have a good grasp of the reading from the week, or haven’t read it at all. 

  

2.  I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be an English Lit. teacher or literary critic

I really wasn’t leaning toward this occupation anyway, but this class definitely confirmed my suspicions that I don’t want to be teaching English lit or critiquing it.  There seems to be a whole lot of subjective material in literature, and I guess I have a more objective outlook on things.  And I’m not really sure why the reasoning behind the characters actions in the story matter?  It seems like a whole lot of discussing without accomplishing a whole lot, in my opinion.  But it must have some significance because people have been studying literature for a long time.  And if studying literature is your thing, then I’m definitely not downplaying the significance of it, it’s just not one of my interests. 

  

3.  People have a whole lot of different opinions about the same topic

This idea kind of goes hand in hand with what I discussed in my last point about literature being such a subjective topic.  Ten people can read the exact same piece of literature, and have ten different interpretations on what the author meant, or what the character’s actions mean, or even what the message of the story is.  And all of them can make pretty good cases for their arguments, and thus everyone has come to their own “right” answer or interpretation.

Overall I’d say the class was a good learning experience, because it made you pay attention to the details of the story, and forced people to communicate their thoughts on the topic at hand.    

Beowulf and David (continued)

I thought I would expand on the comparison of the characters Beowulf, and the David of the Bible.  As I researched this idea of Beowulf and David being similar, I discovered many interesting things.  I think Beowulf may be largely based on the biblical story of David.  The biblical book of 1^st Samuel was written around 10^th century B.C. and the first printed copy of Beowulf was in 1815 (although it was passed down as oral tradition for many years before that).  I can’t help but wonder if Beowulf is somehow a spinoff of the biblical story of David.

I mentioned in my earlier post that David fought Goliath, and that was similar to Beowulf fighting the monsters.  But as I was thinking about this post I was reminded that David also killed a lion and a bear before he fought and killed Goliath.  Would these three victories from the story of David correspond to Beowulf’s three victories over Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon?

Both Beowulf and David also accomplished feats seemingly impossible to common man.  They both seemed to possess an almost supernatural force that they used to defeat the enemies of their people.  In fact David actually claimed that his power came from God when he said, talking to Goliath, “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defiled.  This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand.” (1 Samuel 17:45-46)  This amazing amount of power that these two men possessed continues to show the similarities between these them.  Beowulf ripped Grendel’s arm off with his bare hands, and David “caught him [the lion] by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.” (1 Samuel 17:35)  I think with these incredible parallels it would not be far-fetched to say that Beowulf was based on, or at least influenced by, the story of David in the Bible.        

Beowulf and David

In David’s blog(http://thespacebetweenthespace.blogspot.com/2011/10/was-beowulf-crazy.html), David stated that Beowulf was either “the world’s bravest man or just plain crazy,” and he seemed to lean more toward the idea that Beowulf was crazy.  I agree that some of Beowulf’s feats may have been in fact “crazy,” but I think that is one of the things that made Beowulf such a great hero.  Beowulf refused to be an ordinary man.  Instead of sitting back like the other men in the story, he took the initiative and sought out the monsters and destroyed them.

Being a Christian, I can’t seem to go through these stories without drawing some comparison or contrast to biblical stories.  And the story of Beowulf reminds me of the story of David and Goliath.  Although Goliath wasn’t a “monster,” he was a giant, and he was defeated by David just as Beowulf defeated the monsters in his story.  David also took the initiative while other ordinary men looked on in fear.

I think in this act of taking the initiative and standing up to the forces of evil, David and Beowulf are very similar.  They both preformed “crazy” acts of bravery, and I believe this is what made them great.  This idea of “living on the edge” and taking on extreme challenges others are afraid to tackle seems to be the thing that differentiates between someone who is “ordinary” in these stories, and someone who is “heroic”.  

   

Beowulf: Fact or Fiction?

There was one question I had about Beowulf.  Is this a story that was meant to be taken as fact, as the creation stories and others we have studied, or was this story simply a fictional narrative that was told for enjoyment?  It seems like most of the texts that we have read so far have been somewhat religious or have had a “deeper” meaning than what was on the surface of the stories, and I was wondering if Beowulf fell into this category.  I did a little research, and I was never able to nail down how the story was supposed to be read.  I don’t think it is a religious text at all, because it does not seem to have any religious elements.  But it does have some elements of the supernatural.  Grendel and his mother are “monsters,” and there is also the dragon that Beowulf fights later on in the story.  And the fact that Beowulf has this “superhuman” strength, and is able to defeat these supernatural beings, I believe also lends itself to the fact of this story being fiction.

I read that some of the characters in Beowulf may have had real life inspiration, but Beowulf himself was probably just completely made up.  The setting of Beowulf however is definitely real.  The story takes place in northern Europe.  Northern Europe at the time of the story was populated by the Danes, the Swedes, and the Geats.  All these factors I believe contribute to my conclusion that Beowulf is simply a fictional story that was made to be read/told for entertainment purposes only.  Although I’m sure there are lessons that could be learned from the tale of Beowulf, I don’t believe that the original writer/teller of the story meant it to be a religious or even factual text.

Role of “God” and “Man” in the Flood Myths

For my essay I want to look at the role of “god” or the divine beings, and the rold of man in the creation myths.  Specifically in the creation myths we studied:  Enuma Elish, Theogony, Metamorphoses, and the Genesis creation story.  I want to look at the motivations for creation, and why each “divine” chose their method of creation.  What was man created for?  Why weren’t the “gods” just simply happy with being “gods”, why did they create man?  Did the creation “just happen” or did the “god” carefully plan the creation for a specific purpose?  Were the gods justified in creating man and initiating chaos in the universe?  Did the gods actually intitiate chaos by creating man?  Is the chaos always bad in the creation myths?  When did man become “man”…or did the gods create “other gods”?     

These are just some of the ideas that I have been attempting to organize, because I believe the study of the creation of man and the universe is very important.  It is important because it attempts to explain how man and the world came into being.  This is an extremely significant topic because if one knows where he/she came from, they can get a better understanding of where the future holds, and what man’s purpose of living is.  Without this knowledge man is left to wonder about life seeking true joy and contentment and unable to find it.

Possible sources (may not all be peer reviewed, but a few are):

http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/225/

http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Ancient_religions/Mesopotamia/genesis_and_enuma_elish_creation.htm

http://bartleby.com/108/01/1.html

http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/xeno.ovid1.htm

Leeming, David A. (2004). "Biblical creation". The Oxford companion to world mythology (online ed.). Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t208.e229. Retrieved 2010-05-05.

Hamilton, Victor P (1990). The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17. New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 540. ISBN 0802825214. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=c1DrrBMFuZYC.

(Sorry the sources look funny...It wouldn't let me post them right) 

    

The Psalms

The Psalms are a very soulful part of the Bible.  They are poems and songs of praise and prayer to God.  David is the author of the majority of the Psalms; they are his prayerful supplications to God.  The Psalms are an outpouring of David’s heart to the Lord.  David’s feelings and emotions are written down beautifully in poem form.

Although David was the main author, the other authors of Psalms include Asaph, sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses, Heman, and Ethan.  There are other various anonymous Psalms also.      

Two of the most famous psalms are Psalms 23 and 100.            

     Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

     Psalms 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

The Psalms are very important to Christianity today.  They provide comfort to those who are hurting, help to those in need, and promises we can claim.

Antigone

A tragedy is defined by www.Dictionary.com as “a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, such as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.”

Antigone definitely fits this definition of a tragedy.  The story contains all the Aristotelian elements of a classical tragedy.     

1.  PLOT

Antigone’s plot has the obvious key points of a tragedy.  It has an “incentive moment” when Antigone finds out that her brother will not be buried, and she decides to do something about it.  The story’s climax occurs when Creon basically sentences Antigone to death, and imprisons her in a cave.  The resolution of Antigone comes when Creon is eventually overthrown, and he loses everything of importance in his life.

2.  CHARACTER

The different characters in Antigone certainly support the plot.  The individuals and their deeds undeniably complement the narrative.  Creon’s actions and Antigone’s counter actions are what keep the story moving along, and make it interesting.

3.  THOUGHT

The dialogue in the tale “reveal[s] character” and helps the reader understand each person in the story more. 

4.  DICTION

Diction is “‘the expression of the meaning in words’ which are proper and appropriate to the plot, characters and end of the tragedy.”  One example of a metaphor in Antigone is in Tiresias’ statement “Such arrows for thy heart - for thou provokest me - have I launched at thee, archer-like, in my anger, sure arrows, of which thou shalt not escape the smart.”

5.  SONG

Antigone also contains a chorus, which is a key component to a tragedy.

6.  SPECTACLE

The spectacle seems to be of little importance in this story.

7.  CATHARSIS

An example of catharsis, or “purging, cleansing of the tragic emotions of pity and fear,” occurs when “Creon, king of Thebes, goes from a proud and mighty king, to a man with suicidal tendencies.”

I believe that Antigone is the true tragic heroine in this story.  The whole narrative is based on her; and the story even named after her.  If she had not made the stand against Creon that she did, I do not believe that anyone else would have either.  Her actions prompted everyone else to turn against Creon.  I believe that had Antigone not stood up, then everyone else would have taken the passive approach also and would not have made huge deal out of the fact that body of Polynices was not buried.  Her revolutionary actions are what I believe makes Antigone the true tragic heroine of the story.          

Homer and his works

Homer was the Greek poet who wrote the Iliad, and the Odyssey.  He lived anywhere from around 850 B.C. to the 12^th century.  He is known as debatably the greatest Greek poet in history. 

His poem the Iliad is “set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.”  This poem is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of Western literature.

Here is one of the quotes from the Iliad.

Sing, goddess, of Achilles' ruinous anger
Which brought ten thousand pains to the Achaeans,
And cast the souls of many stalwart heroes
To Hades, and their bodies to the dogs
And birds of prey.

Homer’s other famous work was the Odyssey.  It also is an epic poem, that tells about the Greek hero Odysseus.  “The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths) and his long journey home following the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.”

There were also other pieces of literature that were attributed to Homer, besides the Iliad and the Odyssey.  In fact, the total Epic Cycle has been attributed to Homer.  The Epic Cycle is a collection of Greek poems that include: the Little Iliad, the Nostoi, the Telegony, and many others.

Homer was truly a great poet, and his poems have lived on as standards of Western literature throughout the world.