Tuesday, December 6, 2016
"The Simpsons And The Odyssey?"
How is The Simpsons' video clip a parody and/or satire of The Odyssey
and heroes in Greek Mythology? Please list at least one specific from
the Heroic Code as you explain and defend your assessment and thinking.
This response is due during class on December 8th or 13th.
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18 comments:
In the clip they express some of the ideas of odysseys, they show the island were the sirens live, they also show sorta the things that might have gone wrong if you had not showed appreciation by sacrificing to the gods back then. Meany Ideas have been given for this clip there was some of them.
This clip is a satire by making a poking fun of the Greek myths and some of there legends like how Dionysus destroyed Atlantis and how Odysseus and his crew were tricked by the sirens and Circe killing all of Odysseus's crew leaving him as the only survivor and coming home to his wife Penelope to find she is looking for other suitors.
The Simpsons take on the Odyssey does hit on some of the main things that happened in the Iliad, however most of these events were changed to make them more humorous for the sake of the TV show. For example, in the Iliad, Homer did not eat his friends when they were turned into pigs on Circe's island. There were also some things that were missing and some things that were added to the Simpsons cartoon. For example, In the Iliad Homer did not travel in the Underworld and in the cartoon they didn't put in many of the trials Homer and his crew had to face on the way home.
The Simpson’s video is a parody of The Odyssey because it goes against the heroic code that Odysseus followed throughout the whole war. One example of this was when Odysseus and his friends landed on Circe's island and he says “Do they give every crazy person an island now?” That is not a typical way a Greek warrior who follows the heroic code would treat their host because it violates the guest host relationship. Odysseus also ate his friends, disrespected the gods by not sacrificing anything to them, called his guests at his house “trash,” and was just generally rude and offensive. The Simpsons version of Odysseus didn’t break any specific aspect of the code, he just did not uphold the honor that goes along with following the code.
It's a parody because they are telling the story and making fun of the Odyssey story in their own way as well as making it their own version instead of the original story and events of the Odyssey. They make fun of it and use their own jokes. One of the heroic codes is the one that Homer was doing for 20 years, as explained in the video which is traveling back and fighting to see his family again even through some of the worst and tough situations. Going through hell and going all over the odyssey just so that he can see his family again. He went above and beyond limitations by dealing with other gods as well as eating his friends at one point.
It simply takes the events that unfolded in The Odyssey and adds jokes into it, and exaggerates it to make it somewhat more far fetched and comedic, such as Homer eating his friends rather than them being eaten by Scylla in the return trip. I suppose you could say that this fits in with the heroic code cause he's doing what he does best.
I think The Simpsons add a funny twist to the gruesome, heroic and tragic story.of the Odyssey. They took a story, and they managed to make it lighthearted and funny. Most of the stuff they changed were to add a humorous effect.
The Simpson's clip about the Odyssey has some accurate information even though it is a parody. It is true that the gods are mad at Odysseus when he does not offer a sacrifice to them. As a result, it takes him 20 years to get back home to Ithaca. He and his crew overcome many challenges, yet, Odysseus is still determined to return home. Honestly, I think Odysseus has excessive pride (hubris). His crew tells him over and over to not go to certain places and they end up dead as a result of Odysseus' quest. Odysseus fails to see what this voyage is doing to his crew and keeps going. Obviously, Odysseus is violating the Heroic Code and is relying on his pride and stubbornness to bring him home. The Simpsons clip captures Odysseus' foolishness in their parody.
The Simpsons clip is a parody of the Odyessy and Iliad because it shows Homer quickly getting past each feat as if it were a walk in the park. He is able to survive anything and make it back safe to his wife. Part of the heroic code is the desire to be recognized and this is shown in this clip by Homer's journey through each trial that is put in front of him. And he makes it home and impresses his wife enough to keep her.
The Simpson's satire of The Odyssey exaggerates Hubris, or excessive pride. Homer is too prideful to sacrifice to the Gods which ends up causing him a lot of trouble. Like Achilles, Homer shows a lot of selfishness and even eats his friends with feeling no real remorse. Like many Greek heroes Homer relies on the help of others to accomplish some of his goals. For example he receives directions from the sorceress on how to journey back home.
The Simpsons episode was very similar to the actual story of the Odyssey. Odysseus kept getting blown off course and sailed away from home because of the gods. One of the places they sailed to was the island where the sirens were. They lured them in with their beautiful voices but were driven away by their looks. In the actual Odyssey, Odysseus and his men were lured in by their voices and they even had to put wax in their ears so that they wouldn't be too convinced to stay with them and ignore the task at hand. Poseidon blew them off course and steered them towards a different island where they were greeted by a woman. This woman had a potion that turned humans into pigs if they drank from it. In both the story and the episode, Odysseus' men drank the poison and turned into pigs. Unlike the Odyssey, Homer (or Odysseus) ended up eating his friends who transformed into pigs. But, in the end, Odysseus came home and was reunited with his wife, Penelope.
The Simpson's clip was about the Odyssey and Troy. Homer was the bearer of the wooden horse, and there were many jokes made about Greek mythology, including the fact that the city already had a wooden animal collection, and that Helen was on old ugly woman who said she turned the ships the other way. Homer, in the clip, desires to be recognized by his wife, "taking out the trash" of the other suitors. The satire highlights some of the most important things in the Iliad.
The satire version from the Odyssey though quite funny does miss the mark somewhat on what actually happened in this great tale. For starters Homer doesn't have compassion unlike Odesyus and also stumbles through this experience being quite rude throughout the entire thing. Odesyus however is much more calculating and more of an intellectual man then this satire shows. Odesyus is also overjoyed to see his wife while Homer quickly leaves to go see his freinds.
The Simpsons make a parody of the Odyssey by making fun of how he tries to get home back to his wife and how his wife may be looking at other suitors. One of the many heroic codes is the Pursuit of Prizes and Homer or Odysseus trying to get back to his prize (his wife).
This clip from the Simpsons shows a more humorous side of the Odyssey. It describes the story of Troy very loosely and shows a very romanticized version of killing. However, there are some points that are both funny and incredibly valid to Greek stories. An example of this was when they were going to each of the islands and one of the sailors said: "Why do all the weirdos have islands?" I thought this was hilarious and very true to the stories because it showed the island of the Sirens and the island of Circe. Another example of this that wasn't shown in the clip was the island of the Cyclops. Homer Simpson also demonstrates a violation of the hero's code. While portraying Odysseus he shows how the Greeks came into the kingdom of Troy and attacked under the shadow of night. They also show how Odysseus did not give an animal offering to the gods leading to their hardships.
It satirizes the Odyssey pretty directly because Homer is reading it and places himself as the titular character. Since He's not the brightest, it ends up with him messing everything up. I'm still of the firm belief that the vast majority of classical heroes don't follow the heroic code and since this is a retelling of the story of Odysseus, I don't believe he fulfills the code. They do violate it in their general dirty play during warfare such as with the Trojan horse or anything Ajax the Lesser lays his nasty little paws on. Also, hubris, like when Achilles puts his own petty disagreement with Agamemnon ahead of the lives of his fellow soldiers.
The clip from the Simpsons makes fun of the Odyssey, while also touching on the main ideas and plot points. It captures the side of the Odyssey that is funnier; that more people can relate too. In this clip Homer, like Odysseus is very selfish and doesn't really follow the heroic code.
The Simpsons production of the Odyssey is as always with the Simpsons, using every play on words they can find in the entire book. They pervert things in the most comical way possible, which is a great way of making money. But, it is not always a great way of telling the story correctly. Yes, they touched on key plot points but it is a different and twisted up version of the real story. I would not recommend this to someone trying to learn the Odyssey.
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