ENG 283E: Our Premodern Epics: How Epics Create Culture and Vice Versa

Illiad Powerpoint Analyzed - Andidiong Archibong

The multimedia  I had shown and the location are very important in understanding the epic in multiple ways. But first, one must analyze the multimedia and location. The multimedia was a youtube video produced by a child for some sort of presentation powerpoint for the Iliad. The location was the United States and more specifically in a middle school or elementary school classroom. First, the reason why the multimedia is important to understanding the epic is that in hindsight it shows the immense impact on the future world and especially on American culture. The legal system of the United States is partially based off of the Ancient Greek System. The early founders used the Greek democratic system as a blueprint for how citizens can participate in the voting process. Even different phrases, such as "pandora's box", can be traced back to Ancient Greek gods. Some of the most popular books and movies, like Percy Jackson,  are based off of Greek mythology. Part of the reason that the Ancient Greeks had such a strong influence on our culture is because of storytlelers like Homer, who conveyed information that was translatable, especially to our culture that is obsessed with what is going on "up there", divided about war, obsessed with sex and relationships, etc. “…There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, irresistible—magic to make the sanest man go mad.”  Homer also made the culture popular because his book was so popular. As his book was preserved and given to different cultures, so was Greek culture.  "Troy has come to stand for every city and Odysseus for Everyman" (Manguel, 1) .The idea that a story hundreds of years old can be conveyed accurately by a young child in the technology age shows that despite the huge difference in time, the multimedia shows the importance of Homer in that his stories and the world he preented them throguh still penetrate the way we think, act, and tell stories. 
 
Homer, and Robert Fitzgerald. The Iliad. Garden City, NY: Anchor, 1974. Print.
 
Alberto, Manguel. "We Are All Homer's Children." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.