Fall Quarter
Fall Quarter
Embedded Files
An Overview of Works
An Overview of Works
Homer, Odyssey 9
Homer, Odyssey 9
In "Odyssey 9," Odysseus utilizes storytelling as a method of building a world that benefits him. As learned in lecture with Professor Giannopoulou, Odysseus relies on the hospitality of the Phaeacians. To earn their favor, he tells a story that reshapes his adventures into a world in which he is a hero.
He tells of his accomplishments and adventures as a hospitality gift to gain their trust and generosity. He also paints his opponents, specifically the cyclops Polyphemus, as uncivilized and lacking hospitality. By outcasting this creature who has neglected Odysseus, he attempts to persuade the Phaeacians to care for him and prove their civilization in contrast to the cyclops.
Plato, Republic
Plato, Republic
In Plato's Republic, Socrates proposes a city, the kallipolis, that embodies justice. He builds this new world that upholds all the virtues that he deems most important. In doing this, he creates what he sees as a utopia, although some might argue that it resembles a dystopia.
This world holds philosophy and justice in high regard. By creating this somewhat shocking world, Plato pushes the necessity of truth, knowledge, and philosophy. Dissatisfied by his political world, he encourages everyone to pursue deepening their understanding of the world as he constructs this city.
The Matrix
The Matrix
Viewing The Matrix facilitated a deeper understanding of the cave analogy in Plato, Republic.
In the cave, prisoners are chained so that they can only see shadows on the wall. Behind them puppeteers hold different symbols and objects that cast said shadows. Beyond the puppeteers, there is the world outside of the cave and a forceful liberator who drags prisoners to see this world. This whole analogy is meant to argue how the pursuit of philosophy is a worthy endeavor, but it is only manageable and tolerable for a select few.
In this apocalyptic science fiction movie, machines have taken over the planet, and they harvest energy from humans by plugging them into a computer simulation of the world, the matrix. Essentially, humans are prisoners in this computer-generated, metaphorical cave. Meanwhile the machines take the form of agents, or puppeteers, who deceive the prisoners and keep them in the cave. Morpheus, the forceful liberator, pulls people out of the matrix and offers them truth. Neo and Trinity, among others, accept this truth and get to work to take down this construction. Not everyone can accept this truth, however, as shown by Cypher who decides a life of ignorance in the matrix may be preferable to this depressing world.
Vergil, "Eclogue 4"
Vergil, "Eclogue 4"
In Eclogue IV, Vergil uses the elements of time and space to create a world that reflects The Golden Age, a myth of an earlier time when humans lived peaceful and untroubled lives. In his pastoral, he relates the progression of The Golden Age to the growth of an infant into a man, shedding the bad and growing into a time when land produces everything. While using this analogy, he also puts a temporal limit on this future world of peace. As for space, he refers to “earth and wide sea and deep heavens.”
Boccaccio, The Decameron
Boccaccio, The Decameron
In Boccaccio's The Decameron, he creates a locus amoenus for the brigata. Essentially, as they flee from plague-ridden Florence, they create their own world of peace, humanity, and compassion. There are a few layers, or frames, that establish this new world.
First, the world of plague in Florence that Boccaccio inhabits creates a foundation for him to explore in his novellas. Within this, he writes as an author explaining to the ladies of Italy how he intends to cheer them up by telling them of the brigata. The brigata then creates both their own world of storytelling, and various worlds within each of their stories. While complex, The Decameron effectively accomplishes many layers of worldbuilding all in one collection of novellas.
Butler, Parable of the Sower
Butler, Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler builds a world that envisions what the world might look like in the future. A science fiction work written in 1993, Butler imagines a collapse in society that could occur with the worsening of circumstances, especially the economy. She sets the story in LA in the 2020's, which of course is now much closer to present day. Almost as a warning, she creates a world that suffers more extremely and obviously from the problems that have already become prevalent.
By turning this work into a graphic novel, an illustrative world is also created. With emphasis of certain colors in different parts, stronger emotional tones come through and help to push forward the devastation in this world. Other visual elements also highlight the chaos and terror unleashed in this speculative world.
References
References
Informational Sources
Informational Sources
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Edited and translated by Wayne Rebhorn. Norton, 2016.
Duffy, Damian, et al. Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. Abrams ComicArts, 2020.
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin, 1996.
Plato. Republic. Translated by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C. Reeve, Hackett, 1992.
Vergil, Eclogues, "Eclogue IV."
Wachowski, Lana, and Lilly Wachowski. The Matrix. Warner Bros., 1999.
Photo Sources
Photo Sources
“Agent Smith.” VS Battles Wiki, https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Agent_Smith.
“Christian Interpretations of Virgil's Eclogue 4.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Aug. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_interpretations_of_Virgil%27s_Eclogue_4.
David, Jacques Louis, The Death of Socrates, 1787.
“The Matrix: Trinity - Transparent! by SpeedCam on DeviantArt.” By SpeedCam on DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/speedcam/art/The-Matrix-Trinity-Transparent-908629049.
“Morpheus.” VS Battles Wiki, https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Morpheus
“Neo (the Matrix).” VS Battles Wiki, https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Neo_(The_Matrix)
Roomland, Clark. “Phaeacians in the Odyssey: Their Heroics in the Story.” Ancient Literature, 11 Apr. 2022, https://ancient- literature.com/phaeacians-in-the-odyssey/.
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