I'm still having some trouble figuring out the homeric simile in this:
What a dear welcome thing life seems to children
whose father, in the extremity, recovers
after some weakening and malignant illness:
his pangs are gone, the gods have delivered him.
What two things are being comapred? Is it life, and....? Please help
Thanks
-MC
'Two nights, two days, in the solid deep sea-swell
he drifted, many times awaiting death,
until with shining ringlets in the East
the dawn confirmed a third day, breaking clear
over a high and windless sea; and mounting
a rolling wave he caught a glimpse of land.
What a dear welcome thing life seems to children
whose father, in the extremity, recovers
after some weakening and malignant illness:
his pangs are gone, the gods have delivered him.
So dear and welcome to Odysseus
the sight of land, of woodland, on that morning.'
Isn't he comparing the sight of land with life, and deliverance from the Gods?
I guess. thanks
-MC
In the given excerpt, the Homeric simile compares the experience of a recovered father to the joy and relief that children feel when their father, who had been seriously ill, is no longer in pain and has been saved by the gods. The two things being compared are:
1. The experience of life: The simile begins by describing life as a "dear welcome thing" to children. This represents the overall feeling of joy and happiness that is associated with living.
2. The recovery of a father from a serious illness: The simile goes on to describe a specific situation where a father has been suffering from a weakening and malignant illness. His recovery is likened to the relief and joy that children feel when their father is delivered from his suffering and pain.
By comparing these two situations, the simile amplifies the emotions and captures the sense of gratitude and happiness that children experience when their beloved father is restored to health.