1. Literary Element Analysis
Homer’s Odyssey
Literary Element Analysis

2. Epic Simile-p.1053 ln 232
“Neither reply nor pity came from him, But in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor.”

3. Epic Simile- Description
Odysseus’s men struggling against Polyphemus is like helpless puppies wriggling in a man’s arms.

4. Epic Simile- Analysis
Homer’s comparison between the men and puppies helps the reader understand just how small and helpless the men were. By telling his audience that they are like puppies, Homer is characterizing the men as innocent, fragile, and helpless. Puppies are obviously much smaller and weaker than a human. Therefore, Polyphemus’s size and strength are emphasized through the comparison because he is obviously much bigger and stronger than the men.

5. Epic Simile- p ln 236
“Then he dismembered them and made his meal,
gaping and crunching like a mountain lion—
everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones.”

6. Epic Simile- Description
Polyphemus eating Odysseus’s men is like a mountain lion eating its prey.

7. Epic Simile- Analysis
Homer’s comparison between Polyphemus eating the men and a mountain lion eating its prey portrays Polyphemus as a brutal animal, not a civilized being. It describes that he ate “everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones.” He devours the whole body indiscriminately, showing that eating for him serves the primitive purpose of feeding, not necessarily enjoying food or caring what he eats. He wolfs down his food whole without cooking it, like an animal. He lacks civility.