Author: l.jorge

In Hafez’s poems, it is apparent that he enjoys indulging in the finer things in life. Even though he is a Sufi, he takes great pride in drinking alcohol and admiring the beauty of women that pass him by. It may seem from the outside that his urge to indulge in pleasure only complicates his role as a Sufi. That is not the case. Hafez is acting in this way to show others the path they need to take to get to heaven, as people need to do the exact opposite of what he does. A Sufi is meant to be someone who is admired for his ability to teach others the right way to live a pious life. Hafez is just taking an alternate route as some people learn better by observing other people’s mistakes.

Catullus views on love greatly resembles the view of love portrayed in The Odyssey. Catullus views love as a gift from the gods and a promise between two lovers, a promise that should never be broken. Even after Catullus’s love, Lesbia, betrayed him and “bad-mouths” him, it is clear he still loves her and can not get over her. He feels the need to continue to keep his promise to love her, a promise he signs with a kiss.

In The Odyssey, love is also seen as a promise between two lovers. Penelope, even though she has little hope that Odysseus is still alive, continues to keep the promises she made to him on their wedding day. She views love as sacred and refuses to remarry until she knows for sure that he was passed on to the underworld. The greatest symbol of that promise was the bed Odysseus made for the two to engage in eternal love on.

One of the major themes in the Odyssey is the father-son relationship. Having a father in one’s life is often viewed as critical for one’s mental and social development. Having a father in one’s life is especially critical for a son, who looks up to his father as a role and seeks to understand the world with their guidance. Sons often follow their fathers around and look to emulate all of their actions, in hopes of being like them one day. Telemachus, unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to be raised by his father and as a result failed to develop certain attributes like courage or leadership. He never had that dear father-son relationship that more than likely, would have caused Telemachus to stand up to the suitors and defend the honor of both his father and his mother. He would have had the courage to kill all the suitors himself and ensure that his father’s kingdom was as stable and well run as when he left. Even though, his father is not around Telemachus still admired his father for his military accomplishments and looked to make him proud, dead or not.