Author: r.yip

In “Plant friendship’s tree” and “Thanks be to God”, Hafez shares his controversial praise of worldly pleasures. Hafez may be viewed as a Sufi, but his unconventional interests in wine and love say otherwise. In my opinion, I believe Sufis are self-disciplined and abide by strict rules. Based off my definition, I think that Hafez is complicating his apparent asceticism because he is seeking pleasures by indulging in wine and love. In “Thanks be to God”, Hafez writes “[wine] brings us drunkenness, and pride, and pleasure” (Line 5). Hafez is sharing his unorthodox views of seeking pleasures by embracing love and alcohol, but is also teaching others how to be content and satisfied.

In their epics, Plato’s and Homer’s conceptions of love are somewhat alike. In the Symposium, Plato tries to convey the idea that there are numerous perspectives to define love. Agathon’s lover, Pausanius believes that there are two types of love: Common and Heavenly love. Common Love is the affection or physical attraction between lovers, and Heavenly Love is the appreciation or spiritual bond between people.

Compared to The Odyssey, Plato’s Symposium included two kinds of love that are both conveyed in Homer’s epic. There is Common Love between Penelope & Odysseus, and Kalypso & Odysseus again. Moreover, there is Heavenly Love between Odysseus and his soldiers; they praise him for his intelligence and his leadership. Homer depicts Odysseus as a cunning and exemplary warrior that many commonly and heavenly love.

Despite making detours during his voyage back to his family and home, I trust in Odysseus’ desire to return to Ithaka. Odysseus may have delayed his journey back home, but he declined the offer to marry Nausikaa and left Phaiakia thus prioritized returning back to Ithaka. However, I think that Homer is not absolutely sure that Odysseus is willing to go back to his wife and matured son. In The Odyssey, Homer emphasized Odysseus’ long stay with Kirke on Aiaia; Odysseus and his men stayed with the cunning Kirke for a couple of years before continuing their voyage home. Moreover, Odysseus and his men are always caught in some sort of dilemma wherever they are even with Athena’s guidance. I believe that Homer does not trust in Odysseus because he creates an idea that Odysseus is not in any rush to return home. On the other hand, I blame Poseidon for prolonging Odysseus’ trip.