The Odyssey has several differences from hat of society and culture today. Time is a big factor in this. Some might say the people of the time lived barbarically and that we now live very civilized, but were they really that barbaric? They do have several differences from us including the different levels of societal structure, which include the role of women, men, children, and slaves. Cultural differences include differences in "government" set up or the way the area Is ruled, how crimes are handled, as well as, differences In religions, gods, deities, and forms or types of worship.
Greek culture has no true structure except within the household. Outside of the household many people are treated based on how they live or dress. There isn't much reference to t
...heir societal structure outside of the home except when the cattle herdsman was very rude towards the swineherd and Odysseus (as a beggar). They do talk about having slaves. Outside of the home one would assume that there would be the beggar at the bottom, then the slaves, which would include herdsmen and farmers, and then the people who owned the slaves.
Then within the household you would have the slaves at the bottom. Women of the household in the middle and the men of the household at the top. It is easy to see that the women are below the men because Telemeters has the ability to tell his mother what to do. For example, if Telemeters had wanted he could have forced her to marry one of the suitors. Women do still have some control though.
When the husband (or son, once h
Is of age) is away she controls the household.
In The Odyssey it is not indicated whether or not there is a "supervisor" left to oversee the decisions that she would make, so it isn't completely clear how much control women have. Another part of the societal structure that we see Is the way a crime Is handled. When one person harms another avenge is called for even if the revenge would be against someone of higher ranking. They followed the saying "an eye for an eye" very literally. For example, after Odysseus kills the suitors, some of the suitors fathers come after him looking to kill him (a life for a life, an eye for an eye).
The only time this was not followed was when a god stepped in. Gods or deities would be the very top of their societal structure because of the power they had. All of this is very different from society today. Today we have a government which makes our laws and the decisions that affect our country as a whole.
Although this Is to true for all regions of the world, some places are very Like the society within The Odyssey. Our societal structure within the United States of America has very few similarities to that of The Odyssey.
At the bottom we have the beggars and the 'OFF some refer to as the slums. These people can afford the bare necessities and sometimes a little bit more.
Next we have the middle class which includes the families that have steady, good paying Jobs who can afford all necessities and then some, and finally we have our upper
class which includes the rich and famous, as well as, those who work within our government. Our society has a very different way of solving things, such as crimes. We have a court system that settles our disputes and deals out punishment based on our laws.
If anyone in our society decided to live similar to the people in The Odyssey, and use revenge to get back at people ("an eye for an eye") they would be put in Jail so that they couldn't continue to do so. We also have a different household structure. In most homes the women and men share an equal role.
Moms and dads are both always superior to the children, both son and daughter. Each parent has a shared and equal amount of authority. But similar to The Odyssey we no longer have to follow our parents once we become of age (18).
Although we are not given any control over our mother as Telemeters was. Also, there are several differences between Greek and American culture from then until One major example would be our customs. In The Odyssey guests were always given extravagant gifts; we don't really do that anymore.
Guests (usually family or friends) usually inform you, either through a phone call or text message, before they come over unless it's an emergency. Usually when guests do come over it is only for a people of hours and usually Just to talk or have dinner together.
Strangers don't come over to people's homes unless it is an emergency or they are lost. In the case of a stranger coming they arena usually treated as a guest, they
are sometimes treated very rudely depending on the area. We also don't give expensive gifts, usually there aren't any gifts unless it's a holiday or any other type of celebration. Another major cultural difference would be the way we worship or respect our god(s) or deities.
Today, Catholics worship by going to church, praying, telling sins to a pastor, and penning through different prayers.
Many religions do things very differently but within the U. S. Majority of religions do not make sacrifices to the god or gods that they worship. In Greek culture they have several gods or deities that they respect and use rituals to worship them through sacrifice and prayer. People may decide to worship one god more than others.
Usually when worshiping a god or deity they make a sacrificial offering to that god or deity, which usually consists of a sterile bull or an "alpha" sheep as well as mead, wine, and other everyday goods, such as wheat, money and fruit.
We also have a very different culture because we, in the United States of America, are like a giant "melting pot. " We have so many cultures mixed together that it is hard to say what our culture all includes. People from all areas of the world have come to America looking for a new start or for a better life. America is called the great melting pot for a reason.
We are the one country that has such a great mixture of society and culture and is still standing today. Although this does create conflict for those who find it to be a bad thing, it is taken as
a good thing to mom people.
Living in a country with such diversity is an amazing thing because it is much easier to learn about all of the cultures and societies around the world when your best friend could originate from the other side of the world. It makes it much everywhere are different, but they are all amazing in their own way. That includes those of today, the past, and the future to come no matter what area of the world they originate in. Throughout time things change, which is easy to see when comparing today's society and culture to the society and culture of those who lived during the time of
The Odyssey.
This is only one example of the differences in culture and society throughout time and location or region. All over the world there are societies and cultures that haven't changed for hundreds of years. You could compare two cultures and/or societies today and still come up with a similar comparison. Many things can affect a society as well as a culture. When people immigrate or emigrate, society and culture are both affected.
Also, when strangers are allowed into a community, society and culture can change by the little bit that that stranger brought with them.
All over he world there are structural differences within a community and within a family. Some religions, such as Sanitaria and Condonable (found in the West), are still very similar to that of The Odyssey. Many areas still hold women below man, they don't treat them as equals like we do. Some societies may still have slavery, although majority of the world does not have
slavery.
These are only some of the differences that you could find between The Odyssey and today. If you look even deeper into our society and our culture I'm sure there are things that many people do not pick up on.
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