Class Discussion 2 - Coursework Example

Discuss how creation differs in Theogony than in Genesis. What are the roles of the gods in creation? What effect does this Greek creation story have in comparison to the Hebrew one?The Theogony differs significantly from Genesis in the way it portrays nature. Nature is created for the human beings in Genesis while this is not the case in the creation story of the Greek. Earth or Gaia, is a God in Theogony. Hesiod acknowledges the role of Gaia by the statement “the firm seat of all”. What it means is that human life would not be there without her presence.

However, Hesiod does not explicitly give nature to mortal man as in Genesis. When the human being receives fire from Prometheus, Zeus punishes the man and not Prometheus. Both the ancient Hebrews and Greeks stories had a love/hate relationship with nature. Zeus punishes the man, and it is similar to God punishing man when he ate the forbidden fruit. Genesis and the Theogony have a profound difference in the relationship between human beings and their respective deities. Hebrew’ have only one God while the Greeks’ have many different gods.

This difference in the gods creates a high contrast between human beings and God or gods in the two creation stories. The effect of a man using the fire stolen by Prometheus is that he will have to face an evil called a woman. The man will never escape the woman who is to destroy him. The Hebrew story has God punishing a man, for eating the forbidden fruit. Man would toil the land and sweat to be able to eat. 2. Many have seen manhood as a key theme of the Odyssey. Do you agree? What are some of the ways in which you see this theme play out in the text?

Alternatively, do you see a better case for another theme being the primary one?Manhood in Odyssey has a demonstration in several ways. The Greek saying, how a righteous man shall not fear as God will not forsake him has a lot of portrayal in Odyssey. Odysseus, who is the lead character and an honest man, is an epic hero. He returns from the war in Trojan, a hero and a victor. The manhood in the story sees Odysseus as a hero not only of muscle power but also of the brain. He is knowledgeable and always finds solutions to any problem they face.

Indeed, he is a man with outstanding bravery and prowess, and an inquiring mind. Odysseus has a portrayal as a top-notch athlete. The storyline exaggerates the character of Odysseus. There could be more themes that would be suitable for the story. Example for another theme would focus on Odysseus wife, Penelope. Penelope has been harassed by several suitors while the heroic husband was away on his mission. The storyline is narrow as everything that happens surrounds Odysseus. The primary suitable theme would be the relationship between the gods and human beings.