Madeline Sigler - Burial Rites lyrics

The audience of Homer's poems would have understood this statement, "proper burial rites". The audience's conception of d**h, burial rites, and the afterlife was largely influenced by stories of the Greek gods, especially Hades. At the time, if a deceased human was denied proper burial rites, it was also seen as a denial of their human dignity (Heilbrunn). In this section of the pa**age Odysseus states that he should have died in the Trojan War in order to receive proper burial rites. He is saying that because he did not die then and believes he will now die an "unhappy d**h", he has been torn from his proper burial rites (Powell). Homer's audience in ancient Greece would have understood this to mean that he was also stripped of his human dignity, and it could be argued that Odysseus believes he would have maintained his human dignity if he had died in the Trojan War. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." d**h, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. . Powell, Barry B. "Book 5. Odysseus and Kalypso." Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: The Essential Books. New York: Oxford UP, 2015. Print.