The Discussion of Works and Days and the Theogony by Hesiod - Essay Example

It is such an opportunity to read the works of Hesiod because it depicts a lot of sensitivity and passion for poetry. Hesiod created Works and Days and the Theogony. He divided Works and Days into five ages; the Golden age, Silver age, Bronze Age, Heroic age and the Iron Age (Hesiod 800 B.C/1993). The literary work talked about the pagan ethics, eulogizes hard work and details the lucky and unlucky days of the month for different activities. On the other hand, the Theogony serves as the main foundation of Greek mythology because it defines a clearer view of the creation of the Greek pagan myth.

DiscussionWorks and Days is composed of verses where it resembles about the fact that labor is the universal set of man. Conceptualizing work from the point of view of Hesiod is like saying that a man will get by if he is willing to work hard for his living. The poem presents five ages of man that suggests things that a sincere labor could bring good to man. Lombardo translated on the two kinds of strife mentioned (W & D 25, p. 23):They’ve just gotCompletely opposite temperaments.One of them favors war and fighting.

She’s a mean cussAnd nobody likes her, but everybody honors her,This ornery Eris. They have to: it’s the god’s will.It suggests that work is sometimes done by force where in a man needs to command his superior. It is necessary to work and man has no choice but to work because it defines his living and it is, according to the writer, the will of god. Works and Days presents the things that can be taken account in considering the real essence of work in the real scenario. Sometimes, it is vital to see other people striving hard for a man to be motivated in his work but sometimes may lead to evil thinking.

According to the writer (W & D 35, p. 24): When a person’s lazing about and sees his neighborGetting rich, because he hurries to plow plant And put his homestead in order, he tends to competeWith that neighbor in a race to get rich. Hesiod attacked the laziness of a man and being unfair or being biased. The quotation described the people dealing about parity and disparity over the labor and looks at it as the source of all good.So potter feuds with potterAnd carpenter with carpenter,Beggar is jealous of beggarAnd poet of poet These lines of Lombardo (W &D 40, p.24) symbolize competition among the workers and being aggressive for anything just to fulfill their roles.

This is just the evidence in the history that what is happening today really reflects the deed of the past. Because before that the human raceHad lived off the land without any trouble, no hard work,No sickness or pain that the Fates give to men(And when men are in misery they show their age quickly). These lines (W & D 110, p.26) describe the life before the miseries happened. However, it had been scattered all throughout and had been visible through the acts of man. A man seeks satisfaction for the things that he do and is expected to undertake hardships just to fulfill even though he does not conform to it in the first place.

Conclusion Lombard’s translation of Hesiod’s work is clear and easy to get along with. Works and Days is a poem where it adheres the reality what people experiences at work and it depicts the world today. Force labor, just and unjust activities, competition, exploitation are mainly discernible on the poem. Work can be apparent to good or bad. A person is unsure of what it takes to have a good life, but more often than not it takes a very tough way to attain what a man desires. ReferencesHesiod, (1993).

“Works and Days; Theogony”. (Lombardo, S. Trans; Lamberton, R. Intro.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published 800 B.C)