Ulysses Loses Identity

Publication Instance Details #2786

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
No	No	No	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	Displacement/Forced Migration
Languages	English
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Anthology
Notes	This is a short poem based on mythology from the Odyssey: 'Odysseus is instructed by Tiresias to take an oar from his ship and to walk inland until he finds a "land that knows nothing of the sea", where the oar would be mistaken for a winnowing fan.'' This poem seems to use this metaphor as a way to express someone's journey to a new, foreign land, where the culture is entirely different. The poem's last few lines make reference to the safety found in this strange new world: 'it's the end of war'. Thus, the poem could be read as a 'refugee' poem as well: expressing both the sense of alienation that comes with a new culture, as well as the safety of being away from a troubled homeland.