Please provide examples of figurative language in book 18 of the Odyssey.

A
feature of the Homeric epic, and of classical
Greek poetry in general, is its reliance on
figurative language, in part
because the use of metaphorical language is an important element of

literature that began in an oral tradition.

Book 18 covers Odysseus's
return
to his palace in Ithaka, and Odysseus, because he appears to be a
beggar, is subject to an
assault by Iros (Arnaeus) and abuse from the
suitors. The language, at least in the first 100
lines, centers on the
escalating fight between the beggar Iros and the apparent beggar Odysseus.
As
Odysseus is challenged by Iros, he reminds Iros that they are both beggars, using a
subtle,
but apt, image to make concrete their equality:

I have
done nothing to harm or insult you, nor do
I begrudge you the food that you get from these
gentlemen here. There is
plenty of room in the doorway for both of us.

This may seem to be a minor example of figurative language in , but

it is typical of the perfect image for the circumstanceOdysseus is carefully retaining
his
beggar persona by telling Iros, as well as the suitors, that he and Iros
are equals and they
both have equal claims to hospitality. Iros responds
with, "listen how he goes on like a
foul-mouthed scullery maid," using ato
place Odysseus on the level of serving
women.

Before the
fight begins in earnest, Athena makes Odysseus more
powerful, and the result
is that Odysseus is able to beat Iros easily. As his punishment for
losing
the fight, one of the suitors says,

We will
send
him [Iros] off to King Echetus on the mainland, the Mutilator.

Another important element of figurative
languageand probably a feature of the original
oral traditionis , the
reference to something or someone outside the immediate scene that
resonates
with the listeners or readers because of its cultural associations. In this case,
the
suitor alludes to either a particularly nasty ogre or an actual king
located on the mainland
near Ithaka, someone known widely for his cruelty,
and the allusion enriches the
scene.

Later in book 18,
Penelope is preparing to visit the suitors, and
Athena, wanting to make
Penelope as desirable as possible to the suitors, performs some cosmetic

magic while Penelope is asleep:

she cleansed her
beautiful
face with the fragrant ointment that is used by Aphrodite
herself...and made her complexion
whiter than than newly sawn
ivory.

This scene contains
the
allusion to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, another very important cultural touchstone
in
this culture. Even more importantly, it compares Penelope's complexion to
the ideal for
upper-class women (i.e., very white), a sign that, unlike other
women in the palace, Penelope,
despite her circumstances as an apparently
widowed woman, is of very high station and worthy of
respect and certainly of
desire.

The figurative language here and throughout
the
Homeric epics allows the poet to create concrete images that enliven abstractions.
Instead
of describing Penelope as beautiful, the poet notes that her
complexion is like "newly sawn
ivory," creating an immediate sensory
perception that the word "beautiful" could
not. And this use of metaphorical
language carries images to us that are still meaningful
because we see,
rather than merely hear, the poet's world.