The Symbolism Of The Dog In Homer's Odyssey

Dogs are known for being a man’s best friend. When we think of dogs we often think of their loyalty and companionship. Many love dogs so it is not surprising that they are featured in books too. In the Odyssey by Homer there is a dog named Argos. Odysseus leaves when Argos is just a puppy but when he comes back the dog has clearly not been taken care of and dies as soon as it sees Odysseus. There has been a lot of other literature and art based off of the Odyssey and the different stories in it. A specific poem and painting both are about Argos and Odysseus’ reunion. The poem makes it seem like Argos cares about Odysseus but Odysseus seemed to have forgotten Argos while he was gone. In the painting, it seems like Argos and Odysseus both missed each other. But in both the poem and painting, Argos, the

In the painting Argos Recognizes Odysseus, Theodor van Thulden uses the scene of Argo’s last moments spent with his lost owner Odysseus to show that if a bond is strong enough people will always connect, while in his poem “Argos”, Alexander Pope uses the same scene to show that being too self-adsorbed with problems can lead to neglecting those that should be cared for.

The poem Argos Recognizes Odysseus by Alexander Pope demonstrates the idea that often people neglect others when caught up in their own problems. When Odysseus leaves to go to war, he does not think of his puppy, Argos. Twenty years go by and Argos is no longer a puppy, he is a stray, aged dog. In the poem it first is talking about Odysseus, how he was alone and forgotten. The poem exclaims,