YinjiCao

** "Homer-Erotic" by Chuck Rybak (2007)  ** __Yinji Cao __  When I first heard the word "homoerotic" we were learning the Iliad in class, so naturally I heard "Homer-erotic," which,given the number of men stationed in one place for a decade with not much to do, made perfect sense to me.

Pleased with this sharp-edged word, I hoisted it like a javelin, pointed it at my friends, made jabs at parties hosted by smart people. "O, that's entirely Homer-erotic," I would say into the profound pauses I understood to be the requisite awe.

I patiently explained to my girlfriend how being Homer-erotic was different than being gay, which was a whole separate deal, and that this love was the epic love of friends, the bond beyond beers. This was marrow love, forearm-clasping love, I'd-play-on-your-team love.

Because theory is no good without pratice, I brought my spear to the bar where Bud Light camps outside the walls of Miller, where men, without irony, wear the jerseys and numbers of other men, just like the girls in high school who dated and fawned over the football players.

A man among men, I duly sacrificed hecatombs of peanuts and buffalo wings, watched giants gaze up at the Olympian big-screen and seize their neighbor's hands, "Brother, our team will not fail this dawn, and if they do, let the earth yawn and swallow me in shame."

Muses, who were the manly lords and officers? Dick, raider-of-refrigerators was there, and seated next to him was Frank, son of Ronald- they love the waitress with her tits that launched a thousand ships, but they'd been dishonored at home, where the slaves weren't as grateful as they should be.

I'm embarrassed to say when I first learned of my error, of "homoerotic" as reality, but let's just say that men had already packed and made it home from Troy while I was the last one standing, and not because I'd won the Homeric spelling bee.

Once it was gone I wanted my word back. I miss you Agamemnon, dick that you were. I miss the big cry baby, Achilles, as well. I miss the Homer-erotic annunciation of men who offend fickle gods and mispronounce all that they've heard with pride.

Now, I sit as quiet as a bowl in a china shop. I beg the gods for an escape goat because not knowing the score is cutting your nose, despite your face. Make no mistake- when you say it right, "homo" makes the men see red, ill-fated pigment of the imagination.

**Way 1: First Impressions**
 My first impressions of this poem is that it is a poem with a deep connection with the great poet Homer, and many of his terms used in his Iliad and Odyssey such as Troy, Agamemnon and Achilles (22, 26, 27). Although I don't have a deep understanding of such relationship, I feel that this poem is about the development of the character's idea of "Homer-erotic". To me the author is using a mispronunciation of "homoerotic" to try and describe a love between men that is real and valuable and needed but not sexual. It seems that he heard the term "homoerotic" and thought it was actually "homer-erotic". Thus he has created his own word with its own meaning. Later he decides to practice it by himself. What he experiences in the bar changes his understanding of the term, which makes him realize that he made a mistake in exploring the true meaning of "Homer-erotic" in relating it to homosexuality. I feel that the whole poem makes extensive use of Homer's poems and implies a criticism of the stereotype against gay people.

**Way 2: Engaging with the Text**
 I have not find an audio version of the poet's reading and I don't spot any rhyme scheme in this poem. However, I believe the sound effects of pronunciation of "Homer-erotic" and "homoerotic" seems pivotal in relating the form to the content.  The assonance of the two words with a small difference in the "profound" pause marks the difference in meaning. And I believe that in actual reading of the poem, the difference in the pronunciation of "homoerotic" potentially indicates the evolution of the author's understanding of this word, which is the core of this narrative poem.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; font-size: 110%;">Vertical Thinking: Close Readings of the Text
===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Way 3: A Point about Form and Its Relationship to Content ** ===

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">This free verse poem consists of nine stanzas with six lines each. The author makes the plot of the narration very clear to the reader by using transitions such as "because", "first", "once" and "now" (19, 37, 42, 49). These signals give a clear picture of how the speaker's understanding of "Homer-erotic" evolved. Besides, the grouping of the lines into stanzas indicates how the speaker's develops his understanding at each stage, giving a clear structure of the poem. The assonance of "Homer-erotic" and "homoerotic" plays a vital role in relating form to content as explained in Way 2. Also, the repetition of "miss" strengthens the speaker's emotions (44, 45, 46).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">This poem abounds with figurative language. The first instance I chose is in the “like a javelin, pointed at my friends” (8). It is a simile that compares two things: the word “Homer-erotic” and a javelin. This comparison can be illuminated by the previous line “Pleased with this sharp-edged word, I hoisted it” (7).

A javelin literally means “a light spear thrown as a weapon of war or in hunting” (merriam-webster.com). This definition implies that a javelin is a sharp-edged lance that may cause serious damage to the shooting target. The words “hoisted” (7) and the phrase “pointed it at my friends” (8) confirm that the word “Homer-erotic” was like a dangerous weapon the narrator used to attack his friends.

This simile has deep connotative meanings. Using “homer-erotic” as a joke to make fun of friends originated from the narrator’s mispronunciation of the word “homoerotic”. But he did not realize this mispronunciation would hurt; he even understood the “profound pauses” (11) to be the “requisite awe” (12), unaware of the fact that it sounds like “homoerotic” and would evoke an emotional response from men toward homosexuality. This simile indicates how bad this mispronunciation actually hurt the narrator’s friends without the narrator’s notice.

Recontextualizing it within the whole poem, I find this simile makes a vivid description of how his mispronunciation made his friend angry because it sounds like “homoerotic”. At the end of the poem, his phrase “ill-fated pigment of the imagination” suggest that this “red” that they are seeing is pigment that comes from their imagination (54). In other words, they are angry or scared because of something that they are just imagining from “homo”.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">One of the most obvious settings in this poem is "the bar where Bud Light / camps outside the walls of Miller" (20, 21) to practice what his own creation of the word “Homer-erotic” actually means. This choice of setting is intriguing. First, the bar is often a place full of male friendship, that is why the narrative was trying to find the “epic love of friends”, “I’d-play-on-your-team love” which is what he thought “Homer-erotic” means (16, 18). However, I think the bar scene is supposed to be satire, a place where there is only beer, “peanuts and buffalo wings” and men wearing “the jerseys and numbers of other men”, without much “bond beyond beers” (26, 22, 17). The author used this setting to point out that the friendship at the bar is superficial; it is not the true bonding kind of friendship and love between men that he means by “Homer-erotic.”

Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">This poem is written in the first-person point of view, “told by a narrator who is actually a participant in the events of the particular story”, as a protagonist in this poem (Brown & Yarbrough 63). This can be confirmed by the numerous ‘I’s in the poem as the narrator tells a story of his own. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In this point of view, the author makes it completely accessible for the reader to experience all the narrator’s emotional activities, such as how he believes “Homer-erotic” makes sense initially, and how embarrassed he feels about how late he finally realizes his mistake. This is a poem about the evolution of the narrator’s understanding of “homoerotic”, so the choice of first-person point of view enables the reader to understand such development in the easiest possible way. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">However, some limitations in this choice of point of view cannot be ignored. First, the reader only gets to know they the narrator sees the word “Homer-erotic” and the people he describes by it. We do not know his girlfriend’s understanding of the difference of this word from being gay and the response and feelings of the people being called “Homer-erotic”. Besides, at the end of the story, the narrator offers his subjective explanation of how the prefix “homo” would trigger people’s response. The reader has no idea how closely this subjectivity approaches reality.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The difficulty and complexity of this poem is first illustrated by the Greek Mythology involved. A correct understanding of this poem demands not only some familiarity with Homer’s Iliad, the Trojan War, but also how the author used the Greek myths and the characters in this narrative. The relationships between Muses, Dick, Frank, Agamemnon, Achilles and the like pose complexity and difficulty for the reader. Such complexity is also shown by the author’s unique way of connecting the myths to the story of his understanding of “homoerotic”.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Complexity, ambiguity and difficulty are also posed when the author tries to compare the word “homoerotic” and his own creation “Homer-erotic”. What are the similarities and differences? Why did the author make extensive allusions to Homer and his epic? Is “homoerotic” or “Homer-erotic” the author is focusing on? The subtle altering of words and its connotations are obstacles in the reader’s initial reading of the poem.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 8: Considering Canonicity
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">For a literary work to be included in the literary canon, it must possess aesthetical value, cultural significance and universal impact. I believe this text possess aesthetical value and cultural significance, although I have not been able to fully comprehend them so far.

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Aesthetically, this poem abounds with figurative language such as similes, metaphors and images. The author selected a unique way to successfully combine the characters and contents in Homer’s myths with his narration about his own understanding of “homoerotic”. His own psychological activities are vividly portrayed during his cognitive growth about this term.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Culturally, I believe the theme of the poem is closely related to the discrimination against gay people. During his mental growth, the narrator witnesses how the prefix “homo” would cause men’s intense response that he was initially unaware of. The poem describes in some ways what is called a “homophobe,” a person who is afraid of being around homosexuals and even afraid of doing something that would make him look like a homosexual. This issue portrayed by the author in the early 21st century raises people’s concerns about homophobia and criticizes the lack of tolerance towards people of other sexual orientations in the modern society.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 9: Biographical Context
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The author’s biographical information helps me understand the work better. Chuck Rybak is a Professor of English who obtained “a PhD in literature and creative writing” in 2003 (Tongue and Groove). He wrote this poem only a few years after his graduation, so I assume he just started his career of teaching in college and is in constant communication and interaction with college students. First, his familiarity with Greek Mythology helps him make a successful connection between Homer and the issue he wants to raise. Second, the author’s relatively young age his knowledge of his students may enable him to witness and experience the current sexual situations in society. The ever-increasing impact from homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals in the 21st century evoke diverse responses from heterosexuals, and discrimination and homophobia are inevitably important issues to be addressed in this liberal world.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Way 10: Historical and Cultural Contexts
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Historical and cultural contexts further helps me understands this poem, especially the portion of the Trojan War, which was a 10 year long war spoken of in the myths by the Greeks against the city of Troy. It ended when the Greeks hid soldiers inside the Trojan horse, which Troy accepted into the city, and the city ended up being destroyed. The Homeric epic Iliad “begins with Achilles' withdrawal from battle after he is dishonored by Agamemnon, the commander of the Achaean forces” (Iliad). This information helps me understand the characters mentioned in the poem. Besides, the author mentions how men in the Greek myths mispronounced things. There is something from one of these stories about a man who had a speech impediment and it caused him to say things that meant something different than what he had intended. This also explains the line “mispronounce all they’ve heard with pride” (48). Historical and cultural contexts illuminate the author’s intention to include the characters and history of the Trojan War.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 11: Theoretical Application
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Feminist Criticism frequently questions “the exclusion of others from that elite group” (Brown & Yarbrough 325). This perspective can be applied to this poem that arouses many questions. The line “I patiently explained to my girlfriend how” shows that the narrator thought it was important to explain the difference between “Homer-erotic” and “homoerotic” to his girlfriend and make her understand it (13). However, after such “patient” explanation, the girlfriend’s opinion is never mentioned. Did she agree or disagree? Did she try to convince him if she disagreed? These are all irrelevant to what the narrator was thinking, as he believes it was just “a whole separate deal” (15). Therefore it sounds the girl was completely excluded from the discussion of “Homer-erotic” and her opinion has no impact on the narrator’s, even after they had what seems like a thorough discussion. Moreover, the narrator only tried to practice and understand “Homer-erotic” and “homoerotic” in terms of males, although homoeroticism can also between females. The girls are just a minority group that “dated and fawned over the football players” (24). Such obvious exclusion of the female gender would raise a lot of questions from feminist criticism.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Way 12: Another Theoretical Application
<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Psychoanalytic criticism “focuses on significance of symbols and apparently accidental utterances that reveal the deeper intentions of the unconscious mind” (Brown & Yarbrough 331). The lines “given the number of men / stationed in one place for a decade with not much to do / made perfect sense to me” (4, 5, 6) suggest that the narrator would unconsciously relate homoeroticism only to men, which can be confirmed by the last two lines “ ‘homo’ makes the men see / red, ill-fated pigment of the imagination” (53, 54). The narrator seems to believe that the word “homo” would only evoke emotional and imaginative responses towards homosexual men. This psychoanalytic perspective raises the issue of the stereotype that males constitute the vast majority of the homosexual people.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Way 13: Unifying Interpretation
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The author is using a mispronunciation of “homoerotic” to try and describe a love between men that is real and valuable and needed but not sexual. It seems that he heard the term “homoerotic” and thought it was actually “Homer-erotic.” Thus, he has created his own word with its own meaning. Later he says he was embarrassed to say when he realized his error. Initially, it seems he was unaware of what “homoerotic” actually means. So, he tries it out, going to the bar. I think the bar scene is supposed to be satire, a making fun of the male friendship that he sees there and pointing out that it is superficial, it is not the true bonding kind of friendship and love between men that he means by “Homer-erotic.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The last paragraph seems to point out that anytime you use the term “homo,” which is a slang term for homosexual, it makes men angry (they see red, this is a poetic way to say that they are angry). In fact, “Homer-erotic” sounded like “homo”, which evoked an emotional response from men toward homosexuality. His phrase “ill-fated pigment of the imagination” is saying that this “red” that they are seeing is pigment (coloring, usually used when talking about skin color) that comes from their imagination. In other words, they are angry or scared because of something that they are just imagining. He is describing in some ways what is called a “homophobe,” a person who is afraid of being around homosexuals and even afraid of doing something that would make him look like a homosexual. <span style="background: rgb(217, 217, 217) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 12pt; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> My interpretation has been largely enriched by the above thirteen ways. It is a narrative poem which describes the narrator's evolution of his understanding of "homoerotic" until he finds out how sensitive people sees the derogatory term "homoerotic". The author raises the sad reality that most people still discriminate homosexuals and would do anything than can to hide or exclude themselves from being included in this group.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Works Cited and Consulted
<span style="display: block; text-align: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Brown, James S. and Scott D. Yarbrough. __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2005.

“Javelin.” __Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online__. 29 July 2009 <[]>.

"Iliad." Wikipedia. 29 July 2009 <[]>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__Tongue and Groove__. 24 July 2009 < http://www.mainstreetrag.com/CRybak.html>.