The Role of Perspective in Classical Greek Literature. Them Vs. Us- "The Odyssey", "The Aeneid and Histories"

When observing unfamiliar societies, it is only natural to criticize from the perspective of one's own society. It is thus expected that ancient societies, such as the Greeks, judged the lands of their conquests by their own society. In conjunction with the effects of perspective, the patriotism and ethnocentrism that marked Greek societies also played a great role in creating a sense of "them vs. us". This is evident from the comparisons of cultures made …

…of any analysis is relative to the point of view, and because of the inherent patriotism or ethnocentrism that exists the authors integrated the theme of "them vs. us" was integrated into all of these texts. Where patriotism and ethnocentrism are present, the theme leads to the conclusion that the foreign society is inferior. However, it is possible, as seen in The Aeneid, that the comparisons can result in a positive inference about a society.