Relating Archilochus to Jamiroquai Fragments

Jamiroquai excerpt

“And I'm thinking what a mess we're in
Hard to know where to begin
If I could slip the sickly ties that earthly man has made
And now every mother, can choose the colour
Of her child”

Archilochus excerpt

“Glaukis, Leptinos’ son, the hearts and minds of mortal men

are such as the day which Zeus brings upon them;

their thoughts are such as the happenings they encounter. “

From the excerpt from Jamroquai we can begin to dissect each part of the verse to begin to understand what he is referring to.  From simply reading the poem, we are given the idea that the author dislikes something. We can see that from him saying that they are in a “mess”.  A mess usually implies that it is chaotic and /or confusing, which is not a place a person likes to be. Next the reader finds out that there are actually multiple issues that the author has since he says that it is “hard to know where to begin”, implying that he can start his rant from multiple points. The reader obtains farther insight into the author’s displeasures with the world since he is wishing to “slip the sickly ties”, providing a better understanding of his level of displeasure with the issues. The author feels as if he is tied down to somewhere that he cannot escape. After that we find out that the author is religious by him the use of “earthly man”.  These words suggest that there is another man that is not found on earth. This man is usually referred to in most religions as God. Finally, we find out what the “mess” the author is referring to is mothers that “choose the colour” of their child. The spelling of the word “colour” also suggests that the author is of British descent.  So supposing that the reader is of modern origin, they can easily decipher the meaning of Jamiroquai’s excerpt.  The reader may also be able to infer from the poem that since a problem was raised and discussed, the next few lines following it should suggest a solution.

From the fragment from Archilochus, the reader can see that the author assumes the reader knows common knowledge of the time by his use of the names “Glaukis” and “Leptinos”.  The author does have a targeted audience though since he calls “Glaukis” by name. The reader also knows that the author is religious since, assuming the reader has knowledge of the Greek gods, says Zeus “brings upon them [the day]”. It is also suggested that Zeus influences the heart and minds of “mortal men” and what will occur in their lives. The reader can assume that the fragment is similar to a lesson to Glaukis by the way it is presented.

By closing reading these two fragments, we can find similar features in each.  The first is that the God is as influence the lives of people today just as they did thousands of years ago. While the first fragment is more inclined toward a monotheist ideal, the second refers to Zeus and a more polytheist ideal. The first also doesn’t assume common knowledge like the second fragment. The reader needs to know about the Greek style and people to fully understand and appreciate the fragment from Archilochus. Finally, the second fragment by Archilochus speaks more plainly than the first fragment. Archilochus speaks in a more riddled fashion that can be easily deciphered with knowledge of the Greeks. The two fragments aren’t as different as time would make them seem.