Slam, Dunk & Hook and Ulysses

The two poems I chose to analyze were Slam, Dunk & Hook by Yusef Komunyakaa and Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Slam, Dunk & Hook have a common theme of characters being superhuman due to their heroic defeats whether it be at sea or on the court. In Komunyakaa's poem, the speaker uses Greek mythological allusions to emphasize how godlike the players are during basketball: "With Mercury's Insignia on our sneakers" (Lines 1-2). Mercury was a Greek God who was infamous for being able to run incredibly fast. The basketball players are therefore quick on their feet and faster than the competition. Not only are they fast but they are dangerous. "Like storybook sea monsters" (10) is another Greek metaphor depicting them as indestructible and wicked. In the poem Ulysses, the speaker, Odysseus, reminisces about his past heroic adventures and accomplishments: "Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods." (Lines 52-53). He makes a point of stating that he fought with Gods and ended up victorious. The reader realizes that Odysseus is in fact superior to anyone around him. The reader can also understand why the speaker is so bored with his life. Odysseus was born adventurous and a fighter. Without conflict, Odysseus has nothing to do. When the speaker says, "how dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" (22-23), he is not only referring to his dull life but to his swords and armor losing their luster. Since he has no use for them now, Odysseus' weapons stay kept in the dark, forced to rust.