The Odyssey of Homer and You're Only Old Once by Dr. Seuss"Which animal walks on all fours in the morning, on two legs at noon and three legs at night?" The famous riddle of the sphinx which has been pondered for many years; it is a universal issue that concerns all people of every nationality, ethnicity, religion or geographical area. We ourselves are the answer to this puzzle and yet we fight this explanation with every tool possible. We avoid it, we refuse to admit it, we read about it, we joke about it, and deep down we often fear growing old. We know that this is a problem of every age and is addressed by many writers. Getting older doesn't change, but every age has its own way of dealing with the elderly. This article specifically examines Homer's Odyssey and all the depictions of old age in this epic poem. I will also consider You're Only Old Once, by Dr. Seuss, as a modern, if humorous, example of old age. Homer's Odyssey is a text that informs us about many components of the ancient world. We can consider this epic poem as a resource on the relationships, attitudes and actions of ancient Greece and the surrounding area. It represents all the values, customs and feelings that this culture has honored. The specific way we will examine this ancient writing is through the study of gerontology; the following questions could be asked. What has been the attitude towards aging and the elderly? How was aging represented in this work? Finally, how is aging viewed according to different genders, classes and age groups? Old age is seen throughout the poem and is depicted in many different ways. The first time old age is mentioned is when Athena enters Odysseus' house to see the environment that the suitors have created. Th... half of the paper... om," where they inform him of all the pills he has to take. The problem is that he can't leave until he can repeat all the instructions. This brings up another factor, and that is the problem of social class. Some of the older characters belong to the lower class, which tends to increase the level of insult. Homer has different characters such as suitors who insult others because of their class and age the doctors asked more than once information about the old man's financial situation and asked him to sign all the bills. So in conclusion, attitudes towards aging have not really changed over the centuries. We all want to grow old gracefully and live to a ripe old age The Odyssey Trans: Random House.