It is easy to love something that is beautiful. It's easy to see beauty in the things you love. What is sometimes difficult is to distinguish between these two ideas. In Sappho's "Fragment 16", she says that the most beautiful thing in the world is the one you love. The question remains: is it beautiful because you like it or do you like it because it is beautiful? In this poem, the first female poet challenges beauty standards and the notion of loving someone for their beauty. Sappho says that while some people think soldiers or horses are the most beautiful, she thinks those are the things we love. She shares three different situations to discuss this idea. The first idea is universal, the second describes a historical idea through the use of Homer's The Iliad, and the finale is personal to Sappho's life. Although it can be said that people love things because they are beautiful, through Sappho's poetry one can see that things are beautiful because of your love for them, it is important to understand because the The Greeks' erotic urges play a big role in their decision. manufacturing and in their daily lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In Sappho’s poem, “Fragment 16,” she asks, what is the most beautiful thing? In the first stanza, Sappho opens with images of armies to show what others might consider beautiful, "some men say an army of horses and some men say an army of foot and some men say an army of ships…” (Sappho “Fragment 16)” p. 27). At this time, warfare was prevalent in Greek society and many people would have seen the beauty of different types of armies. This is something that would have been easy to understand at the time since war was a concept known to all Greeks. Sappho points out this as something someone would consider beautiful. Sappho then goes on to share what she thinks is the most beautiful thing in the world, “but I say it is/what you love” (Sappho “Fragment 16” p 27). Sappho suggests that whatever you like, that's what's most beautiful. You can love a person or an object or your family or whatever you want, but that person or thing is the most beautiful thing. Sappho offers a universal idea of ​​what beauty is. It is something that can be understood by anyone, “easy to make everyone understand” (Sappho “Fragment 16” p 27). This idea is presented as a way to explain how eros makes you feel and what Sappho thinks beauty is. Sappho believes that beauty is what you love, this statement alone shows that things are beautiful because you love them. Sappho uses love and eros as the theme of most of her poems, showing how important the subject is to her. For the Greek population of the time, these poems would have spoken to them through Sappho's discussion of divine versus human love, "Immortal star-spirited Aphrodite, child of Zeus... Please" ( Sappho “Fragment 1” p 3). Love is something that everyone can relate to. In this poem, she uses others' thoughts on beauty as a tool to discuss the relationship between beauty and love. This stanza displays Sappho's feelings about beauty in a way that is universally understood and through love. Sappho uses Homer's Iliad to discuss the connection between love and beauty. In The Iliad, Helen leaves her husband, Menelaus, to settle in Paris. Sappho uses this.