Love is dangerous
The major theme in "Ode VIII’’ deals with love. Instead of presenting love in a positive manner, the narrator portrays love as a negative thing, especially since it is used by women to gain power over men. The women presented in the ode are not affected by emotions but rather use the knowledge they can influence other men through their emotions to gain power. The men who find themselves controlled by women and the feelings they inspire are portrayed in a most dreadful manner, as beings who are worse than animals and as having absolutely no power at all over their lives. The ode is used almost as a warning which is aimed at the men reading it, urging them to not let themselves be influenced by their feelings and most importantly, by the women in their lives.
The destructive nature of anger
In "Ode XVI’’ the major theme deals with the destructive nature of anger. The person who is angered in the ode is a young woman who remains unnamed and who, even after the person how angered her asked for forgiveness, she could not get rid of that feeling. Anger is then described as being the main reason why entire civilizations and wonderful cities disappeared from the face of the earth. Ager is described here as being the result of man being created from a mixture of animalistic impulses and rationality. Through this, the narrator wants to urge his readers to try and control the negative feeling as much as they can.
The way to immortality
In "Ode XXVI’’ the narrator describes the creative process, comparing it with a dangerous trip a person may decide to take at one point in their lives. This trip endangered the lives of many but the narrator insisted it is worth it, presenting the trip as being the only way through which a person can achieve immortality. Literature is thus portrayed as the path to being remembered and is shows as being more effective than anything else. It is also portrayed as a noble path, one which few dare to take and even fewer end seeing it to its end.
