Man's Nature

I figured I would post this in both my Blog and the Open Forum

In The Iliad I have found that Homer uses many references to nature and the animal kingdom in describing the actions of the men, especially the war aspects. "But the two Aeantes blazing in battle-fury saw to Imbrius now...as two lions seizing a goat.....in their big grinding jaws,(Homer. 348. 235-239)" "Hector careering breakneck on like a deadly rolling boulder...it rolls no more for all its wild rush,(Homer. 346. 164-170" and "Think how a lion, mauling the soft weak...leaping clear of the big cat's pounce, (Homer. 300. 132-140)" and there are so many others. My question is why does Homer make so many references to natures forces and animalistic behaviors? Is is just so that people can get an image in their heads as to what was going on during the battles? Or was it to show that it's human nature to be violent and destructive, that not only can we not go against the gods who control our lives but that we can't go against our human instincts.