In the poem "Works and Days," Hesiod teaches his brother how to live a decent life. He discusses both moral and practical methods to live one's life. His focus, however, is on moral rather than practical principles. One of his work's underlying themes is the significance of being just in life. Hesiod also stresses the need for hard work as a means of achieving success in this world and the next. Hesiod was a Greek poet from Thessaly in central Greece. He lived around 700 BC. His major work is called "The Works and Days." It consists of two parts, one dealing with morality and religion, and the other with philosophy and poetry. This poem has been important for many cultures throughout history -- including ancient Greece, Rome, and today. Hesiod uses the story of his own life as an example of what he is teaching others. Like many poets of his time, he used myth as a source of inspiration for his works. In this case, he tells how the gods transformed him into a swan because he had written a poem about them. However, he still writes about them in his poems. Hesiod's main idea is that we should use our talents to serve God and ourselves. We should work hard so that we can achieve success in this world and the next. This short poem contains many lessons for our daily lives.