Journal #2
Books 5–8
Monday, September 3, 2018
In Book 5 we get to see Diomedes perform at his best after being endowed with superhuman strength by Athena. This type of narration in storytelling where a hero, typically in battle, has his finest moments is called aristeia. We get the word from Greece and it translates to excellence. The Iliad is well known for having many scenes where a character is at their best. In Book 5, Diomedes is the character being zeroed in on. After Diomedes is injured by Pandarus, he calls on Athena asking her for strength to get revenge and kill him for Pandarus was too fast for him. Athena grants him his wish but only on the condition that he does not harm any other god or goddess with the exception of Aphrodite if given the chance. This is where Diomedes’ story of greatness begins. He rides his high, immediately slaughtering and injuring anyone who dares to cross his path. To emphasize Diomedes’ greatness, the author utilizes extended metaphor to compare him to a lion. He says Diomedes is like a lion who was wounded but not killed and is now out for blood. Another way Diomedes’ greatness in emphasized is by the successional list of people he goes through with ease. For example “He killed Astynous, and shepherd of his people…and went in pursuit of Abas and Polyidus… He then gave chase to Xanthus and Thoon.” We see Diomedes take down multiple people at once in only a matter of seconds and without any struggle at all. In action movies, we see plenty of moments where a character seems to be undefeatable. Like I mentioned in the last journal, John Wick is a movie with an unconquerable main character. Once he set out for revenge there was no one that could get in his way and live to see the next day. For an action movie to be successful and to draw in the audience, the main character has to be seen as the “top dog”. Even in action movies like “Kick-Ass” where the main character is a goofy high schooler who reads comic books, he undergoes some sort of transformation when he becomes a superhero and suddenly he’s taking out multiple bad guys all while having no superpower. No one wants to watch an action movie where the main character is an ordinary fighter or always barely makes it out alive. It just isn’t appealing.
After reading Book 5 I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the gods and humans. Homer reveals that while the humans engage in a battle over a woman, the gods are also engaged in petty arguments. When you think of a divine being you wouldn’t typically regard them as petty, however, in this story we see that the humans are more mature in this sense. Although disagreements among humans tend to be more serious than those of the gods, the latter tends to result in more violence, especially amidst the humans. I think it’s because the gods have a sense of entitlement and they are prideful so when things don’t go their way they take it as a personal attack. They are also immortal so when they can’t just kill each other off they find resolve by influencing humans. I also see the gods as childish not only because of previous reasons stated but when things don’t go their way they take to Zeus for him to deal with. For example, when Athena and Hera saw that the Trojans still had the upper hand even after all their intervention, they immediately run to Zeus and are granted permission to join the battle. Another example is when Ares is injured by Diomedes he runs to Zeus but he isn’t as lucky as Hera and Athena as he is told he deserved his injury.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
In my opinion, the requirements of having a strong martial partnership differ from the requirements of having a strong courtship. Granted that I have never been married or a serious relationship at that, I believe when you’re married to someone they become family, you’re essentially spending the rest of your life with that person. You have to be willing to make sacrifices in order to make your partner happy and in the long run they won’t feel like sacrifices. Communication and trust are also essential because without the two, no relationship, platonic or not, can exist. This may seem like it goes without a saying but there has to be love. There are many loveless marriages where they are only together for the sake of their children or for the mere fact that they are used to being together. I believe Hector and Andromache meet this standard pretty well. You can tell Hector loves his family and worries about their future without him but he must be honorable and continue fighting. Even before seeing his wife again he is tempted by Helen but he manages to resist her and stay loyal to his wife. Although some may say he doesn’t really care for his family because his honor took precedence over them, I argue that it was a societal belief that men had to fight for their country. The same could be said for today’s soldiers. Many of them have families but they choose to fight for their country and make their home better for their loved ones even if it meant sacrificing their lives. Andromache also cares deeply for Hector and it is revealed through the way she compares him to other loved ones she’s lost to Achilles. The comparison between her father and brothers and Hector reveals that she does love Hector and he is her family. Rather than thinking about the glory she could achieve if Hector was to win, she states that Hector is everything to her and without him, she would have nothing. She begs him to stay and have pity on her but in the end, Hector leaves anyway. The reader gets a break from all the violence and gets a background on the people involved in this battle. It defeats any insensitivity the reader might be experiencing and reminds them that the people on the battlefields have lives outside of it.
Hector can be compared to Achilles in the sense that they were both “powerhouses” in the war. Their skills are quite evenly matched, as they once fueled for hours on end and had to call a draw. In their deepest motivations, honor, they are alike but in any way other than that, they differ. Skill wise Hector outmatches most warrior and his values are different. He values his family and his home and he wants peace but like all the other warriors he will fight for honor.
It will be interesting to see how Hector and Achilles’ fates pan out. Seeing as they are quite alike on the battlefield it is hard to choose who will ultimately win.