Weekly Journal 8/31
08/24/17 (11:10–12:30)
At the beginning of class, we discussed the syllabus briefly.
The Iliad is an oral poem that is thought to be recorded by a man named Homer around 650 BCE. There was no evidence that Homer ever existed.
To understand what is happening in the Iliad, major plot details were discussed. Peleus, a mortal, and Thetis, a goddess, were getting married because of a prophecy that the son of Thetis would be better than his father. Therefore, Thetis did not marry a god because their son would be better than a god. Eris, goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding and was upset about it. She tossed an apple during the ceremony that said, “To the fairest.” Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite were in attendance and saw the apple. Each goddess assumed the apple was theirs. A decision had to be made and it was made by Paris, the Prince of Troy. Before he made his decision, each goddess bribed him. Hera offered him royal sovereignty. Athena offered him warrior craft. Aphrodite told him he could have Helen. Helen was already married to Menelaus. Helen either fled or was taken by Paris and this started the Trojan War.
By the time the Iliad begins, the Trojan War has been going on for 9 years. Agamemnon has taken Chryse’s daughter, Chryseis and will not return her. Apollo became upset and began to wreak havoc on the warriors and their livestock. In order to appease Apollo, an assembly is called. Achilles proposes that Agamemnon return Chryseis and send a gift immediately. Agamemnon rejects this idea and Achilles leaves battle in protest. Agamemnon sent his men to go take Briseis from Achilles’ home. Achilles asks his mother and other gods to intervene. Thetis appeals to Zeus for her son to have great honor.
Questions
- Achilles’ prize was the most important to him because he believes that he is going to die young in battle. Also, Achilles wants his warriors to be safe and for the war to end as quickly as possible. Achilles’ intentiona are revealed at the assembly in lines 125–129. He pleads with Agamemnon to return Chryseis to lift Apollo’s rage and promises when the war is over Agamemnon will receive a great prize. Agamemnon is adamant about keeping Chryseis unless he gets to pick a prize he truly wants. In lines 111 -114, Agamemnon states that he will not give Chryseis back because he wants her more than he wants his own wfie. Agamemnon wants to collect as much wealth as he possibly can during the war.
- Agamemnon would think he is the greatest warrior. He thinks he knows what best for everyone around him. Achilles would say that he is the greatest warrior known to man. He would think is reasonable and morally upright because of his opinion on returning Chryseis to her father.
Key Concepts
Menis: Divine wrath used to check religious and social norms indiscriminately.
08/28/17 Reading for Class
I read books 2–4 from 7:30 pm to 11:45 pm. I missed the first class and was behind on the readings. After Achilles left, the gods began to intervene in cause trouble for Agamemnon and his men. Agamemnon had a dream that Achaeans would be able to take down the Trojans. He lied and told his men that they were going to stop fighting and return him. His soldiers actually believed him, so Odysseus had to step and convince them to stay. The Achaeans decided to stay. The Trojans and the Achaeans engage in combat. Menelaus and Paris duel for Helen. Paris was injured and Aphrodite protected him and took him to his chambers. Menelaus assumed he won and wants his wife back. The gods continue to pull strings behind the scene by telling Pandarus to fire his arrow at Menelaus. Menelaus was not fatally injured. After the attack on Menelaus, the war breaks out again and the truce is over before it began.
08/29/17 Reading for Class
I read book 5 for two hours from 8:40 am to 10:40 am. I read in my room. I found out that if I read out loud, I understand what is happening more.
- My understanding of a hero is someone that is selfless and feels the need to protect others that cannot protect themselves. Heroes typically save people whether it is from danger or themselves. Heroes have no particular dress nor do they look a certain way. Heroes are morally upright, value trust and honesty. I do not believe that anyone has written a poems that embodies my type of hero.
- Diomedes did not match my understanding of the term hero. Diomedes was selfish. He made a promise with Aphrodite that he would go after any of the other gods because she could not help him. He attacked Apollo which backfired terribly. If Diomedes would have checked his pride and his rage, he would not have put his men in harms way. Heroes do not let pride get the best of them. They put others ahead of themselves no matter their emotions.
08/31/17 Class (11:10–12:30 PM)
Today we discussed books 2–4. The presence of the gods is increasing as they begin to interfere with the warriors. Love and the power love has over people are themes in these books. Loves drives Menelaus and Paris to fight over Helen. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, plays an important role when she intervenes and removes Paris from the battlefield. The love demonstrated in these books is not always romantic. After Paris is gone, Menelaus believed that he should take Helen back with him to Greece. The oath ended and the war began again.
Key concepts
Arete: virtue
08/30/17 Reading for class 1:00–3:00 PM
I visited the National Gallery of Art. I entered in the west side of the building and has difficulty finding paintings that symbolized love to me. At one point, I got lost but security directed me to galleries that could help me complete this assignment.

Ill-Matched Lovers by Quentin Massys was the first painting that symbolized love to me. The woman and the man are in a relationship but the woman does not know that she is being taken advantage.Often when people are in love, they lose themselves and that makes them vulnerable to deception. In this painting, love has power over the reasoning and self preservation. Vulnerability is not horrible. It is was is supposed to happen. There is a level of trust a person gives to a partner and whether the partner breaks that trust is up to them.

This painting exhibits love from a religious viewpoint. Jesus Christ was crucified to save the lives of mankind. He committed the greatest act of love according to the Christian community. Jesus had the power to stop himself from being brutalized but he relinquished that power because of his love for everyone. Sometimes showing love makes a person powerless. Love has power over sin.

This painting represents friendship to me. I imagine that these girls are friends. The white girl gets hurt or is in some trouble. As a friend, the black girl comes to help the white girl. The power of love allows the girls to go against the social norms of their time period. Love conquers racism and prejudice.