Week 2

Mackenzie Soper
Sep 6, 2018 · 5 min read

Thursday 12:40pm-2pm

Today we took our first! Not going to lie, I was nervous. I did not know what to expect going into class. I prepared to the best of my abilities by carefully reading the text and trying to remember who was who and who did what. I actually did well! I think I missed two, possibly three. I confused Aphrodite and Athena, but the remainder of the questions I answered with ease. I was proud of myself and my classmates when Dr. S announced the answers because I knew the ones I answered correctly and by the sounds of it everyone else did well too. Hopefully this continues onto next week and the week to come. Today in class we also discussed Diomedes’ klaos, his appearance, and the beginning of his aristea. A divinity must put strength and courage within a warrior to begin their aristea, in this case Diomedes was given the strength by Athena. It’s also said that Achilles is so blazing and glowing that he engages in combat with a river. There is a point of an aristea that the warrior becomes too great, and is asked to back down. In this case, Apollo tells Diomedes to back down and Diomedes listens. There is also the end of an aristea, where the warrior loses the strength but does not realize it. Klaos is not only a trait given to great warriors, but also to those who die at the hands of great warriors. In class we also talked about when the relationship between brothers is severed, but more importantly the Iliad deals with the relationship between father and son. Examples would include Priam and Hector and Peleus and Achilles. Achilles pities Priam because of his relationship with his own father, Peleus. This is another example of Achilles’ mortal emotions.

Monday 9pm-10:40pm

I tackled Books 6 and 7 tonight on our most glorious Labor Day. I enjoy having Monday’s off because the school week is shorter, but it also just makes me procrastinate more which I do not enjoy. The Greeks overwhelm the Trojans yet again. Menelaus has taken Adrestus as his own and is thinking aboout ransoming him, but Agamemnon is out for blood. Nestor tells the Greeks to kill every Trojan in their path before the Trojans rise once again. The Trojan soothsayer, Helenus, tells Hector that he needs to beg and pray for mercy at the temple of Athena. Paris is too”grief-stricken” to fight, but Helen and Hector tell him to get over it and get back on the battle field! Poor poor Andromache, I feel so bad for her. First, she has to watch her husband return to battle because “it is his fate”. Fate in Greek mythology is so incredible to me. It reminds me of the most recent Nike advertisement with Colin Kaepernick that reads, “Believe in something. Even when it means sacrificing everything.” These warriors they sacrifice everything so their colleagues prevail, they do it to please the gods. It all goes back to the idea that Zeus has a plan and everything must happen accordingly so all goes as planned. Back to Andromache, she then begins to mourn when Hector leaves be she is anticipating his death. Isn’t that just the saddest thing you have ever heard? You know that the person you love is going to die, and you have to kiss them goodbye while holding your child.

The battle becomes more intense in Book 7 when the powerful warriors, Hector and Paris, return to fight. Apollo and Athena always make things a little interesting so you know what time it is… TIME FOR A DUEL. Hector offers himself up to any big shot who thinks they are strong enough to take him on. That just so happened to be Menelaus. Agamemnon tells him to back down because he thinks Hector is younger and stronger and will take Menelaus down. Then they select randomly from 9 Greeks. Is the number 9 mean something important in Greek literature? Similar to the number 7 in the Bible? The lucky winner is the Great Ajax, cool name. This has to be the biggest let down in the history of duels. Ajax draws blood first, and then Zeus says its too dark to continue. Seriously! They then exchange a pact of friendship. Friendship. Are we in kindergarten? Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion, but we talk about klaos and then after this battle they are just…friends.

Tuesday 9:30am-10:30am

Yay for Book 8. This one I had to read a few times over. Zeus begins to contemplate the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. Plot twist. Thunder strikes and we know that our minds are about to be blown. The war is now in favor of the Trojans. So what do the Greeks do? What anyone would do, run in terror. Hector goes after Nestor, Diomedes to the rescue. Hera, of course being on the side of the Greeks, cannot let this happen. She inspires Agamemnon to not lose hope. An eagle carrying a fawn in its talons is a sign that the Greeks will not give up. This eagle is a symbol from a divinity. Hector kills the great archer on the Trojan side Teucer which gives the ball back to the Greeks. Athena and Hera want to help the Greeks further but Zeus explains the consequences of this to them. Then Zeus drops a bomb: only Achilles can save the Greeks.

  1. What do you think it takes to have a strong marital partnership? To what extent do Hector and Andromache meet this standard?

A strong marital partnership, to me, means trust. Unwavering, undeniable trust. You must trust in your partner’s morals and loyalty. To make a life and a family with someone, you must be confident in your love and passion for them and trust that they feel the same towards you. You must communicate with your partner. Do not hide anything from them, let them close to you and do no push them away. Do not be afraid to show emotion in front of them or towards them. I think in the case of Hector and Andromache, she trusts in Hector’s beliefs and does not talk him out of his plan. She trusts that he knows what he is doing and it is for the good of the people.

2. How does Hector compare to the other warriors in the epic so far? Do we have any reason to believe he can (or can’t) defeat Achilles?

Hector is the strongest warrior in the epic so far. He is young and agile. Menelaus backed away from his offer to duel because Agamemnon knew that he wasn’t as strong as Hector.

Tuesday 12:40pm

Day 286 without air conditioning. Just kidding, but not kidding. I still don’t have air conditioning in my dorm room. Class was cancelled.

Wednesday 7p-8pm

Agamemnon! You cannot give up! It breaks my heart when he weeps in front of the troops, that is how you know someone is passionate. He wants to return to Greece, but he knows that Troy is eventually going to fall. Agamemnon bribes Achilles to return to the Greek line.

  1. If you want to change someone’s mind, what emotions do you try to arouse in them?

I would use bribery and list the benefits of the side I am arguing for.

2. What emotions do Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax try to arouse in Achilles?

They all try to arouse fury and passion int Achilles to get him back in the war.