September 3rd
Official Starting week (for me)
Week 3
Hour: 1–3.5+
Entering into Greek literature on my first day (August 30th) last week was hectic. At first, the reading confused me but as the class went on and I listened to the students engage in conversations amongst each other and the professor, things became less confusing. One thing that stuck out to me in class was how the gods favor people because of kinship or what has been given to them. It’s interesting because when you think about “gods” you don’t necessarily expect them to have favorites (at least I don’t). I must admit that this class is kind of difficult because I’m still learning the ways of how this course will go. This is my first time actually diving into and dissect Greek literature. I don’t have a steady study method as well, but with this class amongst others, I’ll have to figure one out.
During the class we discussed the important relationships in the Iliad which focused on the men. Father-son and brother-brother relationships aren’t just important in this book but in reality as well. You hear more about these relationships and how important it is compared to any other relationship. I believe these relationships are important because men are supposed to be protectors and providers for the family so, to have a healthy and strong foundation the relationship has to be unbreakable as well. It relates to the world today, a father missing in the family can destroy the foundation and force responsibility onto the mother or the next man in the family actually before it really goes to the mom. Speaking about relationships in order to have a strong martial partnership there has to be love, trust, communication, and sacrifice, they are like the roots of a tree. Because of the class being canceled we didn’t get to talk much about the reading so most were done at home. To my understanding, Hector and Andromache meet my standard. Her love for him showed when she expressed how his death would affect their family but his sacrifice was for the greater good and his family. She communicated how she felt and so did her, neither one liked the idea of what was going to happen but she had to just trust him and his judgments along with decisions. With Hector’s determination and confidence I do believe he can defeat Achilles but sometimes you never know. (There’s always a twist) Something I developed when reading is that it’s good to predict the ending but focusing too much on what might happen next or how it might end can cause us to just skip through or miss valuable information. When reading something for the first time, don’t read to understand because over analyzing, in the beginning, will have you interpret things the wrong way. Also reading something when you are young in age to being older is different because we grow and go through things as people. I, as a young person would read the Iliad and just say it’s just a bunch of fighting going on but me now, I understand the reason for the wars, why one person is more important than the next and etc.
Pieces of a tragedy that was seen so far, from the parent losing a child, brother losing a brother and even a sister losing her parent. With tragedy, there always comes a feeling for revenge. Personally, I think revenge isn’t the smartest thing because it opens the door for more pain whether it is for you or your family members and it doesn’t bring back the person you love, so in reality you’re left at the same place you started from. Revenge is like karma going around and around in circles, it become a never ending cycle. Another piece of tragedy we spoke about in class were gifts. At first i was very confused when it was said “divine gifts are no use or even ruinous” and maybe i still interpreted wrong but the first thing that popped inside my head after hearing and writing that down was “every gift comes with a curse unless genuine”. It’s almost as if getting a gift and not wanting to accept it because of the “I got you this or did this for you” is held over your head. I dislike people who do that very much. It’s nothing really gained from that because it doesn’t make anyone even, it just continues to go on and on.
To change someone’s mind, you’ll have to embed the emotions of empathy, sadness or happiness and maybe even guilt depending on what you’re trying to change their mind too. To try to change Achilles mind,they praised him to “butter” him up and name the glorious gifts he would receive but he still rejects. Phoenix cries and sells a sob story about his but in a way, his way was the best because Achilles wasn’t as rejecting to him. I feel as though when trying to change someone’s mind, you do have to be considerate of how made up their mind is because that’s where the challenge kicks in. In this case, it seems like as soon as Oddyseus started to speak, Achilles knew where the conversation would end up. I feel as though he was more annoyed than shocked because everyone was trying to change his mind and wasn’t really caring or listening to his personal reasons to why he didn’t want to fight the war. Before approaching someone to change their mind, you have to not just think about yourself and how you feel but that person’s mind you’re trying to change. For me, i want to know that you actually understand my stance and decisions that I’ve made before you even try to come at me to change my mind and don’t come for selfish reason making it just about YOU. That’s where the difference lies between Phoenix’s approach, his was from an emotional standpoint that meant something to Achilles.
Before the cancellation of class Tuesday, the idea of philanthropy and the meaning of pity became an extra part of out homework. To my personal knowledge the idea of philanthropy is the act of kindness to benefit other people and not ones self. It’s to care about the welfare of others. At the point when numerous individuals think about the term philanthropy they quickly consider giving cash to non-profit organizations. That isn’t really the case in light of the fact that an individual can do generosity in a wide range of ways. I think being a philanthropist is a good thing to be because it goes under the character trait of caring and not being selfish. Giving can always be seen as a good thing but the intentions of the person do actually matter, it has to be wholeheartedly. It’s the people who give with the intention of getting something back are the one’s not so “humane” even though i don’t consider that such a bad thing all the time. It depends on what they desire in return. Now upon my research i discovered that philanthropy is derived from the Greek word “Philos” and “Anthropos”. Philos meaning love while Anthropos means humankind, all coming together it’s the love for humankind. Word’s when we are able to break them down become easier to remember and understand, like if we were going to have this word on a quiz or test i’ll remember the meaning so easily because the two words it breaks into. Breaking things down into smaller pieces does help me study to make it into a big puzzle piece of understanding.
When I first think about the meaning of pity, i think of someone feeling sorry for another person but not feeling sorry as in they want to help but a “haha, i feel sorry for you”. The meaning of pity can be very complex because of the negative meaning i think it has but there is a positive meaning as well. Pity can be to feel sympathetic. I personally do not lke the word pity because in my experience it’s always used more for it’s negative connotation than it’s positive.
As I continue to read the Iliad, it becomes easier to comprehend but I have to read it more than once just in case I skipped important information and to further my understanding and find clarity in the readings. Greek literature has beneficial meanings to it regarding to today’s reality. What i like the most about reading the Iliad is for one it’s not boring and the meanings. Even the language used has special meanings and not just something so “basic”. And that works for me when reading because i have something to actually look forward too. Conversation in class aren’t boring either. Listening to my classmates and what they feel or have to say sometimes puts things in perspective for me that I never even thought about before. I’m still searching for a favorite character because each time i think i find one, they do something odd for me to change my mind about them. So, hopefully as the weeks go on i can find a favorite character and not leave their side. Writing this journal was also not easy for the simple fact that it had to be personal but also relatable back to the book, it wasn’t so hard but i wanted to make sure that I didn’t either get too personal or get too much into making it like a summary. That’ll be a challenge I set for myself to overcome, finding the median between the two.