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Achilles as a heroic character
Achilles as a heroic character
Final iliad essay
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Achilles as the Hero of Homer’s Iliad
When Homer lived, the stature of a hero was measured by the yardstick of fighting ability. In Homer's Iliad, the character of Achilles represents the epitome of the Greek 'heroic code'. Only Achilles fights for pure heroics, while the characters of Diomedes and Hector provide good contrasts.
"Prowess on the battlefield was ranked supreme, high above any considerations of morality"(Martin 26). Nestor, for example, tells Agamemnon and Achilles that he has known much "better men than them" meaning men who are better at fighting. Achilles refuses Lycaon clemency because Patroclus. who is dead. was a much better man than he is by far i.e. a much better fighter. Achilles urges Hector to show his "worth" and fight like a man: "worth" means simply ability to fight.
By this criterion Achilles ranks second to none. He is an immensely talented fighter and he considers himself a "prince among men". It is a reflection of his ability that the action speeds up rapidly on his return to the battle after Book 16 and Patroclus' death. Two thirds of the epic arc slow and tedious: on Achilles' return the last third is fast and moves most speedily. Achilles' unstoppable battle madness surpasses without doubt that of the other heroes in the lliad. He is brave, vicious and powerful. He splits the Trojans and drives them back without difficulty at all.
Moreover, his bravery is not restricted to humans. He is angry with Apollo for deceiving him and his battle with the river god Xanthus ends in more success than Diomedes' attempts against the gods in Book 5 (although he admittedly has much divine support).
The heroic code was recognised as a desire to excel. For the heroes 'excellent' was ...
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Finkelberg, Margalit. "Odysseus and the genus 'hero' ." Greece and Rome v. 42 (Apr. '95) p. 1-14.
Goodrich, Norma. Myths of the hero. New York: Orion Press, 1962.
Homer: Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
Martin, Richard. The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989.
Parry, Adam M. The Language of Achilles and Other Papers. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Shive, David M. Naming Achilles. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I have travelled: the hero's journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Whitman, Cedric H. Homer and the Heroic Tradition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1958.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Heroes: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkley: U. of California P, 1984.
Based on the conclusion made by the US National Institutes of Health, marijuana should remain illegal. Although it does have many medicinal benefits - including improving the appetite in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, reducing muscle spasms associated with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, and alleviating eye pressure in glaucoma patients - there is no proof that marijuana is the most effective treatment. The main active ingredient in marijuana (THC) is already available in its legal form, Marinol; it does in fact have therapeutic applications; therefore, the whole substance of marijuana does not necessarily need to be legalized. In addition, marijuana has many side effects that may harm patients. If marijuana does become legal, multiple legal drawbacks would occur. For example, it is highly likely that doctors may take bribes from healthy patients to prescribe the drug for recreational use. This would make legalization too difficult to regulate because prescriptions may end up in the wrong hands. In addition, legal marijuana may provide drug dealers with an easy opportunity to escape prosecution for trafficking and dealing drugs. “Reversed psychology” would not work in this situation, for the legalization of marijuana would inflict more chaos and crime than it would attempt to prevent.
The Iliad, Achilles is described as the greatest warrior in the world. Also, he was practically invulnerable as a fighter because at birth, his moth had dipped him in the River Styx, rendering him immortal everywhere but the heel, where she had held him (Sources of the West 40). As apparent by Achilles reputation as the greatest warrior in the world it is evident that society held him up as the example of a virtuous man.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Homer. The Iliad. World Literature Anthology Through the Renaissance. Ed. Linda Silva. Vol. 1. Charles Town, West Virginia: APUS ePress. 2011. 127–93. Ebook.
Odysseus is a peculiar mix of both heroic and intelligent qualities that make him seem both human and supernatural. The Odysseus portrayed in the Iliad somewhat contrasts the Odysseus we see in the Odyssey. For the p...
1) It is also cultivated both indoors and out for the production of its flowering tops.
Lattimore, Richard. Introduction. The Iliad of Homer. New York: University of Chicago Press. 1961. 7–55.
Marijuana is one of the hundreds of drugs that holds Americans in the bondage of addiction and causes harm to their health and well-being. Marijuana comes from the hemp plant called cannabis sativa and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. (Goldberg). Although marijuana has mostly been used as a drug to get high, physicians have recently discovered that marijuana can treat the symptoms of cancer and multiple sclerosis, relieve pain, and treat many minor ailments. Because of the rare healing effects of this drug, many states are working to legalize medical marijuana in their state, but there is much controversy over whether or not medical marijuana should be legalized. Although medical marijuana has been proven to relieve pain and treat the symptoms of many life-threatening illnesses, the harmful side effects, the possibility of addiction and Americans untrustworthiness causes medical marijuana to be an implausible healing agent.
The legalization of marijuana is a subject that has been debated for many years. Marijuana should be legalized for medical use and it should be decriminalized for recreational use.By decriminalizing marijuana for recreational use, the penalty will no longer be jail time, but a simple fine if caught using it in public.Furthermore, marijuana offers many medical benefits to very ill patients.In short, the benefits of marijuana outweigh the drawbacks, especially for medical purposes, so it should be legalized.First, marijuana should be decriminalized for recreational use.
Medicinal marijuana can provide multiple types of pain relief. First, it was proved to relieve asthma attacks and improve breathing. Also, its active ingredient, THC, reduces vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy. It relieves the muscle pain and spasticity that comes from multiple sclerosis, and may also help some of these unfortunate patients with bladder control and relieve tremor. The leading cause of blindness in the United States is caused by glaucoma, which is when the pressure inside one’s eyeball has increased. Marijuana, when smoked, reduces this pressure, making it a significant amount better to deal with. Medicinal cannabis also strongly improv...
... in Achilles’ armor once the battle started getting direr, particularly for some of Achilles’ greatest friends. Finally, after Patroclus is killed, Achilles returns to battle, distraught over Patroclus’ death. Through the virtues and heroism of the Achaean heroes: Diomedes’ courage and oratory skill in reinvigorating the troops; Agamemnon’s honesty in admitting himself as the cause for Achilles’ rage and providing enormous wealth and honor to Achilles in an attempt to atone for his mistake; Nestor’s wisdom in selecting the three most likely to be successful; Phoenix’s favor with Zeus preventing Zeus from interfering against them while they attempted to bring Achilles back to the battle; Odysseus’ skill as an eloquent orator in his attempt to convince Achilles; all of this together eventually led to the mission of returning Achilles to the battle being successful.
Imagine you are lying in your home, suffering from the side-effects of chemotherapy and all you can do is think about how sick you are and what could possibly keep you from being secluded from life and happiness. Marijuana will prevent side-effects linked to terminal illnesses, does not cause any real harm to a humans well-being, and would increase US revenue due to taxation and also tourism. Well, according to Ed Rosenthal and Steve Kubby of the book Why Marijuana Should Be Legal, from which this viewpoint is excerpted. They argue that “marijuana is effective at relieving pain, controlling nausea, and stimulating the appetite, and is successfully used to treat a large number of medical problems, including asthma, CANCER, AIDS, depression, and glaucoma. Marinol, a synthetic formulation of THC—the chemical in marijuana that is responsible for many of its soothing effects—is not nearly as effective as natural marijuana, they claim. Millions of people are suffering needlessly because of the prohibition against using medical marijuana, Rosenthal and Kubby assert. They conclude that marijuana should be decriminalized.”(Rosenthal, Kubby) Today, I am going to help you understand the real benefits of marijuana. By the time that we are through, you will be agreeing with me and will want a part in the effort needed by citizens to legalize such a beneficial drug. You will be in amazement at how long our government has despised such a great thing.
Edwards, Mark. A Historical Introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, 1981.
Homer makes it clear that Achilles is a man mainly driven by his hunger for glory. Achilles has all the traits of a superhuman from his strength to his incredible ability to fight on the battlefield. Even with these great abilities, it is hard for many readers to perceive him as a hero because of the way he acts. Homer takes this brief time period out of this whole ten-year war just to demonstrate how Achilles cannot control himself when he goes into a rage. In todays world Achilles would not last long as a soldier in any army because he would be court marshaled for insubordination. Achilles ye...