Maquella Kuhlmann
Ms. Schlosser
Aeneid Literary Analysis; Argumentative
01 Dec. 2015
Self-Serving Bias
The textbook definition of self-serving bias (www.psychologytoday.com) is when people tend to attribute positive events to their own character, but they attribute negative events to external factors, so quite literally, self-serving bias is making oneself look good and blaming other factors. In Book 2 of the Aeneid, Virgil recounts the Battle of Troy from the Roman perspective while in Books 3 and 4 of the Odyssey and in the Iliad, Homer recounts the battle from the Greek perspective. Both epics tell the story of the Greeks construction of the Trojan Horse, which is a wooden horse secretly hiding the army in its hollow gut. The giant
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horse is abandoned outside the walls of Troy with a Greek soldier, Sinon, who tells a tale of how he was abandoned by his army and of how the horse is an offering to Athena(Minerva). The Trojans accept Sinon and the horse into the city and while the city is sound asleep, the Greek soldiers venture out of the horse’s hollow stomach and attack the unsuspecting Trojan citizens. The city of Troy is then defeated and destroyed.Virgil paints the defeated Trojans in a far more sympathetic manner than Homer does. In the Aeneid, Virgil first paints the Trojans as kind while he paints the Greeks as untrustworthy. When Sinon is discovered beside the large wooden horse outside of the walls of Troy, he tells of his hardships and harsh treatment by the Greek soldiers. He preys on the emotions of the Trojan citizens by creating false tales of the Greeks, painting himself as a victim of the Greeks as well. Sinon lies to the Trojans, telling them that the Greeks were going to use him as a human sacrifice to the Gods in order to ensure weather which would allow for safe travels. He pronounces that he had escaped and hidden from the Greek army until they departed from shore. Another lie told by Sinon is when he explains to the Trojan king that the horse is an offering to Minerva (Athena). He assures the Trojans that not accepting this gift will anger Minerva, causing her to burn the city down. Sinon states, “For if your hands should harm Minerva’s gift, then vast destruction (may the gods turn this prophecy against the priest’s own lips!) would fall on Priam’s kingdom and the Phrygians; but if it climbed by your hands into Troy, then Asia would repel the Greeks and, more, advance in war as far as Pelops’ walls; this is the doom that waits for our descendants.” Sinon’s explanation of what would happen if the Trojans destroy the horse or denies it access into the city scares the Trojans into granting it access.
After he says this, the Trojans give him their full trust and decide to take the horse into Troy. This quote also displays the deception of the Greeks, because what happens turns out to be the total opposite of what Sinon says. When Laocoon objects about allowing the giant wooden horse into the city, a serpent devours him; consequently, this causes the Trojans to believe that the Gods want the horse to be accepted into Troy. After all of the Trojans fall asleep, the Greek army exits the hollow stomach of the horse and destroy the city of Troy.The Aeneid depiction of the Greeks shows them as untrustworthy people who use trickery and lies to win a battle rather than using sheer intelligence. The Trojans are seen in a much better lighting than the Greeks in the Aeneid. While Sinon uses his lies to deceive the Trojans, the Trojans listen and believe what he …show more content…
says. The Trojans are trusting and sympathetic to Sinon and allow him to enter into the city. Even when well trusted prophets advise that allowing the wooden horse into the city is a hazardous plan, the king ignores them, believing that there is truth behind Sinon’s tale. Laocoon had screamed, “My poor countrymen, what monstrous madness is this? Do you believe the foe has sailed away? Do you think that any gifts of the Greeks are free from treachery? Is Ulysses known to be this sort of man? Either enclosed in this frame there lurk Achaeans, or this has been built as an engine of war against our walls, to spy into our homes and come down upon the city from above; or some trickery lurks inside. Men of Troy, trust not the horse. Whatever it be, I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts.” Because the king trusts the story told by Sinon, the citizens also accept the tale, ignoring the trusted prophets warning. Sinon is accepted into the city along with the horse and the citizens’ lives continues on as it always has. The only exception is that the citizens are much livelier because they believe the war’s end has come and that the Trojans are the victors. When the Greek army exits the hollow belly of the horse, the Trojans are completely taken aback. Their city is burned to pieces and only a few citizens survive. Even though the Trojans lose the Battle of Troy, Virgil still characterizes the Trojans as partial victors. In the Aeneid, the Trojans are never dishonest nor do they use trickery during the war. They are sympathetic towards, what they think to be a lonely survivor, who, to their beliefs, had just survived his own army trying to sacrifice him. All the Trojans are doing is accepting an enemy is reputable and will not cause them harm. Also, Virgil writes of a hero, Aeneas, who escapes the burning city of Troy with other survivors, and he leads them to safety. In the Aeneid, Greeks, are painted negatively as untrustworthy liars who prey on the empathy of others, even though they were victorious during the Battle of Troy. The Trojans are painted positively as kind-hearted people who believe that truth is more common than lies. In contrast to the Aeneid, in the Odyssey, Homer conveys the Trojans as gullible while he conveys the Greeks as intelligent.
Odysseus comes up with a detailed plan to ensure victory for the Greeks to finally end the war between Greece and Troy. He orders his soldiers to construct a gigantic wooden horse containing a hollow stomach. He explains that men.from the Greek army will hide inside the hollow stomach and wait until they are released inside the city of Troy. Odysseus not only thinks up the unique plan of the horse, but he also composes a muse to get the horse into Troy. The plan is to leave one man behind with a tale full of hardships and sorrows, allowing the Trojans to connect with him. Once the Trojans feel sympathetic, they will allow him, Sinon, access into the city. Sinon will also need to get the horse into the city by explaining to the Trojans that the horse is an offering to Minerva. and if the offering is rejected, they will be greatly punished by the Gods. When access is granted to the horse and Sinon, the Greek soldiers tactfully wait inside the horse’s hollow gut until all of the Trojan citizens are asleep, then they destroy the city of Troy. Proteus stated, in Menelaos's tale, '"But for you, Menelaos, O fostered of Zeus, it is not the gods' will that you shall die and go to your end in horse-pasturing Argos, but the immortals will convey you to the Elysian Field, and the limits of the earth, where fair-haired Rhadamanthys is, and where there is made
the easiest life for mortals, for there is no snow, nor much winter there, nor is there ever rain, but always the stream of Ocean sends up breezes of the West Wind blowing briskly for the refreshment of mortals."' (4.561-568) This an example of fate planning something good. Odysseus isn't going to die and go to Hades with the rest of the common people, Instead, he is going to become immortal like the rest of the Greek heroes. He believes he is better than everyone else, just like the Greeks believe that they are better than the Trojans. The Greeks are depicted as intelligent and tactful in their conquest of Troy. They use skillful thinking to create a well detailed plan to ensure the title of victors. In the Odyssey, the Trojans are depicted in more of a negative lighting than the Greeks. When the Greek’s plan is being carried out and Sinon is telling his skillfully put together tale, the Trojans consume every word, proving them to be very gullible. . The citizens of Troy are also characterized as unintelligent by allowing the horse into the city. No hypotheses of the horse being an endangerment to the city are ever mentioned in the Odyssey. Odysseus uses Sinon to prey on the emotions of the Trojans in order to gain entrance into Troy. As instructed by Odysseus, Sinon reveals to the Trojans the false story in which the Greeks have earned the wrath of Athena for stealing her Palladium, so they constructed the horse as a gift to soothe her temper. Sinon explains that the Greeks left the horse before the Trojan gates in the hopes that the Trojans would destroy it and thereby earn the wrath of Athena. The Trojans are depicted as gullible and unintelligent in the Odyssey. They never use their brains to see the negative consequences the horse could bring, all they do is believe a lie. In the Odyssey, the Greeks are painted positively as intelligent and tactful victors, while the Trojans are painted negatively as unintelligent and gullible people who cannot see through a lie. In both the Aeneid and the Odyssey, the authors use self-serving bias to make their armies seem more appealing than the other army. According to psychologytoday.com, it is common to see self-serving bias in literary works, especially literary stories telling of wars and battles. When there is a positive event, such as the Greeks winning the Battle of Troy, the win is attributed to the army’s own intelligence and tactfulness, but when there is a negative event, such as losing a war, the loss is attributed to external factors such as the Greek’s untrustworthiness. Because Virgil is of Trojan origin, he displays self-serving bias; consequently affecting his writing so that the Greeks are looked upon negatively. In the Odyssey, Homer also displayed self-serving bias. When Homer recounts the victory of the Battle of Troy, he emphasizes how amazingly intelligent Odysseus is for his idea of the Trojan Horse. In the article it states, “ Researchers have suggested the presence of a self-serving attributional bias, with people making more internal, stable, and global attributions for positive events than for negative events.” So this, in simplest terms means, in events which are considered positive by the writer, there will be more internal praises to himself rather than in negative events. So, because the Aeneid is told from a negative perspective of the author, self praising is less common than in the Odyssey which is told from a positive perspective. Retellings of stories use self-serving bias in order to make oneself look as positive as they can possibly be in the given situation. Virgil paints the conquered Trojans in a far more charitable manner than Homer does. Virgil’s Aeneid characterizes the Trojans as compassionate while it identifies the Greeks as untrustworthy. In the Odyssey, Homer brands the Trojans as unintelligent and gullible while he paints the Greeks as intelligent and tactful. Showing different perspectives in two different retellings of the same event, increases the knowledge of the event and of self-serving bias. When two young children are having a disagreement, they tattle to their parents whom will hear two contradictory retellings of the same cause of the argument, displaying self-serving bias.
Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae in the late Bronze Age. They found large amount of material culture from where they could reconstruct the society, this included pottery, engravings, murals and clay tablets. A reason for the Trojan War has always inspired great controversy. The Trojan War according to Homer was fought over the abduction of a beautiful women but this theory appears improbable. Other causes which could have sparked a war is Troy’s geographical positioning. This made it extremely opulent, where other countries of the Aegean would trade there goods and use its harbour. The Mycenaean’s being an extremely imperial, violent and militaristic country would have seen Troy as a great opportunity to gain territory and wealth, on this motive the war took place.
As well as having courage and bravery, Odysseus is also a strong warrior and leader. Living as king of Ithaca, he leads his fleet of warriors across Poseidon’s sea into a great battle against the Trojans. It is here where Odysseus and his fleet of warriors defeated the Trojans because of his great leadership. Knowing that he cannot defeat the Trojans from outside the immense walls, he comes up with a different plan. A plan that will get him through the walls with a little help from Poseidon. He makes a giant wooden horse (Trojan Horse) and has a person present it as a gift to accept a peace with them. The Trojans accept the gift and open the walls for the horse, not knowing that inside the horse was Odysseus and a small fleet of soldiers. The Trojans had a great celebration for what they thought was a victory. As the Trojans finally went to sleep, Odysseus and his fleet crept out of the horse and completely slaughtered the Trojans in a very bloody battle.
How much control do women have over their emotions in the Aeneid? In his poem, Virgil frequently shows women in situations where irrational thoughts lead to harmful choices. Specifically, Virgil presents women as being easily influenced by their emotions. Consequently, these characters make decisions that harm both themselves and those around them. Throughout Aeneas’s journey, divinities such as Juno and Venus are seen taking advantage of the emotions of different women, influencing these characters to act in ways that ignore important priorities. Not only does Virgil present women as completely vulnerable to their emotions, but he also shows the problems that arise when these women engage in decisions where they put their own feelings ahead of their people. Virgil explicitly shows women neglecting important responsibilities when he describes passages concerned with Dido’s affair and her death, the Trojan women burning their own ships, Queen Amata’s opposition to Latinus’s proposal and her tragic death.
At the orders of Jupiter, Mercury is sent down in Book Four of the Aeneid to remind Aeneas of his true fate for Aeneas had fallen in love with Dido and was content to stay in the fertile lands of Carthage, The messenger god mocks and scolds Aeneas for forgetting his duties, especially to his son, Ascanius. As a result of this, Aeneas finally decides to leave Dido and depart Carthage, although he fears losing the queen’s love and her wrath. This demonstrates that he is incredibly pious (as to choose the wishes of the gods over his own love) and that he is noble for attempting to leave Dido as gently as he can. In addition, he displays his admirable hero qualities and commitment to paternal duty in this section.
- M.I. Finley, the World of Odysseus. Introduction The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it actually took place. Heinrich Schliemann famously said “I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon” while discovering tombs with the bodies of Mycenaean chieftains in Turkey.
Others will cast more tenderly in bronze Their breathing figures, I can well believe, And bring more lifelike portraits out of marble; Argue more eloquently, use the pointer to trace the paths of heaven accurately And accurately foretell the rising stars. Roman, remember by your strength to rule Earth's peoples - for your arts are to be these: To pacify, to impose the rule of law, To spare the conquered , battle down the proud. " Lines 1143-1154 Within this passage, Virgil uses literary allusions to the Iliad and the Odyssey by allowing Anchises to give Aeneas some history of his people as an incentive to carry out his mission as a leader. By mentioning the downfall of his people during the Trojan War and foreshadowing his destiny by "Sparing the conquered" Trojans and "battle down the proud" Greeks, can be looked upon as a reinforcement of his duties not only to his dead father and family, but to the entire Trojan population. To let another character found and rule Rome would just prove the failure of his people again, as shown through the Trojan war.
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.
"My lord who rule The lives of men and gods now and forever, And bring them all to heel with your bright bolt, What in the world could my Aeneas do, What could the Trojans do, to so offend you?
Odysseus, king of Ithaca, is a very clever man. He shows that quality time and again in ‘The Odyssey’. For example, the Trojan War. The Greeks fought with the Trojans for ten years without success. They had to get over the wall around Troy. No one had any ideas. But then Odysseus and his clever mind thought of a way to trick the Trojans. He ordered the Greeks to build a huge wooden horse in which they could hide. Odysseus figured that when the Trojans wake up to the horse and no Greeks in sight that they’d take the horse as a peace offering and take it inside the city. The Trojans did as Odysseus had guessed and after ten long years the war with Troy was finally over.
The beginning of this tale displays the warrior who left Troy. He and his crew immediately go to battle and take control of the city. Although afterwards Odysseus recalls telling his men to stop and return to the ship, he never actually forcibly tried to make his men return, because at the time it was more about the victory of a battle then the message or values that were being fought fo...
In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.
In ancient republic Rome, piety was one of the highest virtues. The concept of pietas was a driving force in ancient republic Rome. Pietas was very important in Roman society and many romans lived revolved around it. Pietas means “dutifulness” (Sayre 86) but also has many other meanings. The meaning of “pietas” shaped the literature as shown in the pieces, such as a poem written by Vergil, called “The Aeneid”. As well as “On Duties” an essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero.
The text defines self-serving bias as the tendency to perceive oneself favorably. This bias leads us to believe that we are immune to the influences that affect the rest of humanity. In the self-serving bias, our successes are attributed to internal causes (effort or ability), while our failures are attributed to external factors (bad luck). Time and again, experimenters have found that people readily accept credit when told they have succeeded, yet attribute failure to such external factors as bad luck or the problem's inherent "impossibility." Imagine getting a promotion. Most of us will feel that this success is due to hard work, intelligence, dedication, and similar internal factors. But if you are fired, well obviously your boss wouldn't know a good thing if it were staring her in the face. The self-serving bias has been demonstrated countless times: the majority of Americans believe they are smarter and better looking than average; most drivers (even those hospitalized for accidents) believe themselves more skilled than the av...
Odysseus was the person who originally came up with the idea of the Trojan horse, the strategy by which the Greeks were finally able to take the city of Troy itself and have it fall (Hunter). Odysseus came up with this very cunning idea of to take down Troy. This is what led to the fall of Troy. If he never thought of this idea Troy may have never have fallen. Therefore, Odysseus's amazing wits won over Troy and they could have never done it without him. He could have just said lets go brute force into Troy and most of them if not all of them would have fallen on the battlefield that day. He made sure all the ships and camps were hidden and did it during the celebrating that was happening in Troy. This way he was able to make it seem like it was a gift from the gods. I believe this is the best example of reinforcing my thesis from a secondary text. The reason why is that the Trojan Horse is the reason why they won the Trojan War. For ten years the battle was go in neither direction. However, then came along this idea that Odysseus thought of all on his own he claimed (WorldPress.com). The pure genuis of this strategy to wait patiently inside of a giant wooden horse until the city went to sleep was an unthinkable idea it seemed like back then.
Odysseus was an extraordinary man. He was blessed with the favor of the Greek gods, and had a brilliant mind which was shown time and time again throughout the narrative. Early Greek culture placed heavy emphasis on war, and the wealth and power that would come from winning a battle. From these battles arose epic war heroes who surpassed all obstacles in order to defeat their enemies. Odysseus joined with the ranks of the war heroes during the Trojan War, when his brilliance led him to the idea of gifting the Trojans with a gigantic wooden horse with men hidden inside in order to divert the Trojan soldiers from realizing they were being attacked. It was Odysseus himself that led his men to victory and saved them from perishing. Odysseus was also shown to be an extraordinary man by being a mortal who was allowed to travel to and from Hades, where he saw and spoke to his deceased mother, friends, and other war heroes. It was in Hades where he learned that every man will die no matter how great and that stupidity alone can lead to any person’s demise. When Odysseus returned from the gates of hell he spoke to his men about what he had seen. As he spoke his men were “held by the spell of his words [and] they remained silent and still” (148) because Odysseus was given insight into death that was a mystery to every mortal man. Consequently, his godly favor and brilliance were both causes for his