UM Honors Blog 2020-2021

  Throughout the Iliad the battle is focused down to fights between leaders and great fighters. Homer writes about how one important figure kills another over and over again to show how the war unfolds. Something he continues to highlight are warriors who shift the tides' of battle single-handedly: fighters like Hector, Diomedes, Achilles, etc. Who if they die the war will shift completely. Every time Hector was knocked down in earlier books we see the Trojans rush to save him, because if he falls the war is lost. In book 20 we see this huge change in the book as the Acheaens flip the tables' of war. "But all the while the rest of the Trojans fled en masse, thrilled to reach the ramparts, crowding, swarming in, no daring left remain outside the city walls and wait for each other, learn who made it through, who died in battle- [...]"(Homer 540) The death of Patroclus and appearance of Achilles swings the fight drastically,  as Achilles the swift-footed charges through...

     Lust. I find it amazing that a single, small word can carry so much depth and meaning for a society. This word drives many who may not understand this depth, and yet they allow it to be the driving force in much of their lives. Such behavior is often attributed to a man in pursuit of a woman; such is the case with Zeus in the Iliad in Chapter 14. The literal god of the sky and thunder, the ruler of Olympus, is so easily overtaken and deceived by Lust, an unseen yet immensely powerful force that takes his focus off of the battlefield and onto Hera.        I found it interesting how quickly Zeus fell into Hera's trap. To aid Poseidon on the battlefield, Hera takes advantage of the one charm she knows will be impossible to resist; you guessed it, Lust. And does Zeus pause to think about the possibility that Hera has ulterior motives? Nope. Not only does he do exactly what Hera wanted, he goes on to say that "Never has such a lust for goddess or morta...

     Circling around a city isn't the best way to solve a quarrel much less save energy for a fight. Throughout the Iliad, we see Hector go to his brother Paris and attempt to raise him up in courage and muster enough intestinal fortitude to fight his fight, but in Hector's final breath of battle he convinces himself otherwise. I see Hector as RJ the raccoon from Over the hedge in this situation. RJ was very much able to convince others throughout the film to do the right thing in their eyes but when it came down to crunch time RJ couldn't pull through (until the climax but I won't spoil anything). Hector spends 40 lines (from 117-157) "probing his heart" to decide while he waits on his inevitable doom and then at the very last second what does he do? Run. I mean to quote Joe Biden, "C'mon man!"      "Hector looked up, saw him, started to tremble, never gone, he could hold his ground no longer, he left the gates behind and away he fled in f...

Patroclus' death is the catalyst of events that happen later in the Iliad (as I'm sure we're all aware), but his death kinda stuck with me. I really liked the imagery of the lion and the boar in lines 958-59 "Down he crashed - horror gripped the Achaean armies./ As when some lion overpowers a tireless wild boar." It makes it seem like his death was savage. In a way, it was. I mean, the spear was sticking out of his back. That seems much more brutal than necessary, but that's war I suppose. The boar and lion analogy also continues later on in lines 962-63 "but the lion beats him down/ with sheer brute force as the boar fights for breath." It goes to further show Hector's brutality. The 'boar fighting for breath' also serves to give Patroclus some dignity in his death. Like, he knows he is about to die, but he fights on to keep breathing as if he had a chance to live. Fighting for breath, even while you're about to die, is honestly very...

The battle between darkness and light that Homer casually inserts into book 18 returns with full-force in book 22. When Achilles and Hector finally battle against one another, the two men suddenly become representatives of both their nations and their personal values. In an almost Yin-Yang sort of relationship, Achilles and Hector mirror the night and day scenes of the past chapter.  Achilles presents himself as a courageous warrior, seeking righteous revenge against the murderous Trojan, Hector. Though the enraged Achaen is the one chasing after a fair fight while Hector repeatedly attempts to flee, it becomes quickly evident after the Trojan's defeat that Achilles has totally abandoned all his morals. Defiling Hector's body by continually stabbing and dragging it across the battle, the once honorable warrior quickly losses all of his past virtue. Hector, however, stands as the exact opposite of Achilles in this battle. Starting off as somewhat scared and cowardly, the T...

     People talk often of the tortured artist and of how all great art comes from pain. While art can still be produced without suffering, art produced without suffering is likely to not be very good.  In chapter 18, we are given PAGES worth of description of Achille's shield, the artistry of none other than "the famous crippled Smith"(Homer 482) himself, Hephaestus, and he's gone through plenty of suffering...      Before creating Achille's shield, Hephaestus states that he wishes he could hide Achilles away from pain and  death, and that he will do so by making armor for him "that any man in the world of men will marvel at through all the years to come-whoever sees it splendor." While Hephaestus favors Achilles because Achilles' mother, Thetis, saved his life, I cannot help but think, also, that Hephaestus pours himself into his shield, as well as the rest of his work, as a way to deal with his pain.       Hephaestus was reje...

I've always wondered about fate. We aren't robots, and decide things for ourselves, and at the same time, God knows the outcome of all things. I won't dive into an Arminianism versus Calvinism argument here, but a certain question seems to rise from the Iliad. If something is fated to happen, would it not occur naturally, without men or immortals interfering? The gods of Olympus interfere in the war only in accordance with what they know to be fated. In fact, they save and condemn mortal lives in accordance with fate. This brings to light two factors. The first is that they must self-fulfill prophecies. This is mind-wrenching. Instead of prophecies foreseeing actions, they see an outcome, and gods and mortals must act in a way that will cause the outcome to happen. It seems more logical to me that a prophecy is something that will happen no matter what, and therefore no one should act differently than they originally would. The second factor one must consider in light of th...

 I have always enjoyed a good fight scene. I love when I can follow the plot of action in a story; when I can see it so clearly in my mind that I feel as though I am watching the events unfold in person. For me, the scene where Achilles fights with the river in book twenty-one gave rise to this feeling.  Not only is this scene dramatic, but I believe it holds deep significance as well. Here, Achilles is on a rampage. He's plowing through the Trojan army on a mission of revenge for his fallen friend. Hector's death is the ultimate goal. As he mows down the Trojan soldiers, Achilles throws them into the river to be washed away. This ensures that the men's bodies will never be found. Any chance of honor by a heroic death has been snatched away from them. Much like it was for Patroclus, Achilles' friend and brother in arms, when the Trojans desecrated his body and stripped him of his armor. Achilles' rage is driving him on. Finally, the river has had enough.  "Achi...

As I was reading the assigned chapters of the  Iliad , it seems that most of the time the gods are fighting themselves through the excuse of fighting for whichever side they’re fighting on. But in Book 21, the gods have a squabble that they can’t use the excuse of the petty humans.   “Ares stabler of shields led off, charging Athena, shaking his brazen spear and dressed the goddess down: ‘You dog-fly, why drive the gods to battle once again with that stormy bluster driving your wild heart?’” (466-449, Homer) Then to summarize, Ares basically tries to stab her shield, Athena throws a huge stone (boulder probably) at him, Ares gets hit and crashes over seven acres, then Athena taunts him. Athena tells him that even when his strength matched hers that Hera plotted against him when he left the Greeks and fought for the Trojans. I honestly think Ares has no idea whose side he’s fighting on, as long as he’s fighting (which makes sense given that he’s the god of war). Then Aphrodite ...

 Back in book 18, we see how Achilles reacts to the death of his best friend, Patroclus. The grief grips Achilles so strongly that he eventually goes on a rampage, killing hundreds upon hundreds of Trojans. The great mystery of grief and it's power reminded me of a quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, "It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy." Grief is a complicated and peculiar feeling that, if felt so deeply, has the ability to encapsulate and preside over all other emotions. It is not a feeling to be ignored, but one that ought to be dealt with head-on. Grief is not passive, it does not submit easily to other emotions. Grief is manipulative, coercing its victim into believing that they are okay as they begin to slip into darkness. Once grief has a hold on its victim, it slowly overtakes them until naught is left of the person they once were. Grief is a powerful enemy if not properly addressed and handled. However, if the c...

  Achilles’ armor is like a musician’s personal instrument. If you are a musician in possesion of an instrument you’ve played on for a while, you get it. For those of you who don’t, I’ll explain. You know your instrument (assuming you have practised). This piece of art is something you have practised on for hours out of the day. There is that one key that maybe needs to be pushed down with a bit more force so a note will speak. There’s one note that’s a bit sharp, so maybe you adjust your embouchure to ensure the note hits that perfect pitch. You adjust and your instrument adjusts so you fit each other. Your instrument is precious and familiar.      Hector stole Achilles’ armor off of Patroclus (468), and decided a good idea would be to wear it into battle against the armor’s former wearer. First of all, I was not aware armor just fits everyone who picks it up now. Second, something I did not mention above, it takes time to assimilate yourself to a foreign instrument...

    Patroclus dies in battle, and the Trojans took his body. Achilles then goes and takes Patroclus's body back. Achilles is successful in retrieving the body, and he brings it back to the army. What is very interesting is that in the middle of a war, all the Argives take the time to grieve over the loss of their friend. Achilles especially took a lot of time to grieve over Patroclus.      Grieving is a very important part of the healing process when someone has died or any kind of loss. In today's fast-paced society, most people do not find the time to properly grieve. Most of the time people will just ignore the pain and let it build up inside until they have an emotional explosion.      Achilles grieves and he is able to go back to battle. Honestly this event is probably what motivates Achilles to fight the way he does later in the book. I commented on Haley Riddle's and Clabo's post

Where is the honor? Where is the virtue? Why must the gods intervene so often. It's as if they say they won't involve themselves... that is, until one of their favorites are about to die. The Achaeans have been slighted by the gods on so many occasions. I know that they have also been helped by the gods in certain instances, but It just seems as if the Trojans are the fan-favorite here. Previously, Menelaus was denied the revenge he so rightfully deserved, and when the Achaeans had seemingly won the war, the gods intervened and started it all up again. Now, Aeneas and Hector are saved from Achilles hands by Poseidon and Apollo, and Apollo even disguises himself as Agenor so that the Trojans have time to retreat. In my personal opinion, there is just too much involvement from the gods. It is almost as if the heroes are kids on a playground and the gods are parents who are standing by and ready to swoop their kids away from danger or hurting themselves. I say that they should jus...

    Everyone this week will most likely talk about the ABSOLUTE CHAOS that happened in the last two chapters in this book. Granted, it was some important stuff - I felt physical pain in reading it - but I would like to take a step back to chapter 18, in which Hephaestus created armor for Achilles. There are beautiful descriptions of what is engraved into Achilles' shield, the "...constellations, all that crowd the heavens... two noble cities filled / with mortal men...a king's estate where harvesters labored... (567, 572-573, 639), to name a few. I want to zero in on why all of these images were placed on the shield in the first place. Since I am not writing an essay at this moment, however, I will choose the two images of the noble cities to analyze.      The first of the cities is described as a happy place, full of music, and dancing, and overall peace (573-579). This image is suddenly dissolved as argument breaks out; someone is demanding a blood price for a...

         As we have seen in the Iliad, characters have been designated interesting descriptive titles. For example, Hera is known as "ox-eyed," whatever that means. Most of the titles have been positive - things the characters might take pride in (again, this does not apply to "ox-eyed" because I'm not really sure if that's positive or not). However, in book 18, Hephaestus is dubbed "the crippled Smith." This may sound silly, but I can relate to this title in a sense. I had to use crutches five times - months at a time - from age eleven to fifteen for knee injuries and surgeries. I know that does not make me "crippled," and many people are much worse off than I am, but, I was quickly given the label of "cripple" in middle and high school. I will tell you right now, that is not a quality to take pride in. I cannot imagine how it would feel if others talked about me or introduced me as "the crippled girl." Hephaestus doe...

 When I read about the gods interfering with the war again, I could not help but think of a football game. The game of the mortals vs. the gods. When the gods help their side, all I could think of is a referee throwing a yellow flag yelling, “Interference. Offense. Number one”. Which I translate to, interference on the gods with number one being Zeus. I felt like I was in the stands watching the game getting angry at the gods for interfering. I guess that means I am on the mortals team. In book 21, I was very happy to read that someone finally acknowledged the fact that the gods are to blame for the terrible war and battle between the gods. Specifically, that Hera is the one to blame. Leto said, after Zeus asked who had hurt her, “Your own wife, Father! The white-armed Hera beat me! / This strife, this warfare plaguing all the immortals- / Hera’s to blame!” (Homer, 536). This passage could be inferring that the gods are to blame for the entire war. This statement is not said by Hom...

 First off, I'd like to say this is going to be a two part blog post, because a lot of things happened in this reading assignment that demands to be discussed.  As with any war I've realized, it's tricky not to fall into the initial perspective I am given. I began this book skeptical of Hector because I was bias toward the movie Troy, which was told mostly through the eyes of Achilles, but neither were what I was expecting. It's actually funny that they both hold values completely opposite from one another. Hector represented everything related to city-state pride, honor, and humility whereas Achilles was everything wild, reckless, and unpredictable solitary. This isn't to say that Hector is all good and Achilles all bad. Both had instances where I rooted for the other more or less. I just thought it was interesting how their two personalities represented something that basically causes all wars: the clash between civilization and savagery.  Secondly, I'm not de...

    I don't think that the outcome of the Trojan War has surprised anyone so far. For one, the Achaeans outnumber the Trojans more than ten-to-one! Second, the Trojans have been pushed back to their city's shores, even up to their gates and inner walls by the time of book twenty-two. In such a desperate time for the city of Troy, it would make sense to try and either negotiate a surrender or challenge one of the Argives' champions to a duel with one of your best soldiers. Duels on the battlefield are not unheard-of, specifically in cultures that romanticized some form of honor or valor gained from dying in combat. Now do not misunderstand what I say, I am all for having Achilles and Hector dueling this conflict out between themselves so no more blood needs to be shed, but do the gods seriously have to involve themselves in everything?! Both Diomedes and Achilles have had kills taken out of their hands,  with Paris and Hector respectively, when they are whisked away by Apo...

            For nine years, the Trojans and Acheans have fought, and while it is extremely clear that they want the war to end, war is still all Hector can think about. I find it ironic that Hector's son fears him. He recoils "cringing against his nurse's full breast, screaming out at the sight of his own father"(Homer 211) because of his armor. The boy fears the sight of his father dressed for war, a thing which in our time is feared because it brings about death. However, Hector is ready to face his fate, even if that be dying, and he prays that Zeus make his son strong and respected for the killing of the enemy in war. If it was me, I'd be daydreaming about peace and harmony. I would pray my son not have to fight the same as I, to experience the sight of blood in battle, and to leave this wife to fight.     There's this dynamic created where you either bring dishonor and shame upon your family by not fighting and facing your fate in war, w...

   "One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic" (J. Stalin 1947). War... War is one of the most tragic events that can take place between men. Homer portrays this perfectly, In the Iliad, Homer doesn't say "oh and a couple thousand people died" he fleshes out each characters' death and describes cruel and gory casualties as well as the tragedy that each individual's spouse, father, and kids feel with each loss. " [...] The son of Tydeus killed the two of them on the spot, he ripped the dear life out of both and left their father tears and wrenching grief. Now he'd never welcome his two sons home from war, alive in the flesh, and distant kin would carve apart their birthright." (Homer, 169 )  He here shows us two characters that haven't been introduced to the story and shows us that this isn't just two young men dying. Their deaths also foreshadow a depressed father, a cursed bloodline, a widow, and a fatherless child. ...

  It seems that many wars and/or fights start with a woman. In the case of the Trojan war, Helen was stolen by Paris and became his wife, thus causing the war. But was it really just because of a woman? I mean, if I were a Trojan, or a Greek for that matter, after about a year or two, I’d either go home or give Helen to the Greeks. Why would you fight 10 years just because of a woman, even one so beautiful as Helen, a woman “for whom so many Argives lost their lives in Troy, far from native land”? (Homer, 104) Maybe it resembles the War Between the States, in which many believe the main cause to be slavery, when it was most likely the fact that the South wanted independence from the North. It’s possible that the Greeks wanted something the Trojans had; maybe they wanted land or more wealth or just to make a name for themselves. Perhaps the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back” was Helen.  I commented on Haley Riddle’s post and Braylan’s post.

With hundreds of lines of text, endless backstory, and countless characters whose names I can't remember, there are infinite options for my blog post. So, in true form, I will talk about literally three words from our text. "White-armed Helen" (Homer 132). Ever since I can remember, I've hated how pale I am. My twin brother doesn't burn in the Alabama sun, he just turns brown. Meanwhile, I'm lucky if I move past Ivory 2 after a summer of working outside. I've always thought the epitome of beauty is someone tall, slender, and tan. That is the opposite of how Helen is portrayed. In ancient Greece, women were considered beautiful if they were chubby, pale, and short. This is because the rich citizes could afford to stay inside away from the sun and hard work, and eat all day long. I would be considered beautiful in ancient Greece. But if I look on social media, I am plagued with self deprecating thoughts about how everyone else is skinny, blonde, and tan, whi...

      There is so much I could say about the women in The Iliad. Not only are they seen as mere prizes, their significance is judged by, you guessed it, their beauty. How they look is typically all we learn about them. For example, in Book 1 line 15, Chryseis is described as "the girl with sparkling eyes." Later, line 168 says "Chryseis herself, in all her beauty." This becomes very common throughout The Iliad.  When a character talks about a woman we are reminded of that woman's beauty or lack thereof.      Later in Book 1, Thetis goes to Zeus with a request. Maybe it's just me, but does it not seem as though Thetis seduces Zeus in order to get what she wants? Line 596 says: "And crouching down at his feet, quickly grasping his knees with her left hand, her right hand holding him underneath the chin, she prayed to the lord god Zeus". Zeus himself mutters about how fulfilling this request would cause trouble with his wife, Hera, and later we see th...

Helen is found in the city of Troy married to Paris. In book 3, Hector and Paris have a one on one duel. Iris goes to Helen and tells Helen about it, so Helen runs to see the duel. She finds Priam, and she stands with him. Priam then starts asking Helen about some of the different Achaean men he sees. When Priam asks about Agamemnon, Helen does not just answer his question, instead, she starts talking about herself.  What she says about herself is very interesting. She says, “I revere you so, dear father, dread you too--if only death had pleased me then, grim death, that day I followed your son to Troy, forsaking my marriage bed, my kinsmen and my child...and the lovely comradeship of women my own age. Death never came, so now I can only waste away in tears” (Homer 134). Reading this I can hear the sadness and regret in her voice about where she is in her life. It appears that she became discontented with her life, and went after Paris to Troy with him; only to find that she was no...

    What is war? Some say war is spurred out of a deep passion in a man's heart to defend that which he holds dear. Others stand by their view that war is driven by overarching powers pushing those below them to fight, kill and ultimately die for a cause personal to the political leaders. Regarding the Iliad, I find that much of the passion behind the battle between the Achaeans and the Argives, while fueled by personal passions specific to each man, is mainly driven by the clash between Achilles and Agamemnon. Each man is compelled to fight for the honor of his country or city, ordered to fight valiantly and destroy the opposition. For the most part.     As I was reading book six, several pages stood out from the others, pages 199 to 203, line numbers 138 to 282. In this passage, Homer takes a break from describing the war to writing about an encounter between two warriors of opposing forces, Glaucus and Diomedes, Glaucus defending the Achaeans and Diomedes defendin...

  Honestly, the fact that Paris started the war by stealing Helen from Menelaus could cause one to think that he would be prepared to continue to fight for her. At first, he even seems confident when he openly and arrogantly challenges the Achaean men to a one-on-one battle. However, his courage and arrogance quickly fade when Menelaus is the warrior who steps up to fight him. I don’t understand how someone can turn from a hero to a coward so quickly. Not only did Menelaus not get the revenge he deserved in the battle, but Paris still had the audacity to try and hide from the war in book 6 after he had been saved by Aphrodite and been given Helen once again. The entire time I read these sections I pictured them being acted out by children on a playground. So many of the events in this story I just feel as if they are extremely childish. I guess in this case one could relate Paris to the teacher’s kid who never gets in trouble. Also, I know we were not directly assigned books 4 an...

Though the Illiad is a continually brutal tale of bloody battles and epic struggles, I do enjoy how Homer specifically inserts uneventful, day-to-day interactions into his work. These brief moments vividly remind the readers of the innate humanity of the characters and allow the audience to actually see the warriors as people and not just mere pawns. The individuals showcased in these scenes also tend to become the role models for the warriors they fight alongside.   Hector is, in my opinion, a perfect example of this. Every Trojan soldier in the Illiad is currently fighting to both protect and defend their homeland, but Homer decides to go even deeper than duty when he introduces Hector's wife and son. The interaction between Hector and his wife, Andromache, near the end of book five was so incredibly relatable and real. Her expressed worry for her husband as he continued to fight beyond the safety of the walls of Troy and her paralyzing fear that their son, Astyanax, would neve...

There was a specific moment in Book 3 that held my mind captive as I continued to read, and that was Aphrodite's interference with the battle. She snatched Paris out of the jaws of death and set him in his home. She then goes to Helen, telling her to go to her husband as he is back from the war. I was shocked by Helen's boldness as she regarded the beautiful goddess as "Maddening One.." (Homer 141). Granted, the goddess reprimanded her, reminding Helen of her place.  If Aphrodite had not intervened, the Trojan's would not have only lost Helen, but Paris as well. However, the war would have ceased and the onslaught of death would have ended. As much as I enjoyed the personality traits brought out by Aphrodite, her involvement seems to have only caused more problems and death. p.s. I commented on Abigale and Caroline's

The Iliad  has been very interesting. If you had a hard time understanding what is going on. I am here to tell you, you are not the only one. For a while, I had no clue what was going on. Thankfully, I think I figured it out a little bit. We will see how far that goes.  So far the Iliad has been messing with me. I will begin to like a character and then something will happen or they will do something. Then, I just give them my confused gaze, my “you’re crazy” look, and a disapproving shake if my head.  One character that I do not want this to happen to is Hector. Hector is both manly strong but also emotional and supportive to his wife. The interactions he has are some of my favorite lines. When he called Paris a coward behind his back by saying, “if I would shrink from battle now, a coward” (Homer, 210).  Not only do I love Hector’s quick wit, I also admire his love and adoration for his wife, Andromache, and son. There was so much he did for Andromache. He did not ...

      In book three there is an interesting dynamic given to us between Hector and Paris. Hector comes to Paris to chastise him, challenge him and in some was it acted as exhortation. I picture it very much as the MCU (Marvel cinematic universe) placed Loki in Thor. There were many times where Thor would come raging in at Loki and Loki would cooly reply with a dialogue that ultimately achieved his goal.       I have this beautiful image in my head of Hector storming into Paris's quarters fully decked in armor ("on a Thursday night"- I apologize for the Tiktok joke I couldn't resist.) to rage at Paris. Paris in his noble gowns, sipping a glass of wine, gazing at the battlefield, and cooling replying,        "Oh you are quite right. I have been blessed. I guess I must tend to the futile problems of war." (then a bit more excitement) "...and get my woman!"  (summary of 70-92)      Ultimately what I took from th...

Well, it's been an interesting year hasn't it? Honestly, I'm glad we're back in school so that I can have some normalcy in my life, but you're not here for this pointless discussion, you're here for discussion on The Iliad . So let's get on that, shall we? The Iliad plays out, almost like a children's play in my mind. I get it, it was a dramatic story told to entertain people, but whenever I read it, I imagine the gods controlling the warriors like marionettes. All I can think of is the gods sitting there saying "Yes, fight for my enjoyment!" while they watch people get slaughtered. When things don't go their way, though, that's when the gods and goddesses get involved. I mean, why else would deities like Athena and Zeus even get involved in a war among humans? They treat humans like puppets so they can create a story that is to their liking. If the story isn't up to the gods' standards, they get involved to make the story mo...

 The war and its wounds run deeper than we think. I mean, yes, we are reading about the feud between the Trojans and the Greeks, but the opposing side is really not portrayed in a way that opposing sides are usually written. They are written as people, the same as the Greeks, and the real war being between the gods and acted through mortals as their puppets. This can be seen in how the two armies go about fighting; it gets to a point where they are so desperate to stop the fighting that they don't even have a preference as to who wins anymore. They just absentmindedly declare a truce and pray that the side in the wrong would be killed and their women raped if cease-fire ends-whoever that is meant to be. When conflict does resume once more, both sides suffer terribly. Both sides by the end of it also seem to lack emotion, as if a force bigger than themselves has all the strings pulled. Pandarus fires toward Menelaus only because of Athena's influence, and no ones makes decisions...

Rule #1: Every story has a good guy and a bad guy.  Rule #2: Good wins in the end.  Rule #3: The reader must follow a character on his journey of growth. These things can be said of every story ever told...except for the Iliad. In this story the reader is left questioning who is good and who is bad. "Whose side should I be on?" We ask. "What should I think when the characters digress instead of progress? Where's the story line?" The Iliad seems to defy the stereotype of a good story. Or does it? Imagine hearing the great epic of the Iliad from Homer's own lips. Imagine his voice as he begins with he opening line, "Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans." Imagine being enthralled by the drama as Homer recounts events such as the encounter between Achilles and Agamemnon and the banquet of the gods.  The Iliad, this great epic poem, is not an easy thing to read. The story doesn't follow ...

  The battles and long descriptions of parenthood (thank you, Glaucus and Diomedes) were fun to read this week, but it was only a short dialogue that really caught my attention. I would have overlooked it, had it not reminded me of Alcatraz. Now, hear me out. One of the worst prisons ever to exist (that we know of) is located in San Francisco Bay, and location may seem unimportant at first. Learning about the physical conditions the inmates were forced to endure is enough to break the hearts of someone researching the prison. However, what makes Alcatraz one of the worst prisons ever to exist is that it wasn’t just a physical prison. Inmates could actually see the lights from the city of San Francisco. They could see everything that their lives would never be, and they could not escape.      Aphrodite and Helen are both described (extensively) as beautiful, radiant women, but Aphrodite is a goddess. She’s powerful. Helen knows this, yet still speaks so boldly towards...

     What a way to begin the semester! Six months is too long to go without seeing a new action film or a romantic tragedy, and this epic has all three! Overall, I have been captivated by this story, all of the twists and turns - I really wish we were reading it all in class! Since we aren't, unfortunately, I will have to settle with what we are reading.      One of the most interesting things about this book thus far is the way that Homer juxtaposes the gods and the humans. Humans are messy, sure, but the gods? They are on a whole other level of messed up, and most of their actions are afflicted onto mankind. In the gods' minds, they are the most important beings in this universe, and they don't take kindly to anyone telling them otherwise. For instance, in book 3 of The Iliad, Helen refuses to go back to bed with her consort, Paris. Although it is for vain reasons that she doesn't want to be with him, Helen still has a right to refuse unwelcome advances. ...

    It is not someone's words, their skillset, or even how hard they work on honing and mastering their craft that matters most. There comes a point in every person's life where they must question why  they pursue the aspirations that they aspire toward. It is the purpose that drives us to be better than our peers, and war is no different in that regard. I could babble about the implications of purpose, but I think Nelson Mandela puts it best when he describes the difference between talking to someone in a way they understand versus when talking to someone in the language of their heart rather than one they just understand.  Now, what does someone's language of the heart have to do with their purpose? The one word answer is  everything . Those who know why they are pursuing a goal and will stop at nothing in order to achieve it are the same people that have an internal language all by themselves. We see this in Homer's  The Iliad  in books three a...

                     Remembering the Lives - Caroline Tucker                Survival in Auschwitz Just like Silence, Survival in Auschwitz uses very simple vocabulary but is so sobering and emotional. Levi’s experiences are breathtakingly sad and full of despair.  Last summer, I had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference in Washington D.C. One of the places we attended while at the conference was the Holocaust Museum. While reading Survival in Auschwitz, all I could think about was one of the exhibits in the museum. It was a room that had a picture on the wall of a concentration camp and the rest of the walls were glass. It had a glass door. I opened the door and inside it was full of benches. I sat down on one of the benches. Then, I heard a voice and then another. The voices were men and women who survived Auschwitz telling how they lived and survived. Sadly, ...

Mary Wollstonecraft is my QUEEN. This woman is the founder of modern feminism. She wrote many things, including a travel journal, a history of the French Revolution, and most famously, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Though there were not explicit laws heavily restricting women's rights, society's main viewpoint was that women were flippant, silly things to look at and definitely not to be heard. Wollstonecraft rebuked this viewpoint, saying that if women were silly, it is because society has failed to teach them otherwise. But we've all done the reading, so enough of the summary. The main thing that stuck out to me was a key exert from the introduction, where Wollstonecraft says: "In the government of the physical world it is observable that the female in point of strength is, in general, inferior to the male. This is the law of nature; and it does not appear to be suspended or abrogated in favour of woman. A degree of physical superiority cannot, therefore, be ...

       I know this reveals my true geek self, but just hear me out. Also, just as a PSA, in the famous words of River Song, "Spoilers!". In the popular BBC show  Doctor Who,  there is an episode in which the Doctor, Amy, and Rory are trapped in a dreamlike trance. The villain, who is revealed to be the Doctor's consciousness, has given the trio two worlds. One is the waking world, and one is the dream world, and they have to figure out which is which before they die in the real world. The crazy twist at the end is that neither of the worlds, or dreams, are real, and that is what really ties together the plot of this and the section of Pascal's "Thoughts" about dreams.        Pascal says that "... during sleep we believe that we are awake as firmly as we do when we  are  awake..." (441). To me, personally, that is a very accurate statement, especially in the context of the argument that we, as finite humans, can never be sure of...

     Welcome to Honors! My name is Abbie Hedden and I serve as President of Honors. Jamie Peters is our Vice President, and Caroline Tucker is our Secretary. I look forward to getting to know all of you in class during this upcoming year! There are a few things you need to know about Honors.      There are no quizzes or tests in Honors. Grades are provided based on attendance/class participation, blogs, explication papers, and the research paper. The papers will be addressed at a later date, as they aren't due until later in the semester. However, there is a blog post due every week. Bearing that in mind, here are the requirements! Criteria Blog posts are due Monday at 11:59PM , and comments are due Tuesday at 9:29AM . DO NOT BE LATE ON ASSIGNMENTS. Points WILL be deducted from late assignments! Be sure to have your name in your Blogger profile Blog posts should include at least one to two paragraphs on that week’s reading assignment.  Blog posts shoul...