This particular quote came from an early book in the Odyssey, by Homer. This quote came during book 4 of the poem, when Telemachus was traveling to learn of his father and stopped in, if I remember correctly, Sparta to speak with Menelaus and Helen. This quote refers specifically to everything that transpired in the famous “Trojan Horse” event.

This quote was about when a Goddess, who I believe to be Aphrodite, came down and began to speak to all the soldiers in the voices of their wives and loved ones, which would cause the soldiers to all be loud at once, which would have gave them away inside the massive horse and ruined their ambush on the Trojans. When this began to happen, Odysseus, literally, tied up and cover the mouths of many of the soldiers to ensure that they weren’t given away. Menelaus is praising Odysseus as a leader and a different level of hero. “By now I’ve learned the mind and will of many | hero men and traversed much of the earth, | but with my eyes I’ve never seen such a one.| as was the dear heart of steadfast Odysseus.”

The theme that is most apparent in this quote was one that we covered majority of this course, and that is kleos. When discussing with Telemachus his father and his actions, Menelaus describes Odysseus as a brilliant hero who was always ready and in control. Odysseus was always thought of as the wittiest and smartest of all the Greek kings, but in this quote and scene of the Odyssey, we get to see a moment where Odysseus was the major figure and how in control he was of a situation that could have become very disastrous.

This theme and thought compares to the Iliad the most because the main theme of that work was Achilles obtaining his glory through the war and through an early death. Achilles was always described as this great warrior, and Odysseus, not as great of a warrior, matched Achilles’ strength with wit and intelligence.

Quote 5 Response:

This quote comes from what may be one of the more important parts of the Iliad by Homer. This quote comes from Book 9 of Iliad where Ajax, Odysseus, and Phoenix goes to convince Achilles to come back to the war.

In this scene of the poem, Odysseus and Phoenix both fail to get through to Achilles with talks of Agamemnon being sorry and what Achilles’ father would have thought of him. Ajax was the last to speak and make his thoughts known, but his was the most effective. Ajax was widely recognized as the second best warrior amongst the Greek warriors, right behind Achilles. Ajax discussed the blood price of him not coming back to the war. He tells him that if he does not come back to the war the price will be paid in blood of his brothers and all the Greeks.

This quote also discusses the theme of kleos. When Agamemnon disrespected Achilles, which caused him to remove himself from the battlefield. He felt dishonored and did not want to lend his assistance any further. Ajax’s entire argument was that Achilles should be back in the war to regain not only the honor of all the Greeks, but his honor as well. By returning to the war and collecting this blood price and end the blood shed of the Achaians, he will be honored forever. “Now make gracious the spirit within you. | Respect your own house; see, we are under the same roof with you, | from the multitude of the Danaans, we who desire beyond all | others to have your honour and love, out of all the Achaians.” When ever kleos is discussed with Achilles, he always listens, and Ajax knew that.

Quote 2 Response:

This quote was from a speech made during the Symposium in Plato’s Symposium. This speech was made by Aristophanes to everyone and was about the simple notion of love.

Aristophanes had a notion that was apparent in this quote. That love is combination of man and women being one entity, working in harmony. “Each used to walk upright, too, just as one does now, in whatever direction he wanted; and whenever he had the impulse to run fast, then just as tumblers with their legs straight out actually move around as they tumble in a circle, so did they, with their eight limbs as supports, quickly move in a circle.” Basically, Aristophanes is saying that when a man and women truly love one and other, they are like mirror images of each other and literally are in sync.

The greatest themes discussed in this quote was the themes of love and homophrosune. Homophrosune is the greek word for “like mindedness”. Aristophanes believed that to love, you had to think and move as your partner did, just like the third race of human did. When you are with someone, you think the same and work as one, becoming one entity.

This compares greatly to the relationship of Odysseus and Penelope in The Odyssey. These two were described to have this homophrosune that made you believe that they were literally one and the same. When discussing certain aspects of their relationship, there was a blurred line where you couldn’t determine who’s emotions or thoughts you were referring to, and that is what Aristophanes is getting at. Love is about being one.

Quote 3 Response:

This quote comes from a later book of the Iliad, which I believe is book 24. This quote is a speech from Helen to Hector, after he was killed by Achilles, in mourning.

This quote speaks specifically to the feelings of Helen and how connected she felt to Hector, who always looked out for her as if she was literally family to her. “[A]nd here now is the twentieth year upon me since I came | from the place where I was, | forsaking the land of my fathers. In this time | I have never heard a harsh saying from you, nor an insult.” The death of Hector shook all of Troy in many ways, but to see how it hurt Helen showed us all how connected she was to the Trojans.

This quote also shows the theme of love, because, in a way, she loved Hector for everything he has done for her over the years. Helen believes that Hector has done more for her than anyone else has in the time she has been in Troy and she is grateful for him and shows that through her mourning of him in this moment. There isn’t any part of any other work that we have read this is comparable in the exact same fashion, but the mourning of Patroclus by Briseis is the only thing that can be held to the same light. Both women mourned for the brother of their beloved in their death.

This week of class began per usual, with a quiz on Thursday. These past few quizzes, I haven’t done my best. I don’t have a real reason why. I’m slipping on my pimping, so to speak. This week, however, I told myself I have to score high for the last quiz of the book. So on Friday, on my way to work of course, I began my readings for the weekend. We had begun to near the end of the story, the climax was approaching. We were assigned to read books 20–23, with the final book assigned to be red on Tuesday. Reading these books through brought me back to the Iliad, which I still enjoyed more. The battle for survival and a mini war ragged in the palace of Odysseus was a reminder of the great warrior he was in the Iliad.

For books 20–23, we were only asked on question, a big one though. The question pertained to Penelope and her relationship with Odysseus. How are the two alike? Well, throughout the epic and class up to this point, we were constantly told that we will come to find out that this couple shares a like mindedness, a homophrosyne. When we are introduced to Penelope’s character, she has been courting suitors for approximately 20 years… And at no point did she marry a new man. She had been stringing them along all this time, something that Odysseus would do. It even showed in the epic where Odysseus would use his wittiness to get out of certain situations. We also discussed the fact that both, actually the entire family, shares somewhat of the same skepticism. Odysseus and Penelope often question the things in order to get a better understand so that nothing will get by them. You this in Odysseus when Athena explains the plan for him to overthrow the suitors and he questions her to reassure himself. Also when Penelope is face to face with Odysseus and is in disbelief that it is really him. She tries to play a trick on him to test him, using something that only Odysseus would know, their bed. She told him he can take the bed and sleep outside but Odysseus countered saying that the bed was immovable. These two have a like mind which always keeps them connected.

After class on Tuesday, it was hard to focus on reading the final book considering it was election day. My entire focus was set on whether or not I would be leaving the country permanently or not.

So during my trip to Tysons Tuesday, I began to read the final book. It was refreshing to be see some of the older characters. My favorite scene of the book was between Achilles and Agamemnon arguing over who had the better death. Even in death, Agamemnon has to be the more glorious person. The question asked for this book was to compare it to the first book. the main point however was to compare Telemachus to his former self. The final book was a completely different mood than that in first. I think the main reason being, Odysseus was finally home. Although there was almost a “situation” at the end due to the death of all the suitors, the story ended with Ithaca having its king back. But the main difference, as I previously stated, was shown in Telemachus. Telemachus original set out to find his father and news of him, but he found much more than that. Telemachus became a man during his travels. When he returned to Ithaca, he spoke up much more, he defended his palace and made more decisions on his own. The moment we noticed he had completely come into his own was when he decided to kill the unloyal women his own way, rather than how his father told him to. He made his own decision, which symbolically stood for him being his own man.

This epic was a phenomenal read. The story for me was about looking for someone and finding yourself in the process. Even though I still give the Iliad the edge over the Odyssey, it still teaches a lot. Telemachus is representation of all of us at that age. Leaving home and trying to become your own person. I have one more song for you that I believe youd would enjoy because it was based on our favorite word in the Iliad and something that Telemachus and Odysseus found at the end. Enjoy this one last song for this one last journal. Here you go:

Heres the song itself, and below it is the link to his live performance on Fallon the other night. I hope you enjoy it, Sandridge.

Watch Big Sean Debut Biting New Song 'Bounce Back' on 'Fallon'

Now where were we? That’s right, week 10 of this glorious class. For this week of class, we were assigned to read books 15–19 of the Odyssey. This in this epic are beginning to heat up as Odysseus is now in his home of Ithaca and is preparing himself to regain his throne. The first question posed for this journal was a simple, yet vague one: How do you know when you are home? Home is a place of familiarity. Home is a place you know well because it’s where you rest your head and go through your daily routines. The home is a structure that you claim to be yours. Home doesn’t only have to be you specific house, but home can be the community you know well, the area, a space known by you. Home is just a place that you know well enough to feel safe and at ease

But home is also a concept. Everyone knows the phrase: “home is where the heart is.” The concept that home has to deal with the heart speaks more to people than it does to a specific place. As human beings, we often seek shelter within other people. So the phrase, home is where the heart is, speaks to the connection and hospitality ties we have with others. Home can be seen in your loved ones: you wife, you kids, your parents. Home can be considered and ora, an energy you get from both the space and the people that occupy that space. After being away from “home” for a long time, returning to it gives a person somewhat of a humbling feeling, and that is what I believe Homer tried to capture with Odysseus returning to Ithaca. After returning from war and trails that intended to keep him from home, Odysseus is humbled to be back in his land and ready to retake what is his.

When reading further, we are introduced to a few different characters, one being Eumaeus (or Eumaios, which ever floats your boat). Eumaeus is an interesting character. He’s and older gentlemen, a swineherd. He plays a minor roll in the length of the text, but in the grand scheme of the epic, his roll is much bigger than people think. Odysseus goes to him as a beggar and he extends him a place to lay his head. Odysseus tries to trick him to see if he is really willing to help him by saying that he can’t allow him Eumaeus to let him stay too long, but Eumaeus rejects that notion. Odysseus does not reveal who he is because of who he is. I know that sounds weird, but allow me to explain. If Odysseus reveals himself as Odysseus to a man in Ithaca, that man is obligated to serve and help him. If the man helps him without knowing who he his, the man is genuine and willing to help him. This notion proves that Eumaeus is genuine and wants to help the man, who he does not know is Odysseus. This man is a hero in his own right. It takes a true man, a true hero to help others that need it. We were also asked can he be trusted. The one thing that solidified his trustworthiness was Athena going to Telemachus in book 17 or 18, and telling him that Eumaeus was the ONLY person she should tell he has arrived back in Ithaca and that he should allow him to deliver the message to his mother. If the Gods can trust a man, then there should be no reason a mortal man can’t trust him.

We are approaching the climax for this epic. Odysseus is now in the palace and within reach of his throne once again. We are at the top of the rollercoaster and ready to take that drop into the action. Odysseus will soon reveal himself to the suitors and he, with Telemachus at his side, will kill them all. Its time for Odysseus to “bounce back” (I know you like how I did that) and take back his HOME.

Come Tuesday, I felt well prepared. I had been immersed in this story for weeks and I felt as if I knew a lot of the things I needed to know prior to studying. The test was essay format and we were given 4 questions and told to choose 3. When reading the questions, my eyes lit up. The questions were all based on things I felt extremely comfortable with in respects to the text. I felt as if I could have done all 4 essays if it would have gotten me extra credit (Now if I were to fall the exam, I’d feel embarrassed for being this confident). After our exam, I had to leave straight for work because My store was have an inventory scan. Before leaving campus, I ran into Sandridge and he asked me how I felt about the quiz. We joked about it and before he walked off into the horizon, he left me with this: “Be prepared for the quiz Thursday, its on Books one and two of the Odyssey. We’re jumping straight into it.”

I went to my normal routine and read the text as I traveled to Tyson’s Corner that night. Several questions were posed for this reading, the first being how does the first book of this epic compare to the last book of the Iliad. The first book of the Odyssey introduces the characters and the setting of the story. We come to learn that it has been 10 years since the end of the Trojan war and Odysseus has yet to return home. All the people of Ithaca, including his wife and son, believe him to be dead. During this time, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is being courted by several suitors all trying to win her and Odysseus’ estate. At the end of the Iliad, Achilles held games and competitions in the honor of Patroclus, and the winners received prizes in abundance. Penelope, in a way, is holding a competition where the winner wins Ithaca. The way this story begins is catalyzed by the way the last story ended, which would make the beginning of this story a complement to the end of the Iliad.

The second question we were asked is about the main character of the Odyssey, Telemachus. Sandridge wants to know if we see him as heroic from our first interactions with him. Now, the biggest thing we must remember about Telemachus is that he is, at most, 22 years old. He was an infant when his father left for the Trojan war (so around the age of 1–2) and its been 10 years since the ended and the war was approximately 8–10 years itself. The reason this story is taking place is because almost everyone that was a part of the Trojan war has return to their respective homes except Odysseus, but the Gods show Telemachus that is father is still alive and that he needs to regain his nation. When we think about the heroes of the Iliad, we must also think about the Gods. Why, you ask? All the heroes and major characters of the Iliad, no matter which side of the war they were on, were highly favored by the Gods and the Gods backed their actions and decisions. Telemachus was told by Athena to defend and protect his father’s estate, and they even showed an omen to all the suitors that was to show that the Gods are backing him. This leads us to believe that he will be the hero of this poem.

The final question was also a comparison question. This one was perfect though. The question was how does Penelope compare to the women on the Iliad. Powerful question. When I think of Penelope, I think of 2 women from the Iliad instantly. These two women are Helen and Hera. When thinking about the story of the Iliad, Helen and Hera held the most power. I know, that doesn’t sound right when we have characters like Achilles and Hector, but it makes sense. Think about the reason the war started, well the main reason. Because Helen was stripped from Menelaus and given to Paris. The war would have ended if Menelaus defeated Paris for Helen. Hera, even when told not to, put her hands all in the war. She even seduced the KING of all the Gods, and got her way in the end. In the first book of the Odyssey, we see all these men fighting for the attention of Penelope. She’s dangling this prize of being her husband over these suitors like steak over a dog. She understands that she has what all these men want and that gives her this immense power.

I wasn’t looking forward to jumping straight into this book, but it’s somewhat good for the brain because it keeps our minds into the text. It made the transition from one to the other much smoother. I look forward to this story because its said to be more of a high, compared to the Iliad, which was a low, if that makes sense. The Odyssey is suppose to be about rebuilding and learning. I’m ready to dive right in and get it done.

It is the end of this marvelous epic. The last week of the Iliad for us. This week began as usual on Thursday with a quiz, which I didn’t do too well on, but thats a story for another time. This weekend was a lot different for me. I diverted from my usual routine. I attended the Meadows music festival in New York City so instead of reading on my train rides to and from Tysons Corner, I dedicated my 4 hour train ride to NYC to finish the epic so that I can enjoy the festival peacefully.

This weeks assignment for our final reading of the Iliad was compare and contrast the first book of this poem and the last book. We have been reading this tale for 6 weeks now and it is somewhat difficult to think back to the first book so I ended up having to reread it in its entirety in order to draw a comparison, and I came to the conclusion that they were scarily similar. To summarize book 1 of the Iliad, A trojan priest traveled to meet Agamemnon and over him a ransom in exchange for his daughter. This priest was highly favored by the God, Apollo. Agamemnon declines the ransom, which causes Apollo to start a plague amongst the Achaians. Achilles confronts Agamemnon about the situation and and the two butt heads about what needs to be done.

In this book, on the 12th day after Hector’s death, Zeus goes to Priam, the king of the Trojans, and tells him to go to Achilles with a ransom in exchange for the body of his son. He sends him with Hermes to guide him through the Achaian troops straight to Achilles where he begs Achilles for Hector’s body. But do you see the biggest similarity? A trojan father is bringing a ransom to a Achaian warrior/king in exchange for their child. That’s powerful. Both Trojans were convinced by a God to take such action, and you can go as far as to say that they were favored by that particular God in that instance. But these books did contrast one and other in some major ways. The key differences are these:

1. This scene in book 24 takes place during the funeral of Patroclus and after the death of Hector, so the mood is somewhat sadder than that of the first book. When the priest approaches Agamemnon, prior to the plague castes by Apollo, the Achaians were preparing their troops. There wasn’t much mourning going on.
2. Priam is just trying to retrieve the body of his son to have a proper burial for him. In book 1, the priest is trying to retrieve his living daughter.
3. The biggest difference, however, is that Achilles AGREES to take the ransom, unlike what Agamemnon did in the first book.

Priam was smart, he used Achilles’ father as a point of understanding for why he should return the body of Hector to him. Not only did this point make his think of his father, but of Patroclus. Achilles began to realize that it was only right to return the body of Hector to Priam for two reasons. First, Achilles had already enacted his revenge by killing Hector so he did not need Hector’s body anymore. The second reason being that Achilles would have been devastated if he had not gotten the body of Patroclus back after Hector had killed him.

This also leads you to compare and contrast Achilles and Agamemnon as leaders, a warrior, but as people as well. Throughout the epic, Agamemnon and the Achaian troops were getting their a$$es handed to the for majority of the war. After the death of Patroclus, Achilles leads the troops to somewhat of a major victory in what seems like 2 days. Achilles defeating Hector was also a testament to his abilities as a warrior. Up until his death, Hector had been the most feared and glorious warrior throughout what we had read. Agamemnon wasn’t nearly the warrior that either man was. And for the aspect of him as a person, even in his most sorrowful time, during the funeral of his best friend, he is still able to be considerate and return the body of the person that killed his best friend to his family. In my opinion, Achilles is better than Agamemnon in mind, body, and spirit.

There’s no way I can make this journal 7 minutes. There isn’t much for me to talk about. I’m still in awe at the beauty of this tale. From start to finish, I vividly saw what Homer was reciting to us. The language, although extremely dense, flowed in a way that made me want to keep reading and understanding. I’m anxious to start the Odyssey and get to the post-Achilles time period. Thank you Professor for making me read this epic at a much older age. Thank you for helping us understand it and the life lessons that came with it.

This week began with class on Thursday, the 22nd of September. You know what Thursday means… QUIZ! And boy, was I ready. I had spent all night going over the major points of the books we needed to know for the quiz. I ended up finally getting that perfect score i aimed for, but at a cost… I instantly fell asleep as soon as I handed in my quiz. I was exhausted. One minute I was listening to Professor Sandridge discussing the importance of Patroclus’ death and what it meant to Achilles, the next I woke up to the sound of everyone packing their things, while I wiped the drool from my face.

The assignment given at the end of this class was to read books 18–20 and to assess the reaction of Achilles to Patroclus’ death. Of course I read the books during my long weekend commutes to and from Tyson’s Corner, per usual. We were charged with the question of what is the proper reaction to the death of a friend. This question is extremely difficult for me because, as you all know by now, I have had to deal with the death of close friends in my past. To me, there is no real way to deal with the death of a friend, especially at a young age. I lost three of my closest friends at the age of 14 and I haven’t been the same since. At times, I can say that their deaths made me a better and stronger person, but that can’t be said for everyone that experiences such loss. I also had to experience it again at the age of 21, and I felt the exact same why I did at the age of 14. Everyone handles death differently, and that’s ok because everyone is different. When hearing the news of a friend’s death, I was always in shock and denial at first. I couldn’t believe that God would remove such beautiful souls from my life at that time. Once I had no other choice than to accept the truth, the darkness overcame me. The sorrow sunk into my soul and I began to cry endlessly. Mind you, this happened this way each and every time. For a while, even though you come to terms with it, you never fully accept it. Everywhere I turn, even til this day, I always feel as if I see them walking across the room from me, or in the distance, as if their watching over me. For me, that was my grieving process: denial, depression, acceptance. It is perfectly normal for someone to feel not whole anymore when a close friend dies. That’s why I cannot judge Achilles for wanting to commit suicide when he first hears of Patroclus’ death. To be honest, when my best friend, Justin passed in December of 2008, I slipped into this dark hole where I felt as if I didn’t need to be here anymore either. So Achilles immediate response to the death of his best friend was without a doubt warranted.

Throughout the time we have spent reading this epic, Professor Sandridge has been preparing us for Achilles reaction, by somewhat telling us how he would react. From day one when I shared with the class the experiences I have had with the death of loved ones, he told us that something similar would happen in the epic. Even though he has been prepping us for this moment, Homer has hinted at it constantly. When Achilles withdrew from the war and pleaded with his mother for his honor, we all knew it would come at price. When the three great warriors begged Achilles to come back and he rejected their offer of treasures, we knew the price would be much higher for his strength. But, the thing that signaled it most to us was when Patroclus asked Achilles to rejoin the war, and then asked him if he could pose as him. Achilles gave him specific instructions to to just reclaim his troops and come back, to not advance and risk his life in battle. He spoke to him in a way that he needed Patroclus to live because he was all he had. We saw this to be true once he got word of Patroclus’ death. It was everything we expected it to be. He experienced all the stages of grief that I had listed, expect he experienced one more emotion, rage.

On Monday, I spent majority of my day at work. When leaving work, I began to read book read book 20 in preparation for class Tuesday. By the time I arrived home, I had finished the reading but had to study for a test in my later class. I stayed up all night once again. When I arrived to class, I tried to fight the sleep but it overcame me. I feel ashamed to say I slept through yet another class. When I awoke, there was a bunch of words written on the board and I feel as if I missed an interesting lecture. But even though I fell asleep and basically missed the class, I still had to complete the assignment for that day. The assignment was to read book 21 in preparation for Thursday’s class. The topic of discussion for this assignment was a very interesting one. We were asked to discuss our feelings towards Hector. Yeah, you read that right, Hector, the technical “villain” of the epic.

Hector’s character has been rather interesting to me throughout this entire experience. To be honest, if there was no Achilles, Hector would be the most glorious warrior. Think about it this way, if you were reading this story from the perspective of the Trojans, you would believe Hector is a hero. You wouldn’t have any ill-will towards him because you would be seeing his actions as righteous. Throughout the epic, there has been times where we see Hector in the same light as Achilles. We see that Hector is favored by several Gods, just like Achilles. We see that Hector has a wife and son in which he wants to protect, just like Achilles with Briseis and Patroclus. He is fighting a war that has nothing to do with him, just like Achilles. He is even looking to win the same kleos that Achilles is fighting for. If Achilles was never introduced to us as the hero, I think we would all be on the side of Hector. I do not feel as if he deserves to die. The death of Patroclus was a casualty of war, which was bound to happen. His death is caused by the revenge that Achilles seeks. I don’t think I would enjoy reading how Achilles kills him, even though we already know how it happens and what he does afterward. Hector doesn’t DESERVE to die, but for Achilles to be the epic’s ultimate hero, he must, which is unfortunate because I enjoy his character. Like i said previously, if Achilles was not introduced as the hero of this story from jump, or if the story was told from the view point of the Trojans rather than the Achaians, Hector would be the hero of this tale.

As I state at the end of every journal, this epic is gripping and excites me more and more with every book I read. I know that we will finish the story in the coming days and at this point, I am excited to see the ending and how Achilles will finally win his kleos. I just hope I can manage to stay up in class Thursday. If you don’t remember me stating this, it is currently Wednesday night and I am writing this while working an overnight. See you in class tomorrow, hopefully.

Over the weekend, we were charged with reading books 14–16. Per usual, I read each book as I made my way to and from Tyson’s Corner. These books escalated the store very quickly. The books went from bloody, to lusty, back to bloody in split seconds. In book 14, Hera seduces Zeus in order to help the Achaians in battle. Literally, seduces him. It was like reading a Greek erotic novel. We were asked what purpose does this serve, not only to the war, but to the epic. Well, I spent the weekend thinking this over. Hera seduced Zeus to put him to sleep, so that she can provide aid. In these moments, Hera was more powerful than the King of the Gods. That got me thinking about the rest of the epic and what has happened so far. Then it hit me, The women of this epic are the most powerful beings throughout this whole tale. Hear me out, the Entire war was caused by women.

1. Judgement that was passed by Paris on Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
2. The Achaians are fighting to retrieve Helen back from the Trojans for Menelaus.
3. Thetis persuaded Zeus to honor her son Achilles and help him win back his honor.
4. And last but not least, this scene in book 14 solidifies the fact that Hera, even though she is technically lesser than Zeus, is his only weakness and can be the most power being. Its not surprising at all.

We all know that a man’s greatest weakness is the woman he loves, so Hera exerting this type of power over him in book 14 didn’t surprise me, what surprised me was the details. Women have been dominant figures throughout the story, but have been undermined by the blood and gore of the war. It’s interesting to see that with this scene in book 14, we are reminded of the powers that women have over the tides of life. Ironic that the beings that create life can also be the destroyer of it as well.

We were also asked to discuss Patroclus’ death and to what extent he was responsible for it. We had a discuss about this question in class on Tuesday. Quinn brought up the excellent point that Zeus had already decreed the death of Patroclus, so his death couldn’t have been his responsibility. When posed with the question then, Professor Sandridge went further by asking to what extent are we responsible for attending Howard university and to tie that back into the death of Patroclus. This got me really thinking, about higher powers and humans freedom of choice. I am a firm believer that humans have choice in the outcome of their lives and existences. But, I also do believe in a higher power and that they do have plans for your life. As i stated in class, I believe that whatever higher power you believe in creates different paths for you, each with different outcomes, and you can freely choose a path and make choices that will lead down that path. So, in terms of Patroclus, even though Zeus has already stated he will die, I believe that if he had just listened to Achilles and not advanced to take the Trojan walls, he would have lived longer and the epic would have had a few more books. But, because of the DECISION he mad to keep pushing forward, he was killed (although, I do believe that him killing Zeus’ demigod son made it happen a little quicker). We as extensions of these divinities have a say in what we do, but they had the final say in the outcome, we just must choose wisely or it can lead to our demise, just like it did for Patroclus.

A lot went on in book 17. We still even see Zeus lending a little fuel to the fire. I’m still anxious to see Achilles go bananas and MURK everyone (I know you like the way I used our class word). I’m anticipating how Achilles is going to act when he finally sees the body of his best friend. The next question that was posed to us was are the females of this epic heroic in any way. And it depends on what you see as heroic. There aren’t many females in the epic besides the Goddesses. Their roles are the most prominent of all the females. The thing about each of them is that they have their own wants and desires. They each strive to get what they want and hurt a lot of people along the way. But be honest guys, how many heroes don’t hurt people enroute to their goals. I know nobody believes that people lived through every Superman battle when buildings in Metropolis crumbled. I believe what makes someone heroic is their passion. Hera, especially, is passionate about her honor and has gone to extremes to defend it and even gain it. She, with the help of Athena, have hurt many on the opposing side, but also inspired, protected, and even saved many of the Ahcaian warriors. The definition of a hero is subjective. I depends on how you feel about the motives of the person who is being given that title.

For anyone that reads this, again, protect my reputation. Don’t let anyone know that I am extremely intrigued by all that is happening throughout this epic. I’m extremely engaged and, as I’ve said before, anxious for the things to come. This book has been giving me life the last few weeks, and giving me such a better understanding of Greek history. From what they thought, to how they spoke. From their love for honor, to their love for their divinities. This book, as well as this class has been a good refresher for me, showing me there’s more in this world than just American history. Thank you Professor Sandridge and I look forward to week 5. LETS GET TO IT!

The major question was to list all the decisions that Agamemnon has made and rate them according to how good of decisions these were. This was fun because throughout the reading all I could do is laugh at Agamemnon and shake my head at some of the choices he has made, knowing they would, for a lack of a better phrase, come back to bite him in the ass. As far as Agamemnon’s decision making, he’s really only made a few major decisions thus far in the epic.

• The worst decision Agamemnon has made throughout the epic was in the first book. The decision to take Briseis from Achilles, leading him to withdraw his sword from the war proved to be the worst thing he could do for their chances in winning the war.
• When Agamemnon made the decision to turn down the priest’s ransom for Chyrseis. This led to Apollo releasing a plague onto the Achaians. I rate this decision about 3. Because this then leads to the decision made above.
• The decision he made to try to trick the soldiers by telling them to war was over had to be top 3 worst decisions he could make. Zeus gave him a vision of him winning the war, a war most of the Achaians did not want any part of. When he tried to us reverse psychology on his troops, they almost went back to Greece, until Odysseus reminded them of their prides and how they should stay and fight. I rate this decision about a 5.
• During book 10, Agamemnon decides to send spies into the Trojan camps, which would help make up some ground in the war. I rate this decision about a 7.
• One of the smarter decisions Agamemnon makes is to build a wall around the Achaians camps in order to protect his troops. This decision definitely deserved an 8.
• The smartest thing Agamemnon does throughout the reading thus far is swallows his pride and sends Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax with gifts to attempt to make peace with Achilles and bring him back to battle because they are losing the war. This decision earned a whopping 10.

During book 11, we finally get to see Agamemnon in real battle. The next question was to compare him to Diomedes. At this moment, we see the strength of Agamemnon but in no way does it compare to that of Diomedes in book 5. The abilities Diomedes had in book 5 were considered divine, which were also described in a way that would closely resemble what we hope to see with Achilles. Agamemnon, up to this point, has been known more for his leadership and not his battle skills. This is the first glimpse we get at him in battle and it ends up being somewhat short because he gets injured.

During class on Tuesday, we discussed the reading that we had due for the previous Thursday’s class (confusing, I know). We discussed book 9 and how Agamemnon was forced to swallow his pride and ask Achilles to rejoin the battle. We also discussed how the 3 warriors who went to persuade Achilles used their own methods in trying to talk him back into the war. At the end of the discussion, we decided that Ajax had the most favorable dialogue. He talked to Achilles about his honor or Kleos as a warrior and if he chose not to fight, Hector would be the most honored warrior of the Trojan war. This got Achilles to somewhat budge, but not fully yet. We also got to discuss part of the quiz and the question we all seemed to get wrong, which was strange. The question was basically who told Achilles that his father wouldn’t be proud of his decision not to fight in the war. Each of us answered Phoenix for our own reasons. I believed it was Phoenix because of the ties between Phoenix and Achilles that were mention in book 9. Because of him knowing Achilles prior to this whole ordeal, I assumed it was him because he actually knew Achilles’ father. The correct answer was Odysseus. I guess I should’ve went back instead of trying to think on my toes.

The main focus of the assignment we got following this class was to read book 13 and list all the Gods who had made their presence felt this far in the war, why, and for what side. The list goes as followed.

• Athena, Aphrodite, Hera. Each of these Goddesses are technically why the war began. As we discuss regularly in class, the Trojan war began because of the Judgement of Paris, the Trojan prince. His duty was to determine which of the Goddesses was the fairest and he was basically bribed by each one. He chose Aphrodite because she offered him an extension of her, Helen. But Helen belonged to one of the Achaian kings, Menelaus. Having Helen taken from him lead the Achaians to call for war. Also, because of his decision, this led Athena and Hera to want the downfall of Troy and all the Trojans.
• Apollo made several appearances in the early part of the epic. Apollo fought on the side of the Trojans. Apollo’s reason for being in the war was because of the decisions made by Agamemnon. When a priest, highly favored by Apollo, went to Agamemnon with ransom given to him by Apollo to exchange for the priest’s daughter, Chryseis, Agamemnon declined it vigorously. Which then lead to Apollo unleashing a plague on the Achaians and even killing some in battle in book 5.
• The next Goddess had a very slight hand in the Trojan war, but had a part nonetheless. Thetis, the mother of Achilles went to Zeus when her son was dishonored and persuaded Zeus to help him get his honor back. This really got the ball rolling. Her side is that of her son’s Achilles.
• The next hand in the war is that of Ares, who in most Greek mythology either fights by the side of Athena or that of Apollo. In this epic, he fights on the side of Apollo, which is on the side of the Trojans. He has no real motive, that we know of.
• The next God is Poseidon. Poseidon fights on the side of the Achaians. His motive isn’t really clear either. I would assume that when Poseidon makes his appearance, he is assisting the Achaians because at this point of the epic, Zeus is helping the Trojans.
• Now, last but certainly not least, we have all mighty Zeus. As I previously stated, Zeus entires his hand into the war because Thetis asks him to. For most of the epic, Zeus plays both sides. Zeus persuades Agamemnon into charging the Trojan walls, he believes the war should be concluded after the duel between Paris and Menelaus, he shows no pity to the Gods injured by Diomedes during battle, He calls for a stop to battle because of night fall, he helps advances Trojan troops, he even demands that the other Gods and Goddesses leave the battle field and remain in Olympus. He also has no real motive in this war. If he had a motive, it would only be to fulfill the agreement he made with Thetis, which was to give Achilles the chance to earn his kleos in battle.

At this point in the epic, the battles are getting bloodier and bloodier by the book. The Achaians are falling in number and so are the Trojans. Hector is in the position to have his name written in the history books as the greatest warrior of all time. But, it is leading us to anticipate the arrival of Achilles to the battlefield. At the end of book 11, Nestor begs Patroclus to persuade Achilles into fighting, even goes as far as to ask him to put on Achilles armor just to scare the Trojan troops. I believe this foreshadows how Patroclus will die, which in turn will bring Achilles back to the battlefield, thirsty for blood and revenge. The build up is making me anxious. I am beyond ready to read how Achilles unleashes his menus onto everyone and achieve his kleos.

Over the weekend, we were instructed to read books 6–8. Of course, the only time I had to read the epic was on my way to work and on my way back home. I spent about 2 hours a day, between Friday and Monday, dissecting the language and grasping the events that were unfolding. One of the questions that Professor Sandridge asked with this reading was about the relationship between Hector and his wife, Andromache and how theirs compare to other relationships that we know of this far. This is an interesting question because of one thing, as far as we know, Hector never WON Andromache as a prize like Achilles with Briseis and Paris to Helen. Also, Hector and Andromache have a child, which also makes their bond somewhat deeper compared to those of the other couples of the epic. When he goes to visit them at the walls of Troy, it’s almost as if he doesn’t want to leave them because they all know it is certain death if he does. His attachment to his family is far greater than the bonds of the other major couples that we have read about.

Another question that was posed was what hand have the Gods played in the Iliad so far. Sandridge wants 5 examples, I can name a couple dozen.

1. The Judgement of Paris, which catalyzed the war. Paris, the Trojan prince, was to decide who was the fairest of the Goddesses between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Aphrodite offered him the hand of the beautiful Helen, who belonged to Menelaus, one of the Achaian Kings. This jump started the war.
2. The agreement that Thetis made with Zeus to restore Achilles honor. Zeus gave Agamemnon a vision of victory which caused him to rally the fleets and descend onto Troy.
3. During the duel between Paris and Menelaus to end the war, before Menelaus could end Paris’ life, Aphrodite came down and swept Paris and Helen away to safety. This lead to the Achaians believing that the war had been won in their favor because of Paris’ sudden retreat.
4. In order to jump start the war once more, Athena persuaded a Trojan archer named Pandarus to shoot an arrow at Menelaus. When the arrow was close to Menelaus, Athena changed its direction to only harm Menelaus, which then angered the Achaians.
5. During the battle and blood shed, Athena gave the Achaian warrior Diomedes God like abilities and even gave him the strength to injure Gods. As I stated earlier in this journal during my quarrel with Professor Sandridge, he was able to shed the blood of Aphrodite and Ares because of the powers Athena had given him.

Now, are these Gods good or bad? Do they have morals? In my opinion, I don’t necessarily believe the Gods to be good or bad but I do believe they have morality. Throughout this epic, these Gods and Goddesses have shown human like emotions. They care for certain individuals, they want certain things, they go fight and argue just like humans. The only difference is that they are not Human and they can control much more to get the things they want or feel they need. It’s all about perception. I understand the wants of these Gods, although their methods can be cruel, they are not with morality.

Now, due to an issue at my apartment, I missed most of class on Tuesday the 6th. When I came in, the class was discussing the concept of xenia, which is defined as hospitality. When I came in, it was nearing the end of the discussing but I understood quickly what the word meant. Xenia is not only the concept of hospitality, but it is also the bonds made from hospitality. We discussed how these bonds are made and where these bonds can be forged. People compared it to having family that’s not really blood, but the bonds were formed through hospitality ties.

Our next assignment was to read Book 9 of the Iliad. In this book, the Achaians believe they have lost the war and come to the conclusion that the only way to get back into the war is with the help of Achilles. Agamemnon sends Ajax, Odysseus, and Phoenix with a “stockpile” of gifts to persuade him. Because Agamemnon had insulted Achilles honor in book 1, Achilles rejects the offer and tells them that he will return to his home and live a long life rather than die young in the war. I do not believe these are his true intentions because we all know that Achilles wants nothing more than to be remembered as a legend who died an honorable death. But his had been insulted by the same man how now chooses to bribe him back into the war. Think about it, you would say no too. Achilles does plan to return to the war, as we all know, but he will return on his own accord. It will not because they call for him. I whole heartedly agree with him turning down the offer of Agamemnon. No man can insult my pride and honor, then ask me for help when he needs me.

The war is intensifying and it’s only a matter of time before we get to witness Achilles’ menus. im enjoying the class more and more everyday. And with that, week 2 is a wrap.

He assigned us to read the first book of Homer’s Iliad to read by the second class. The language in the epic was dense but bearable. I read the story on my hour trip to and from work on the train, when I actually have a few minutes to myself. The questions posed were ones of importance to the main characters of the epic. What was most important to Achilles and Agamemnon and why. Well, what was most important to Agamemnon stayed consistent. Agamemnon was the king of men, who ruled with an iron fist. In other words, it was his way or the highway. The thing that was most important to him was what he saw as a prize, Chryseis. Chryseis is the daughter of a priest, Chryse, who was highly favored by the God, Apollo. When Chryseis was not returned to the priest in exchange for the ransom he offered, Apollo released a plague onto the Achaians. At first, what seemed most important to Achilles was the lives of his people. He tried to understand why Apollo was so upset and once he figured it out, he urged Agamemnon to release the girl in order to spare the lives of the Achaians. This quickly because an issue of pride between the two. Agamemnon refused and then threatened to take Achilles’ prize, Briesis if he were to try to take Chryseis from him. Even though Achilles mad no attempt to do so, Agamemnon, being as spiteful as he is, took Briesis from Achilles. This then revealed what was truly important to him, his honor and her.

While reading the first book you can tell exactly what kind of men these two were, but in our next, class we looked a little more in depth. We discussed specific things about each of them that spoke to who they were. Achilles is what is consider to be a demigod, his mother being the Goddess, Thetis. Achilles is a warrior and fights for his honor and legacy. Professor Sandridge pointed out that Achilles was given the option to live a long, mundane life as a prince or a short, heroic life as a warrior, which would bring him great honor. Obviously Achilles chose the latter. Agamemnon how ever, is a king of kings. He commands a large amount of the Greek lands, giving him unimaginable power and control. Due to his status, he believes that whatever he wants, he should have, and anyone that questions his authority will have to bare the weight of his anger.

As we continued to discuss these two men and what was most important to them, the topic of the ransom that was offered was brought up. Chryse brought a ransom of countless riches to Agamemnon in exchange for his daughter but Agamemnon refused it. This sparked the question of, “what is a person worth?” Well, that question is completely relative to the person being asked. Everyone in this world goes through different obstacles and have different finish lines, causing a lot of us to think differently. On our first day of class, I shared part of one of my Great Stories. At the age of 14, three of my best friends passed away in a year’s time span. This changed me and shaped the way I viewed the world and everyone in it. The value I place on the people in my life grew tenfold, but that may not be the same for everyone, as we came to learn of each other in class. The question posed is completely relative to the mindset of the person being asked. I discussed the value of people with my mother, who has also lost people near and dear to her at a young age. I asked her what determines their value to her or to the world, and her answer was the light that they emit. The soul of a person is often referred to as a light. A person who cares for others and genuinely tries to do good, has a bright her light. So the brighter this light burns, the more valuable this person is. But, again, that is relative because there’s no way to see the light in the people we do not know. Even in class, some good points were made but it all circled back to the notion that there is no real way to place a definite value on the life of a person. Only you can determine the value of someone to yourself.

Over the weekend, we were assigned to read books 2–4. Between Thursday and Sunday, I spent all my time at work, but, read on my hour and a half trips to and from Tysons on the train. I began to understand the real power the Gods of Olympus had over these people and the things they could do to promote the things they wanted most. We were also assigned to go to the National Mall and visit works of art that spoke to the nature of love. Because of my commitment to work, I was unable to go this past weekend, but I can vividly recall all the times I’ve been to the mall and seen things that reminded me of love. The very first thing I would have visited would have been the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, which I often visit every time I find myself at the monuments. When I was 16 and battling with one of my Great Stories, I got a MLK quote inscribed onto my arm to help me get through some of my life problems, which gave me a deeper connection to him. The reason why I would’ve chose this memorial is because Dr. King was a man of peace and love at his core. He understood that the only way for white people and people of color to coexist is for people to remove hatred from their hearts and to love one and other. Martin Luther King Jr was a symbolic representation of love. I would’ve also visited the Reflection Pool. You know the phrases “birds of a feather, flock together.” and “your soulmate is a reflection of your soul.” Why I think this symbolizes love is because the people you love the most and hold nearest are in some way a reflection (either you reflect them or they reflect you). I’m a firm believer that the energy you put out is the same that you receive. The love and energy you put out into the world is reflected back onto you and that is why I believe the Reflection Pool can be considered a symbol of love.

Class on Tuesday was a good one. We discussed the readings from the weekend, as well as the assignment of going to the National Mall. I lead part of the discussion when the floor was opened up to discuss what happened between Menelaus and Paris. The class enjoyed the way I explained it because of how I spoke. I tried to dumb it down to an extent, as well as made jokes about what was actually happening. I’m sort of a studious-class clown, although that is an oxymoron. We then discussed the assignment and the artwork that people viewed. I enjoy hearing what everyone says because everyone thinks so differently. All in all, the first week of Greek Literature was great. I learned a lot from the people in my class as well as Professor Sandridge. Let’s get started on week two.