The Illad, Book 24.

1. My opinion of Achilles still remains the same. Just because he has some emotion, doesn't mean he's changed. Priam asks Achilles to remember Hector, and his father. Priam and Achilles cry because they're grieving over their son and father who they've lost.  Achilles shows hospitality to Priam by feeding him, giving him food, and by letting him stay the night. Achilles agrees to not attack Troy in 12 days so Troy can have a proper burial for Hector.

2. I feel more sympathetic for both Achilles and Priam. Not only does Priam lose his son, but Achilles realizes something about himself, he's compassionate and he does have some emotion towards Hector. Priam needs to stop grieving over Hector.

3. Achilles is defined by his anger. Achilles other qualities that are revealed in this episode white Priam are compassion, fear, grief, sorrow, and checks his own behavior.

4. Greeks believe that fate cannot be changed, it's something you are born with and you cannot fix it. Zeus's passage about jars doesn't really make me have an understanding.

Book 22 of the Illiad

1.  Achilles insults Hector by not giving his body back to the Trojans if Hector dies and Achilles refuses to give Hector an honorable funeral, instead he ties up his body and drags him across Troy.

2.  Hector's character in this excerpt shows his flaws.  He runs away from Achilles after he kills Achilles best friend and that shows fear. Hector also faces Achilles, which shows either his bravery and courage. 

3.   In the excerpt Zeus was thinking if he should or shouldn't save Hector's life.  Athena convinces her father, Zeus, not to change fate for whatever reason, "whatever happens for a reason." Her words in the end change Hector's life, he dies because of her.  Apollo o helps Hector by helping him run away from Achilles.

4.  The way Achilles treated Hector's corpse was not right at all.  Hector promised to treat Achilles corpse with respect and return it to the Greeks, the least Achilles could do would be the same and respect Hector. But instead Achilles ties up his body and drags him across the dirt, Achilles had no right.

5.  I believe that Homer  included Priam's and Hecuba's reactions to Achilles' treatment of their son's body to show how much Hector's parents cared about him and to show that parents do care about there little ones and the fact to lose someone is a sorrow affection.

The Illiad - Book Six

1.   Hector is determined to keep fighting because of his pride and because he doesn't want his people to think he is a coward for not standing up for himself.

2.  Hector thinks his wife's future will be miserable and she'll be taken as a slave. He also knows that his wife has had some bad experience with Achilles so it won't give her any gratitude.

3.  Hectors attitude towards fate is that he loves it. He believes that everyone's fate is determined at birth. Hector tries to explain that if it's meant to happen, it's going to happen and that there is nothing himself or anyone could do about it.

4.  I learned that a husband like Hector is kind and loving, as a father he wants his son to be great and to succeed, greater than him and achieve more, and as a warrior he is strong, brave, and he values his pride.

5.  Hector and Achilles are both epic heroes, but in my opinion Hector is more heroic than Achilles because Hector is not part god and he's still courageous and he goes to fight even though he knows he's going to die.  Hector is therefor more heroic than achilles

Achilles, Agamemnon, Athena. 1-5

 

 

1. Athena reacts to Achilles anger by telling him to relax and to just leave Agamemnon alone.  Agamemnon didn't like this because he was ready to fight and wanted to wit. I believe that he was angry and thought that the feud was just stupid and that they were immature for fighting even though they're on the same side.

2.Agamemnon is more to blame for their feud because he decided to fight Troy and argue with Achilles to get him mad. If it wasn't for Agamemnon, none of this would've happened.

3. Achilles gets frustrated very easily.He gets very angry at Agamemnon and doesn't obey Athena because of his anger. Agamemnon just wants his prize and he's greedy and very selfish.

4.Athena tells Achilles to stop because it won't make anything better.  Gods and mortals are close and if the Gods see something wrong that the mortals are doing, they will punish them and send something to cause another conflict. For example, the plague that Apollo sent.

5. Achilles words may be foreshadowing the defeat of Agememnon.

Feud between Achilles and Agamemnon

The angry Achilles has threatened to take his man and return home. Achilles and Agamemnon become so enraged at each other. Agamemnon takes the daughter of Chryses. Chryses is Apollo's priest. So Apollo gets very angry and decides to send a plague. The prophet  reveals why the plague is occuring, and it's because Agamemnon kidnaps Chryseis. Achilles wants to give the girl up so this will all end, Agamemnon feels disrespected because he loves her and he doesn't want to give her up. But because he doesn't want any more conflicts, he agrees to give Chryseis up. But in return, Agamemnon wants Achilles prize because his pride is ruined. Agamemnon wants his people safe and not dying. Because of this arguement, Achilles wants to take his army men out of war. In conclusion, I believe that Agamemnon is to blame. If he didn't steal Chryseis, none of this would've happened; the plague, arguement, war, and anger between the gods.

250 summary on Greek literature, religion, education, and athletics.

          

  The culture of ancient Greece – its unique way of life – encouraged creativity and excellence in all pursuits. From fierce athletic competitions to boldly ambitious educational programs, the Greeks aimed for the best in all things. In such an atmosphere, literature flourished. Greece is a small mountainous country. The Greeks championed individual freedom, developed an early form of democracy, and demonstrated the power of rational thought. Greek ideals of beauty and justice have spread throughout the world. Greek literature, especially poetry and drama, continues to inspire writers today. Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the religion of the ancient Greeks had no sacred writings (such as the bible) and no commandments. The Greeks developed a rich set of myths, or traditional stories, about their gods. Many Greek city-states expected all citizens to become involved in politics. The most extensive form of democracy in ancient Greece was found in Athens. Each year, 500 citizens were chosen at random to serve on the Council of Five Hundred, which proposed laws and advised the assembly. Greek sculptors were the first to portray the human body realistically. Greek forever influenced the art of the Western world. The ancient Greeks combined idealism – the quest for perfection – and realism to create works of great beauty. Even today, the influence of Greek architects, sculptors, and writers can be felt from the design of many of our public buildings to the staging of the latest drama. The Greeks greatly valued music. The ancient poems that we read today are essentially song lyrics whose melodies have been lost.

God & Goddess of the Iliad (7)

Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty ; favors the Trojans

Apollo - the god of healing, musics, poetry, and prophecy ; favors and protects the Trojans

Hermes - the messenger god

 Athena - the goddess of wisdom and warfare ; protects the Greeks

 Hera - the queen of the gods, she is also the sister and wife of Zeus ;  favors the Greeks

Thetis - the sea goddess, she is also the mother of Achilles

Zeus - the king of the gods, the father of Aphrodite, Apollo, Athena, and Hermes; for the most part, he does not take sides in war.

Literature of Ancient Greece

Sparta was a strong city-state known for its military way of life. Sparta and Athens were the main rivals in a war that lasted 27 years.

The early Greeks are known as Mycenaeans, named after their leading city,  Mycenae. Mycenaeans were warriors and traders. They adapted an older writing system to the Greek language. Their kings gathered fortunes in gold and living in palaces protected by stone walls.

Not long after the defeat of Troy, Mycenaean civilization collapsed. A group of people from northern Greece-the Dorians-moved into the area the Mycenaeans had controlled.

Greek tribal settlements grew into independent city-states. Because of the shortage of fertile land, numerous Greeks traveled great distances, from Southern Italy to Asia Minor, to found new city-states.

Sparta developed into a military state, while Athens became a major cultural center and thus a magnet for artistic talent from all over Greece.

The Persian Wars continued on and off for a number of years, with Greece ultimately the winner. At the end, Athens emerged more powerful than ever.

Philip's son, Alexander the Great, eventually untied Greece, Persia, Egypt, and parts of India into one great empire. Alexander died when he was only 33, and his empire fragmented shortly after his death. The influence if Greek culture continued even after the Romans conquered Greece in 146 B.C.

In Sparta, people called helots were treated like slaves. They outnumbered the Spartans by seven to one. Helots farmed the land, working long hours and receiving in return only a little of the food they grew themselves. Because of their large number, the helots posed a threat to the Spartans, and that declared a war.

Because warfare was a fact of Greek life, all young Athenian men received training as soldiers. Athens, however, only assembled an army in times of war. Soldiers served in the military and then returned to more peaceful ways of life.

Artists, including sculptors and potters, held an honorable position in Athenian society. Sculptors created the lifelike statues of gods that decorated the temples. Potters, who worked in a special quarter of the city, decorated their wares with scenes of gods and heroes as well as of everyday life.

Unconditional Love

There is always going to be a parent who loves their child no matter what they say, how they feel, or what they do. This is called unconditional love. No matter how much their kid screws up he/she will always love the child. But there is a certain extent to this. If a child is acting up very bad and talks nonsense, the mother or father would do anything they could to protect them. This could mean, sending them away to a hospital, to another home, to rehab. If parents were going to give their own child away, there would have to be a serious reason. For example, if they were threatening, or ever laid a hand on their parent or tried hurt them, then that’s when they should seek help, or do something with their child like bring it to a foster care if they cannot control it. This doesn't mean their disowning; it means they're doing their best to help the child. My mother has ALWAYS helped me throughout my problems. I've done some stupid things, said some hurtful words, but she forgave me and helped me progress from my issues. I know she has unconditional love for me because I have unconditional love for her, she’s my mother, the woman who gave birth for me, the woman who gave up things to make sure I had a better life growing up. Parents disown their kids because they don't know how to take care of them, because they don't want responsibility, or just because having the child was an accident, and that's the wrong reason to disown a child. To have a parent who loves you for you is the best feeling in the world. 

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Parable of the Prodigal Son is about a father who has two sons. One son wants to pursue his life and move on while the other son stays behind to work hard for his father. The son who wants to leave wants to know if he can have his inheritance.  Father gave him his money. A few years later the son comes back and tells his father he spent all his money on non important things he did not need. The father forgave him and told his servants to get the fattest calf and cook it for a feast. While the party went on, the other son who stayed behind to work hard, got very jealous. He thinks to himself "why is my brother getting all this when he spend all of my dad's money, while I was here working so hard for him, I should get something." So because of this he decides to go into the party and talk to his Father and asks him why he didn't get any of his inheritance. And because he asked, he got some. This story tells us that parents have unconditional love for their little ones.

Book of Ruth

Book of Ruth is about a young woman, Ruth, who went out of her way to help support her mother-in-law, Naomi, after her husband and Ruth's husband had died. Ruth went back to Bethlehem with Naomi after the famine went away knowing she couldn't get married, get land, or have babies. Ruth did everything she could to help herself and her mother-in-law survive. She started gleening after the men, knowing she could get molested and hurt. Because of her dedicated love to Naomi, she found a man who loved her. From there she re-married and gave Naomi her first Grand baby.

Psalm 104

Psalm 104 is about God making life and the beautiful things on earth.  Each line is describing on how he created life, animals, water, valley, mountains, and man. It's old English and very descriptive.

Psalm 23

The psalm of 23 is a song to God from King James. David decides to talk about God and he becomes a shepard. He then guides him to take care of the sheep and later on David leads his people to God.

Noah and the Flood

God notices that his creations are acting wicked and evil. Because of this he sends a flood that should sweep out everyone, including animals. He tells Noah to build a boat big enough for everyone, along with that he must bring his wife, his kids, and their wives. Also, every animal, opposite of sex, two by two, have to come along.

Creation and Fall

God is the most powerful man. He creates man, animal, night and day, and plants. When he creates Adam, he tells him to never eat an apple off of the Tree of Knowledge or there will be a consequence. After Adam meets God's creation Eve, Eve listens to the serpent and decides to eat the apple off of the Tree of Knowledge. Adam took a bite as well. Because of this, they gained knowledge. For example, both Adam and Eve felt ashamed because they were naked so they made fig leafs. God found out that they ate the apple so he punished them. He gave Eve Labor pains, and gave Adam work pains. They both got kicked out from the Garden of Eden and now they can't live forever, instead they are only allowed to live for 120 years, then they die.

Adoration of the Disk

Ra creates everything, including the sun. He is the God of the sun. A royal couple hold up libations, or ritual offerings of drink.  After he creates the land, he creates animals and their homes. "Its people, herds, creatures that go afoot, Creatures that fly in air, both land and sea, Thou didst create them all within thy heart."

Book of the Dead

The book of the dead consists of papyrus scrolls that were found in tombs of important individuals from the 

New Kingdom period. A nobleman and his wife want to make an offer to Osiris in order to win his blessing in the next world. Both of them wanted to live peacefully. " I shall wake up in contentment; I shall not putrefy; my intestines shall not parish; I shall not suffer my injury. My eye shall not decay; the form of my face shall not disappear; my ear shall not become deaf..."

Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh is part God and part human. After his friend Enkidu died, he became very afraid that he would be able to die as well, so he went on a long journey to find ever lasting ife. He went through conflicts, mountains, without sleep, without food. He killed lions.