Week 3 Review: Phonetically Defined

From Laura Gibbs

I thought that this would be a funny picture to wrap up week 3. Pylon is my favorite, and I'm not creative enough to come up with one myself, but maybe you can give it a try.

Famous Last Words: Keep on Keeping On

My reading this week was a little bit larger in scale than Aesop's Fables last week - it was Homer's Iliad. I enjoyed reading it college, where I was not only reading the spark notes so that I could pass my high school English quiz. It was an exciting story, I was cheering for characters on both sides. The final show down between Hector and Achilles was even the inspiration for my writing this week. Since I was torn deciding who should win, and knew that I would be unhappy either way, I rewrote the story so that hector triumphed over Achilles. It is also now occurring to me that the fact that I was cheering on both sides may have been one of the points of the story. War is hell, and the winners are the ones who write the history books. I really enjoy when I'm reflecting back on a reading an something extra like that hits me, it's the sign of a great story.

Homer, literary genius. From Wikipedia

As far as my other classes are concerned, the weekly grind of labs, assignments, and quizzes is in full swing. It makes for a stressful life, but I'm almost done with college. Something tells me I might miss it when it's gone. I haven't had any tests yet, but it's certainly time to start getting ready for them. If I procrastinate any longer, I'll practically (or literally) be cramming the night before my first test.

The career fair is also this week, so if any of you guys want to see me I'll be the guy in the navy suit frantically passing out resumes to anybody who will take them. If you look official enough and hold a clipboard, you might even get one yourself. Wish me luck, and thanks for reading this week.

Wikipedia Trails: Homer to Tower of Silence

Bust of Homer, from Wikipedia

To start my research this week, I clicked on the Wikipedia page for Homer - the author of the Iliad. Much like Aesop, Homer may have been a hostage or slave of the Greeks. Something about that experience must inspire people to write. I saw that one of the ways that scholars were estimating when Homer was alive was comparing him to actions taken by Xerxes I, so I clicked through to that page next (also because I recognized him as the villain from 300). Xerxes was evidently a Zoroastrian, which implied to me that he did not actually consider himself a God. Reading about the Zoroastrian burial practices led me to a morbid page, regarding Towers of Silence. Since Zoroastrians believe that bodies must be disposed of to prevent invasions by Demons that can transfer to the living. The method that some follow is to place bodies on top of a tower, where the flesh is eaten by carrion birds, and after about a year, the bones of the dead are disintegrated in a mixture of lime and water.

Learning by HEART: The Sweet Spot

From Laura Gibbs

I think that the message behind this picture is a great one. Life is all about balance, but it is very difficult to achieve. A little stress can be a great motivator, but you also need time to relax. Thanks for reading. 

Growth Mindset: Connecting with Others

From Laura Gibbs

I saw this and thought that it was a great message to pass along. When people are constantly high strung or always worrying about things, others take notice. If you are stressed, you will be less focused on making connections and people will be less likely to make the effort to connect with you. Thanks for reading.

Week 3 Extra Credit Reading: Hans Christian Andersen

I will be reading Part B of the Hans Christian Andersen collection this week, which exclusively involves The Little Mermaid.

• The opening description of the Sea King's castle really lends itself to imagining yourself there, deep underwater. 
• I don't understand why the Little Mermaid wouldn't be fascinated by things from shipwrecks, if she is so fascinated by life above the surface of the water. 
• I don't feel like the Little Mermaid will understand the lesson that "Pride must suffer pain", she doesn't strike me as ostentatious so far. 
• The religious overtones of this story are weird to me, with the Grandmother talking about how human souls live forever. To me, this prospect seems to entice the Little Mermaid even more. 
• The Little Mermaid is foolish to think that everything will work out well, it relies on a Prince who does not know she exists falling in love with her. This is further compounded with the fact that her tongue has been cut out. 
• I don't understand how the Little Mermaid is happy, she can't speak or walk. 
• I expected her to die, certainly not for her to turn into air and wave around for 300 years. The ending seems like the weakest part of the story to me. 

The Little Mermaid after she casts herself off the ship, from By Gosh

Week 3 Storytelling: Hector's Victory

Hector stood guard outside the gates of Troy as Achilles was causing his fellow soldiers and countrymen to fall back behind the well in droves. Hector listened to King Priam, his father, beg him to return to the safety of the fortified city, because King Priam believed that not even Hector, the cities greatest warrior, could stand up to Achilles. Hector would not even recognize the pleading of his mother, Queen Hecuba. Hector simply stood outside the gate like a stone sentinel, watching his foe draw nearer.

Zeus, watching these events unfold from Olympus, began to have a change of heart. He had promised Thetis that Achilles would succeed against the men of Troy, but seeing how Achilles had driven his enemies back inside the wall, Zeus decided that he had exacted revenge for Patroclus. Zeus then sent his messenger, Hermes, to tell Achilles to stand down, or be prepared to meet his fate on the battlefield.

Achilles received Hermes, but sent him back to Zeus with the message that he would not stop until the man who had killed Patroclus laid dead on the sand. Achilles began his final approach to the walls of Troy, and the lone figure standing under the main gate awaiting him.

The reply from Achilles angered Zeus, and he forbid the rest of the Gods from interfering in the upcoming fight. He declared that "Whomever is left standing at the end of this day shall earn that right through his actions alone". Athené and Apollo in particular took umbrage with this statement, but they did not dare disobey Zeus.

Achilles slowly approached the open clearing where Hector stood waiting for him.

Hector and Achilles fighting, from Ari Kohen

"We meet at last, on the field of battle", Hector said to Achilles.

"Yes, and it is where you shall die, for you killed the man who I loved most, Patroclus", replied Achilles.

Both Hector and Achilles having said what they wanted to, they slowly began to circle each other, both of them with their spear ready in a throwing position. Suddenly, Achilles braced and threw his spear with all of his might at Hector, but just missed. The spear flew over Hector's left shoulder. Seeing Achilles defenseless and standing still, Hector also threw his spear, but missed Achilles, with the spear flying a foot wide of Achilles.

After a moments peace as both the soldiers evaluated their situation, they drew their swords from their scabbards and charged at each other yelling. Achilles raised his arm to strike, but Hector deftly dodged. Hector then thrust his sword into the armpit of Achilles' raised arm, where his plates of armor met. The sword pierced his arm, rendering him unable to fight. Achilles fell to his knees and began to beg for mercy, with all the soldiers from Greece and Troy looking on. Hector looked up at the castle walls, where his father stood watching him. He then took his sword, and slew Achilles.

The Greeks, who had all been watching the fight, immediately withdrew back to their camps. King Agamemnon, knowing that Achilles was his greatest chief, knew his soldiers would be too demoralized to continue fighting, and the next day they withdrew from Troy forever.

Author's Note: This week, I've decided to rewrite Homer's Iliad as if Hector had won in his fight against Achilles. I did similar writing in Epics of India, so I decided to give it another try. It's fun to explore alternate possibilities in given universes. In the original source, Achilles kills Hector with help from the Gods, so I decided that removing that element would give Hector a more fair shot at winning. I also wrote the ending so that the Greeks withdrew, and never built their horse. 

From Homer's Iliad, retold by A.J. Church.

Week 3 Reading: Homer's Iliad

This week I'm reading Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church. This post will cover part B.

• I don't understand why these soldiers fight to claim the bodies of their "special" allies. I understand wanting to claim their possibly mythical arms and armor, but there is no mention of a specific burial rite or anything similar that requires the body of the fallen. Why don't they do this for the regular foot soldiers? Perhaps it is not so much that they want to recover the body, as prevent the enemy from recovering it and further humiliating the dead. 
• The humans seem willing to be pawns of the Gods in many ways. I don't know if that is because they have faith that the Gods will always do the right thing, or they are afraid of disobeying them. Maybe a little bit of both, Achilles certainly wasn't afraid to threaten Apollo. 
• Hector also seems to think he has no influence on the outcome of the battle between him and Achilles, thinking that Zeus will choose the winner and that he will have to accept that decision. 

Achilles (left) and Hector (right), from Mark Churms

• It almost feels as though the Greek soldiers are losing sight of the reason why they came to Troy in the first place - no one is worried about rescuing Helen, but rather they are fighting personal battles with the enemy and within their own group. I feel that no one is worried about King Agamemnon any longer. Why is King Priam negotiating with Achilles, who is a subordinate of Agamemnon, without contacting Agamemnon first? 
• I wish that this reading covered all the way to the end of the war, but I understand that Homer only wanted to cover these characters and the struggles that both sides faced in the war. The ultimate moral seems to be to fight with honor, and hope that your enemies give you the same kindness. 

Thanks for reading with me. 

Week 3 Reading: Homer's Iliad

This week I'm reading Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church. This post will cover part A.

• To start, this story prevents a very realistic view of warfare. The Greeks set out with good intentions and still end up attacking innocent towns and people. I always think of these old stories glorifying the positive aspects of war and glossing over the negatives, so this was kind of surprising. 
• I find it interesting how the Gods attempt to solve situations involving humans and themselves with their almost "political" influence, as opposed to the power they possess as Gods. 
• Zeus has very traditional vies on the relationship between husband and wife, which is not surprising, and he even brags that there is literally no one who can stop him in Olympus. I suppose I am missing some of the cultural context from when this story was written. 
• I can't decide who to root for. Paris kidnapped Helen and started this whole thing, but the Greeks have not shown much patience of grace in their attempts to get her back, should she even want to go back (They seem to be treating her well, but perhaps Hector's view was skewed). 
• I'm beginning to think that the author's plan was to show that there was good and evil on both sides -  good being represented by Hector and Achilles. They are both brave warriors fighting for what they believe to be right, which must have been looked on as very honorable and a desirable personality trait when this story was written. 
• I don't understand why Achilles would wait for all this time only to deny help to the other Greeks. Why didn't he leave when he pledged to stop fighting? I could see his motivation being that he would be there in person to see the Greeks fall, but that seems a little to spiteful for what I have read about Achilles so far. 

Patroclus, from Bay Pins

Thanks for reading along with me, check back soon for more.

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I added a weather widget for Norman to the column on the right of the main posts. Check out how to do it here.