The story of Achilles in the Iliad is well known. Essentially he chooses between life and legacy. Thankfully, as the story could not have been crafted if he selected life, Achilles chooses to be remembered as the greatest warrior in the history of time. This story of his legacy is crucial to the seminal value of the Iliad.
It is incredible to me how parallel the story of the Iliad has been to Homer's writing. He has left behind an incredible legacy of epic creation to remembered for eternity. The story of the Iliad, as Sam and I portrayed in through our presentation, has been documented and expanded upon since it was created thousands of years ago. From the story, books, movies, paintings, sculptures, strategies, and even condoms have taken Homer's story and in some form or fashion made it their own.
I think these actions are paramount in displaying education. We often sit around in classrooms discussing a certain topic or idea. We debate, agree, depict our unique thoughts, and sometimes we argue and attempt to pursuade others that our belief is superior. Most times, we each portray our own idea and in turn collaborate and form a big conclusion. To me, these offsprings of the Iliad do just that. They portray many different angles and motifs Homer attempts to express in his epic poems. For example, there are various pieces of art ranging from theater to sculptures that attempt to answer the open ended question Homer leaves about Achilles' relationship with Patroclus. These collaborative pieces about this debatable subject attempt to forge an argument that best fits the reality of their relationship. Even further, when in the classroom we are still unable to form a final conclusion, it becomes evident to me that we are simply missing the bigger picture. In this case, Homer's writings create points of argument that actually lead to bigger and more important arguments. But most of all, Homer left behind the very phenomenon he expresses through his main character and Hero: the importance of Legacy.
7 comments:
Hmm. Life vs. legacy is sort of life vs. immortality, except you don't actually live through the immortality bit...
i think Achilles is definitely the biggest legacy left by the Iliad. Homer's Odyssey turned Odysseus into an even more famous Greek, but Achilles is definitely the big one out of the Iliad.
I really like what you said throughout your post. The Iliad is obviously a seminal work like you stated and you backed it up with plenty of examples. I like how you said that these examples are so open ended, and they are. Especially the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. It is impossible to conclude as to what their relationship pertained because we only have one source, the Iliad. Overall, I think you crafted this blog well and did a good job writing it.
While clearly the story is about Life vs. Legacy and the fact that Achilles chooses legacy, doesn't he do so in a very reluctant fashion? Like tess said Achilles does end up being the most recognizable character coming out of the Iliad due to his choice of legacy. And yes the Iliad does draw many open ended questions for us (as students) to debate and try and answer.
Legacy is the culmination of a mans life and his remembrance represents his individual stamp on the world. Achilles legacy as a great hero continues to exist today and has been idolized in film, novels and other medians. I think the legacy of the Iliad is even bigger than the legacy of Achilles. Homer's legacy and lasting impact on the world is represented in the ideas and subject matter of his novel the Iliad. Achilles is just one character of a much larger and more important piece of work, which is the legacy of the Iliad as an influential piece of literature.
I have to agree with what Tess said. Achilles is by far the biggest legacy left behind from the Iliad. He is such a controversial figure throughout the book that many focus all of their attention just to figure out who he is. Not to mention, a human body part was named after him. Talk about a legacy that will last forever.
I think your point is true that Homer has left a remarkably long lasting and pertinent legacy. However, do you you think that he purposefully left some questions unanswered to ensure that this legacy was upheld? Personally, I believe that Homer did not include details about the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles because it is not that important to the story. Yes - it is important in the sense that they have a strong relationship, but the reader does not need to know whether they are lovers or comrades.
I think your blog really brings up some really good questions. After I read this the first thought in my mind was, what person does not want to leave their legacy behind? What person wants to be forgotten as time goes on? If you look at any person whose name has been remember for 100 of years, look at what they had to overcome and what they either gained or lost to leave their legacy. Achilles had to give his life for his legacy to be remembered, and his mind set was that his legacy was more important than his life. Also how many people have been remembered for thousands of years?
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